Crucible of Fate

someone.
    And that was the last I heard before I fell to the ground.
     
     
    “M Y LORD .”
    “I’m fine,” I assured my doctor, because I knew her voice and she was turning into such a— Wait.
    I popped my eyes open and saw five people in white coats shuttling around me before I found the face I knew, the one the nagging voice belonged to. I was confused. “Dr. Pakhom.”
    “What did I say?” Her tone was razor sharp.
    “Not to exert myself,” I parroted, what she had said the day before. “What are you doing here?”
    “I was flown here to take care of you, my semel,” she said simply.
    “Flown here?” I snapped. “By who?”
    “I don’t know. I was informed that I was needed and I was put onto a helicopter, and here I am.”
    “Are you insane?” I berated her. “You could have been killed! What if someone was trying to kidnap you or—”
    “I was escorted to the flight by Jamal, spoke to Taj by radio for the entirety of the journey, and was met by him and Rahim the moment we landed. So, no, my lord, I didn’t feel as though I was in danger even for a moment.”
    “But—”
    “And I was needed. I am your physician. I came immediately when I was called and would do so again.”
    I shook my head. “Don’t ever just—”
    “I will come whenever I am needed, wherever,” she professed before chuckling, her eyes softening and the laugh lines around them deepening. “I find you very charming, did you know that, my semel?”
    Everyone had lost their mind.
    “Where’s Yuri?”
    “Here, my lord.”
    When she stepped sideways, I saw my mate. He was stretched out on the bed beside me, with IV tubes in both arms and one of those heart monitors attached to his middle finger.
    “What’s wrong with him?”
    “His body is fighting an infection,” she let me know. “He was not allowed to shift after his fights, and the wound on his arm was hot to the touch. When I removed the bandage, I found it oozing puss and inflamed.”
    “I didn’t even bother to—”
    “No.” She shook her head. “You’re not a doctor, and I’m sure he was so happy to see you that his endorphins disrupted the pain.”
    “Is he”—he appeared very pale, more so than usual—“going to be okay?”
    “Yes. I have fluids going into him, and an antibiotic, and I’ve cleaned and dressed all the other wounds I could find.”
    “All the others?”
    “His body is covered in scrapes and bruises and gouges. When he’s stronger, I’ll have him shift and most of it will be gone after the first time. You know our ancestors were a very smart lot. They knew that fighting in the pit should only be done in panther form, otherwise we could lose a lot of perfectly good men, like the Romans lost gladiators. Blood sport is just that. The pit was supposed to be used to settle disputes, not for pleasure.”
    I rolled sideways and reached out to put my hand on his left cheek. “He’s cold.”
    “That’s good, because he was burning with fever a few hours ago. He’ll regulate his own body temperature shortly.”
    “But he’ll be fine?”
    “Yes,” she cooed.
    Why did she sound like that? When I checked, her face was all blotchy. “What?”
    “He had the same concerned questions about you,” she said, making a noise like I was adorable.
    “Stop that,” I commanded to no avail.
    “He was so worried.”
    “Whatever for?”
    “Apparently you fainted, and when he saw Kabore carrying you… he came a little undone.”
    “I just needed some water.”
    “No,” she scoffed. “You needed a lot of fluids. None of you realize that you’re in a bloody desert. The only smart one I’ve seen is that reah out there.”
    “He’s drinking a lot of water, is he?”
    “Gallons, yes. He’s also standing in the shade.”
    I grunted. “That’s because Jin’s perfect.”
    She laughed. “Well, along with needing hydration, your blood sugar was upset as well, so I gave you some glucose. You should feel better soon, but you’ll need to eat, all right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Again, that knife wound would have killed a normal cat. Only because you’re a semel, only because he stabbed in and up and not down did he miss your heart. You need to heal. You need to lie in bed and not move.”
    I pointed at Yuri. “If I lay still, can he—” I coughed. “—you know.”
    She shook her head. “Gay or straight, it really is the only thing you think about, isn’t it?”
    I scowled. “Do you know how long we’ve been