Today was the day. New year. Fresh start. Changes for himself and for Sera. He would make sure of it. Protecting her was paramount. Getting her out of her house, away from her toxic family, was second on his resolution list for the new year.
"Fidelis, are you ready?"
Fidelis came out of his contemplation and grinned. Sodalitas and Blainel stood in the doorway, waiting for him to come out.
"Yes, I'm ready. Let's head to school."
Fidelis let Sodalitas drive. Absently, he caressed his fated mark. It was silent. He wasn't sure if Sera was calm or sleeping. That was fine. As long as it wasn't pulsing with pain, fear, or any other negative emotion, he was okay with no reaction. The drive seemed to take forever before they crested the top of the hill and pulled into the student parking lot.
They got out of the car. Fidelis's eyes roamed over the parked vehicles and spotted Sera's car. Good, she was here. His heart thumped in excitement. He couldn't wait to lay eyes on her and see for himself that she was okay. He picked up his pace, wanting to be by her side as fast as possible.
"Romeo, where's the fire?" joked Sodalitas.
"Inside," Fidelis retorted with a laugh. He did slow down after Sodalitas's teasing question.
As they got closer to the entrance, his mark woke up with a burst of emotions from Sera. He felt her worry, panic, and confusion. What in the world was happening? It was too early in the morning for craziness to be going on, but, then again, he wouldn't put anything past Amy and her groupies.
He increased his pace and waved distractedly at Griff, Drake, and Karl when they hollered greetings at him. He didn't look to see if they joined him, Sodalitas, and Blainel. Fidelis could hear the group asking about Winter Break. He tuned them out. His focus was on Sera. He followed the pull of the mark toward the cafeteria. He pushed open the door and paused when his gaze fell on Sera sitting at their table with Liz, Penelope, and Al.
The breath he was holding whooshed out. She was fine, at least from what he could see from his spot at the door. He would check more thoroughly once he could get her alone. The fated mark flared to life with Sera's awareness of him. Her head whipped up, and they made eye contact. Her joy and relief at seeing him flooded the mark. It was times like this that the fated mark was handy.
"Yo, Romeo!" hollered Liz, waving her hand at his group.
Fidelis grinned and made his way to them with the rest of the guys coming behind him. He reached the table quickly. He scanned Sera's face and didn't see any bruises or swelling. That didn't mean anything. She was a master of hiding her injuries from prying eyes.
"Hey," he whispered and kissed Sera's forehead. He hid his grin when she shivered with awareness from the brief contact.
He let some of his excitement fill the link and glow to her. He was sure his relief reached her, too. He tried to stifle his irritation at seeing an expressionless Al impassively watching everyone. He really wanted to rattle the other guy's indifference.
"Hi," Sera said to him once he sat next to her.
He smiled. She was being bashful again. He gently bumped her leg with his before reaching under the table to snag her hand, entangling their fingers. The rest of the group claimed their usual spots, and conversations about their winter break began. Fidelis watched from the corner of his eye as Sera quietly sat, not really joining in the conversation.
He leaned in and whispered in a voice too low for others to hear, "I missed you."
She blushed that pretty shade of pink he liked. It contrasted well with her skin tone.
"I missed you as well," she replied.
They sat in comfortable silence, watching and listening to their friends catching up. They stayed that way until the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the school day. Fidelis escorted Sera to her locker, and they grabbed their books. Hand-in-hand, they went to class.
~***~
Fidelis stared at the clock. It was the last period of the day, and he couldn't wait to get Sera to his father's office. He would be able to check her for injuries there. He'd already texted his dad to have Lady Fallo come. Lady Fallo was the Chief Royal Healer. She was skilled at finding traces of past injuries as well as healing current ones.
Sodalitas drove them to the office. They went straight to his father's room. Fidelis knocked and went in at an "enter" from his father. He smiled at Lady Fallo, who sat across from his father. Today, the healer had her long white hair pulled up in a braided bun. Her warm smile relaxed his tension. Even when not actively healing, Lady Fallo's aura made those around her feel at ease.
He gave a slight bow in the healer's direction. "Greetings, Lady Fallo."
"Greetings to you as well, Your Highness. I hear you need me?"
"Yes, my fated one needs to be assessed."
Lady Fallo's posture and expression changed when he mentioned Sera was the patient.
"Was she beaten again?"
"I'm not sure. She won't tell me what happened during Winter Break, but I have a fairly good idea that whatever occurred was indeed bad, if not worse than the first time you helped her."
"I see. I'll be more than happy to help. I'll get ready. Send her to me once she gets here."
"Thank you, Lady Fallo."
"Anything for you and your fated one, Your Highness." She bowed and left the room.
Fidelis turned to his father. "Do you think Sera will get mad?"
His father stood and came around his desk. He placed a hand on Fidelis's shoulder. "Possibly. I believe that Sera, in her own way, thinks she is protecting us from her father and his schemes. She's willing to get hurt to keep you and your family safe. She is an admirable human."
"Yes, she is," Fidelis agreed, his thoughts on his shy mate with a core of strength that sometimes surprised him. His mark warmed, and he stroked it. "She's here," he murmured. "I'll be back."
He ignored his father's chuckle and made his way to the front lobby, arriving just as Sera and Al came inside. It was time to get some answers.