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Becoming a hunter with a heart condition as well as an inherited condition probably wasn’t the best idea. Only Zayne and few others at the hospital knew the full extent of what you dealt with.
“Remember, these are extended release tablets so you only need to take them once a day now,” Zayne had told you during your last visit. He was always looking for a new way to ease your burdens.
“Got it. I’ll take them before bed then. I’ll even set an alarm and get a cute little pill case,” you’d chirped back at him, making him shake his head with an amused smile.
It was going great until you moved a lot of your belongings to Sylus’ room. You initially hid the pill case in the nightstand on your side of his bed, but taking the tablets without him seeing was proving to be difficult.
“Kitten, time to get ready,” Sylus called out from the en suite. Another night, another mission.
“Is it black tie again?” You asked, already moving to the walk in closet.
“Not this time. We’ll be heading to the warehouse of an associate who’s gotten a little in over their head. Dress comfortably,” he replied with a smirk as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “I don’t think I’ll ever tire of your figure, sweetie.” His eyes raked over you hungrily, taking a few small steps towards you but you deftly smacked his hands away, causing a deep smirk to appear on his face.
“No touching, Sy. We have work to do.”
“Hmm…” he hummed, still stalking towards you like a predator. “After?” The eagerness in his eyes made you chuckle and nod before you gave his lips a quick peck.
Before anything could continue, the alarm sounded on your phone and you dragged your hand over his chest as you went to silence it.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but what is that alarm for?” He questioned. You froze, trying to come up with a good excuse.
“Oh, it’s just to remind me to wash my face before bed. On normal days at least.”
“Are your days with me abnormal?” Mirth twinkled through his eyes.
“No,” you replied simply. “They’re better.” You tossed your phone back on the bed before going to change into your typical outfit.
—-
“This can all be over if you just tell me who your informant is,” Sylus drawled as he let the red and black streaks of his Evol slash through the shoulder of the man kneeling before him.
“H-he’s already dead! I swear!” Sylus regarded the man, glancing at you quickly.
“What do you think, Sweetie? Is he being honest?”
You scoffed and rolled your eyes.
“He can’t lie for shit.” Your answer was the confirmation he needed to send another slash of his Evol across his leg.
“Tell me what you know. I’m missing precious quality time with the lady,” Sylus nearly growled, fisting the shirt of the man and landing a quick but fierce blow to his nose.
As the man cried out in pain, it suddenly sounded very muffled and far away.
“Shit,” you murmured, bringing a hand up to your forehead. How many days had it been since you took your meds?
You swiveled your head around, looking for a place to sit or lay down, coming up with nothing.
You felt your body sway as the world tilted sideways, your mouth suddenly tasting like copper. Blood, to be more accurate. It was your least favorite part of the whole thing.
“Kitten? What’s the matter,” you heard Sylus ask but your eyes were already starting to roll back in your head.
“S-s-sorry,” was all you could manage before you dropped.
—-
Sylus couldn’t believe his eyes. The precious gem of a woman he treasured most was writhing on the ground uncontrollably. He had abandoned his questioning with a roar of her name before he sprinted to her side, trying to figure out what to do.
“Luke! Kieran! Take care of him!” He commanded, never taking his eyes off you.
The sight would forever haunt him.
Your limbs were moving erratically and clearly uncontrolled. Your eyes were blinking at a rate he didn’t think was humanly possible, but he could only see the whites of them. And worst of all were the choked sounds coming from your mouth.
Strike that. The blood dripping from your lips nearly killed him. Not wanting you to choke on the liquid, he scooped you into his arms and held you in your side, making sure it didn’t pool in your mouth.
He had no idea what to do, how to stop it, or how to comfort you. So he simply held you, gritting his teeth as you flailed in his arms for what seemed like hours, but was actually only a couple minutes.
When you stopped seizing, your eyes opened and your breath heaved in your chest. You were clearly still unconscious as your eyes continued to roll and look unfocused.
“Sweetie, can you hear me?” Sylus asked, brushing your hair from your face as he laid your back against his chest. “Come back to me.”
Your ragged breaths began to calm into deep inhales and your eyes cleared a bit.
“Sylus?” You slurred.
“Oh my god,” he exhaled, realizing he hadn't been properly breathing until now. “You scared me, Kitten. Let’s get you home.”
He was immensely grateful that you had begged him to take his beautiful black car instead of his motorcycle for this little business meeting. As he laid you out on the bench seat, he took care to place your head in his lap, watching you as you slept. Your body was no doubt exhausted from the episode, but he was still on edge that you were once again unconscious.
He called his private doctor to meet at the base with anything you could possibly need. After that, he called the twins, instructing them to kill the man after they got the information he needed. He didn’t need the news of this event spreading through the N109, letting potential enemies know you had a condition they could exploit.
With no more calls to make, he continued driving, more careful than normal, and stroking your hair.
“You’re going to be okay. You must,” he muttered into the confined space, knowing full well you couldn’t hear him. Perhaps he was talking to himself more than you.
