My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 199: On Her Lap

Violet

I had done what I needed to do.

It was odd and I tried not to think about it too hard, but he had swallowed the liquid food. That was all that mattered.

Hours passed.

The fever remained, his skin still burning beneath my fingertips. But the black veins had stopped spreading. They didn’t reduce, but I was grateful it was no longer spreading across his skin.

The fever worried me and I didn’t know if that meant he was improving or not, but the heat from his body was a welcome change compared to the cold that had terrified me before.

I wiped him down again and again, trying to keep him cool and to get rid of the sweat. He would stir occasionally, mumblings and wincing in pain.

I was working along his shoulder when his eyes opened. I stiffened. They were a bit unfocused, but they quickly found me.

"You don’t..." He blinked slowly, his voice a dry rasp as he talked. "You don’t have to do this."

I sighed. "Don’t say anything. Just rest."

"The floor is hard," he mumbled.

I paused again, sitting up nervously. Did he want to lie down on a layer of clothes? I don’t think we even had enough to cushion the cave’s floor.

But if he was uncomfortable...

"Wait, I’m coming..."

I was already shifting and getting ready to take out some of our clothes from the bags when he spoke up again.

"Could I..." He paused and swallowed with effort. "Would you mind if I rested my head on your lap?"

I went still. The clothes were already unravelling and floating from the bags.

Then turned back to look at him.

"What?"

He looked very tired, and his eyes were heavy, almost as if he wasn’t even aware of what he was asking for.

But he still repeated his question.

"I would feel more comfortable."

I did not think he would. He was still in pain and inclining his body like that wasn’t ideal.

"Your body should stay flat—"

"Please, Violet."

The way he said my name made my protest die in my throat.

"Oh... alright," I muttered.

But I still hesitated. He was asking for a small wish and aside his discomfort, I wasn’t sure why it made me a bit nervous.

I shifted until my back pressed against the cave wall, then carefully lifted his head and guided it onto my thighs.

He relaxed a bit as a slow breath left him while I sat there, unsure what to do with my hands.

What was I supposed to do in this situation exactly?

My hovered uselessly for a moment before I lowered them to the stone floor on either side of me.

The crystal light cast soft shadows across his face. His eyes had closed again, and I thought he had faded back into unconsciousness.

"Thank you," he murmured.

I flinched. That had surprised me. I thought he was gone for now.

I slowly relaxed. "It is fine..."

A pause. Then, barely audible, "For staying."

My chest tightened.

That sounded a bit silly. Did he think I was going to leave him?

His breathing deepened, evening out into something closer to real sleep, and I sat there with his head in my lap and my back against cold stone.

[ - ]

I woke to a stale sour smell that made my stomach queasy.

And for a disoriented moment, I didn’t know where I was until I felt the weight in my lap, the warmth against my thighs, and how drenched I was.

I stiffened, trying to control my breathing.

Rowan was lathered with sweat, and that same sweat had drenched my lower half completely, even soaking the fabric he was laying on clean through. The smell had disrupted my mind for a moment too.

His body was even hotter than before, but his face was more relaxed and slacker with sleep. His breathing was deep and even too.

But sweat was constantly dripping from his body, and the veins seemed to have reduced.

The smell was getting unbearable, and as fast as I could without disrupting, I moved away to undress and thoroughly wash myself, leaving the stale air of the cave.

His body seemed to be actually secreting the venom now.

Upon returning, I did not know if simply wiping the sweat off him would be enough, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to linger in this space for too long. The smell was uncomfortable for me and I doubted Rowan enjoyed it any more than I did even though he was unconscious.

So, I did something I had never considered before. And when I realised how fairly easy it was, I wondered why I hadn’t done it before.

It was a bit sloppy, but I had been able to lift Rowan through the air using my syzygy and take him out to the waterfall, letting the spray of the water to clean him.

Leaving him to lay down at the entrance after washing him, I went back in to take care of the fabric and wash it.

Rowan still sweated profusely and his body still burned hotter and hotter, and it went on like this for the whole day and night.

[ - ]

His head was on my lap again... even though he was still sweating. It seemed the only time he woke up was to see if his head was on my lap.

And if not, he asked for it like it was some type of medicine he needed.

It was odd.

I placed my hand against his forehead.

His fever was still there, but his body had gotten a bit cooler. It was only a slight difference, but it had been like that for hours now.

I pulled my hand back and slowly let my gaze travel down to his chest.

The black veins were still there.

But they were lighter. Faded. No longer that angry, pulsing darkness that had been there.

He was actually healing.

I sat there, staring at the proof that he wasn’t going to die.

Then, I closed my eyes and let out a breath I felt like I had been holding for days.

He was going to live.