Page 52 of I Married Kayog
In despair, I finally grabbed a male nurse running past me to force him to stop and talk. He gave me an aggravated look.
“I’m sorry, but I need someone to answer me!” I said in an angry tone that even scared me. “My mate was rushed to this hospital bleeding from his eyes and ears.”
“I don’t know where he is, and I’m urgently needed in the operating block. Ask the receptionist down this hallway and to the left,” he replied in a clipped tone before yanking his arm free and hastening away.
Despite my anger—not at the nurse but at the sense of helplessness I felt—I jogged in the direction he indicated. Halfway through the wide corridor, black uniforms in a connecting hallway drew my attention. I stopped dead in my tracks when I recognized them as Enforcers.
They’re here for Kayog.
I couldn’t say why that thought struck me with such force, but everything in me screamed that it was true. Without hesitation, I raced after them. They turned into a different corridor. A hover stretcher cutting in front of me forced me to slow down. I cursed inwardly, fighting the urge to push them to go faster to clear the path. What if those Enforcers entered a room or an elevator before I could see them? What if…?
My blood turned to ice, and all those questions flew right out of my head when I finally reached the corner and glanced into the hallway. Ten meters ahead, two Temern doctors were standing outside a room, talking to the Enforcers. One had dusty blue feathers with black specks on his chest and black feathersaround the edges of his wings. The other was dark green with a white chest and head. A quick empathic scan of the doctors confirmed my worst fears.
They were ready to kill.
I ran up to them, raising my psychic walls to prevent them from reading me. The blue doctor noticed me as I was closing the distance with them. He instantly tensed, his expression hardening even as he narrowed his eyes at me. His emotions screamed suspicion and a defensive stance that would easily shift into combative.
He had set a course of action that he was determined to see through at all costs. But why? Why did my mate’s condition trigger such violent urges from people dedicated to saving and protecting lives?
“I need to see Kayog,” I said in an imperious tone.
“Visitors are not allowed here,” the blue doctor said coolly.
The Enforcers turned to look at me, their faces unreadable, although their emotions expressed a mix of reservation and curiosity. For now, they weren’t a threat. I just hated that I didn’t know these specific ones.
“I’m not a visitor,” I said in a haughty tone. “I’m his mate. What’s his status?”
The Temerns recoiled and exchanged a troubled look before glancing back at me with a frown.
“I asked a question,” I growled when they remained quiet, their wheels spinning as they pondered the answer they would give… if any.
“He doesn’t have a mate,” the green doctor replied with something akin to disdain that made me want to punch him in the face.
“We’re not married yet,” I conceded with an annoyed gesture, “but we will be soon.”
“I’m sorry, but there are no such indications in his file,” the blue doctor said with a victorious glimmer in his black eyes, even as he lifted his chin defiantly. “His records also do not list any significant other or next of kin.”
“Kayog has no one else but me to make sure he receives the proper care for his specific needs,” I insisted, forcing myself to speak in a firm but reasonable tone.
“We have already discussed what needs to be done about Mr. Voln,” the green doctor said in a way that clearly indicated that their decision was not open to discussion, and that I needed to get out of the way. “He is a very special case that must be handled at once before… an unfortunate escalation occurs.”
“I’m not letting you kill him!” I snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at him while taking a menacing step forward.
The Enforcers visibly stiffened at my statement then jerked their heads towards the doctors to stare at them with a mix of shock and suspicion. That involuntary response from them gave me hope. They had not been sent here to execute Kayog or to bear witness to his murder.
So why are they here?
“What an outrageous statement! We’re healers!” the green doctor exclaimed.
“Do not take me for an idiot,” I hissed. “I’m a fucking Temern. I know what you ‘healers’ do to Edals.”
This time, they both flinched, their back stiffening as they stared at me in shock. The blue doctor recovered first. Shedding all pretense, his face hardened, and an almost cruel glint sparked in his obsidian eyes.
“I will not ask how you are aware of Edals. But that means you know that he is a danger to everyone here,” he said in a harsh voice. “At the last count, more than 426 people have been admitted in the past hour because of him.”
It was my turn to recoil as I gaped at them in confusion and outrage.
“What the fuck are you talking about? What happened over there is not his fault. Explosive devices went off and—”
