Serena's POV:

We were getting closer to our destination and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. We were meeting more people on the roads the last few days, and most had been unhappy to see me, although there did seem to be a few more civil-minded ones who only seemed curious.

None threatened us or appeared overly hostile, but we were on a cart moving at a decent pace. It could be quite different walking through hallways inside buildings. I really hoped that Darien's brother didn't hold a grudge against me because I was human. That would be terrible.

Yesterday, Alex had gone into a nearby village by himself and came back with some things that might make the rest of our journey easier. I now had a light shawl wrapped around my shoulders and wore a large sunhat on my head.

The wide rim on the floppy hat looked ridiculous in my opinion, but Darien and Alex thought it might keep most from realizing that I was human. I had put it on today and, so far, it was working with those we passed on the road, so there was hope for it.

The town appeared in the distance and it was definitely the biggest place I had seen on this planet. Walls surrounded numerous buildings that reached two or three stories high. The gates were wide open with one rather bored-looking guard above. He only spared us a glance as we passed below. The town had people coming and going on various tasks, and the people looked relaxed and happy.

Their glowing eyes skimmed over me and made me realize just how differently they acted when they were under the assumption that I was a Tarulk. It was too bad that I could never pass as a Tarulk close-up though, it would have been interesting to go through the market.

Darien murmured, "Keep close to me."

I nodded my understanding, I also decided to avoid speaking as much as possible where others may hear me. Most Tarulk seemed to have a faint accent and my lack of it would probably give me away. My dark brown eyes were also a dead giveaway among the Tarulks' lighter eye color, so I planned to avoid eye contact if possible.

It took us almost ten minutes to reach the hospital and, to my great surprise, no one realized that I was human. The hospital was much smaller than I had expected, although considering how fast Tarulk healed, it shouldn't have taken me by surprise.

"The main floor is for general first aid, stitches, bone setting, and such. The upper levels are for those who need to stay longer," Darien gazed at the three-story building.

Gardens were planted all around it, giving it a peaceful aura. Alex brought the cart to a stable just outside the main gate and a Tarulk there offered to unhitch the creature. Alex accepted and passed him an octagonal coin.

We walked towards the hospital and entered the main doors. Two Tarulk sat on chairs inside, clearly waiting. One held a bloody towel around his arm and the other held his head in both hands as if his head hurt.

Alex walked over to the reception desk before quickly returning, "He is still on the third floor, room four."

Darien nodded and started walking towards the stairs. The receptionist looked at us sympathetically, before blinking and taking a second look at me. I turned my head so that the back of my floppy hat blocked her view of me. Darien continued to hold me close as we climbed the stairs.

We got to the top level, and I saw that there were six rooms and a bathroom. Only one room had someone in it. Alex paused at the top of the stairs, "I will wait for you downstairs, take your time." His sorrow-filled voice reminded me that Alex thought Darien was here to say his goodbyes.

He descended the stairs as Darien looked towards the room with distant eyes. I recalled that Darien hadn't seen his brother in at least thirty years, and now was here when Lucas was technically on his deathbed. I took Darien's hand and gently tugged him in that direction. He followed without any real resistance as we approached his brother. I glanced around but we were the only two on this level, other than the person lying in the bed.

I got my first good look at the unconscious stranger. Even if I hadn't known it was his brother, I would have known he was related to Darien somehow. They looked quite similar, although Lucas was more slender. Lucas also had lighter brown hair than his brother as well as laugh lines showing that his disposition was likely a lot more easygoing than Darien's used to be.

I started humming softly, healing was not exactly a clear-cut song, so I focused on seeing him well. He had no physical injuries, and the original ones had healed some time ago. My music shifted and more resonant tones fit best.

I followed my magic's guidance while keeping it at a hum. A whistle did not hit the right pitches for this, and I preferred to avoid song if I could hum. The hum went up and down as it spun through the required patterns while it did whatever it was doing.

It built up and then slowly trailed off. Darien and I both stood silently as we watched the motionless figure.

