When The Heart Sings

Chapter 66

Serena's POV:

It was rather startling how fast Lucas was on his feet and looking as if he hadn't been unconscious such a short time ago. The nurse was quite surprised to see him awake, but didn't seem to think too much of it. Perhaps she thought that the voice of a family member was enough to wake him up.

Darien wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "Let's go find Alex and tell him the good news." He clearly wanted to leave this place. I was beginning to think that he wasn't fond of even small crowds, or perhaps this hospital reminded him too much of the research center with the staff wearing pale colors.

Lucas followed us as he made short work of a sandwich. We looked around the main floor, but didn't see Alex. This place wasn't that big, so it wasn't like he could easily hide.

The lady behind the front desk commented, "If you are looking for the fellow you came in with, he is on the second floor."

"Thanks," Darien turned us around to head back to the stairs.

A doctor stopped us at the entryway to the second floor, "You may wish to come back later."

Darien responded, "We are just coming to locate our friend and leaving."

The doctor focused on Darien with sudden interest, "Older guy, greyish hair, with a large dagger?"

"Perhaps. It depends on why you are asking."

The doctor ran a hand through his hair, "That guy just found his soulmate. Let's just say that she isn't well and the bond is in serious overdrive. No one can even approach the room."

The doctor paused as his eyes flickered between Darien and me, realizing that we were also soulmates from the way Darien had his arm over my shoulders, "Oh, wait, he will probably let you closer since you know him and are already mate bonded..." He stopped as he got a better look at my face, "Sir, are you-"

Darien growled faintly, "Tread carefully or I will show you just how far into overdrive my mate bond can push me."

The doctor wisely dropped that subject, "He is in the second room. Please be careful, it looks like he isn't exactly in control."

Darien glanced at his brother, "You can wait here."

Darien held me close to his side as he cautiously walked down the way. I heard Alex's snarl of warning before we got close to the room. Darien called to him in an irritated tone, "Alex, cut it out. It is just me and Serena."

The snarl faded into a low growl. We walked forward until we could see into the room and I leaned into Darien's side nervously as I saw him. I had never been scared of Alex, but I had never seen him like this before.

He was still growling as he glared at the door with nearly black eyes that looked almost wild. He was in a fighting crouch with his dagger bared as he stood in front of a woman who was lying on the bed. Her skin was pale and she wasn't awake, which showed how sick she was.

Darien evaluated Alex without entering the room and spoke quietly to me, "He isn't in control and I am not letting you get any closer to him when he is like this."

I glanced back the way we came to see the doctor and Lucas still watching us from the end of the hallway. I looked back at Alex, but I doubted that he even recognized us. "Keep talking to him."

Darien started speaking to Alex, "I am happy for you old friend, you found what you have been seeking for so long. I will not harm her any more than you would harm Serena. Do you know her name yet?"

Alex just kept growling steadily and made no indication that he even heard Darien's words. I used the one-sided conversation as cover as I hummed a few notes gently. There was no point in trying to calm Alex when his mate's sickness was the cause.

I focused on his mate, her stillness and shallow breathing were not normal for a Tarulk. My magic guided me into a different type of hum than what I had used with Lucas, probably because the injury was different.

There was something affecting her lungs, I could feel it now as she fought for breath. It was a symptom though, not a true cause. My hum deepened as Darien kept trying to talk Alex back into the realm of reason.

It was an allergic reaction of some sort, and a rather severe one at that. I pushed my magic deeper, looking for the cause and I felt my magic shift as it corrected the allergic reaction itself. I turned my attention back to her lungs, although with the cause gone, they were already swiftly recovering.

I fell silent as the humming song ended and I waited for the unknown lady to wake. Darien only tried a few more attempts at conversation before the lady took a deeper breath and stirred. She slowly sat up and her pale green eyes stared at Alex in amazement and wonder.

The bond must have eased up, since Alex's eyes lost most of their black color and he turned around. They stared at one another in adoration before Alex gently took her hands and held them in his.

Darien muttered, "That is all I can stand. I have no idea how Alex managed around the two of us..." He steered me back down the hallway away from the two very distracted lovebirds.

The doctor peered down the hallway, "Any luck?"

Darien shrugged dismissively, "His eyes are no longer black and she is awake, other than that, I can't say."

The doctor looked confused, "Fiona is awake?"

Darien rolled his eyes and kept walking, "Isn't that what I just said?"

Lucas chuckled as he tagged along on the other side of Darien. He seemed to get a kick out of Darien's lack of patience with people. Lucas asked his brother, "So, what is the plan, boss?"

Darien replied, "Give them a couple of hours of peace before seeing if Alex is capable of maintaining a conversation. Even I wouldn't just disappear without talking to him after all he has done to help me."

A glimpse of the large garden through the window made me want to go outside and enjoy the sun instead of sitting in the waiting room. I pushed an image of the window with the garden to the front of my mind, along with an image of me and Darien cuddling on that bench below the flowering tree.

Darien must always be using his reading ability with me since he glanced down before altering his course. The garden was empty of people, and it was just the kind of peace and quiet that I had hoped for. Darien sat on a bench with me on his lap while his brother took a seat on a bench across from us.

Lucas watched us in amusement, "It is going to take a while to get used to seeing you like this."

Darien levelled a mild glare at his brother, "My patience may be endless with Serena, but that immunity does not extend to anyone else."

"I will keep that in mind, the moment you leave her to come after me is my cue to run."

"You weren't able to outrun me before and you certainly can't now."

Lucas seemed to accept that detail, "Doesn't surprise me. So. How did you get out of that lab and how did you two meet?"

I remained silent as Darien slowly told the story of how we had come to this planet, while leaving out my magic, as well as the true extent of his current strength and speed. He didn't go much past the point where he flattened the giant green guy.