Chashan shook his head and moved over to examine one of the women present in the clinic.
“Hey, hey, Healing Master Whelon.” Lily joi Argan King swung her feet off the edge of the bed, mouth pulled back in a wide grin. She had one hand on her swelling belly, near to term with perhaps six weeks remaining. She looked well but had dark circles under her eyes.
Whelon took a few basic readings and then turned to Chashan with concern. His friend nodded grimly.
“What? Don’t keep me in suspense.” Lily’s humor had not disappeared even as she struggled with exhaustion.
“Your readings are erratic, Lily. We need you to remain in the clinic under observation,” Whelon announced.
“Nope.” Lily shook her head.
Argan rubbed Lily’s back and leaned over to kiss her. “You will do as the healing masters advise. For yourself and our dragonlet.”
This spurred an argument between the mated pair and Whelon raised a hand as he spoke, interrupting them before it became too heated. “We shall set up a room nearby—on the first floor—with all the comforts of home.”
He knew he literally made up the conditions on the spot, but it was a decent solution and one he believed they could manage without too much difficulty.
“I have not checked the others yet, but I know several of you have numerous risk factors. You do not need to stay within the clinic’s walls, but we want you close.”
Lily sighed and rubbed her taut belly, finally nodding her agreement. From the way she kept her gaze from his, Whelon knew she sensed the potential weakness in her body. She may hate it, but she had to know he was correct.
Whelon checked on Delaney and Hanna next and was fairly pleased with them both. Hanna was exhausted, but Brukr supported her every second, helping her with her other young and bringing her anything she required. She still had a few months to go, and he and Chashan agreed she could return home but must return to the clinic for weekly checkups.
Delaney, however, was in almost the same position as Lily. The genetic changes had created some kind of feedback in her nerve process, which randomly affected other parts of her body.
“I want Dawn on this,” Whelon stated thoughtfully.
“I agree,” Chashan nodded. “Khaza says she is an extremely talented heart master in training, but she can also sense internal injuries. I want her to use her senses on both Delaney and Lily.”
Delaney waved at Lily, giving her a wry look. “You and me, babe. Genetic freaks.”
“Better than being normal.” Lily grinned.
Finally, both healing masters turned to Ellie.
“Where is it?” Whelon looked around the ceiling, searching out the invisible rat-creature.
“It is on her shoulder.” Ivoth sat in a nearby chair, head in his hands. “It will not leave her.”
Whelon heard a faint cha-cha whispering and stepped back.
“He’s just worried.” Ellie said gently with a small smile. “He wants a big family.”
“Hmm…” Chashan moved his head back and forth, as if changing his perspective would allow him to see the strange creature.
“Will he allow us to examine you?” Whelon looked at Ellie’s shoulders warily.
“He says I’m fine—Ow! Charlie!”
“What happened?” Ivoth leapt to his feet in an instant.
“It’s okay.” Ellie gritted her teeth. “He just got a bit protective.” Ivoth clenched his fists, wings high as he scowled at the air around Ellie’s shoulders and Ellie giggled. “You know he likes you, Ivoth. You can’t intimidate him.”
Whelon sighed as Chashan turned and strode away. The majority of the Preor still had problems with the little venomous Quasti and Whelon did not blame them for their reticence.
“Ellie, I would like you in a nearby room like Lily and Delaney. Can you please speak with Charlie and talk him down? You are nearing seven months now. I’d like to do a scan on the ryaapir unit.”
“Charlie doesn’t like the waves of the machine.”
Whelon simply scowled but remained silent.
“All right, all right, I’ll talk to him, but he says he’s far better at healing me than you are.”
Whelon grimaced. “Understood. But it is better that he allows us to view the scan now, so we can help him rather than wait for disaster to strike.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Ellie promised.
Whelon knew he could not expect much more than that simple agreement so he went to update his patients’ files. The only thing he should be worried over were the new dragonlets about to be born into this world, but all he could think about was his mate.
He slipped away from the main clinic into a small area in the back reserved for quick breaks. He did not want tea. Nor biscuits. He wanted Sasha.
The exhaustion of needing her made it feel as if his muscles dripped from his bones. He sensed the other Preor practically walking on eggshells as they moved around him, careful not to inflict a worse wound on him. They must all be trying to imagine being kept from their mate and what it would feel like, what it would do to them.
They can imagine, but they cannot know, he thought. It has never been done before.
He knew he had to get out there and find her once again. He could not fight the urge forever and he knew it was only a matter of time until his dragon took all control and began the hunt on his behalf.
He could not let that happen. The media whipped themselves into a frenzy and if he flew up and carried her away, it would not look like a fairytale. It would look like a nightmare come to life.
Chapter Seventeen
Despite the smooth movement of the elevator, Sasha’s stomach lurched and protested. She had been trying to hold her guts together since the moment she woke, and the longer she went without Whelon, the worse she felt.
Are you suffering too, shaa kouvi?
She knew he was and couldn’t stand the knowledge that she was
