The Night Rider

Chapter 77

Noa smiles a little and puts a hand on my arm, it gives me breathing space. I look at him gratefully. 'How did you know St. John's wort would work? How did you know what was going on in the first place?' My father looks at Noa in surprise. Noa slowly turns his head towards the puzzled man. 'Because I am your daughter's blood mate'. My parents' eyes seem to roll out of their sockets. I hardly dare look at Chea and Elien, knowing that this is new to them as well. A deadly silence cuts through the large room.

'You're what?'. My father seems to want to fly Noa around his throat. Chea and Elien stand there very composed, Chea even with a small smile. Knowing that my father has no magic or kinship with the lines, his surprise is understandable somewhere. My father does not know the feeling. Basically, he is nothing more than a dragon rider. My father is one of the best at his job, he is not inferior to a king. Maybe Noa is not the person my father would have wanted for me, he is not the perfect son-in-law. Noa was difficult as a child, even more so as an adolescent, and he is still fickle. He disappeared from the castle at a young age for a reason.

'Wait a minute. You can't do that if one of you isn't a vampire or a werewolf'. This time it's Elien who takes a step forward and looks at us both. Noa slowly bares his teeth, two sharp fangs appear. It only occurs to me at that moment that I have not often seen these either, not in this way. Elien observes his son closely. God, you look so much like your father. I can't hold back a laugh at Chea's reaction. Elien looks at her dazedly, before his eyes go back to Noa. 'That's a very old spell. In my youth it wasn't often done any more'.

Elien reacts with surprise rather than anger. My parents are dead silent, nailed to the ground. I smile slightly at Noa. Before I can say anything, before anyone can say anything, Noa leans forward and presses his lips to mine. The energy in my body is nowhere to be found but automatically my lips begin to move with him. I forget where I am, what is happening to me and who is standing around the bed.

My hands slide along his soft skin. The sharp pain that burns through my veins seems to have subsided for a moment. The kiss becomes rougher, fiercer and more sensitive. A voice in my head tells me it's better to pull back, yet I don't. Noa's tongue slides along my lower lip, unconsciously I open my mouth a little. The kiss deepens further until we are startled by an unexpected sound.

The sound of a squeaking machine takes us out of the moment. Noa jerks back and starts laughing as soon as he sees that it's the heart monitor, my heart rate has increased so much that the thing went off. I shake my head, laughing, and start to take in the space. Noa keeps his hand on my arm to keep the pain down. I look around to see who's still standing around the bed, concluding that only Chea and Celeste are standing a little further away talking to the doctor. The rest seem to have fled.

'I don't think your father is happy with the news'. Noa gently places a kiss on my lips. My hands grab Noa's cheeks, pulling him closer. 'He has...80 years...to get used to it....'. Noa gently presses a kiss to my lips and smiles sweetly. That is when I take the time to look around. The infirmary is almost empty, apart from a few injured people. It is dead quiet except for the sound of the machines.

My gaze goes to my own arm. My skin is covered in blood, dozens of hoses run to the machines. I look around the sickbay and think of something, something I don't want. My emotions seem to shoot back and forth like a pregnant woman who has just given birth. I realise that this is my last night and that I am not going to spend it in this bed, although others expect me to. My fingers clench around the drip in my wrist and pull it out of my skin, I close the small wound with the cloth that was lying on the floor next to me. The stickers follow, as does the needle in my other arm and the device on my finger. 'Whoa, what are you doing?' Noa tries to stop me.

I pull the last sticker off my stomach and throw it next to the bed. Slowly I try to get up, ignoring the spinning in my head. Noa puts his hands gently on my shoulders and tries to push me back onto the mattress. 'Noa...my last...night'. I take a gasp of breath 'am I going to.... not spend...in a hospital bed'. It may come out weak and soft but there is no discussion to form.

His eyes glide from the monitors to me and back. He seems to be considering whether there is any point in starting a discussion. Before he has a chance to say anything, I put my feet on the floor and grab the edge of the bed, pushing myself up. If I disappear tomorrow, I am not going to spend that last night in this bed. I'd rather die than lie defenceless on needles and wires.

I expect Noa to try and push me back, to call the nurses or start an argument. None of this is the case. His arms slide under my knees and back, he lifts me off the bed. 'Then we'll go to your room'. There is no mention of the argument we had earlier, that we haven't spoken to each other for a few days, or awkwardness from last time. Noa starts to move his feet, freeing me from this den of death and pain.

In the corner of my eye, I glance at Celeste who is standing in the corner of the room talking. Her dark eyes are on us, a smile gracing her lips. She doesn't seem angry or trying to get me back into bed. She smiles kindly and makes a nod of approval with her head, before continuing the conversation with the man. I lay my head against Noa's shoulder and enjoy his warmth.