Chapitre 24

Even though I was sitting in bed, it felt like the whole world had tilted to one side.

"She is what?"

I couldn't read the tone of Ero's voice. Was he shocked? was i shocked I could only stare at the sheets draped over my legs.

I felt sick, not pregnant.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. Eros ripped me out of my bubble of confusion. His eyes showed nothing but determination.

I did not know what to say. I didn't know how to react. Should I be happy? should i cry

"Well, it's just one of many possibilities. Since you seem to have made up again, Ephilia is better protected against diseases and the like, even if she has a little fever. But pregnancy cannot be ruled out, just like many other things."

"So in summary you have no idea what's wrong with her," Eros growled and I put my hand on his to calm him down.

Demetrius didn't seem to like that at all. He snorted and opened his briefcase.

"I'm very sorry Alpha, but I've never experienced anything like this before," he said, approaching us again. "I can make something for the pain and recommend bed rest. As for the cause, I can't say anything yet. It takes more time."

Eros growled again. He was dissatisfied with the outcome of Demetrius' investigation. I was still trying to digest the stone that was pressing on my lungs and making it difficult to breathe.

Why would Demetrius say such a thing? I didn't believe a word he said. It couldn't be...

"Thank you, Demetrius," Eros said, but his eyes were on me.

The old man nodded and left the room. Silence enveloped us.

"I am not pregnant."

My voice filled the room and surprised myself. But I felt it deep inside me. It was an instinct I trusted for some reason.

"Ephilia-"

"No," I interrupted him. "Pregnancy doesn't cause hallucinations or fever."

Emotions slowly began to boil up in me again. Eros took my hands in his as if to reassure me.

"Ephilia, I know. The symptoms don't match that easily. There must be another reason."

He kissed my fingers and some of the weight lifted off my chest. It was good to know that Eros thought the same way about some things as I did.

"Exactly what other cause do you think?" I asked.

“There must be some outside influence. People can get sick from anything," he replied.

Sometimes Eros was really charming, but I ignored what he said.

"What exactly do you mean?" I asked.

"Maybe you have an allergy," he replied thoughtfully as I stared at him in amazement. How the hell did Eros know so much about humans? Most wolves didn't even know what a fever was.

"I've never thought about it," I said honestly.

Though I fought it, I felt a heavy fatigue pressing down on me. Whatever had been infesting my body was doing everything it could to make me feel bad. Even the blazing sun couldn't change that and the fever finished me off.

"Can we talk more about this tomorrow?"

"Sure, you should rest," Eros said.

I rested my head against the pillows, snuggled into the warm sheets. Though my whole body was shaking, I was halfway to dreamland. Only the creases of fabric let me for a moment opening

my eyes.To my relief, Eros stripped off his clothes and lay down next to me.I immediately snuggled into his warmth as he wrapped his arm around me.

I leaned against his side and closed my eyes. It didn't take words between us to know what we felt. Still, I wanted to say it.

"Thank you for being here," I whispered, listening to the heartbeat pounding up and down under my ear.

"I'm always there for you. We'll do everything we can to make you healthy again," Eros replied and stroked protective over my side. Then he kissed my hair.

I bathed in his warmth and affection so that I almost fell asleep, unafraid of nightmares.

A few hours later I woke up in the same position I fell asleep in. The sleep had helped get rid of the fever and yet I was still tired.

I looked up at Eros, who was holding a book, devouring the lines in the setting sun. The orange light fell perfectly on his strong jaw and I admired his beauty for a few seconds.

Beautiful... strong... educated...

"It's rude to stare," he said simply, tearing his eyes away from the book. An amused smile curled his lips. Ero's expression was all I needed not to worry "I'm not staring ,

" I said. "I admire."

Ero's eyes changed color for a second. He left his book forgotten on the bedside table while giving me his full attention.

"You know exactly what to say to a man," he growled lewdly.

