Her Secret

Fire and Ice

The heart monitor beeps rapidly as I stumble out of the bed with wide eyes. The IV in my arm tugs painfully as I steady myself against the edge.

My legs are weak and my muscles feel like rubber bands on the verge of snapping. Charles burst into the room csusing the door handle to lock into the wall.

"Why are you out of bed?" He asks. "Don't touch me." I whisper as he reaches a hand out to me. The poison still lingers in my system making nerves raw and unbearably painful.

He looks like a kicked puppy as he holds his hand up. I slowly let go of the bed. I can feel it slowly working itself out of my system but for now, nothing touches me.

"How did you find it?" I ask him softly. "The water fairies." He tells. "That makes sense." I look the the closed bathroom door. "Is there a shower in there?" I ask softly.

"There should be." He opens the door reveling a glass door shower. "Perfect." I mumble. My body feels like a shriveled prune ontop of the exposed nerves.

I yank the IV out of my arm before stripping out of the sandpaper like gown. "Angelina." He cautions as he watches me stumble towards the shower.

I feel the heat radiate off of him ad he gets closer. I switch the cold water on and step in. The pain instantly vanishes any place the water touches. "Charles, will you do me a favor?" I ask softly. His eyes meet mine, they are darkened by lust, his control is immaculate.

"Yes." His voice is husky as his jaw clenches. "I need the bathtub full at the house, with cold water." I tell him as I ignore his intense glare.

He leaves the room hurriedly. I look down at my thighs and notice a light pink mark from where the seaweed hit me. "Shit." I whisper as realization hits me.

I wasn't in the water when they healed me. If I was any ordinary mermaid, I would have died. "It's done." Charles says as he grabs a towel. "Great." I nod as I step out. The pain returns instantly as he wraps the towel around me. Tiny fire like pricks stabbing repeatedly, not as worse as the healing process though.

His eyes glow a dark orange as a gust of wind pushes my hair back. He sets me down gently. "Another dragon trick." He whsipers. "Did we fly?" I ask as I submerge myself completely.

I lean my head against the cool ceramic of the tub as he kneels beside it. "Not quite." He smiles. "Are you in pain?" He looks at me with worry swimming in his eyes. "Only when out of water." I tell him truthfully. "Healing me out of water could have killed me just as easily as doing nothing." I inform him.

"When we healed you. Everything went crazy." He whispers as he gently pushes back my hair. "I felt it. Did my nose bleed? It did that once underwater. I attracted some sharks." He shakes his head and smiles. "Yes it did. So did your ears." His frown returns. "I didn't know the extent of your powers."

"Neither did I. What happened?" I watch him with curious eyes. "You almost made a hurricane. You made the lights go out and a small wind tunnel in your room. I thought you were going to be able to push me off for a second there." His eyes darkens as the memories replay in his mind. "Your scream were unbearable."

He brings his eyes to mine, I wipe the strsy tear from his cheek causing his body to tense. "Sorry." He mumbles. "I'm sorry for almost dying." I smile softly.

"Why did the fairies help?" He asks after a while. "I thought they hated dragons." I nod my head and smirk, "well, yes, they hate anything that is not good and water related. I'm not entirely sure why they helped you. I knkw they would have taken the seaweed as soon as I rescued those two though. They don't want anhthing impure in their home. They would have destroyed the rest." I explain.

He kisses my forehead softly. "I dropped one of your jewels and they brought it along with the seaweed." He tells me. "They like me for some reason." I run my hand softly over the face of the water. "Whats mot to like?" He asks as he watches my hand. "The uncontrollable powers inside me." My eyes widen slightly. "Was there anyone else inside the room?" I ask.

"No. Just me and doc." I let out a breath of relief as I nod. "Good."

"They wouldn't judge you." He tells me matter of factly. "I know. I have beeb hardwired to keep the other half of me a secret. It's a defense mechanism." I look at the faded blackness in my veins. "Once the toxin is out of my system, I can come out." I tell him softly. "By all means, take your time. I enjoy the view." He gives me a wink that causes my body to heat up. "Shut up." I mumble.

The bedroom door slams opem causing Charles to leave the bathroom immediately closing the door behind him. "I want to see her!" Mariah demands.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Definitely not. She isn't healed." I have never heard Charles like this before. His tone is hard with no emotion. "She saved me. I need to thank her!" She growls out.

Glass shatters as a deep growl causes the watter to ripple around me. "Dammit Mariah. You are the reason she almost died in the first place! You weren't even meant to be there! It was supposed to just be here and I! If you and them hadn't of shown up, she wouldn't need time to heal. She woild be fine and by my side right now. Get out!" He growls. The anger in his words make even me want to cowers. I hear the door to the bedroom open and shut.

"Are you ok?" I ask softly as he walks back in. His veins hold fire in them as his burn orange. "I'm fine." Steam rolls off his skin as he takes off his now holey shirt.

"Charles." I whisper softly. His eyes find mine causing his features to soften. I watch as the fire slowly dies out in his eyes.

Even weak and slightly poisoned, I am still the most powerful person in the room and that terrifies me.

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~scarletbride30