The Healer Pt. 13

Looking around, he sees Coral cowering in the corner, her entire body curled up into a quivering ball, tears running down her face and her breathing frantic. Immediately he rushes to her; he does his best to console her but her eyes are glued on Quell.

"Coral," he says softly, brushing her wild hair out of her face, "you must calm down, you are safe now. No one will hurt you. Quell will not hurt you."

She starts rocking slightly, her hands balling up in her hair, "Hood—hood—hooded—" she tries to get out.

Vadim knows what she is asking for but doesn't want to give her the mushroom; he tries again to soothe her, "Coral, close your eyes and take a deep breath."

Coral closes her eyes and tries to take a deep breath but she soon gasps in another and another, panting out, "Hood—hooded—harb—"

Spotting her case near the table, Vadim rises to his feet, talking to his brother, "Quell, please step out into the hallway."

"She is my mate," he says somewhat frantically, "she has nothing to fear in me."

Vadim grasps him by the shoulders, speaking firmly, "Quell, step out into the hallway. Please. If you want to help her, you must do this."

Reluctantly, Quell turns and walks towards the door, looking at Coral one last time before he leaves the room. Quickly, Vadim opens up her case, immediately overwhelmed by the dozens upon dozens of vials, pouches and boxes. He digs through them as fast as he can and finds a larger box towards the bottom; opening it up, he discovers that it is divided into several different slots, each containing different types of mushrooms. Having never saw it up close, he has no idea which one it is so he brings the entire box to Coral. Crouching down in front of her, he touches her leg gently, "Coral, which one is it?"

Her eyes flash open; with a shaking hand, she reaches out and points at one of them. Vadim picks up the dried fungus and breaks it in half, giving her part. Hastily she stuffs it into her mouth and presses her palms to her eyes. Shutting the lid on the box he sits down next to her and waits, watching—just as he had seen many times before, within minutes her frantic panic dissolves. Her body stills, her breathing evens out and her hands drop from her face to reveal dull looking eyes.

Vadim pulls her over onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her; resting his cheek against her forehead he sighs softly, his voice a gentle whisper, "Coral—we need to figure out how to fix this. You cannot keep taking these, they cannot be good for the foal."

"Foal?" Quell's surprised voice cuts through the air.

Wide eyed, Vadim looks up to see his brother standing in the middle of the bed chamber.

"What foal?" His piercing blue eyes look at his brother, "Are you saying—are you saying that Callen...?" His fists start to clench, his chest starts to rise and fall rapidly.

"No," Coral's soft voice comes out, freezing Quell's movements immediately, "the foal is yours, Quell."

"What," he whispers, "how—you—you knew of this before we left for Centurion?"

Vadim closes his eyes, wishing he were anywhere else, not wanting to be a part of this conversation yet he does not loosen his grip on his sister, determined to stay with her through this just as he stayed with her through their imprisonment. Coral turns her head to Quell but still can't look him in the eye, "Yes."

"But you told Vadim?" he snaps.

With a sigh, Vadim opens his eyes and looks at Quell, "No, she did not tell me—she told Callen, you idiot." He rises to his feet with Coral still in his arms; gently, he places her on the bed and covers her with a blanket before walking towards his brother. With a harsh shove, he catches Quell off guard, managing to push the centaur out of the room before shutting the door behind him. He keeps his voice low but growls angrily, "What is wrong with you!"

"She kept this from me? There should be no secrets between mates!" he whispers harshly back.

"You are damned right about that Quell—just like you told her about Searra? About your stillborn foal? About not wanting any more offspring? Before you mated her?!" Vadim snaps; when his brother's eyes grow wide he continues, "What did you expect her to do? She knew how you felt—she was too terrified to tell you! Your mate lies broken in there—and all you can think about is your sad past instead of what future lies ahead for her. I love you brother but you are a daft halfwit!"

"Future? Future!" His voice starts to raise, "How can I look forward to a future with someone who isn't honest with me!"

