My Lycan Mate of Suicide Forest

338  Feeling Ill

Once Zagan left orders with Brandt in the kitchen to make sure Penelope and the Luna were well fed, he started to feel ill. Feeling ill was not something he was terribly familiar with. As a non-living being, he didn't have much that could go wrong with his body. At most, he would feel weak when he had little blood to sustain him. But other than that, there were no bodily processes that he had to concern himself with.

But now it felt like fluid was making its way up his throat, and he found a vacant room to shut himself in for the time being. He bent over the arm chair to brace himself, and then he did something extraordinary. He coughed. It was not a pleasant feeling.

And then he coughed again. And again. And when he drew his hand away from his mouth, there was a splatter of red blood there. Penelope's blood. The blood looked black in the dark room.

Zagan's chest began to ache, and he walked around the side of the chair to collapse into it. What the hell was happening to him? He was coughing blood and had a painful chest? He had never experienced either of those things in his multiple centuries of existence.

A massive thump rocked him to his core. And then another thump. His pupils constricted, and he took a massive inhale as if it was his first real breath. Another thump. He groaned and grasped at his chest that was hammering so loudly now—was someone knocking? Was someone asking to be let in?

His heart took off like a hummingbird. His heart! He had a heart, and it was beating.

Zagan snarled a string of curses and toppled out of the chair onto the floor, kicking the chair over with him. What the fuck was happening to him? What had Penelope's blood done?

————————

Penelope awoke on Zagan's desk with a headache. How did she end up here of all places?

She raised a hand for her forehead to rest on, squinting against the pain that was hammering in her head.

"Ugh," she groaned.

Her mouth was dry. She had to get out of this room. Why was she here?  And where was August?

The final questioning thought had her jolting up out of the chair she was slouched in. The last thing she remembered was being with August in the infirmary. August had thrown her against the window, and then they cleaned everything up, and then Zagan finally came… but her memory went black when she tried to remember past that point.

She hobbled to the door, grasping at her chest as she did. The ache in her head had camouflaged a milder ache in her chest, but it was growing larger and harder to ignore. There was no way she could make it all the way down to the infirmary like this to check on August. She was going to have to rest in her room.

Penelope entered the hallway and then slumped against the wall, panting with the effort it took just to get that far.

"Penelope?" August walked out into the hallway and then rushed to where the Winter alyko was braced against the wall as if she were in pain. "What happened? Penelope? What's wrong?"

"Oh August, you are okay," Penelope winced.

"Yes, I am okay," August reassured. "But what is wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I woke up in his office. Where is he?" Penelope looked around now with eyes wide, anticipating the terror of being caught out here in the hallway.

"Come into my room. You can rest there," August told her, wrapping an arm around Penelope's back to help her in getting that far. She didn't look like she would be able to make it otherwise.

Once they were in the room, August closed the door and then helped Penelope to the bed.

"What is it? What hurts?" August asked as she watched Penelope ease herself back against the bed.

"My head and my chest," she replied, panting as if she were out of breath. It felt like a cage was encircling her heart, keeping it from beating to its fullest… holding it captive.

"Did he do something to you?" August asked, hands hovering helplessly over the alyko that she didn't know how to help.

"I don't know," Penelope winced, curling into herself against the pain.

"Did he drink from you?" August asked, unsure of what else could have happened. He was a vampire, right? That would be expected. That's what he did.

Penelope's eyes shot open again. Maybe he did. That would make sense, wouldn't it? But then why did it hurt like this? Losing blood didn't hurt… not that she would know what it felt like to be a vampire's meal.

Someone knocked at the door, and both the females' eyes went wide this time. They stared at each other for a full thirty seconds before August calmed herself, closing her eyes in concentration to get her innocent, forgetful facade back in place. Then she walked to the door.

She opened it just enough to see who was waiting on the other side. It was a male she didn't recognize.

"Miss Luna?" the male asked. He was holding a tray of food. "I was told to bring you a meal. Is the other alyko in there with you? I have some cookies and juice as well."

"Oh, yes!" August exclaimed and grabbed the tray out of the male's hands before slamming the door in his face.

She almost cackled on her way back to the bed where Penelope was still lying, panting for air. Getting rid of that male was easy.

"You were definitely a blood donor, dear. I'm sorry to tell you. But he sent juice and cookies. That is probably a sure sign," August sat on the edge of the bed and placed the tray between them.

"What if it is poisoned?" Penelope panted, raising her head just enough to look at the tray in question.

"Why would he go to all of this work just to poison us? Two highly valuable alyko?" August smirked. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"You are enjoying this for some reason," Penelope observed, propping herself up against a pillow and wincing as she did.

"We are going to win, Penelope. I can feel it."