Page 74 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha (Witch Twins #2)

Electra

The pings in my head were maddening. Since Bastien’s desperate message and the news report, the noise in my head was making it hard to function. I had to half lean on Luc when he and my guards escorted me to the suite of rooms he and Caly kept in the Palace.

I desperately wanted to talk to my sister, to get her advice, but just after I’d collapsed onto the couch in her suite, we heard a knock on the door. Luc was already striding to it, ready to pull it open.

“Mum, Dad,” he said. “Come in.”

Fuck. Bastien’s parents. Hurriedly, I stood, trying to will my wobbly legs into stability.

I’d met them before, of course, as they stayed in the Palace occasionally.

His mother, the former President, was intimidating.

Tall, with mismatched Shifter eyes, she oozed confidence and ‘take no shit’ energy.

Her husband Simon had been one of my Professors at Witch College.

It hadn’t been public knowledge among the students that he was mated to the President.

The first time they visited the Palace while I was guarding Bastien, I’d done a complete double-take.

Had Bastien told them he’d mated me? Would they be okay with it? Caly said they’d accepted her, but Bastien was the President. Would they be disappointed that he’d mated his bodyguard? Absently, I chewed on the tender skin on my thumb.

“Electra!” My gaze snapped up to Marguerite Bowden. Her smile was wide as she strode towards me.

A powerful Shifter was beelining for me. My body told me to freeze or run, as far as I could. “Ma’am,” I said. This was Bastien’s mother. I could do this. I had to do this. But the pinging in the back of my head was making it hard to talk.

“Don’t ma’am me,” she said, drawing close and grabbing me into a hug. “You’re Bastien’s mate. Family.” I tightened my muscles, stopping myself from falling into her arms. Her grip firmed. “It’s alright honey. Cry if you need to.”

At that, I lost it. Body sagging, she held me up as I sobbed. As I let out my fear that I’d just got him and might lose him. That I might never see him again. She manoeuvred me to the couch and sat down beside me, one hand gently stroking my hair. “It will be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

When the tears finally dried up, I sat up straight, wiping my face with the back of one hand. Gods. How embarrassing.

“We saw how he looked at you.” This was from Simon, who put a glass of water into my hand.

“Pardon?” Maybe the pain in my head was making me slow, but I didn’t know what he meant.

“Bastien.” I frowned, still not getting it. Simon smiled. “It’s how I’ve looked at Marguerite from the moment I met her. She is my universe. My reason for being.”

I took a sip of the water he’d handed me, fresh tears stinging my eyes. “You saw that in him?”

Marguerite patted my hair. “We’re his parents. We see everything. We didn’t say anything, but we’ve been waiting and hoping.”

Swivelling to Luc, I opened my mouth to ask, but he beat me to it. “I didn’t pick it, but I knew something had happened between the two of you. He was off around you. And it wasn’t like him to be cruel.”

“He apologised,” I said, defending him automatically. My hand waved vaguely. Drunkenly. “And it’s in the past.”

“But it hurt you.” I nodded. “I should have kicked his ass, got him to get his head on straight. You two could have been mated for years already.”

Later, I’d tell him that it was as much my fault as Bastien’s. I was the one who’d refused his initial advances. But not right now. The pings in my head were suddenly loud and the chimes were coming so close together that the sound was almost constant.

“He’s in danger. Right now.” The glass fell to the floor and I lurched for the door, barely able to see straight.

“I’ll go,” said Luc. “Matteo’s been checking in. Bastien was called into the Council Chamber a while ago. The lawyers arrived, but they haven’t been allowed in to see him.”

He turned, striding past Caly, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before opening the door, and disappearing down the corridor faster than a human could move.

“Sit down,” urged Caly. She held me on one side. Simon on the other.

“No, I have to go.” He was my mate. I needed to be there. I needed to do something. Waiting, knowing he was in danger, was agony.

