I was constantly hawking over Frej the next night. He seemed not like himself. I tried to do everything to just make him smile, but he didn't seem like he even heard me half the time. At one point he started kissing me and I was suspecting it was just to shut me up.

He was on top of me, and I wasn't complaining. He seemed like himself in that moment, his hips moving over me and his mouth all but eating me up. But then he stopped.

"Frej?" I murmured.

He exhaled loudly and swayed a bit. I took his face in my hands and his eyes slowly opened.

"What happened?" he asked with a gruff voice.

"I think... You fell asleep?" I asked hesitantly.

"Oh," he murmured and dumped down next to me in the bed, curling up next to me. "I am tired."

"Frej, you fell asleep while kissing me."

He looked up at me and then it was as if he finally woke up properly. "That's... I'm so sorry, Xipe."

"No don't be sorry, just... Are you alright?"

He looked like he thought it over and then met my gaze again. "I just feel... Tired. Really, really tired."

"Come on, let's rest then." I pulled him closer to me, flipping on my back and pulling him up on my chest. "I love you."

He kissed my chest and looked very tiredly up at me. "I love you too." His eyes slid shut again.

Frej was staring at this spot on the table, not really listening to the story I was telling him, when I took his hand in mine.

"You okay, lover?" I asked a little hesitantly.

He shook his head a bit and met my gaze. "Of course." He smiled a bit at me and took a sip from his goblet.

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything," I tried again.

"I'm sure, Xipe. Nothing's the matter. I just lost focus for a bit." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my fingers. And then he smiled fully at me. "Alf actually asked me a personal question yesterday."

"Oh?" I leaned back but kept my hand in Frej's as he fitted his fingers in between mine.

"Yes. He asked me how I had gotten so red hair." He laughed a little and shrugged. "I told him my father gave it to me."

"What did he say to that?"

"He said, it was a very generous gift, giving his son fire." Frej shook his head a bit. "He's a rather odd man, isn't he?"

"He can be a little eccentric, yes." I nodded and frowned. "I've known him for as long as I can remember..." I stopped when I realised Frej wasn't listening anymore. His eyes looked heavy.

I was fast to rise and caught him before he hit the floor. "Frej!" I exclaimed.

The doors flew open and in them stood Alf. He hurried to my husband's side and helped me to get him down on the floor safely.

"Frej. Open your eyes for me," I said, fear clawing at my chest.

His eyes flickered and then they opened. "What happened?" he asked tiredly.

"You collapsed." I smoothed his hair out of his face and brought him closer to me. "What is wrong? Tell me, please."

"I'm just so tired," he murmured.

"Right," I whispered. I bit down on my wrist and gently pressed it to Frej's lips. "Please, feed, Fakkel."

He didn't open his eyes, but he did open his mouth. He didn't bite down on my skin, but just sucked at the sores. Colour came back into his cheeks the longer he kept feeding.
I ran my hand over his hair, gently urging him to continue. He lifted his arm and put his hand on my arm, pressing my skin closer to his mouth.

"Bite down, Frej," I breathed. I could feel his tongue run over the sores, and I exhaled loudly, trying to stay in control of my emotions here. Wasn't easy as he kept doing it.

He finally pushed my arm away and pressed his face to my stomach.

"Frej, please look at me?" I tried.

He shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just so tired, Xipe."

"Come. We'll go to bed."

Frej nodded but didn't make any moves to rise. I pulled him into my arms and lifted him off the floor.

"I'll call for you if I need you. Thank you, Alf," I said, dismissing the Kammaras. He gave me a short nod, staying behind in the dining room.

I carried Frej to our chambers and put him down in our bed. He was already passed out again. I lied down next to him and tried to feed him again, but he just shied away from my wrist.

"Please tell me what's wrong," I whispered.

"I'm tired," he whispered back. "Don't leave me." His fist balled in my shirt and I pulled him closer.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Frej's health kept declining. He was tired all the time. When he wasn't too tired to rise from the bed, he made it down to the sitting room and then proceeded to fall asleep in the chairs. He was never awake for longer than a few hours and I spent that time feeding him both with my blood and human's blood.

But nothing helped. I needed my brother, so I sent word out for him. He knew healing better than anyone, and if anyone could help me and my husband right now, it was him.

He showed up two weeks after I had sent for him. He barely greeted me before asking me to take him to Frej.

"Frej," Ton said very softly, putting his palm to my husband's forehead. "He's very cold."
I nodded.

Frej opened his eyes and smiled tiredly. "Ton," he said hoarsely, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"How are you doing, Frej?"

"I'm tired," he whispered.

"Right. Just rest, yeah? I'll talk to Tec."

Frej closed his eyes again and nodded slowly. Ton rose back to his full height, grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the bed.

"I think we should contact Quetz for this."

I clenched my jaw. "He won't help. You know that."

"He might if I asked. This will interest him. It's a mystery. I healed Frej from the curse. I don't know what's doing this to him unless he's not feeding anymore?"

"He is. I make sure of it." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Right, contact Quetz. Let's see what he has to say about this."