Blood Yellow (15 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“
C
an you get there any faster, Mehmet? Gods, he is going to die!” Nikole said as they approached the city. She could see their destination in the distance, but patience had never been her virtue.

“I’m going as fast as I can, Nik. Calm down. He will be okay.” Mehmet tried to remain even-toned, but it was hard to manage when she was so emotional.

“Mehmet, hurry!” Nikole could hear Alec gasping for breath, and she feared he wasn’t going to make it. She quickly went beside his head and put her hands with his. “Alec, I’m here, baby. Please, I’m here. Don’t go. Focus on me.”

“We’re here, and they are waiting on us.” Mehmet pulled the car into the emergency parking, and the hospital staff swarmed the car. They pulled Alec from it and put him on a stretcher, whisking him away. Nikole didn’t get a last moment to say goodbye or tell him she loved him. She felt Mehmet behind her. He lightly pressed his hand at the small of her back and guided her into his arms. She hadn’t liked being close to him since that day back in Zahle. She liked to push it out of her mind. But right now, she needed comfort. Nikole wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in the crook of his neck. The tears started, and Mehmet immediately tried to calm her. For several minutes, they stood outside of the hospital and held each other tight.

“Nikole.” She heard Zayn behind her and released Mehmet, turning as she rushed to him. Zayn held onto her and stroked her hair. He nodded his head towards the car indicating Mehmet could take his leave.

“Honey, I need to tell you something.” Nikole started to shake her head repetitively. She didn’t want to hear whatever he wanted to tell her, and whatever it was couldn’t be true.

“No, no, no, no,” she kept repeating over and over. The automatic doors opened behind them, and Nasir came outside, looking at his family as they embraced. Walking to them and wrapping his arms around each of them, they all silently held one another. Neither of the men had said it, but Nikole knew. Alec was gone.

“Do you want to come say goodbye, little okht?” Zayn asked as he continued to hold her close. Silently, Nikole nodded her head. Nasir stepped away and let the two of them walk back into the hospital alone. Mehmet walked up next to him after parking the car.

The two men looked at each other. “She is going to need you and extra protection.”

“I know, and I don’t have any issues with spending more time with her. It’s she who doesn’t want to be around me.”

“Well, you need to help her get past that, because we lost Zayn for three months, and we cannot afford to lose her also. To beat Haydar they need to be a united force. So do whatever you need to. Love her, fuck her, be her best friend, I don’t care, but it’s your job to keep her focused.” Nasir stared down at Mehmet, his eyes never breaking the lock with his. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir. I understand.” Mehmet didn’t need to be instructed more than once. He was very loyal to the crown and to Nasir.

“The only reason I’m not going to order your death for allowing her to escape, especially since it put her directly in harm’s way, is because she is going to need you to heal. If you want to survive past this invasion we are experiencing, I suggest you get Nikole to love you once again.”

“That was a long time ago; we won’t go back to that.”

“Zayn won’t allow you to live past this without a valid reason. That’s your only hope. Mark my words, Mehmet. It is now, or never.”

“You do not need to tell me twice, Nasir. I know my mistake. Now if you will excuse me, I need to tend to the princess.” Mehmet left Nasir and walked into the hospital in search of the Royal Family.

Z
ayn held onto Nikole’s hand as he walked her back to the operating room. The hospital staff opened the doors as they approached, and she saw the pity and sorrow on their faces as she moved past them. Zayn walked her across the threshold. The nurses had just finished cleaning the blood off of the equipment. The air was as thick as bricks, and Nikole felt her lungs start to close. Her legs stopped, and she couldn’t move past the end of the bed.

“Do you want to see him, Nik?” Zayn never let go of his hold, as he used his free hand to stroke her back and encouraged her. Alec’s body was marred; Nikole couldn’t take the sight of him.

“Alec?” she whispered. The room was silent except for her voice. “Alec?” she said again with a bit more volume.

