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You could feel the start of a cold coming on the day Eris was meant to leave. It started with a slight chill that immediately caught your mate’s attention, eyebrows furrowing when he saw you bundled up in a blanket by the window.
“Are you cold?” He asked while walking over to you, pressing the back of his hand against your forehead. “You feel warm, Y/N.”
“I’m fine. I think there is just a draft in here.” You replied with a smile, grabbing his hand and laying a kiss on his fingers. “Besides you’ve got other things to worry about.”
Eris rolled his eyes at your dismissal. “I am sure they would be happy without my presence. You are always my first concern.”
Your cheeks started to turn pink from his kind words. Eris always played the bad guy role for everyone else, making sure no one saw through the mask, but you were one of the few exceptions. He treated you with tenderness and love that most people would think only existed in the pages of a book.
And you thanked the Cauldron every day that he was yours and you were his.
“I promise I will be alright.” You repeated before seeing one of his men waiting outside the door. “You will be late if you continue to fuss over me, and if you are I will not hear the end of it from Feyre so go on.”
He smirked at your tone, pulling you into his strong arm and giving you one last kiss goodbye. “Try not to run into trouble while I am gone.”
As he turned to leave you felt your heart clench, wanting to reach out and pull him back into your embrace. It was always hard to see him leave, especially with the way things were going, but you knew others needed him more than you right now.
Eris gave you a smile and a silent ‘I love you’ before disappearing down the hall, the sounds of his footsteps fading into the air. The chill that had been creeping into your bones came back in full force, a shudder making its way through your body.
You went to your bed and rolled to Eris’s side, burying your head in his pillow that still smelled like him as sleep started to settle in your eyes. This cold would be over by tomorrow, all you needed to do was get some extra rest and dream of your mate.
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It has been three days and the cold you thought you had turned out to be something much worse. Your healer, Emelin, was at a loss for what to do. The chill turned into a high fever, sore throat, upset stomach, and a host of other issues. Thankfully it wasn’t fatal but it was miserable.
You were certain you had lost weight, unable to eat anything without throwing it back up, while also barely being able to drink due to how sore your throat was. The sheets had to be changed multiple times due to your sweat and sickness.
Emelin begged to send word to your mate but you refused, knowing he would come straight home and miss the meeting. It was called for by Helion, an emergency that only gave everyone two days' notice. Whatever happened Eris needed to be there and you would survive this…hopefully.
She gave you different teas and brews, trying and failing to cure the sickness. After the second day, you shooed her away to go help the others who had also fallen ill, ignoring her protests. It was just something you were going to have to power through.
And now, as you lie in bed with your teeth chattering, you were beginning to doubt if you could power through this. The sun was just starting to set and was casting the room in a comforting blanket of pink and orange. It was the kind of sunset you wish Eris was here to see, the two of you reading in the study as he absentmindedly played with your fingers.
The image made tears spring to your eyes, your body curling into the blankets as you held onto his pillow. It was silly of you to cry over something so small but you truly missed him, dreaming of him every night only to wake up alone. A small part of you wished you had just given in and ask him to stay, knowing his presence would make you feel a hundred times better, but the bigger part knew that he had duties.
You might be his mate but he was High Lord of Autumn, he had a responsibility that to you always came first.
A cough rattled out of your chest that ended in a sob. It was so pathetic, letting the loneliness and sickness get to you like this, but you couldn’t stop. The light from the window started to fade as the tears ran down like tiny streams, soaking the pillow.
“Oh, my darling.” A soft voice said from above, brushing your wet hair away from your forehead. It sounded like Eris which only made things worse, knowing your mind was so far gone that it began to hallucinate.
Until two strong arms scooped you from underneath the covers and pulled you into a body that felt like home. Your head shot up, stars filling your vision as you stared at him…your mate.
“Eris?” You croaked, lower lip quivering.
His eyes were pained as he took in your appearance, his thumb wiping away your tears. “I’m here, Y/N.”
Your body was exhausted but you used all your energy to throw your arms around his neck, burying your face into his chest as you let everything out. Eris crushed you against him as you cried, head resting atop of yours as your sobs turned into sniffles.
“How did you know?” You mumbled, turning your head to look up at him.
“I had a feeling,” Eris explained as he reached for the tissues. “I think you forget that I know you better than you do.”
You grabbed a few and wiped your eyes and nose, bunching them up and throwing them into the trash. He helped you sit up and rubbed your back as another cough worked up your throat.
“I didn’t want you to miss the meeting, it was important.” You said softly while fiddling with your fingers. “I didn’t know it would get this bad.”
He shook his head and scooped you up again, carrying you to the bathroom and turning on the bath. “As fate would have it, Rhysand was telling me about a sickness that had recently plagued his court. I sent word to Emelin but she was mysteriously quiet.”
A sheepish smile made its way across your lips as you let him undress you, the shivers causing goosebumps to rise on your skin. “You had more important things, I was okay-”
Eris softly grasped your chin and made you look at him, eyes serious. “Y/N. You are the most important thing to me. Without you, I am lost. You will always, always, come before anything or anyone. Do you understand?”
You could see the sincerity in his stare, and feel his words wrapping around your soul like your favorite shirt. A small sniffle and nod was your only reply but he was happy with it, kissing your forehead before turning off the water.
“Come now, let me take care of you.”