“He needs to know you’re here and safe. And you can barely walk.”

They deposited my on the couch, my limbs awkward, not properly responding to my brain’s commands. My heart galloped in my chest. My breaths shallow, sweat at my temples, dripping down my back.

PINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPING

“Something’s very wrong,” I whispered. “He said earlier that Maximilian set him up.”

“That snake,” Marguerite spat. Vaguely I noticed she was on her knees, wiping up the water I’d spilled. “Things would have been so much easier if I could have ripped his head off.”

What? A hysterical laugh forced its way out of my chest, momentarily distracting me.

“But I never had enough evidence against him. And he’s patient. Has Bastien given you anything else to go on?”

“Not yet.” Fuck, my head hurt, but I had to get it together. If all I could do right now was to be the person he could talk to, then that was what I would do.

But when I reached out, he wasn’t there . The bond was still there, but it was like he’d walked out of a room we’d shared. There wasn’t a trace of his presence.

PINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPING

My head pounded and nausea twisted in my stomach.

Gods, maybe I was going to be sick. I’d never experienced a sustained session of pre-cog as severe as this.

This was even worse than when Caly was kidnapped and ended up almost dead after using too much magic.

I’d been helpless then too, angry that I couldn’t help.

Bastien and I weren’t even in the country and the constant firing of my pre-cog, while I couldn’t do anything to help, had been the worst experience of my life.

I hadn’t thought it could get worse.

I’d been so wrong.

Staggering to my feet, I waved my hands, indicating I needed space.

I was beyond words. I made it to the toilet, barely, before I puked.

There was nothing in my stomach, so all that came up was bile.

Luc had intended to feed me, but he’d likely forgotten when he ran out, and even if food had been delivered, I wouldn’t have been able to eat it.

This was new. Perhaps the mate bond was amping up the effects of the pre-cog. Great.

I heard soft footsteps behind me and a gentle hand lifted my sweaty hair away from my face. A soft cloth was placed at the back of my neck.

That felt good.

“Done?” Caly asked. I nodded. Grabbing some paper I wiped my mouth. The pinging was still there, but the nausea had passed. Reaching over me, Caly flushed the toilet then helped me to my feet. “Can you rest?”

“Note a hope in hell.”

Marguerite took one look at me, as I staggered back to the couch on Caly’s arm. “I’m getting the doctor. Bastien wouldn’t want you suffering like this.”

“Don’t need a doctor,” I mumbled. “I’ll cope.”

Marguerite’s hands went to her hips. “It’s either a doctor or Simon puts you into a magical sleep.

We know Bastien’s in trouble but right now we can’t do anything about it.

Our lawyers are the best there is, and we need to let them do their thing.

You are already exhausted and I’m guessing this whole shebang has only just begun. ”

I didn’t want to sleep. “Give me something for the pain in my head and I’ll be fine.”

“Define fine,” Simon said, his eyes calmly assessing.

Could I stick out my tongue to the man who’d been my Professor in Advanced Magic Theory and who was now my father-in-law? Woah. That was a trippy thought.

PINGPINGPINGPING

“Don’t make me sleep. I want to know when anything happens. Just make the pain go away.”

“Alright honey,” Marguerite said. “I’ll get the doctor.”

It was probably only five minutes until there was another knock on the door. While we waited, Caly had found a blanket and draped it over me. I’d started by sitting up on the couch, but slowly I’d tipped over. My head felt like it was going to explode.

There was the soft murmuring of voices. Somewhere along the line, my eyes had drifted shut. Opening them was a struggle.

Squinting against the light, I focused on the older man with kind Shifter eyes who crouched down in front of me. “Hey Doc.” This was Dr Evansleigh, Bastien’s personal doctor.

“You not doing so well right now, Electra?”

“Been better.”

“Can you tell me what’s been happening?”