Vadim balls his hands into fists, his entire body trembling as he is so close to attacking his brother. Quell can see it and takes a stunned step back. When Vadim manages to speak, his words cut like a knife, "You are pathetic, Quell. You don't deserve her and you never will—that woman, that magnificent woman bestowed her love and kindness upon you, she accepted you despite your shortcomings, she gave up the dreams of having her own family—she fought her way out of a hopeless situation to come back to you and you shun her? Because she was afraid of you? Whose fault is that, Quell!"

Quell stands before him, completely shocked and silent. Vadim narrows his eyes at Quell, waiting for a response, waiting for an attack but nothing happens. With a huff, Vadim spins on his heels and walks back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. He presses his forehead against the cool wood, trying to still his anger, trying to calm down; when he finally hears the muffled clop of Quell's hooves retreating down the hallway is he able to slow his racing heart.

Vadim walks over to the bed and though he knows he shouldn't, he climbs into it behind Coral before wrapping his arms around her from the back, pulling her close. Her body molds to his. When she speaks, her voice is flat, "He is angry with me."

"He is a coward," Vadim says more harsh than he intended to.

"What am I going to do? I still love him—I never stopped but each time I look at him," she draws in a deep breath, "Each time I look at him I see Callen."

Closing his eyes, Vadim grimaces, "I know, Coral. We will find a way, you can get over this and be with him again."

"And if I can't?" Her hand drifts down to her belly, her fingers running over the small plush bit of flesh, "I will have to leave here. I will have to raise this foal alone."

He breathes in her scent, feeling torn between her and his own mate. He yearns to be with Coral but he could never abandon Lynette. Vadim offers her what comfort he can, "You will never be alone, Coral. I promise you that."

Within minutes, Coral silently falls back asleep yet no peace comes to Vadim. Despite having her in his arms, feeling the warmth of her body next to his, smelling the fragrant scent that always encompasses her, sleep alludes him. He lies there in the dark, staring at the dancing shadows of the firelight, listening to her slow and steady breathing. He does not want to go but he knows he must—she is not his mate. Carefully, slowly he slides his arms out from under her light form, trying not to disturb her; he pulls the blanket up over her body and watches her sleep for quite a while before finally slipping out of the room.

The halls of the castle are quiet and dark, the only light cast either by the moon as it floods in through the windows or the occasional dimly glowing lantern hung from the wall. When he returns to his chambers, he is relieved to find Lynette still sleeping soundly, her torso propped up on pillows, her brown body strewn out beneath her. Occasionally, one of her hind legs twitch, as if she is running within her dreams.

Vadim wraps a blanket around his shoulders, resting back onto the couch as he mindlessly stares into the fire. Slowly, the guilt creeps in on his consciousness—guilt of his love for Coral, guilt at his growing hatred for his brother, guilt for Lynette who asked for none of this. He draws in a deep breath and tries to find empathy for Quell. He tries to imagine a life where Coral doesn't exist, where he loves Lynette with all his heart—then, he tries to understand what it would feel like to have that ripped away from him. Yet no matter how hard he pictures it, he cannot comprehend his brother's actions.

It isn't until he realizes that he has loved someone with all his heart, that he lost her and lost the prospects of having a family with her, that it occurs to him he knows exactly how Quell feels. Perhaps even more so, because instead of his love parting from this earth, he is forced to see her everyday as a mate to another centaur and it is absolutely maddening.

Vadim rises and grabs his cloak; he knows he will not get any rest tonight, not next to Coral nor Lynette nor alone. He quietly slips from his chambers and trudges through the silent castle, ascending the stone ramps to the roof that is nestled against the mountain. As he comes upon a large glass door, tucked behind a massive tapestry, he pushes it open and enters the greenhouse. Being somewhat partially protected from the elements it is warmer than the outside air but not by much.

He finds a worn, dusty stone bench and lays down upon it, looking up through the glass ceiling to the stars above. Softly he says the names of the constellations as he picks them out of the night sky but that distraction doesn't last long; his thoughts wander to Coral, always back to Coral. He sighs. He will do whatever he has to in order to help her recover. He will do whatever he has to in order to ensure that his future niece or nephew will be raised by two loving parents and while he hopes that Quell will come to terms with being a father, he is prepared to step into that position if he must.

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