Fidelis was enjoying the beautiful morning from the comfort of his balcony window as he sipped his coffee. Last night's dance had been amazing. The only hiccup was Nicholas. That, however, was resolved when the football player mysteriously passed out.
Not that Fidelis complained. Amy had left as well, following after her devoted toy. That left him, Sera, and their friends to enjoy the Winter Ball in peace. He was still surprised that Sera had given him gifts. He was going to wear them every day and brag about them, too.
He moved from the window and went to his dresser. He opened the ring box and took out the ring. With ease, he slid it on his ring finger. He admired it for a few minutes before getting dressed for the day. He had a meeting with his father and High Priest Michaelus to discuss the rising evil and safely getting rid of it. He refused to endanger Sera in a problem from their world. After all, she was only human.
He checked the time and hurried to his father's study. His mind was on asking Sera to spend Christmas with him and his family. It would give her a chance to get out of her house and away from her toxic family. He knocked, entered the study, and nodded at his father.
Michaelus was already seated. His father was in his customary spot behind his desk. Fidelis joined the high priest at the circular conference table.
"Good morning, Father. Michaelus," said Fidelis respectfully.
"Good morning, Your Highness."
"And a good morning to you as well, my son."
His father moved from his desk and joined them at the table. "What did you want to discuss today?"
"I want to invite Sera and Al for Christmas at our townhouse. I think it would do Sera a lot of good to get away from her family for a little bit."
His father stroked his chin and pondered Fidelis's suggestion. "I see no reason why we can't do that. I know your brothers would enjoy seeing Sera again. She is the only thing they've talked about consistently since the Homecoming game."
Fidelis chuckled. "Well, they can look but not touch. She's mine and too old for them," he joked.
His father and Michaelus both laughed. Fidelis's younger brothers were notorious for coveting Fidelis's things and people.
"I'm looking forward to…" Fidelis's words cut off as he gasped in pain.
His fated mark was sending scalding heat through his nerves and soul. Sera was in danger!
He surged to his feet, knocking his chair over. He staggered away from the table, his father's and Michaelus's words lost to the roaring of emotions that crashed into his heart and soul. Sera's fear, pain, and lastly despair. A despair so intense, it sent Fidelis to his knees, his hand clutching his chest as he fought to breathe for both of them.
Then, for the first time since their bond formed, Fidelis heard the true words of Sera's heart and soul.
Romeo, I love you so much. You'll never know how much. I wish you happiness and hope you find a girl who will be good to you and for you. I pray that your life is filled with success in everything you do. I'm sorry that I caused you trouble. I wish I'd had the courage to tell you face-to-face that I love you more than life itself. Be free, my love, my heart.
No! He couldn't lose her, not like this. "Fight, Sera! Damnit! Fight!" he snarled, trying to stand to gather his scattered thoughts. The bond was overwhelming him as his fated mate decided to give up. He wouldn't let her. He tried to override her emotions with positive ones, but the strain was too much. He was flung into the darkness of unconsciousness.
~***~
Consciousness returned in a rush of light and noises. Fidelis's eyes, which had abruptly opened, were quickly squeezed shut. His mouth was so dry he couldn't utter a sound.
"Your Highness!"
Fidelis turned his head and realized with a start that he was in his room. Michaelus handed him a glass of water. He greedily gulped it down and managed to speak this time.
"What happened?"
"The bond overloaded you, and you lost consciousness. You've been out since yesterday morning. It's now Sunday afternoon."
Fidelis grimaced at the news. His eyes widened. Sera!
"What about Sera? How is she? Have you heard from her?"
"No, Your Highness. Your father called her father and probed for answers, but Sera's father was tight-lipped and refused your father's Christmas dinner invitation for Sera. He claimed that Sera and Amy are busy traveling outside the U.S. for the holiday break because of their good grades. He said they wouldn't be back until the new year."
"He's lying!" snapped Fidelis, flinging aside his covers. He stood and began pacing. "Where's my phone? I'll call her. If I don't hear from her, then I'll call Al. He'll have news for me."
Fidelis dialed Sera's number. The call went straight to voicemail. He left her a message, begging her to call him as soon as possible because he was worried. He took a breath, trying to quell his panic. He wasn't feeling anything from the fated mark. Usually, that meant the other mate had died.
He refused to believe she was dead. Not even Mr. Holland would avoid the fallout if he had killed Sera. Fidelis's father had gathered so much evidence against Mr. Holland that if the man sneezed wrong, he'd go to jail for a long time. That wouldn't help Sera if she were dead.
"She's not dead," he growled, angry at himself for even thinking that.
He jabbed his fingers across the screen, dialing Al's number. It rang several times before Al answered with a curt "What?"
"Hey, why so grumpy?" Fidelis joked, even though he really wanted to beat the other man for his surly tone and rudeness.
Calm down, he urged himself.
"Is Sera busy?" I tried to call her, but she didn't answer."
"She's not home. Didn't you get her text? Her father sent her and her sister on vacation to celebrate their good grades. He's very proud of both of them."
Lies! Why was Al lying? Fidelis couldn't fathom why the guy Sera swore up and down was her best friend was helping her father hurt her and hide her away from the world. He was going to have to go about this a different way.
"I understand. I'll try calling her again in a few days. Maybe where she went has poor reception." Fidelis was pissed that he had to play along with this charade. It was all he could do until he was in a better bargaining position.
"Yeah, you do that. Anything else?"
"None," Fidelis said, a little too brightly, while tamping down the urge to wring Al's neck the next time he saw him.
Al ended the call without a goodbye, further adding to Fidelis's ire.
"Well, that went well," he stated, sarcasm dripping with his every word.
"Your Highness, have patience. I'm sure Autem will give us a sign soon on how to proceed. Don't let your faith waver."
Fidelis grunted and stormed from the room. His goal? The training grounds. He needed to work off some of his anger and worries.
"Sera, I will get the truth and come save you," he vowed.