Chapter 155 Sydney's Bold Move
Dawn broke gray and cold over the palace. Sydney moved through the kitchens with practiced efficiency, assembling a breakfast tray. Bread. Cheese. Cold meat. Strong tea. The same meal she'd been bringing Keal for weeks now, whenever his research consumed him through the night.
The other kitchen staff no longer questioned her. They'd grown accustomed to Sydney's morning disappearances, to the way she claimed food for "the Delta's work." Some whispered. Most didn't care. A palace maid bringing breakfast to a scholar was hardly scandalous.
If only they knew the rest.
Sydney climbed the stairs to Keal's laboratory, her heart racing in a way that had nothing to do with exertion. Since their confession weeks ago, since the moment she'd admitted her feelings and he'd admitted his, everything had changed. They were careful. Discreet. But the connection between them grew stronger every day.
She reached his door and knocked softly. No answer. She knocked again.
"Keal? I brought breakfast."
Still nothing. Sydney's concern spiked. She tested the door. Unlocked. She pushed it open.
Keal sat at his workbench, slumped over microscope and samples. For a terrible moment, Sydney thought he was unconscious. Then she saw the slight rise and fall of his shoulders. Asleep. He'd finally collapsed from exhaustion.
Sydney set the tray down quietly and moved closer. Papers covered the bench. Chemical formulas. Notes from Gerrit's journals. Sample vials containing dark liquid.
And there, beside Keal's right hand, a medical needle and collection tubes. One tube already filled with blood.
Sydney's breath caught. She reached out carefully, lifting Keal's left arm. A fresh puncture wound marked the inside of his elbow, cotton pressed against it to stop bleeding.
"What are you doing?" she whispered to his sleeping form.
"Testing." Keal's voice was rough, barely awake. "Testing myself for... for the spell's residue."
He lifted his head slowly, his eyes red-rimmed and unfocused. His glasses sat askew on his nose.
"Sydney?" He blinked. "What time is it?"
"Dawn. Which means you've been awake all night. Again." Sydney touched his face gently, her fingers tracing the dark circles under his eyes. "And you've been drawing your own blood? Why?"
"Need to know if the spell affected me too." Keal's words slurred slightly with exhaustion. "If whoever created the memory blocks got close enough to Lady Lila... they might have dosed others. Me. Marcus. Anyone who might help her remember."
"So you're testing yourself? Without proper sterilization? Without anyone to monitor for adverse reactions?" Sydney's voice turned sharp. "That's incredibly dangerous, Keal."
"Had to know." He reached for another empty collection tube with trembling hands. "Need more samples. Need to test for different compounds—"
Sydney plucked the tube from his fingers. "No. You're done for now. Look at you. You can barely hold a needle steady."
"I can manage—"
"You'll pass out and injure yourself." Sydney examined the medical supplies spread across his bench. Professional grade. Properly sterilized. At least he'd been careful about that. "If you need more blood drawn, I'll do it. But first, you're going to eat something and drink this tea."
She thrust the tea cup into his hands. Keal took it automatically, his movements mechanical.
"You don't have to do this." His voice was quiet. "Take care of me. Bring me food. Help with my research. You have your own duties."
"I want to." Sydney pulled up a stool, sitting beside him. "Someone has to make sure you don't work yourself to death. Might as well be me."
Keal sipped the tea, warmth seeming to bring him back to fuller consciousness. "Why though? Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"
Sydney met his eyes. In them, she saw exhaustion. Confusion. And underneath, a vulnerability that made her chest ache.
"Because you matter to me." The words came out simple, honest. "Because watching you suffer alone makes me suffer. Because I choose to be here, with you, helping you carry burdens that are too heavy for one person."
Keal set down the tea cup. His hand lifted to her face, trembling slightly. "I don't deserve you."
"That's not for you to decide." Sydney caught his hand, pressing it firmly against her cheek. "Now. Do you actually need more blood samples? Or were you just being obsessive?"
"I need three more tubes. Different preservatives for different chemical tests." Keal's scientific mind was reasserting itself. "But I can do it myself after I rest—"
"You'll do no such thing." Sydney reached for a fresh needle and collection tubes. "I'll draw them. I've done this before, remember? My mother taught me basic medical procedures before she died."
"Sydney, you don't have to—"
"I know I don't have to. I want to." She prepared the needle with practiced efficiency. "Now give me your arm. The right one this time. Let the left one rest."
Keal extended his arm. Sydney tied a tourniquet just above his elbow, feeling for the vein. Her fingers were gentle but sure.
"You're very good at this," Keal observed, watching her work.
"My mother was a healer. I learned young." Sydney cleaned the injection site with alcohol. "This will pinch."
The needle slid in smoothly. Blood flowed into the collection tube, dark and rich. Sydney's hands were steady as she filled one tube, then switched to another with different preservative.
Their fingers brushed as Keal adjusted his arm position. Both of them froze.
Keal's breath caught. His free hand moved to cover hers on his arm. "Sydney."
"Shh. I need to finish this. Three tubes, you said." But her voice wasn't quite steady anymore.
She filled the third tube, then carefully withdrew the needle. Cotton pressed against the puncture site. Keal's hand stayed over hers, holding the cotton in place.
"You know what you are to me, don't you?" His voice was barely a whisper. "You know why your touch affects me like this?"
"I know." Sydney's thumb traced small circles on his wrist. "I feel it too. The pull. The rightness. The way everything feels better when you're near."