A familiar tingle spread through my stomach along with a tired grin on my lips. It was good to know that our fight was finally over.

An excited knock burst our happy bubble. Eros growled in annoyance and reluctantly I lifted my head from his chest. We untied our legs, which we had hooked together.

The door cautiously creaked open a crack and I recognized Beta Julien.

"I'm very sorry, Alpha, but there is a lot to talk about. It'll only take a few hours."

A few hours?!

I didn't want Eros to go, but I didn't want to be selfish even less. I saw that same dichotomy in his eyes as they looked down at me.

He didn't want to leave me alone, but now it was my job to encourage him to do his duty.

"Go away, I'm only going to sleep here anyway," I said, gesturing toward the door, where Julien wore an apologetic smile.

"Well. Julien, get Lucia. Have her keep Ephilia company while we're gone."

Then he turned to me one last time and bent down. He kissed my forehead.

"I'll be right back," he said. "If anything happens, Castor and Pollux are at the door."

I nodded and kissed his ankles.

"Don't worry about me," I said in parting. "I'll just go back to sleep."

Eros took one last look at me and pulled the door shut behind him. Silence enveloped me and I took a deep breath. Maybe I really just had an allergy, but to what?

Had I eaten something on the journey north that I couldn't tolerate? Or did I touch a plant that could trigger a hallucination. Maybe I should ask Demetrius about that.

I looked at Ero's side, where his warmth slowly disappeared into the sheets. The book caught my eye and I reached for the leather cover.

Human anatomy and virology.

Perplexed, I read the title and leafed through the monster of a book.

Whereas the normal temperature in humans is between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius, three degrees less than in werewolves, when there is a fever the temperature rises. This is done to kill pathogens that have invaded the organism. A person who is ill needs a lot of bed rest, warmth and light food. This is the only way he can regain his strength.

I closed the book again. Now I knew where Eros got his knowledge of humans. He tormented himself through this boring book and for my sake.

A warm feeling flooded my stomach as I ran my fingers over the mark. I closed my eyes and laid my head back on the feather pillows.

I turned my gaze back to my bedside table, where the damned gift from the hunters still contained verbena. As soon as I was healthy I would get rid of it somewhere. The hunters could go to hell if they thought I would side with them.

I pulled open the drawer where my bag with the cookbook rested. Next to it was the box with my mother's bracelet, along with the vial of holy water.

My three treasures.

I still hadn't given Karen the cookbook. Maybe I'll think about it when she comes by. A loud knock interrupted my thoughts.

"Come in," I said and the door opened.

Lucia entered with cautious steps. Her black bangs fell gleaming across her forehead and she looked down at me with worried red eyes. In her hands she carried a tray.

"Ephilia! Julien said you need company. I heard what happened. Is everything okay?" she asked.

I managed a tired smile.

"Thank you, Lucy. I am fine. I'm just tired," I said, but inside I was glad that she was here. She put the tray down in front of me and gestured towards the soup and fresh tea.

"Karen made you something to eat."

"Please give her my thanks."

Lucia nodded eagerly and stopped in front of my bed.

"Is there anything else you need?" she asked, her red eyes glittering with concern in the setting sun.

I shook my head.

"Thank you Lucy. I just need to sleep Then I'll be better."

She didn't seem happy with what I said and sat down in the chair across from me.

"I'll at least wait until you fall asleep. Then I can go to bed in peace."

I smiled at her stubbornness, which I knew all too well of myself.

"Whatever you say," I murmured, snuggling back into the sheets.

Soon, not only was the world engulfed in darkness, but my thoughts as well.

THURSDAY OF THE 9TH MOON COUNT:

Suddenly I woke up. My whole body trembled more violently than leaves in a storm. Pure cold surrounded my bones and even the thick goosebumps couldn't protect me. My teeth chattered.

I looked around frantically. I was alone in bed. Lucia must have gone to sleep long ago. It was pitch black outside, only the crescent moon sending cold light into the room. I sat up.