I flicked my eyes to Marguerite. Could I trust the Doc? She nodded. “Got a bad headache.” My tongue was heavy in my mouth. “Induced by my pre-cog. There’s a situation and I’m just trying to ride it out.”

“Like when Caly was in trouble?” Vaguely I recalled that Bastien had rung the doctor for advice that time.

“Worse.”

“All right. I can give you pain relief and a light sedative if you want it.”

“Will it make me sleep?”

“It might make you a bit drowsy, but it won’t send you to sleep. It will help with the anxiety.”

I nodded. That sounded blissful.

“I wouldn’t mind some too,” Marguerite muttered under her breath. “We’re all going a bit nuts waiting for news.”

The doctor snorted as he rummaged in the bag he’d dropped on the couch beside me. “There’s not much point me giving you any Marguerite. Your Shifter metabolism will burn it off in no time.”

Pulling out a bottle and syringe, he started to prepare the medication. “I just need to confirm that you aren’t pregnant.”

Shit. The implant. I’d forgotten that I’d taken it out, and Bastien hadn’t used any protection. I didn’t look up, but I was positive that every other occupant in the room was holding their breath as they waited for my answer.

“If we could have a bit of privacy please.” The doctor turned and made a shooing motion.

He shooed away the former President and a Professor of the Witch College as if they were naughty teenagers.

“Go. And Marguerite, that means far enough away that your enhanced hearing won’t catch our discussion. ”

Marguerite actually pouted. “Fine. I’m going to the kitchen to organise some food. We’ll all feel better if I eat and my sons will want their mates fed.”

Unfamiliar warmth filled my chest. Was this what it was like to have a parent who cared? Calypso bent and dropped a kiss on my forehead. “We’ll be back soon sweetie.”

Only once they had left the room, closing it carefully behind them, did I open my mouth to speak.

The doctor held up a hand. “Bit longer,” he said. “We Shifters can hear a pin drop in another room.” Finally he nodded, apparently satisfied. “Do you think you might be pregnant?”

“If I was, it would be very early,” I whispered.

“How early?”

“Just today. I burned out my implant with a spell and today was the first day we had unprotected sex.”

I didn’t like telling anyone before Bastien knew, but if there was any possibility that I could be pregnant and the medication could harm my baby, there was no way I’d do anything to put my baby at risk.

PINGPINGPINGPINGPING

I winced. I’d never hated my unusual magic as much as I hated it right now. Helpless, unable to take action to avert the danger, the power was debilitating. What good was power if it made me unable to function?

“It’s too early to tell. But the good news is that even if you are pregnant, there’s no chance that it could be hurt by the medication this early.”

That was good. Very good.

“If you get your period as normal, then you aren’t pregnant. If it’s late, come and see me and I’ll do a blood test for you.” He paused. “Unless you’ve changed your mind and want another option now. It’s in the window for a Plan B.”

I’d be more than okay with a positive test. Whether my mate would be, I didn’t know.

But if he was found guilty of mating me without my consent, a positive pregnancy test would mean that a sentence would be suspended until the baby was born.

And if I wasn’t pregnant, he’d be sentenced to a quick execution.

Panic started to close my throat. Nope, nope, nope.

I wouldn’t let that happen. No matter how I had to arrange it, I would not let him die.

When I could speak, I just said, “No, I haven’t changed my mind,” not knowing how else to explain the complicated mess that was Bastien and me.

He smiled and jabbed a syringe into the bottle, pulling it back, watching as the liquid filled the tube. “So the priority now is to get you to feel better. Calmer.”

Calm. That was a good goal. I could barely remember when I’d last felt calm. I put out my arm and he rubbed my skin, finding a vein. “This should work quickly. If it doesn’t, I need to know.”

My eyes shut, I nodded.

“Do you want me to wait with you until someone comes back?”

“My sister will be in the corridor.” I knew she would be waiting close by. “I want her.”

“You got it.” I heard the sounds of the doctor packing up his bag. “You need me, I’ll be back.”