The Wishing Hour

Wishing -

Seventeen

As the pain seizes his mate, a thunderous roar escapes Sebastian, startling the counselors and rattling the windows of the conference room.

Celine!

Devon quickly moves to him. “What is it, son?”

Celine, can you hear me? When there is no answer, he says, “It's Celine. Something is wrong!”

As if they were one body, the president and his counselors immediately stand. Sebastian bolts from the room with his father and the rest of the men following him.

Hold on, beloved! he tells her. Just hold on, I am coming!

* * *

Making it home in record time, the front doors fly open with a wave of Sebastian's hands. “Celine!” he calls running to the kitchen, having sensed her location before he'd even entered the house. He finds her lying on the floor, her clothes drenched with sweat. He lifts her and races up the stairs past the group of men, yelling to his father, “Call the healer!”

Sebastian places his wife on the bed, then waves his hand over her, exchanging her wet clothes for a lightweight white chemise. He lifts her and pulls back the covers, drawing only the sheet over her. Running to the bathroom, he wets a wash cloth, then sits on the bed and gently presses the cool cloth against her forehead, dabbing the perspiration from her cheeks.

I am here, beloved, he mentally croons. I am here. He lifts her hand to his lips, holding it there. Help is on the way, angel. All will be well. He leans down, lightly resting his ear against her stomach. “Be well,” he whispers to their child. “Your mother and I love you and we need you. All your people need you.” He raises up and again presses the cloth against her forehead and cheeks. Never in his entire existence has he seen a face more beautiful, or felt a more beautiful soul. Earlier, he had felt the strength of her love wash over him, and it had caught him so off guard, he had been overwhelmed and could barely concentrate on the meeting. He remembers the smile President Simon shot him from across the table. He knew the older man couldn't read his mind, but he was sure his expression spoke volumes. He'd spent the remaining time anticipating being with his wife again. When the pain hit Celine, the force of it had staggered him more than a blow in battle ever had. The rage the sensation produced had even frightened him.

A moment later the healer enters the room. The silver-haired woman gives him a kindly smile, but he reads the worry in her deep-set eyes and her furrowed brow.

“Has she awakened at all?”

Sebastian tugs a hand back through his hair. “No, she hasn't.” He watches the woman press a hand to Celine's forehead.

Frowning, the healer sits on the side of the bed, presses her hand against Celine's stomach, and closes her eyes.

“She has been poisoned,” she says softly.

It takes every ounce of strength Sebastian possesses to stay seated and remain quiet. He feels like he will explode. Who dared hurt his mate? Who dared harm their child? When he finds out, absolutely nothing will stop him from destroying the enemy, for the person is indeed his enemy now.

“The poison is a bad one,” she continues. “One I have never seen before.” She slowly moves her hands over Celine's stomach and the rest of her body. “It isn't plant-based, so it must have come from the surface.”

“The baby?” he questions.

Lightly resting her ear against Celine's stomach, the healer is quiet for another moment. She finally lifts her eyes and smiles. “Your son is healthy and strong. By some great miracle, his is unaffected.”