"Nothing that concerns you." Mason's growl almost made his words incoherent.
Obviously, I'd missed something big too. So yeah, queenship is going great. Let's talk after your mom sees the healer.
It's really nothing. Mason reached over and touched my arm.
Right now, we didn't need Louis and Teague seeing us fracturing, so I nodded my head. This isn't over.
Mason blew out a breath.
We turned onto the road that led us to James's pack. We were getting close. I feared we might be too late. Have you heard from your dad?
Not very often. He's been busy dealing with pack stuff, keeping an eye out for the vampires, and worried about mom. But if she took a turn for the worse, he would’ve called.
Well, at least there was that. We’re going with ‘no news is good news.’
We pulled into the subdivision, and the familiar craftsman style homes were a sight for sore eyes. James's neighborhood was newer and removed from the main roads. All of the houses backed up to the woods.
Kassie turned to the right, heading straight for James's home.
It wasn't long before we were all clambering out of the Suburban.
The front door opened, and James, a man who was slightly shorter than Mason with short dark hair, stepped from the house. At first glance, he still looked the same as last time. The dark circles under his eyes could be seen from a distance though. It made his brown eyes appear a little sunken in.
"You guys are here." James smiled and hurried over, immediately pulling Ella into a huge hug. "I've missed you all." He released her to throw his arms over Mason's shoulders.
"We got here as fast as we could." I'd hoped to get here well before she got any worse, but at least we were here now.
Apparently, I wasn't getting left out from his love.
"Oh, I know." He pulled me in tight against his chest, crushing me with his arms. "I'm so damn lucky to have the three of you as part of my family."
He pulled back and then glanced at Mona and Kassie. "It's great seeing you two ladies again."
"Same here," Mona spoke first. Kassie had a way of being awkward when it came to pleasantries like that, which was partly why they worked so well together.
His eyes darted over to Louis and Teague.
"I guess you'd be the healer." James stuck his hand out to the prince.
"Uh ... no." Louis laughed but shook his hand anyway. "I'm Prince Louis from Europe."
"Oh ..." James's mouth dropped open a little. "So you're the healer?"
"Yes, I am." Teague gave him a small smile. "And I'd love to get started if possible."
"Of course." James cleared his throat and nodded. "Please, follow me."
Our small group headed toward the house when Kassie took my hand.
Mason paused, waiting for me.
Go on. He hadn’t seen his mom in several weeks. He should go to her now. I’ll catch up.
You sure? His emerald eyes searched mine. I don’t mind.
It’ll be fine. I’ll catch up in a second. I gave him a reassuring smile.
Okay, but hurry. He winked at me and followed the rest of the group into the house.
"We're going to stay out here." Kassie's eyes were already scanning for any threats. "We can't let our guard down, especially with the witch and vampires who know so much about you here."
"Rose is a friend." She'd helped me for so many years. "I'm sure she won't be a problem."
"I'm afraid you're about to learn a hard lesson, dear." Kassie frowned. "Whether you like it or not, being royal changes things.”
I wanted to argue and ask more, but now wasn't the time. We had to focus on Dehlia.
Forcing myself to walk inside the house, I let Kassie's words replay in my mind. I wasn't quite sure how they related to Rose. The witch hadn't known I was a royal, so why should I doubt our alliance?
I hurried to catch up with the group. When I walked into the bedroom and my eyes landed on Dehlia, I startled.
The last time I'd seen her was just a couple months ago, and so much had changed between then and now.
Her eyes were sunken in and closed. Her long, gorgeous, thick hair was thin and greasy. Her skin was no longer the warm olive color I remembered. It was almost pure white like a porcelain doll. She was worse off than I had expected.
Ella leaned over and gave her mom a huge hug. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Despite her daughter’s voice, she didn’t even move in acknowledgment.
"Do you have any clue what happened?" Teague stepped right over to her and began touching her skin.
"One night, about a year ago, she was cooking in the kitchen. She clutched her chest and fell to the ground." James paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "We rushed her to the hospital."
"You took a shifter to the hospital?" Louis's eyes darkened to the steel color that was just like his father's.
"Well, our king didn't answer our calls." Mason's voice growled. "So, we didn't have much of a choice."
"Yeah, we aren't here to criticize our family." Ella wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How tasteless when my mom is lying on the bed in front of us, dying." Her eyes narrowed at Louis.
He was decent enough to glance at the ground and nod.
"Please, continue." Teague reached over and touched her chest.
"She’d had a mild heart attack, but they were surprised at how well she was already healing." James stared at his mate's face. "I thought we were home free. For a week or two, she seemed to be getting back to normal." His voice broke.
"But then one night, about two weeks later, she started feeling off again." Mason picked up where his dad left off. "She stumbled and fell to the ground. Within a month, she couldn't walk anymore."
"The humans had thought that she was healing?" Teague dropped his bag on the ground and leaned over Dehlia as he essentially ran his hands all around her chest and head. "That's the problem with shifters. You're half-human and supernatural."
"My dad had said it was a blessing." The words popped out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. "That's why we were the ones chosen to rule, to keep all supernaturals in balance. We had the empathy for humans and animals, so we were more equipped to rule all others. We protect both of our kinds." I'd forgotten that. My dad had taken me to the beach in the Hamptons one morning to watch the sunrise. It had felt like there was only him and me -- alone in the world. As the sunrise peaked, he said those words to me. Somehow, that moment had held so much significance. "Our reign should resemble a sunrise full of promise and possibility as we are like the sun, keeping everything centered."
"Yes." Teague lifted his gaze to me for a moment. "Most supernaturals either don't agree with that point or disregard it. But that is the reason for your reign in this world."
"That's beautiful." Ella gave him a small smile.
"Anyway, her wolf side tried to repair her and succeeded for a minute until the heart couldn't be completely healed." Teague closed his eyes as his hands ran over her body. "When her supernatural side couldn't repair her heart, it essentially began attacking it instead."