“Nik, he’s gone,” Zayn said softly.

“ALEC!!” Nikole screamed at the top of her lungs. Her body started to collapse, and Zayn caught her in his arms, supporting her against him. Her hands were burning with fire across her palms. Zayn let the water out of his body, running it across his skin, tempering Nikole’s fire.

“ALEC!!” she screamed out again, the tears rushing down her face.

Zayn moved his body in front of hers, blocking her from seeing Alec’s lifeless corpse. Nikole became irate, screaming and crying to be with him. “Nikole, please.”

“Stop it! Stop, Zayn, let me hold him.” Zayn stepped away, and Nikole rushed to his body, leaning on the operating table and holding onto Alec. She didn’t want it to be true, she kept calling out to him, “Alec, no. Please Alec!! Come back!!” Zayn motioned for the hospital staff to leave them alone. He rested his hand on his okht’s back as she wept for the man she’d loved.

“I’m so sorry, Alec. This is all my fault. I never should have stayed with you. I’m so sorry.” Over and over Nikole wept for him. Zayn watched her fall apart and felt utterly helpless to do anything about it.

“Excuse me, sir,” a man said from the back of the room standing just outside of the door. Zayn and Nikole both turned around to look at him. “What do you need?” Zayn asked.

“I need to remove the body; there is another patient in need of this room.”

“No, you can’t have him,” Nikole said as she turned back around, draping herself over Alec’s body. “He’s not ready to leave yet.”

“Ma’am, I really have to take him. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but he needs to come with me.”

Zayn moved forward toward the hospital worker. He tried to remember that this hospital had humans in it, and they were not accustomed to Algula ways. The cover might be foreign dignitaries who stayed in Colorado, but that didn’t mean every day staff knew how to treat them. “My sister said we are not done here yet. Did she not make herself clear?”

“She did, but I have to get this room ready for the next patient. This one needs to go to autopsy.”

Zayn leaned his head lower so the human who stood at 5’9” could look him into the eyes. Zayn’s irises had started to swirl yellow, causing the hospital staff member’s jaw to drop, and for a moment or two, he looked like he had seen a ghost. Zayn spoke to him calmly.

“You will leave us alone, or,” he paused as his fangs dropped from his mouth, “or I will kill you, your choice.”

The man backed out of the doorframe and quickly ran down the hall. Zayn let the door shut as he returned to his okht’s side.

“Should we say something in his honor?” she asked as she looked up at him.

“If you want to, we can.”

“Will you, I’m just…”

“Yes, I will. Come stand; let us show our fallen hero respect.”

Nikole stood and slipped her left hand into Zayn’s right hand, gently placing her right hand on Alec’s forehead. His body was now cold and stiff. It was evident there wasn’t anything remaining.

“Bow your head, little okht. It’s time.”

Nikole and Zayn both lowered their heads, and her tears stopped for a moment as they offered a final prayer for her beloved.

“Gods up above, please bring into your salvation Alec Palermo. He was a hero, someone who looked after his duties and purpose in life with an outlook that more men should have. He loved my okht Nikole. He kept her well when she was ill, and he kept her safe when I was gone. He is the definition of a hero. Please bring him into your light and let him pass safely and without hesitation, for he is deserving.”

“And please help him find peace with his family who has passed by the hands of my amm. May he ever forgive the Kadins and all the pain we have caused him,” Nikole added. She leaned over and placed her lips over his one last time, her hands wrapping around his shoulders and chest as she held him. His lifeless body already rock hard.

“I’m ready,” she said. Zayn went out into the hallway and called the staff back in as they left the room. Standing outside, Nikole saw Mehmet approaching her, and she could tell he had something to say.

“Your Majesty, I am sorry for the error in my ways. Please allow me to rectify the situation by continuing to accompany Nikole until everyone is safe. I promise she won’t get the better of me twice.”