Two things had changed.

The window was wide open and although there was no wind outside, the icy air kept creeping into the room. My heart started racing.

Has anyone been here?

Then I noticed the second thing that was different:

The verbena soap was no longer on the bedside table.

Oh oh.

***

Stunned, I stood in the open room that let in the icy night air. My whole body shook like I had no bones, but it wasn't just the cold.

Someone had been here.

Someone had been here and I hadn't noticed.

I stood there deaf and looked at the empty bedside table, where yesterday the devil's gift from the hunters had been lying. In my head, thoughts began to speed up and overturn. My heart followed.

Who would do such a thing? Had the hunters been here? Was this a warning from you?

Icy fear coursed through my veins. Despite the uncomfortable feeling I could still feel inside, I ran to the door and yanked it open. Next to them stood Castor and Pollux and looked at me in amazement.

"I need to speak to Eros, right now."

They looked at my trembling body. Castor took a quick look into the room, where the balcony door was still open. Pollux wrinkled his nose as if trying to pick up a scent.

Without waiting any longer for the two of them, I made my way through the corridor and looked for the light under the door in the darkness.

I soon found what I was looking for.

I stormed through.

"Eros!"

Just from the short run, my body was out of breath as my heart tried to keep up with the pace. Immediately everything got a little easier when I saw his blue eyes. Gamma Johnson stood at his side, but instead of making a derogatory comment, he just looked at me in sheer horror.

Did I really look that bad?

Eros jumped out of his chair and came at me with inhuman speed. He grabbed my shoulders and held me in an upright position.

"Ephilia, what's the matter?" he asked frantically. "You're cold!"

Before I could react, he swung me into his arms and walked over to the fireplace, where a hot fire was crackling. He knelt with me so the warm flames surrounded my body and fought the tremors.

"Give me the blanket."

Gamma Johnson went to the sofa where gray blanket was folded and walked over to us. Eros took it from his hand and wrapped it around my body like a cocoon.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked into Ero's rock-hard eyes.

"I-"

The door swung open again and the twins stood in the frame.

"Has everyone here forgotten how to knock?" Gamma Johnson growled. "What's going on here?"

All eyes turned back to me. My breath hitched in my chest as I tried to scrape together the words that would describe what had upset me so much.

“II think someone was in my room. The verbena soap is gone."

All movements froze in space, as if my voice had stopped time. I stared into Ero's eyes, who looked at me in disbelief.

I had never seen him like this before.

Thoughts raced behind his facade as if he were going through all the options.

"Eros?" I asked tentatively, laying a hand on his cheek.

"WHAT HAPPENED?"

His voice was unrecognizable. Even the wood in the flames cracked and sent out a shower of sparks. Ero's face was brightly lit, looking flawless and deadly at the same time. I rubbed my stinging eyes to refocus my concentration.

"As you requested, Lucia was there last night. She kept me company until I fell asleep. I just woke up in a freezing cold room and the verbena soap was gone from the bedside table."

Ero's eyes sparkled as intensely as a thousand suns.

"Pollux and I couldn't find a scent," Castor said.

"Let me do it," Gamma Johnson replied, pushing past them.

Eros immediately got up with me in his arms and followed him. The room looked exactly as I had left it. Only the moon illuminated the darkness, throwing silver light on the ground.

The balcony door was wide open. The sheets I'd been lying in were crumpled up and the food Lucia had brought me last night sat cold and forgotten on the bedside table.

Gamma Johnson paced the room, sniffing like a dog, with Eros snuggling me closer to protect me from the cold.

Suddenly Johnson stopped.

"There was nobody here."

The shock made my stomach cramp.

"No, someone must have been here," I replied desperately, pointing to the bedside table. "It was lying there. Someone took it."

"I can't smell anything here. Castor, Pollux, did you hear footsteps in here?" Gamma Johnson asked.

