October 24th, 2019

—

Sheila

—

I peeled my eyes open, through the crust that had formed over them. I let out a groan, my lungs felt like they were underwater. When I breathed in, it felt like fire was getting shoved down my throat.

"Sheila." I felt someone touching my shoulder gently. I flopped my head to the side, too weak to lift it up. The person crouched down to meet me. It wasn't my mate.

Though it was a friend.

"Flores," I groaned and instantly regretted it. Lava flooded every part of my body.

His cold hand touched my cheek, "don't talk. It's good to see you too." He smiled, I wanted to smile back, though I didn't have the strength to even breathe. "They are on their way now."

I scrunched my eyebrows, what was wrong with me? Why couldn't I breathe? I gripped the sheets in pain. It felt my heart start hammering again.

"Shh," he put his hand over my eyes, closing my eyelids. "You are not ready to be awake." I felt a soothing spark come from him, it flooded into my body calming all my nerves.

I let a sigh, allowing all my breath run away from me before I passed out again. The last thing I remember hearing was the door opening, and someone placing a hand on the back of my head.

—

I woke up, the sun peering into my eyes. I grunted, and rolled over in my sheets. The burning sensation has resided, though there still was a slight tingle in my gut. "Mercy," I cried and wrapped my arms around my stomach.

There was movement, I flicked my eyes up to see my mate holding a book in his hand, sitting in a chair.

Pain. Just pain was in his eyes. Helpless pain. My heart clenched.

"I'm sorry." His voice was almost a whisper. What has he done? "I didn't know. I would have kept you inside. I didn't know," his hands that grasp the book were shaking. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

How, how was this his fault. Of all people this was my fault. I forgot about Weni's letter. Disregarded the warning signs. If anything, he is the one that kept me alive.

Even though I had no idea what had happened to me. I reached out an arm. Ignoring all the feelings of fire ants rushing up my skin. I gripped his hand, giving it a squeeze, "not..." I couldn't make out sentences. My throat burned.

"Fault," I wanted to say that is wasn't his fault. I looked up at him to see more pain swimming in his eyes. He was just feeling worse.

I looked down to the book in his hand. "Read," I groaned, "pain..." I gripped his hand tightly, the words hurt so bad. It was almost humorous, I used to not be able to talk, because I had nobody to talk to. Now I physically couldn't talk. The gods were playing a cruel game on me, "away," I was croaking at this point.

"You want me to read this to you?" An eyebrow raised, he held up the book to me. The title read, 'Crowns of Crows' I'm sure that wasn't a romance book. I just nodded my head.

He smiled, "well," he close the book then flipped to the first page, "let's start at the beginning."

—

He read for hours, no breaks, just reading. I stayed awake the entire time listing to my mates raspy voice tell the story. He was a beautiful story teller, using hand gestures to describe the size and wonders of this imaginary world. It was clearly not the first time he had ever read this book.

It was about a King Levius, the King of Crows, who had been shot down by a human king on accident. The king, Wvil, mistook the crow as a gull, and thus shot it down. Though the crow was a sacred entity in the human realm and so he didn't want to end the crows life after shooting it.

With an arrow in his wing, the king of crows would not be able to change back into his mythical form. So he was almost left there to bleed out. Though the king came back, somehow mesmerized by the crow and brought him back to the castle to be treated.

The people of the castle thought the king had gone mad, saying words like, "would you like me to cook him m'lord," or "I didn't know you enjoy feathery pets, sire."

For weeks the king treated the crow king to his healthy form, until the crow could finally turn back into a human.

"And the Wvil fainted from shock once Levius revealed himself as the crow king." We gave a good chuckle at that.

He kept going and I was memorized, this was my mate. A king, a master story-teller, a gentle whisperer of words. I think I had fallen in love with him all over again.

The two went on to becoming war brothers and took back the land once consumed by evil. The lesson, mostly up to interpretation, but, "to be kind to those that need help." My mate said it perfectly.

"My mother read this book to me, a long time ago." He closed the book and set it on the black table next to my bed. "That book had been long since abandoned, it was so old the spine was nonexistent." He chuckled leaning closer to me, tucking a stray hair behind my ear.

I must've looked horrible. I hadn't showered in probably a day and a half. I was sweating, my hair probably slicked back with grease. My face probably oily and filled with pimples. Though I knew with that look in his eyes, he didn't care. He just loved me for me.

"Are you feeling better." I nodded my head, a soft smile coming to my lips.

"Much, all thanks to you." My voice came out hoarse. Though the fire sensation that sizzled up my insides, have now resided.

"I didn't do much." He smiled brightly, I truly felt that he seemed happy for my recovery.

"Reading to me for nine hours straight is quite much." I chuckled, drawing into laughing with me.

"If you are feeling better, I will call Flores back in."

"I'm surprised to see Flores here. I feel like I haven't seen him in forever."

"I didn't know what was going on with you, so I send an emergency letter out to him. He arrived here in less than two hours." That's remarkable, the elven castle was a six hour flight away, and Flores little cottage was about double that distance. How could he have done it?

"Did you find out what was wrong?" I was very curious to what had put me on my death bed.

"Yes. Though it's best another shadow wolf tells you. They are waiting out there together." He turns to the door, his hand coming to his mouth to shout.

"Please come in."

—

FRIDAY IS TOMORROW!!

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WHO IS AT THE DOOR?

Awe little Zaivinth is a nerd who reads.

Flores, how did he get there so fast?

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