My Champion(65)

She opened her eyes and looked over to see Tarragon at her side.

"If I didn't know any better I would say you had Bethy's luck."

She looked to her left where Declan was clutching her hand with a sick look on his face.

"I am okay," she assured him.

He just shook his head, unable to speak.

She swallowed hard at the desperate look in his eyes. "Please tell me someone broke this to Avery gently?" she asked, noticing her brother's absence.

Tarragon winced. "I had to sedate him. I think he has had too much thrown at him in the past couple days. Warrick is watching over him. He promised that they would spend a relaxing day in Avery's room, followed up with a quiet dinner."

She looked down at Declan. "How bad?" she whispered.

"If it weren't for Meryn, we would have lost you," he replied, his voice cracking.

She frowned and looked past Declan to see Meryn looking pale sitting in Aiden's lap. She had her arm in a sling.

"Are you okay?"

Aiden shared Declan's sick look. "She jumped in after you."

"I used my stone," Meryn said, smiling weakly. "I think it reacted to my sense of urgency. I was able to fly down the tunnel after you, but I'm not that strong so my arm got pulled a little."

"Denka reacted very quickly to your fall," Ryuu said, his voice tight. Fear and anger was coming off of him in waves. Kari knew that the fear stemmed from almost losing Meryn. She was willing to bet that the anger was directed at himself for not stopping her.

"Oh Meryn, you should not have put yourself in danger like that." Kari felt terrible. She tried to sit up and groaned. Her head began to pound. "What exactly happened?"

Declan gently ran a hand over her hair. "Don't you remember?"

"I remember feeling dizzy, looking down the tunnel, and I think I fell." She looked over at Meryn. "I think you screamed."

Meryn nodded. "Your face got a funny look, and then you literally turned around and walked back toward the tunnel. I don't think you fell; it looked like you jumped in."

"How did you catch me?"

Meryn shrugged. "Kinda knew it was going to happen, so I was right behind you." She looked back at her squire, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad; I just moved before I knew it."

Ryuu was kneeling down beside her in an instant. "I would not change your courage for all the world. It just means I will have to work that much harder to be deserving of you as my charge."

"Just keep feeding me and we're cool," Meryn said, looking uncomfortable at her squire's compliment.

Ryuu simply brought her knuckles to his lips and raised them to his forehead in a sort of benediction. "Whatever you wish, denka." He stood and went back to his normal position of standing behind his charge.

Kari was touched at Ryuu's devotion. She couldn't imagine Meryn with any other squire. She looked around the room. "Is no one going to ask how she knew?"

Declan looked at Aiden who looked at Tarragon who shrugged.

Meryn sighed. "Don't ask, I have no idea; it might be this empathy thing."

Tarragon shook his head, bewildered, before he turned his attention back to Kari. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

She shook her head and then blushed. "Wait...yes, it is a possibility."

"It only takes once," Meryn teased.

Tarragon just nodded before handing a small stone to Declan. "Would you like some privacy?" he asked. Declan nodded.

Tarragon turned to Aiden and Meryn. "Okay young lady, now that the major emergency is over, lets go work on that shoulder."

Aiden cradled his mate carefully to his chest, and he and Ryuu followed Tarragon out the door.

When the door closed, Declan just looked at her. "What do you want?"

"I do not know. What about you?"

"You know if you had asked me that this morning I would have been happy either way." He took a deep breath. "I heard the scream, and I knew it was you. So, I want it to be yes. I want a piece of you, a piece of us that we can raise and love. What about you? Yes? No?"

"Everything so crazy right now, but maybe that is why it should be yes. Maybe that is why it would be okay. It is important to hold onto the things that matter. Two days ago, I would have said no; I had too much changing. But now, maybe a little version of you would not be so bad. So, yes, I think I would be okay if I were."

Declan swallowed hard and held up the stone. She extended her hand palm up, and he placed the stone in the middle of her hand. Slowly, an amber light began to glow. Declan's eyes filled and sob escaped. He pulled her against him.

"Thank you," he murmured.