Chapter 18 Comfort

Unnerved by the news of the possibility of replacing his heart, his eyes stared unfocusedly, wondering how to solve this issue. "Rest, my boy, and focus on living. Don't worry yourself with the details," Mina said as she stood up from the armchair and patted him on the shoulder. "It will work out," she said reassuringly with a small smile on her wrinkled face. "Thanks," he replied, returning the smile half-heartedly. "We will do the sealing ritual tomorrow morning." With that, the old witch took her leave, closing the door behind her, the armchair shrinking and disappearing as she walked away.

Leaning back against the soft pillows on his bed, Rowan took a deep breath, letting the weight of his situation sink in as he ran a hand through his damp hair. He glanced around the room, seeing no sign of Selena. "Where is that cat?" he muttered, lonely, missing her presence. With nothing better to do, he reached over, grabbing the tray of food off the end table. His stomach growled hungrily at the sight of the bowl of chicken noodle soup, a large turkey sandwich, and a pile of grapes. Grabbing the spoon, he dug into the soup, letting the warm broth and noodles settle his nerves.

Bouncing happily down the hallway back to her and Rowans room, Selena grinned to herself. Happy that her best friend and her family would be safe and sound, she burst into the room, the door slamming against the wall with a loud bang. Her smile is dying down as she sees Rowan lying down, his head buried in his pillows, with a tray of half-eaten food on the table next to the bed.

"Rowan? Did something happen?" She inquired, approaching the bed, sitting down by his side.

"Something wrong?" Her worried eyes searched his face, hoping he was not hiding something. "I'm alright, just thinking," he replied, looking up through his crooked glasses at Selena. "You know you are beautiful." He states, out of the blue, the cat blinking owlishly at the sudden compliment.

"Thanks," she said, blushing at the unexpected compliment. Before glaring down at him. "Hey, don't think you can distract me by complimenting me." She scolded him. "Now, what's wrong?" Selena demanded, crossing her arms as she stared at her mate.

"They are going to do a sealing ritual on me tomorrow to halt the curse from spreading, but they said it's only temporary," he replied, his eyes shining with worry. "The curse is slowly turning my heart into some kind of crystal." He reveals to Selena, "What?!" Selena freaks out, her voice rising in fear for his life. "Do they know a way to stop it or how to end the curse?" She fires off a barrage of questions, her eyes growing big, thinking of losing her mate after just finding him. 

Sitting up, Rowan gently kisses her to stop her from panicking. "Stop worrying." He breathes into the kiss before breaking away. "Apparently, they are going to replace my heart with some kind of magical creature heart; they said a normal human heart would be too weak to hold by the curse." He explained to her as her arms wrapped around him, pulling him into her chest as she stroked his hair. "I can't lose you." She purrs in his ear. "You are not going to lose me." He mutters back to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, burying his face in her breasts, and inhaling her scent. "When are they going to do the sealing ritual?" She asks while running her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp.

"Tomorrow morning, and then they are going to try and figure out what kind of heart to give me." He whispers into her breasts, feeling the stress leave his body as she holds him. "You really like my boobs," Selena chuckled, looking down at Rowan. "You're the one holding me there," he points out, his lips brushing one of her nipples as he talks. Her body tingles at the touch, goosebumps forming on her skin as she bites her lip. "You should finish eating; you need your strength." She said releasing him from her grip with a sigh at the loss of his heat on her chest.

"Your right," Rowan agrees, moving back to lean against the headboard of the bed as he picks up his soup, scooping the warm broth into his mouth. "So Draven and his family are down the hall." Selena mentions trying to change the subject from his upcoming ritual. "The healers undid whatever Zarek did to his family; they both are resting while Draven is being overbearing." Selena finished the tale as she watched her mate eat the remaining portion of his meal. "That's good you said his wife is an old friend of yours." He said, swallowing the last of his food with a loud gulp.

"Yup, since our teenage years, we all went to high school together till Draven got bit and turned into a werewolf," she explained to him as he nodded along. "He went crazy afterwards and ran wild for a couple years till he accidentally bit Sammy, his wife, turning her as well; it's a very long story." She smiles at the memories of their time in high school. "I can only imagine," he replies, his thoughts racing as he tries to picture what she was like at his age. "So, are you tired?" she asked, breaking him out of his train of thought.

"A bit." He responded, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes, still needing rest from his injuries. "Come on," she said, reaching over and taking off his shirt, tossing it to the side as he watched her curiously. She then grabbed the sheets, pulling them back so he could crawl underneath them before slipping out of her own shirt, revealing her full breasts to him, her pink nipples erect as she shimmied out of her shorts, standing in front of him in nothing but her black panties. "I'll keep you company," she said, crawling into the bed, curling up against him, pressing her warm body against his side as she snuggled in closer.

Rowan was silent as he stared at Selena, her body bare before him as she wiggled into a comfortable position. "Don't stare. Pervert." She teased him, smiling up at him. "Sorry, I'm not used to seeing you in nothing but your underwear." He said, blushing as his gaze fell down to her exposed breasts, her pink nipples standing out against her tan skin. "You're going to get used to it," she purred, laying her head on his chest. "Now that we are mates, I have no need to sleep in my clothes when you are around." Selena winks at him. "This will be a lot to get used to," he said, wrapping his arm around her, the warmth of her body heating his skin as she lay by his side. "Just fall asleep; your body needs more rest." She purred into his ear, kissing him gently, her soft lips brushing against his. "You're right," he sighed, relaxing as he felt her fingers running over his chest, lightly easing his pain and helping him drift to sleep.

"Follow me please." A young witch said guiding Selena and Rowan down the forests paths deep into the woods. "Will this work?" Selena asks the young witch, glancing at her mate and feeling worried about his current state. "Mina believes it will and she is usually not wrong." The witch said leading them down the path as Rowan breaths heavily his heart aching from the strain the curse was putting on it. "Want me to carry you I can turn in to my panther form?" Selena offered holding him up by his side as Rowan shook his head. "I'm fine just need to catch my breath." He wheezed out leaning on her for support. "My chest is just hurting more since the potion wore off."

"I'm sorry, we are almost there." The witch apologized, looking back at the two as Selena tightened her grip on her mate, his breathing coming in wheezes as she supported his weight.

"Does it need to be done so far in?" she mutters, annoyed as her protectiveness for Rowan takes over. "We have to do the sealing ritual in nature; the purer it is, the better it will be at holding the curse." She answers, leading them into a clearing that was surrounded by trees and bushes. A huge tree stood in the middle with a large rock formation on its roots, its branches reaching up towards the sky, covering the sun from view, and a small brook bubbling its way through the clearing. A couple of witches are standing near the tree, waiting for them. Mina is in her old armchair, relaxing as she watches the brook flow along.