Blood Bonds and Hidden Ties

Chapter 5

Jude

I look at Cardan completely bewildered. He then suddenly grabs me by the arm, his face white. "Let's go."
"Excuse me, can't this wait for tomorrow?"
He practically drags me out of the room.
"If it's something hurting my wife, I refuse to wait another second."
I pause for a few seconds as we keep walking. "Cardan, I've been through worse. This is nothing."
Cardan looks at me, concern etched on his face. "Stubbornness doesn't make you strong," he retorted, his pitch black eyes piercing through my defenses. "Letting yourself collapse isn't a show of strength, Jude. It's only going to hurt you more."
My eyes flash with defiance, unwilling to admit that beneath my bravado, exhaustion clung to my every step.
"Jude," Cardan says, putting his fingers through my dark brown hair, "You are the strongest woman I know. But even if you can handle yourself, I worry about you. I can't allow anything to happen to my wife."
I stare at him, "I'm not delicate like a little flower Cardan, I'm delicate like a bomb about to go off." I say.
Cardan smirks, "I know you are."
As we entered the healing chambers, the Bomb looked up from her work. "What happened?" she asked, her gaze shifting between Cardan and me.
Cardans response was curt. "She's been pushing herself too hard. I can't watch her do this to herself anymore."
The Bomb gets me to sit down and some healers walk in. They assess me, poking and prodding me, whispering among themselves. The Bomb watches, her arms crossed, concern and curiosity in her eyes. Cardan looks at his feet, a scowl on his face.
When they finally finished, the Bomb approached me.
"Jude, can we talk privately?" she suggested, leading me to a quieter corner of the room, away from my Husband.
The Bomb looks at me intensely. Something's wrong. When she speaks, her words carry a weight that echoes through my thoughts. "Jude, you need to take care of yourself. This isn't just about you anymore."
I stare at the Bomb, confused. "What do you mean? How is this not about me? I don't care what people think about me!"
The Bomb sighs. "We care about you, Jude. Your husband cares about you and your health. You don't have to prove yourself, you are far too powerful to have to prove yourself anymore." She says with a chuckle. "No one can beat the strong Jude Duarte, except for Jude Duarte. Strength isn't just about enduring pain, Jude. It's also about knowing when to seek help and allowing yourself to rest."
I glance over to where Cardan stood, his usual air of regal assurance replaced by a raw concern. His eyes met mine, silently acknowledging the unspoken truths that hung in the air.
That's when the Bomb reveals a truth . . A truth I had been unconsciously avoiding. I stare at the Bomb thinking this is just a cruel jest. But her eyes are concerned and serious.
No. Not now. Not when there's a freak coming after me, some masked freak that is consumed in my mind. I have too much to worry about.
My heart sinks, I knew this was going to eventually happen, and I accepted it, but the timing makes me want to crawl into a hole and rot.
I feel anger, hot anger swirling through me. I want to scream at the news the Bomb just told me. But instead I just simply politely smile.
Showing emotion is a weakness after all, that's what I learned growing up.
I stand up and thank the Bomb and healers before walking out. Cardan is waiting outside now.
As Cardan stands waiting, his gaze pierces mine as he itches for the results. There was a hesitance in my steps, a reluctance to reveal the truth. As I faced him, my demeanor turned cold. A facade of detachment helped mask the emotional storm within.
Cardans inquiry hung in the air, and I responded with a measured tone that bordered on icy.
"So the results are in." I say as casually as possible.
His features tightened, and I could see the flicker of impatience and concern battling within him. "Well? What did they say?"
"I just have a virus, a simple virus that only brews in Elfhame." I lied.
Cardan looks at me, unbelieving. "What virus exactly would do this to you?"
"The Grumbles Virus," I pretend, "It's like the flu for mortals. It's also known to weaken the mortal body."
Cardan just looks angrier.
"Enough with the lies Jude. I know mortals can't lie, and I sure know the Grumble Virus rubbish is made up. The Grumbles virus lasts a week. You've been like this for over a month."
"So?" I argue, "I guess everyone is different."
Cardan walks up to me, his black eyes drilling into my hazel ones. My heart is beating hard. His face is so beautiful, so ethereal, but so visibly full of rage. His face was inches away from mine, and the smell of strong scented perfume reached my nose. His mouth was so close it was almost touching mine, his lips brushing against mine. He snarled into me, veins popping in his forehead, his eyes bloodshot was animalistic anger as he whispered .
"Tell me the truth."
I nod slowly. I put my hand on his face, softly brushing against his cheek.
"The truth is, we have to face the fact that it won't just be the two of us anymore. It will be three."