Nikole left the men talking; state business was ever boring and tiring. She would much rather deal with the real people down in the fields, not just a handful of people high up.

“Nikole, let me take you home. I know you must be tired and would like some rest. My car is out front. I simply parked it. Come, let’s go home.”

Nikole had nothing left to give. Her fight, her spirit, had just died in that room with Alec. She pushed herself off of the wall she’d been leaning on for support and followed him out of the building. She accepted condolences from the head staff at the hospital, but she wasn’t in the mood to hear the words everyone kept saying. How did they know how this felt, to have lost a love she spent her whole life looking for?

Mehmet walked her to the car and she got inside. She wanted to leave, but he wouldn’t allow her to. “You have to stay with me, this helps with the overall security. You have nothing to fear. We will keep you safe, Princess.”

Nikole didn’t care about her safety at this point; everything she had loved was lost. “I don’t care about my well-being, Mehmet. Just keep Zayn, Adara, and the baby safe. I’ll be all right just staying at home.”

“You know that’s not acceptable. I’ll get you home and make you something to drink. Nikole, you are not alone in this. I’ll be here to help you. You are going to need a friend, and that’s what I am.”

“You haven’t been a friend for a long time, Mehmet. However, I do appreciate your companionship.” Nikole looked out at the mountains as they left the hospital on their way back to her home. This whole scene was far too familiar, the death and heartache. Haydar had brought the war of 1777 right back to their front yard all over again.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Z
ayn watched his okht walk out of the room with Mehmet close beside her. The situation had gotten so out of hand. Haydar needed to be put down quickly. He watched as the hospital staff rolled a gurney out that had the black body bag lying on top of it. One of the men moved to the side of the gurney and unfolded the black bag, the unzipping noise breaking the silence in the room. The two staff members took their respective places at the head and foot of Alec’s bed. They grabbed the sheet that was halfway down his body and straightened it out over him. Nasir walked up beside him and together they watched the sheet tuck just under Alec’s chin. They made sure there were no wrinkles as they tucked it in around his body.

“One, two, three, and lift!” one of the humans said. The men grabbed the edges of the sheet and transported him onto the gurney. His head bounced off the metal frame a bit before they had him settled in place. The clicking of the security belt was loud and disturbing.

“May we have a moment alone with the body?” Zayn asked the humans. His eyes were shining. Neither of the men wanted to make eye contact with him.

“Yes, we will come back in five.” The two of them left out of the back room, and Nasir walked around to the opposite side of the body as Zayn stepped forward. They both reached out and placed their hands on Alec’s chest. He had only been gone a short amount of time and already his body had stiffened to that of a board-like quality. They both closed their eyes, and the smell of death plunged through their thoughts, engulfing their being as they both paid reverence to this fallen hero.

“Thank you for your service to your fellow Algula and to the crown. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten, and your service will be memorialized. You were a good soldier, and a great supporter of Nikole’s.” Zayn paused for a second, the impact of the moment taking him back a bit.

“I will protect her; your life will not be taken in vain. We will avenge your death, and I will see to it that she moves on with her life. You have my word.” Zayn’s stoic expression gave Nasir the faith that his earlier message to Zayn was resonating. Nasir knew it would be a hard event for both Kadin children to overcome.

“We should go check on Adara. She’s most likely wondering what’s happened, and I’m sure she heard Nikole’s screams.”

“You go check on your future queen, and I’ll stay with the body. I’ll see to it that his remains are burned, and I’ll bring the ashes home to Nikole.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

Nasir lowered his body and bowed his head, his right hand making a fist and crossing it over his heart. “Sire.”

When Nasir opened his eyes, he noticed Zayn had left.
Good, he needs to be with his family
, he thought. His left hand was still on Alec’s body. Death never scared Nasir as it was a natural part of life. That didn’t make the moment any easier for him; he knew how much Alec and Nikole had meant to one another. Their love had been quick and instant, the Nightingale Syndrome he was sure. Hopefully, Mehmet would do as he was instructed and take care of her.

