Chapter 146 - 0146
Lorelei POV
"No."
The single word was calm, flat, and final, cutting me off before I could even finish my sentence.
My eyes widened, and a stunned breath escaped my lips.
I couldn’t believe he’d shut me down that easily without giving me so much as a chance to speak.
"You don’t even know what I was about to say!" I shot back, a sudden burst of frustration overpowering my fear.
"Of course I do," he replied coolly, towering over me. "You came here to ask me not to punish them after they told you about their sentence."
"They didn’t tell me so I’d come plead with you!" I argued, immediately jumping to their defense as I took an instinctive step closer to him. "I asked them if they’d gotten into trouble because they looked guilty the moment I apologized. They were just answering my question."
But Kaelen simply shook his head, his amber eyes unwavering.
"That doesn’t change a damn thing. My mind is already made up. You cannot keep begging for mercy every time they’re negligent, Ella. If I keep letting their mistakes slide, they’ll grow complacent until someone actually succeeds in hurting you."
"Well... look on the bright side," I tried to reason, cautiously stepping into his personal space until only a few inches separated us. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest, but I forced myself to hold his gaze. "We... we had sex again. And this time, I didn’t pass out after five minutes."
The moment those words left my mouth, I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
My entire face burned with embarrassment, but if humiliating myself was what it took to save Isaac and Paul, then so be it.
For the briefest moment, it actually seemed to work.
His amber eyes widened ever so slightly, a flash of heat flickering across his face as his chest rose with a deeper breath. But just as quickly, he regained control, every trace of emotion disappearing behind his usual composed expression.
"No," he said, his voice firmer this time. "That won’t work on me. They will be punished. Thirty lashes are nothing to men of their rank."
When it became obvious that hadn’t worked either, I let out a quiet, frustrated sigh. My mind raced as I desperately searched for something, anything, that could crack his stubborn resolve.
Then I remembered the way he’d reacted every time I’d said his name last night.
It was a gamble.
Slowly, I stepped even closer. My trembling fingers reached up to lightly grasp the front of his shirt as I tilted my head back, locking my glassy green eyes with his.
"Please..." I whispered softly. "Kaelen... do it for me?"
The instant his name rolled off my lips, his entire body went rigid.
He looked away almost immediately, muttering under his breath, "What makes you think saying my name like that would work on me?"
Even so, I didn’t miss the faint blush creeping onto the tips of his ears.
I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from smiling.
So he wasn’t as unaffected as he wanted me to believe.
Before he could avoid me again, I shifted to stand in front of him, forcing him to meet my eyes as I gave him my best, most shamelessly pleading look.
"Please... just this once? I’ll scold them myself, I promise." I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Kaelen... please... Kaelen..."
The more I said his name, the harder it seemed for him to keep the corners of his lips from curling upward. Eventually, the faintest smirk slipped through.
"Fine," he muttered, letting out a long, defeated sigh.
Lowering his gaze to meet mine, he seemed to realize just how close we’d gotten. His smirk softened as he quietly added, "Now stop looking at me like that."
He lifted a hand, intending to press his palm against my forehead to gently create some distance between us. But the instant his skin touched mine, the smirk disappeared.
His expression immediately hardened into a deep frown.
Instead of pushing me away, his arm slid around my waist, pulling me even closer as he pressed his palm more firmly against my forehead.
"You’re burning up," he murmured, his voice instantly laced with concern.
I blinked up at him in confusion. "Really?"
Lifting my own hand, I touched my forehead and let out a small gasp.
He was right.
My skin felt unnaturally hot.
Kaelen’s expression darkened as he searched my face.
"Is the drug still affecting you?"
I immediately shook my head.
"No... I feel... normal..."
And I did. At least, normal in the sense that I wasn’t overwhelmed by that unbearable, desperate sexual need that had consumed me the night before.
But Kaelen still let out a low, frustrated growl.
"You’re supposed to be resting in bed. This is exactly what happens when you push your body before it’s fully recovered." His jaw tightened. "And, of course, you had to do it for other men. I don’t like that."
"I was fine a few minutes ago..." I murmured, but my voice gradually faded as a heavy wave of dizziness suddenly crashed over me.
The room tilted.
My vision blurred, and I instinctively reached for him as my knees threatened to give out beneath me.
"Well, you’re burning up," Kaelen said firmly as he caught me before I could collapse. He guided me over to the leather sofa and eased me down before pulling out his phone. "I’m getting the healer to come check on you immediately."
I didn’t even have the energy to argue.
Besides, I’d already accomplished what I’d come here to do.
Isaac and Paul were safe.
*
A few minutes later, I found myself tucked back into the massive four-poster bed in Kaelen’s chambers.
The fever hit me with full force, making my entire body shiver uncontrollably, even beneath the thick blanket wrapped tightly around me. Despite the chills, his familiar cedar scent surrounding me felt strangely comforting.
I drifted in and out of consciousness, the exhaustion pulling me deeper each time I tried to stay awake.
Somewhere through the haze, I vaguely registered hushed voices near the bedroom door.
"You told me it didn’t have any severe side effects," Kaelen said, his voice low but edged with dangerous anger.
Side effects?
The words echoed sluggishly through my mind.
What side effects? Were they talking about the drug?
But... I was fine...
I was just...
So...
Tired...
"It doesn’t....it’s just...."the healer replied, his voice coming out shaky.
Before I could force myself to listen any longer, the heavy darkness swallowed me whole, pulling me back into a deep, dreamless sleep.