I showed Ishi into my room and closed the door. We sat at the little dining table across from each other. We sat there quietly for a few minutes.. Ishi seemed to be deep in thought.
"You really want to know what happened that night?" She asked me.
"Yes…"
"What if what I tell you changes things between us?"
"Nothing can change how much I care about you." I reassured her. "We are in this together." I added with a smile.
"We'll see about that.." She mumbled darkly.
I sat there in silence waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath and started telling me the story.
"The doctor couldn't come in to give you the medicine because of you being in heat. He said it was either me or Kori who would have to give it to you.. and I was the only one here. I came in and threw Marshall out… I came to give you medicine, but you weren't in your right mind.." She trailed off.
I remembered the dream I had and quickly shook that thought away.
"Did I do something embarrassing or strange? If so, I'm sorry…" I started.
"No. This was my fault. I'm not as strong or as trustworthy as you think I am." She sighed deeply and continued, "You were vulnerable and the hormones were making you crazy for whoever came near you. You advanced on me…"
My face flushed bright red, the dream! I covered my mouth to hide the shock.
Ishi looked away and finished her story. "I could have pushed you off - forced you to take the medicine… but I didn't.. Not right away."
"Did we…?" I choked out.
"Yes." Ishi said, looking down at her hands in her lap.
I felt butterflies in my stomach and my body heated up as I realized that the dream I had wasn't a dream. I was remembering that night. It was so foggy and unrealistic that I just thought it was a dream! I slept with Ishi!
How am I going to tell Marshall..? I don't want to hurt him.. Oh, this is all so messed up.. How could I do such a thing?!
Wait…
"But the mate bond…?" I asked, wondering why I didn't suffer from breaking the contract.
"Marshall thinks that we are also.. mates.." She said with a blush, looking uncomfortable.
"Marshall knew?!" I balked.
"Yes.." She said guiltily.
"Was he upset?" I asked.
She looked up at me slightly, asking, "Why would he be upset?"
"Because of what we did…" I muttered, feeling guilty myself.
"You mean, what I did?" Ishi corrected me.
"No. I am just as much to blame. I did remember some of it, but I thought it was a dream. It wasn't your fault, Ishi. I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you… or Marshall.." I was feeling very confused.
"Marshall wasn't upset. He understood how one can be affected by a natural mate…" She mumbled the last part.
My brain was in overdrive. I slept with Ishi… and she turns out to be another mate of mine? So this means I am a Beati. This means that I will have multiple mates? I don't want multiple mates! This explains my feelings towards Ishi though… Why she smelled so good, why I felt drawn to her.. why I felt the need to be close to her all the time. I thought I was just being a codependent nuisance. Turns out that it was the bond pulling me towards her.
Is Marshall really okay with this? I can't imagine having to share my spouse with someone else…
"I'm sorry.." Ishi mumbled.
She must have mistook my silence. She had her head hung low and looked very pitiful right now. I wanted to comfort her, but I was afraid that if I touched her, I might go too far again. Now that I know what these feelings are, I am tempted to embrace them.
"Do you regret it?" She asked me.
That's a loaded question.. If it hurts Marshall, then yes I'll regret it. But, would I want to erase that night? I felt butterflies in my stomach as I recalled the memories. Honestly, I kind of want to repeat it.
My face was pink, I swallowed hard, then I answered her.
"No, I don't." I said. "Do you?" I asked, avoiding her curious gaze.
"My only regret, is that you weren't in your right mind." She said, her voice returning to it's normal, domineering tone.
She approached, slinking her way around the table. I turned in my chair only to be met with her dark blue eyes. She stood over me, looking down at me. She placed either hand on each side of me as she leaned close.
I felt my heart rate accelerating and my already elevated body temperature increased further.
"Next time, You will remember everything." She purred, holding my gaze. "I will show you just what you missed…" She leaned close to my ear, "and more."
I felt my hair stand on end. She used the same tone that used to intimidate me.. but now for some reason it was turning me on. I felt the urge to pull her in closer. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply to calm myself. This is something I need to talk to Marshall about.
She backed up and looked at my expression.
"What's wrong?" She asked, genuinely concerned.
"I was just thinking about Marshall, and how he must feel." I saw her expression change as she backed up. I grabbed her hands and I quickly added, "It's not that I don't want to… I do… It's just that I can't do anything to hurt him. I need to know he's okay with this."
She looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Mika… You are a beati.. 'chosen by the gods'… Your mates are chosen for you. Anyone who becomes your mate is ready to accept anyone you choose. Their will is yours, theirs lives are yours, and their vitality is linked to yours. If it's what you want, he also wants it. That's how it works. This is common knowledge."
"That doesn't seem fair." I said, feeling guilty.
"It's an honor for one to be chosen to mate with someone like you. It is the will of the gods. You can always choose to reject the bond if you want..."
"I don't… But I need Marshall's input before we do anything. It doesn't seem right for a relationship to be so one-sided. Gods or no gods." I told her.
"I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer." She said as she leaned forward and placed her forehead against mine.
I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face, but it was quickly wiped away when she abruptly pulled away and placed her hand on my forehead.
"Huh?" I asked, confused.
"You are burning up. Did you take your medicine today?" She asked me.
"Yes." I said. "Maybe I'm just warm from the drinks."
Without a word she pulled me along behind her and dragged me down the hall. I was confused but I moved as quick as I could to keep up with her long strides. We rounded a few corners before she bust through a door without even knocking.
"Karlos." She said, scaring the poor boy.
He lept up out of his chair, looking frightened. "Yes?"
"Check her." she said, pulling a chair out and pushing me into it. "Her fever is back."
He came over and placed a hand on my head to check my temperature.
"Impossible.. We gave her a double dose this afternoon." He muttered.
"Clearly it IS possible." She growled at him.
"You gave me a double dose?" I asked. No one told me this.
They looked at each other before Dr. Karlos explained.
"Yes.. Your mana fever has been requiring increased dosages to control. We are already doubling the amount we started with. I'm afraid that we might run out of medication before your mate returns.." He flinched when Ishi looked at me threateningly. "It will all be fine though, I'm sure we can hold out - no worries!"
I looked at Ishi. She looked at me confidently, which made me feel less anxious.
"Get something for her." Ishi commanded, standing by my side with a hand on my shoulder.
"Yes, of course." Dr. Karlos scrambled across his office and grabbed a glass bottle.
He poured some of the liquid into a measuring device, added a couple different colored liquids, and then put it into a cup for me.
"Here." he said, extending an arm to hand me the cup.
I drank the foul mixture. Within an minute I felt my body temperature lowering and I was more comfortable. In face, I felt too comfortable. I was getting sleepy.
Ishi was talking to the doctor about something. I was fighting sleep so I didn't catch everything they said. She then came over and looked at me.
"Come on, I got you." She said as she picked me up and held me close.
I was too tired to fight her. I let her carry me back to my room and put me in bed.