"The bond." Keal said it out loud for the first time. "We're mates, Sydney. The Moon Goddess chose us for each other."
Sydney's eyes filled with tears. "I know. I've known for weeks. Since that night I found you asleep at your desk and you woke holding my wrist and looking at me like... like I was everything."
"You are everything." Keal pulled her closer, his forehead pressing to hers. "But I'm dangerous to be near. My research. My enemies. The people who killed my parents might come for me next. And if they think you matter to me—"
"Then let them come." Sydney's voice was fierce. "I'm not afraid. I'm not leaving. I'm staying right here, helping you, caring for you, being your mate whether it's dangerous or not."
Keal's control fractured. He kissed her. Deep. Desperate. His hand in her hair, hers on his chest, their hearts racing in sync.
When they broke apart, both were shaking.
"I love you." The words tumbled from Keal's lips. "I've been falling in love with you for months. Since you first walked into this laboratory and treated me like a person instead of just the King's Delta. Since you bullied me into eating and sleeping. Since you made me laugh when I'd forgotten how."
"I love you too." Sydney's tears spilled over. "And I know it's fast. I know we should be careful. But I don't care. When I'm with you, everything makes sense. When I'm away from you, nothing does."
Keal stood, pulling her with him. He wrapped his arms around her properly, holding her like she might disappear.
"We can't tell anyone yet. Not while the investigation is ongoing. Not while things are so dangerous." His voice was muffled against her hair. "But when this is over, when Gerrit is dealt with and Lady Lila's memories are restored and the kingdom is stable... I'm claiming you properly. Publicly. I don't care about positions or propriety or what anyone thinks."
"Good." Sydney held him just as tightly. "Because I'm done hiding how I feel. Done pretending you're just someone I bring breakfast to. Done acting like my heart doesn't race every time you look at me."
They stood like that for a long moment. Just holding each other. Breathing together. Being.
Finally, Sydney pulled back. "You need to eat. Then you need to sleep. Properly. In a bed. For at least six hours."
"I need to test these blood samples—"
"Which will still be here in six hours. You're no good to anyone if you collapse from exhaustion." Sydney pushed the breakfast tray toward him. "Eat. Now. That's not a request."
Keal smiled despite his exhaustion. "Bossy."
"Someone has to be. You're terrible at taking care of yourself." Sydney handed him bread and cheese. "While you eat, tell me what you've discovered. What are you testing for in your blood?"
Keal explained between bites. The spell components. The memory alteration compounds. The possibility that Gerrit had dosed anyone who might help Lila remember.
"If he did dose you, will the tests show it?" Sydney asked.
"If the compounds are still in my system, yes. But it's been four years. They might have cleared already." Keal finished his tea. "I just need to know. Need to be certain my memories are my own. That I haven't been compromised."
"And if you have been?"
"Then we'll deal with it. Find an antidote. Restore whatever was taken." Keal's voice was grim. "But I don't think I was dosed. I don't have the gaps. Don't feel the fog that Lady Lila describes."
"Good." Sydney began cleaning up the medical supplies. "Now. Bed. Six hours minimum. I'll watch over your samples and make sure no one disturbs your rest."
"You have duties—"
"Which I'll explain away. I'm the King's mate's personal medic now, remember? I can claim I'm preparing compounds for Lady Lila's recovery." Sydney's voice was firm. "Stop arguing and sleep. Please, Keal. For me."
Keal looked at her. At the determination in her eyes. At the love barely concealed. At the fierce protectiveness that rivaled his own.
"Six hours," he agreed. "But you wake me immediately if anything happens with the samples or if His Majesty needs me."
"Deal."
Keal moved to the small cot in the corner of his laboratory. He'd spent countless nights there, too absorbed in work to make it to his actual chambers.
Sydney helped him remove his glasses, setting them carefully on the side table. Pulled a blanket over him. Brushed hair from his forehead with gentle fingers.
"Sleep now. I'll be here when you wake."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Sydney kissed his forehead softly. "I'm not going anywhere."
Keal's eyes closed. Within minutes, his breathing deepened. Exhaustion finally claiming him.
Sydney settled at his workbench, organizing notes and monitoring samples. The blood she'd drawn sat in careful rows, waiting for testing.
Outside the laboratory, the palace woke. Servants began their duties. Guards changed shifts. Life continued.
But in this small space, time seemed suspended. A Delta scholar sleeping peacefully. A palace maid keeping watch. Two mates finally acknowledging what they were to each other.
Finally allowing themselves to hope that maybe, despite the danger and the chaos and the investigation, they could have something real. Something lasting. Something worth fighting for.
Together.
Always together.
Because that's what mates did. They faced danger together. Carried burdens together. Loved each other through exhaustion and fear and uncertainty.
And Sydney was done pretending she was anything less than Keal's mate. Done hiding. Done being careful.
Starting now, she would stand beside him openly. Help him publicly. Love him without restraint.
And anyone who had a problem with that could answer to her.
Because she'd learned from watching Lady Lila and the King. Learned that love was worth fighting for. Worth being brave for. Worth demanding space for, regardless of propriety or position.
So she'd fight. Be brave. Demand space. For herself and for Keal.
Starting now. Starting here. Starting with keeping watch while he slept. With drawing his blood when he needed it. With bringing him breakfast and bullying him into rest.
Small acts of love. But profound ones.
The kind that built foundations. The kind that lasted.
The kind that changed everything.