Page 40 of Honeythorn
Milan shook his head, breath hitching. He lay the arm not held prisoner by Lord Raphael over his eyes.
“Go away,” Milan begged.
“Lord Milan. Please—I have been to the South, and I understand your confusion—your beliefs. Your homeland is much more open about these matters, but in this part of the continent, matters of Omega physiology are…well, I know it will sound absurd, but they are not talked about. The effects of a neglected bond are simply not common knowledge. In fact, I was treating a pregnant teenage Omega who hadn’t even known that they could get pregnant outside of a heat.”
Milan lowered his arm, turning his head to look at Dr. Kensington, who was kneeling beside his bed. It was the rather undignified position, more than anything, that stopped him from simply protesting the veracity of her words.
“That makes no sense,” Milan whispered wetly. “The gloves…why not touch me, even once a day, if he didn’t know? He was neglecting the bond on purpose, even if he did not know the effects. Why?”
“That, I cannot tell you. What Idoknow is that Lord Ledford did not know about the effects of a neglected bond. His panic over your well-being and how distraught he was when he learnt the cause of your illness cannot be faked. Even if it could—I went to school with your husband. I’ve seen him in plays and, let me tell you, he has no talent for the theatre.”
Milan closed his eyes, shaking his head again. None of what she was saying made sense. It just didn’t.
“How about this?” Dr. Kensington said. “The only thing I can prescribe to improve your condition is regular, physical contact between Lord Ledford and you.”
Milan felt another sob rip through him. “I don’t want to touch him. I don’t want to touch him.…”
“I understand. Truly, Lord Milan, I do. But this is only for your well-being. Once the bond is stabilised, little further touch will be needed. I know you are afraid this will repeat, but to ensure your health and safety, I will come to visit you—or you can visit me if you do not feel comfortable here—at least every month to ensure you are well. I will leave my address with you, and you can contact me any time, night or day. I will also contact the police and tell them that any messages sent to them by you should be taken urgently, and that they should arrive at once, and call me too. How does that sound, Lord Milan?”
Milan took a shaky breath. He felt his brain, a wet, dripping sponge, could take no more. He knew, however, that what Dr. Kensington was saying was the only way to ensure his safety. Even if Lord Ledford tried to kill him by other means, he would be the prime suspect.
“Fine.”
“All right. I will stay for a while longer, but you need to rest, and not pull away from Lord Ledford, or your recuperation will only take longer.”
“I understand.”
“All right. Are you hungry?”
“No.”
“That’s all right, it’s normal for an Omega to not eat a lot during their heat. However, I will send up a hot broth soon—you need to recover your energy.”
“Fine.”
“Right. Well. Is there anything else I can do for you, Lord Milan?”
“No. Thank you, Dr. Kensington,” Milan responded dully.
“That’s quite all right. Remember—you can contact me at any time. I will be back in a few days, and then we can have our monthly appointments.”
“Thank you.”
“Lord Ledford. I do believe we understand each other.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Rest, both of you. I will see you soon.”
With that, it was just Milan and Lord Raphael, alone again. Milan curled away from him, one arm twisted awkwardly back as it was gripped by Lord Raphael. Milan didn’t care. Not even his fear that Lord Raphael would get into the bed with him could keep him awake for a second longer.
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Fortunately, awareness mostly eluded Milan in the following two days. All he knew was eating and drinking and relieving himself. And, of course, Lord Raphael and his unwanted touch. Without even meaning to, Milan would find himself trying to pull away from his husband’s hand, but it rarely worked. Even when it did, Lord Raphael slumped and sleeping in his chair, Milan would have to seek his skin again—another betrayal of his body.
There was a point where he was awake but deaf and dumb, worrying those around him. Finally, Lord Raphael deemed to speak to him, demanding, “Say something.Please.”
Milan looked at him through bleary eyes. “I never knew I could be as unhappy as I am with you.”