—-
The next time you woke, your stomach felt like lead and your entire body was sore down to your toes.
You groaned as you tried to blink your vision into its natural state, only to freeze when you saw Sylus sitting on a chair next to the bed, nearly glaring at you. He only held up your pill case with a sigh.
“What are these for?” He asked in a similar tone he used to interrogate the man from earlier. As you opened your mouth to answer, you winced, feeling the painful, swollen skin of your tongue and cheeks where you had bitten into them.
He handed you a glass of water, which you drank slowly, trying not to let any fall out of your mouth.
“Answer the question, Kitten.”
With a sigh, you mentally prepared yourself for a talk you were hoping to avoid.
“Epilepsy.” His shoulders sagged as he sighed, hands coming up to cover his face as his elbows rested on his knees.
“And you didn’t think that piece of information was important for me to know?”
“I’ve been seizure free for a few years,” managed to mumble.
“So what happened tonight then?” His targeted questions reminded you of your negligence.
“I’ve been forgetting to take my meds.”
That’s when the normally composed, sensible Sylus left the room, replaced by an emotional version of him that you’d never known existed.
“Forgetting!? Is that what your alarm is for?” He nearly yelled as he got up and paced in front of the bed. You nodded guiltily.
An exasperated sigh left him as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“You scared the hell out of me tonight,” he snapped. “I thought you were dying. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Your tear rimmed eyes couldn’t meet his pleading gaze.
“I didn’t want you to think I was weak.” It was hard for you to get the words out, but as soon as you did, the warm wet tears trickled out at a steady pace. “I’m sorry.”
Your sore body settled back into the bed, your face contorting in pain as you adjusted to get comfortable. And that’s when Sylus’ heart truly broke for you. Yes, watching you have a seizure was probably the worst moment of his life, but the aftermath was probably torture to you. Not to mention the mental exhaustion from neurons firing without restraint and the weight of your confession.
He slipped into the bed behind you, weary to put his hands on you at all, not wanting to cause any pain.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he mumbled close to your ear. “I was so worried. I want to protect you from everything, but seeing that I can’t even protect you from your own body?” He shook his head. “You could never be weak, you’re the strongest person I know. Can I hold you?”
You nodded, adjusting yourself against his large frame as he wrapped himself around you lightly.
“Rest, my beloved. I’ll be here when you wake.”
—-
When you woke again, your mouth tasted absolutely awful. You could feel the raised skin healing on your tongue and cheeks, which would make brushing your teeth a challenge. As you stirred, you felt a heavy presence behind you.
“Careful. Try not to move too quickly.” You heard his familiar deep voice rumble against your back.
“Sore. Bath,” you managed to say, though both words felt like fire. Without another word, Sylus got up and began to fill his obnoxiously large bathtub with hot water and various scented salts.
You stayed in bed, trying to think of how you could justify yourself or explain that it wasn’t a big deal, but it clearly was to him.
Soon, he came and scooped you into his arms, carrying you with ease to the edge of the tub.
He handed you a small lid of mouthwash.
“I read that your mouth will be hurting for the next few days and this is the best way to clean it for now.” You took it gratefully and swished it around slowly, wincing at the sting before standing and spitting it out.
“I’m not supposed to bathe alone,” you told him, cheeks flushing. “Stay?”
“Of course.”
He helped you shed your clothing, still the same from last night you observed, and gently stepped down into the blissfully warm water.
He sat on the edge of the tub before speaking again.
“How long have you been having seizures?”
You held up a one and a five.
“Fifteen years?” You nodded.
“Does anyone know?”
“Doctor,” you said, trying not to wince.
“That’s it? Not even your boss? Your co-workers?” You turned your head away in shame.
“Sweetie. This is nothing to be ashamed of. Yes, it’s technically a disability, but not a weakness. You’re stronger than most people I’ve met, including the twins.” He hesitated before continuing. “Don’t tell them I said that. It would result in a prank fest for weeks.” He smiled when you hummed a laugh.
“I did a lot of research while you slept. I know this is most likely genetic, managed with medication in most cases, and after effects. I also know you’ve been hiding your pills from me while you’re here.” He scolded you. “From now on, I’m watching you take them at 7 pm every night like you’re supposed to.”
You nodded sheepishly at him, leaning your head back against the porcelain tub.
“Still tired? Hungry?”
“Tired.”
“You need to eat.”
“Nauseous.”
“Ah, that’s right. I wasn’t sure if you had that after effect. I’ll order you some egg drop soup then.”
You relented and took a deep breath in, letting the heated water soothe your aching muscles.
“Would you like some pain medication?” He questioned, a worried look on his face.
“Thank you,” you said with a nod.
“From now on, Kitten, you’re not leaving my side. You’re staying here until you’re completely healed.” He took his phone out and shot a quick text, sending off instructions to the twins.
“I hope you enjoy being pampered a bit. They’re worried sick about you,” he said with a smile.