by J. L. Madore
"Am I dead?" I struggled to sit. A stab of pain broke through the last of my fog.
He laid his arm across my shoulders and held me still. "No love. You were hurt and lost a large amount of blood."
My hand fumbled to my chest. Everything felt normal. "Oh," I mumbled.
"Yes . . . oh," he said, letting his eyes close for a long moment.
"You look like shit, Highborne."
He barely chuckled. "You scared the life out of me." Slowly, as if he were afraid to touch me, he cupped my face in his hands and touched his lips to mine. I closed my eyes, gathering what focus I had. With my eyes closed the world spun uncontrollably. Black fog blanketed me again. I felt Galan's arms wrap tighter. I couldn't hold on.
"Jade?" Galan cradled my head.
"Mhmm." I didn't want to pass out. I focused on my breathing until it steadied.
"Do you know how desperately I cherish you?"
"Mhmm." Did he know how sexy his voice was? With my eyes closed his words wrapped around me like fur on bare skin. It stoked the fire smoldering in my soul.
"How's my girl?" A deep graveled voice asked from somewhere across the room. The voice echoed hollow, as if he was standing down an empty corridor really far away.
"Improved, though she is still groggy."
Someone kissed my forehead. The touch of his chin was scratchy and smelled of Dolce and Gabbana cologne. Reign.
"Look at her wound site," Galan said. The slightest brush of his fingers touched my chest. "The scar is completely gone."
"She's a healer, Galan. By morning she'll be one-hundred percent. Trust me."
Somewhere in my fog something didn't ring true. How had I healed myself? Pain interfered with my focus and the pain that ripped through my chest— "Samuel! Samuel stabbed me." I raised my hand and cringed as my movement sent spears of agony ricocheting through my chest. I moaned and tried to breathe.
"It's being taken care of," Reign said, pressing a flat hand on my chest. The bed creaked and dipped under his weight, shifting me toward him. "We'll bring him home to answer for this. You worry about getting better."
Galan ran his thumb over my hand. "This should never have happened."
I forced my eyes open. "This wasn't your fault, Galan. I'm fine."
"Fine?" he said, his brows arching, his eyes wide. "You were a breath from death because I let him too close to you."
"No." My tongue felt gigantic in my mouth, a huge, dry pillow taking up all the space. "It doesn't make sense. He was acting crazy." Reign listened calmly to my garbled ramble. Calmly? Getting a dagger rammed into my chest should have Reign tearing down the castle. I pegged him with what I hoped was a serious stare. "What do you know about this, Reign?"
He met my gaze, his mask of innocence perfectly in place. "Nothing."
My eyes rolled closed. "Why have you and Samuel been fighting? Why is he so upset?" I couldn't piece my thoughts together. Something wasn't adding up. "Galan, may I have a drink?"
Galan poured a glass of water and tipped it so I could sip. It was cool and washed all the way down to my belly. "Rest now. Address your questions when you are stronger."
My focus was a mess, true, but I knew my father was the key. "Reign, what's doing?"
He placed a whiskered kiss on my forehead and strode for the door. "Nothing, love. Galan, don't take any shit from her. Keep her in bed until she's one hundred and ten percent. Tie her down if you have to."
"Don't leave." I tried to sit up, but didn't make it. "Reign! I want to know—"
As Reign eclipsed the doorway Lexi tucked in around him. He didn't even acknowledge her as he blew by, thus signaling the end of that discussion.
"Hey girlfriend, what did I miss?" Lexi skipped over and set down a plate of brownies.
"Reign knows something about Samuel stabbing me, but he's gone mute."
Lexi flopped onto the bed beside me. "You've had a shitstorm couple days. Don't try to make sense of everything the moment your eyes open. Give yourself a break. I'm sure he'll come clean when it's time."
"Honestly, if it upsets you, let it be," Galan said. "Rest."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "I don't want to rest. I want to know what the hell is going on. There's more to this. Why was Samuel so upset this week and why did he stab me?"
Galan scowled. "Why? He is a jealous Ud 'Raan,"
"No. He's not."
Galan's nostrils flared and he held up his hand. "Do. Not. Defend. Him. He spat in your face and rammed his blade deep into your chest. Have you any idea how that image haunts me?"
