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I grunted when a new rush of pain filled my chest. “They’ve left together. Not too far. I would probably pass out if they actually left. And she would never leave her friend in the infirmary.” I collapsed into the plush black velvet cushions of Melissima’s couch. “They’re … they’re probably on a walk in the woods.”

Raver frowned. “You really should tell her about the Mate’s Ache. I hate seeing you like this.”

I shut my eyes when a headache joined the chest pain. “No. We’re at odds more than we’re not. She doesn’t like me. She’s said as much. Telling her about the Mate’s Ache would only force her to betray her true feelings. When—if,we mate, I want it to be because she truly wants to.”

“And if that takes a hundred years?” Raver asked.

I peeled one eye open, my vision slightly fuzzy from the pain. “Then it takes a hundred years.”

Raver shook his head and made a noise of disagreement in his throat. “I’ve always known you to be a stubborn son of a bitch, but this is taking it to a whole other level. You’re being stupid now.”

“Don’t you think Iwantto mate her?” I gritted out. “And I tell her that we should all the time.”

“Butwhydo you tell her? Because it’s for the good of the Realm, or because it will stop your suffering?”

I didn’t say anything, and I closed my eye.

“Yeah, I figured. Like I said,stupid.”

The infirmary door beyond Melissima’s kitchen opened and theplatinum-blonde mage with the flowy dress beneath her surgical smock, trailing behind her like a patchwork train, joined us. “Where is the Queen?” she asked, her sharp-blue eyes scanning her home.

“I believe she and the bear have gone for a walk,” Raver said. “How is the human?”

“She will live,” Melissima said, removing her surgical smock and shoving it into a whicker hamper next to her dishwasher. “It will take a long time for her to heal from all of her injuries, but she will live. It is her mental injuries that have me the most concerned.”

“Mental how?” came a voice from the hallway just before the fire-mage with the head of dark-red hair and a psychotic streak emerged, knuckling sleep out of his eyes. “You know that if Gemma isn’t okay, Omaera will never forgive herself.”

“Yes, I can feel the love Gemma has for the Queen and the love the Queen has for Gemma. However, I do fear that although she will recover …”

I opened my eyes, but managed no more than a squint to focus on the healer-mage.

Her gaze turned more serious than ever. “She will never be the same person she once was. It’s too soon to say what parts of her brain were damaged from the repeated torture and attacks. There is a lot of swelling, and once the herbal poultice I mixed up for her reduces the swelling, I’ll be able to better discern what areas I need to focus my healing efforts on.”

Maxar pulled out a chair at the table to sit down, but the healer-mage stopped him with a dainty hand on his arm. “I would like to check out your injuries too, Maxar. If I may? I have time now.”

He winced when she touched him, forcing her to cock her head in curiosity and pull her fingers away.

“But do you have the energy?” he asked. “Or should you be reserving what you have in case Gemma takes a turn?”

Her mouth dipped in concern for a moment before she shook her head. “I have done all I can for the human right now. All we can do at this point is wait. Wait and hope.”

We all exchanged pensive looks before I was forced to close my eyes again.

“All right then,” Maxar said. “Where would you like to examine me?”

“The spare room where you were resting should be fine. I don’t want you in the infirmary with Gemma, otherwise it would cause some of my healing powers that I left with her to transfer to you since you are of our realm and she is not.”

“Whatever you say,” Maxar said. “Meet you in there.”

“I just need to grab a few things,” Melissima said, her voice breathy and calm.

I didn’t bother to open my eyes, but I felt the shift in air pressure and knew she had approached. Her cool hand on my forehead confirmed it. “You are experiencing the Mate’s Ache.” It wasn’t a question.

I popped open the same single eye as before. “What do you know of the Mate’s Ache?”

“I know all that ails those of our realm. It is my job.”

“He won’t mate with her,” Raver said. “He’s being stupid.”