His chest rose as he took a deeper breath before raising his hand to his head with a faint groan. "I thought earthshakers were nocturnal..."

His voice wasn't as deep as Darien's, although it was somewhat similar. It looked like my short hum hadn't quite healed everything since he still seemed to be in a bit of pain. Darien sighed in relief as he relaxed slightly, "You idiot, it is the middle of their mating season right now and they really don't care about where the sun is."

Lucas looked up with a blank expression, "Darien?"

Darien crossed his arms and replied, "Well, I guess it didn't hit you too hard if you can remember my name."

"No one told me you got out of that lab!" He sat up and hastily tried to get to his feet to greet his brother, but staggered and ended up dropping back down on the bed as his legs gave out, "Oomph. How long have I been out?"

Darien walked over to the side table and passed him a big glass of water, "I was told two weeks."

Lucas paused mid-drink and looked stunned, "Two weeks? Wow..." He looked down at himself, "I have so got to get out of these hospital clothes..."

He drained the last of his glass and Darien refilled it. I suspected he was dehydrated and that was probably the cause of his headache. Lucas' eyes wandered over to me and he blinked several times, clearly noticing that my eyes were far too dark for a Tarulk, "Uh, Darien, are you aware that-"

Darien cut him off, "If you insult my mate, I will knock you out. I am sure another hour or two of sleep won't hurt you." His calm voice just made the threat seem that much more serious.

Lucas blinked before his jaw dropped, "You found your mate?" A grin suddenly spread across his face, "Awesome! Finally, someone who can put up with you. She can help me torment you, and you can't even get mad at her due to the soulbond!"

I blinked slowly as I regarded the rather spontaneous younger brother. I really wasn't sure how he had survived this long with that sort of outlook on life. Darien sighed gustily, "Go back to sleep. You bothered me less when you were silent."

Lucas merely laughed, unaffected by his brother's dour responses, "That time trapped with those humans definitely did not help you acquire a better sense of humor." He glanced towards me with excited eyes, "Are you going to introduce us, or do I have to go over and shake her hand as I introduce myself?"

Darien's sharp growl made Lucas pause. Lucas had not expected that sort of reaction and it took him by surprise. It also surprised me somewhat, although having someone approach me when I had never met them before always tended to get Darien's guard up.

Darien walked over to me and gently removed my sunhat, "This is Serena. Serena, this is my idiot of a brother," Darien turned to eye up his brother, "She is my mate. You insult her, and I will extract payment in blood. You make her cry, and you will wish you never woke up."

The tension of the last three days of travelling was clearly affecting Darien's judgement. I spoke quietly, "It has been a long trip here and I blame the mate bond for his behavior. Sorry about that."

Lucas grinned at Darien, "I like her, she has much more diplomacy than you ever did." He looked at me as he asked, "I assume the bond is pretty new for him to be throwing death threats at me without cause?"

"We just spent three days on the road where everyone we passed was not exactly thrilled to see me."

A stormy look crossed Darien's face at the reminder. Lucas winced in immediate understanding, "Ah, yeah. That would do it," He changed the topic, "Brother, what are the odds of you finding me some actual clothes. These things smell."

Darien shrugged, "I can send a nurse to find some."

Lucas perked up, "Great, and you can leave your mate here so we can gossip."

"Not a chance."

Lucas looked faintly insulted, "Read my mind, brother. I would not harm her, and I resent that insinuation."

Darien still wasn't budging, "It isn't you I am worried about. You can't even stand at the moment, let alone protect anything."

Lucas now looked confused, "Who would harm her? Sure, others may not like her here, but I don't think they would harm her if they knew she was your soulmate."

Darien reached over to pick up a metal cup and crumpled it easily in one hand, "Enough want to harm her that the mate bond still gives me additional strength even though we met over a month ago." He dropped the small ball of metal on the table.

Lucas was stunned into silence by both his words and actions as he stared at the shiny crumbled ball in surprise.



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Author's Note:

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