The humans walked back into the room, and Nasir stepped away from the body. They brought the edges of the black bag up and covered Alec’s form. Nasir watched the zipper slowly slide from his feet up to his head. They unlocked the gurney and began wheeled him away. Nasir’s heart broke for the pain the family was enduring yet again. The humans shut the back door to the room, and Nasir was left alone in silence. Just another example of life’s events he would miss out on if he didn’t find his own happiness and family. He would never have a love to say goodbye to, someone to bury or pass on traditions with.

Nasir had been content with his lot in life up until lately. He would speak with Zayn once Haydar had been neutralized. It was long past time that Nasir found a family and happiness of his own.

Z
ayn appeared at Adara’s bedside. She was sitting up in bed, talking on the phone. He leaned over and kissed the crook of her neck, listening to her speak.

“Mama, I am fine, I promise. The baby is well; it’s a girl. We are going to name her Zahra.” Adara looked over at Zayn, smiling. Her king was here to comfort and protect her. “Mama, I told you I got a ring. It’s official, yes!” Adara pulled the phone away and whispered, “She doesn’t believe that she is going to have to call me Queen Adara.” Zayn tried to smile at how cute she was acting, but given what he just witnessed, he couldn’t, all he could do was nod.

“Mama, stop it. I’ll call you when I’ve settled in.” Adara hung the phone up, and Zayn couldn’t help noticing she was glowing. She looked amazingly happy and at peace.

“What did your mama have to say?” Zayn sat back in the chair next to the bed as he settled
in; thinking that tonight was going to be long. He had completely forgotten the fact her parents were still alive, and that since her baba was a former Ghul, about what their joining would mean to them.

“Of course they want to meet you. Well, Baba knows you, but Mama doesn’t. She wants to know if we will have a full ceremonial shin dig, or if it will just be you and I.”

“I would love to meet your mama, and we will have the nexus just us and the full crowning for you; one where all of our subjects are invited. They will expect to see you by my side from the first moment you are queen. We will need to commission a crown specific to your powers and your lineage.”

“Forgive me if this sounds crazy, but I feel like the little girl screaming at the top of her lungs, ‘I’m going to be a queen!’”

Zayn just laughed. She was an innocent, and her smile was overpowering. “I am glad you have had a change of heart about all this. Maybe I should have enlisted your mama’s help from the start.”

“I don’t know, Zayn, but talking to her, making it official, changed something. We are going to have a bent and be a family. What normal Algula female wouldn’t be giddy?”

“You’re right. Forgive me for my mood. I was just with Nikole and, well, I have some bad news to tell you, Adara.”

“Is she okay? Is Alec okay?”

Zayn shook his head; he still couldn’t comprehend everything that had happened in the recent months.

“Alec, he’s, well… He’s gone. The torture was too much, and he’s gone.”

“Oh…I’m so sorry for Nikole. Is she still here? I should go see her.”

“Mehmet took her home. I didn’t want her staying here while they prepare the body. She was quite devastated. My heart breaks for her.”

“Is there anything that I can do?”

“No, just stay out of harm’s way. She will probably withdraw, and we hope that Mehmet will keep her grounded, but I don’t want you worrying about it or going to seeking her out. You have your health and our bent to concern yourself with.”

“I know what you are saying, but she is my best friend. I am going to find time for her, since she’s about to be my okht. There isn’t any way you can keep me from at least trying.”

“Fine, but you come first, all right?”

“Of course, our little bent is most important. If you want to go home and check on Nikole, you can. I’m going to be fine at the hospital. There is enough staff around that, if I need anything, all I have to do is ask. Go on; go be with your okht.”

Zayn stood up and leaned over, placing his lips on her forehead. “You are an angel. I’ll be back soon. You have them call me should you require anything. I love you, Adara.”

“I love you too, Zayn. Now go and be with Nikole.”