"No," the twins replied in unison.

Hot desperation crept up the walls of my stomach. Why didn't anyone believe me? I looked at Eros, but his eyes were oddly glassy.

"There is another explanation, though it seems highly illogical," he finally said, to my relief. "One of the hunters might have gained entry in the shadows of night and with the help of vervain."

Eros looked at me.

"However, none of the border warriors have seen or heard anything, making it simply impossible."

My relief sank again and I felt hot tears on the corners of my eyes.

"But I'm telling the truth," I replied. My voice was raspy from all the excitement I felt inside me. Eros placed a soothing hand on my cheek.

"I believe you, but we still have to go through all the possible options," he replied, turning to the twins with hard eyes. "I want to speak to Lucia right away in the morning. She was the last one in the room. For today you are fire."

His tone was dismissive and cold, as if disappointed in them. They couldn't do anything for this cause any more than I could. His eyes turned to me and softened again.

"From now on there will always be someone in the same room with you. I will take no more risks for your safety."

Part of me wanted to disagree with him, but now I was on his side. I didn't want to be alone anymore. Then things like that couldn't happen anymore...

Hopefully.

Exhausted, I laid my head on his chest and tried to relax my cramped muscles. The weight of the whole world seemed to be pressing on my shoulder, forcing weariness. Eros started to leave the room with me in his arms.

"Sleep Ephilia, you're still not quite well," Eros said in as soft a tone as he could manage under the circumstances.

I could still feel ourselves lying down on the sofa in his study, where the embers from the fire cast dim light into the room.

I lay on Ero's chest while he wrapped the blanket tightly around me. Since when had this world gone so crazy? Sleep was probably the best way to process what had happened that night...

Tomorrow there was still time to think about it and seek answers.

Someone must have been in the room. How else should the soap just disappear. Whoever it was had given me quite a scare, but I wasn't going to let that sit on me.

It had to be someone who could hide his scent even from werewolves...

Eros gave me a long kiss on the forehead that felt like a promise. I snuggled closer to him and enjoyed the warmth he gave me.

Once I was fully recovered, I would show whoever tried to scare me...

SUNDAY OF THE 9TH MOON COUNT:

Three days had passed since the night, most of which I had spent sleeping. Eros was as protective as ever and would not let me leave his side.

So far I haven't had a problem with it. While I slept on the sofa in his study, he continued to work incessantly.

The twins had sent Lucia over on the first day. I had nothing but pity for her. Eros had not spared her and bombarded her with questions as if she were to blame for what had happened. It took a lot of persuasion for him to finally let go of the frightened werewolf.

It was early evening now. The sun was already halfway behind the mountain peaks and threw a warm light over the snowy landscape.

Eros still didn't want to let me out the door, even though I was feeling much better. Sleep had worked wonders, but now I was bored. I couldn't sit here and do nothing all day anymore.

I had annoyed Eros until he promised me a surprise for tonight. Excited, I sat here and impatiently waited for him to finally finish his work and surprise me.

I tapped my fingers against the glass of water I was holding. Then I heard Eros exhale loudly.

"Very well, go get your coat and gloves."

Excited, I jumped up and ran to him.

"Finally!" I exclaimed, planting a big kiss on his cheek.

Before he could stop me, I ran over and put on my winter clothes at top speed. I immediately sprinted back and waited excitedly.

Eros walked up to me and wrapped his arm around me. Finally he looked carefree again, but I could see behind the facade. We finally needed a break from the whole mess of what we were currently calling our lives.

Starting tomorrow, the villains hiding in the night would have to deal with me! Today I would still enjoy a quiet evening with Eros.

"I'll show you something you've never seen," he said as we descended the stairs.

"I can barely wait for it."

Just as we stepped out, the sun disappeared behind the mountains and ushered in the cloudless night. The cool breeze caressed my strands and brought a smile to my face; for the first time in many days...