"Yeah, I was there," I snapped. "I was the one choking on my own blood."
Galan stiffened.
When the silence continued, Lexi eased off the bed. "On that note, I'm outtie. Just came by to check in and drop off the chocolate goodies. You two obviously need a moment. Don't worry about your classes, sista. Julian, Aust and I have you covered."
"Thanks, Lex. You're my rock."
"You know it." She smiled, springing on her way. "I'm locking the door. Try to remember you love each other and you just stopped fighting a few days ago."
Galan sunk onto the edge of the bed and rubbed the back of his neck. His whole body was vibrating with fury.
"I'm sorry," I said. He shook his head refusing to look at me. "Galan, we're not always going to agree. Actually, with us, we'll be lucky when we do. Samuel is a topic we should just avoid. You feel strongly one way and I feel equally strong the other."
He didn't move, just stared out the window from my bedside. "How can you possibly give him consideration? I am honestly trying to understand. For the life of me I cannot."
"I'm still alive." That got him looking at me. His eyes burned and I sighed. "Enough. Samuel doesn't have it in him to want me dead. I know him. I've healed him. I would have felt it if he wanted to hurt me. He didn't. Doesn't. There's more to this."
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. "He does not deserve your compassion, Jade."
"Look." I sat up and gritted my teeth as the room did a Tilt-a-Whirl. When the ride stopped I met his anxious glower. "Samuel is important to me. I know what was in his eyes when he stabbed me. It wasn't hatred or anything malicious, it was raw horror. He was terrified."
"He was inebriated and out of his skull." Galan pressed his palms on mattress beside my hips. Hovering close, his expression softened and he reined in his frustration. "Can we stop discussing him, Blossom? Please, if not for your sake, then for mine. Rest now, recover, and when you are well, we will revisit this. Please."
How do you stay mad at a man who looks at you like you're the very reason he was put on this Earth? He looked so tired and sad. "Okay, consider me calm." When he lay down beside me, I snuggled close and breathed him in. "Congrats. You win the gold medal for stubbornness."
His chest gently bounced against mine. "Oh, I think you put me to shame. Now, close your eyes and get some rest." He kissed the tip of my nose and stroked my hair, playing with my locks while his breath tickled my skin.
"Galan?"
"Yes, Blossom." His breath hissed out of him as I twisted my hand between our bodies and cupped his crotch. He stilled and then eased away. I kissed the line of his jaw. He tasted salty and warm. "You need rest, love."
I shook my head, surprised when it didn't spin. "I need you and a little of your TLC. Please, Highborne, I just need your skin next to mine." After a moment his lips covered mine, tentative and tense at first, then the stress of the past few days seemed to drain out of him.
The fire smoldering deep inside me inflamed and I reached up under his tunic.
Just like that, our fight was over—for now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"Feeling better, Jade?" Iadon asked. He, along with the other Highborne men, stood as Galan and I entered the lounge. I signaled for them to sit and they settled back to the table. Iadon flipped the turn card and smiled.
"Much better. Thank you." I had to laugh. Lexi, Tham, Aust and Iadon were all sporting
mirrored sunglasses and baseball caps spun backwards. "Nice look. Texas Hold 'em?"
"Yes." Tham tapped the table to check his bet. "It keeps us from losing hold on our sanity while waiting. Is it always like this? Days and days of no news?"
I shrugged. "It can be. The world's a big place and magic makes it difficult to find people who don't want to be found. It sucks, but our guys are the best. You'll find the Talon are very creative in ways to distract ourselves, which reminds me, I heard I missed a potato war."
Julian jumped up from the couch, rubbing his skull trimmed afro as he laughed. "Oh, man, Jade. You should have seen the look on Cowboy's face when Nash's Spudzooka shot wide and his russet smashed through Reign's office window. He shifted to wolf, tucked his tail and booked it as fast as four paws would take him. Didn't see him for two days."
"I heard you're all in the doghouse."
"Shit." He waved my words away, his mint green eyes swimming with laughter. "It was so worth it."
"So, is Reign around? I've left him messages and swung by his office, but he's MIA."
Julian opened his mouth to respond when the air crackled behind us and a fissure opened. The electrical charge made my hair stand on end. Galan spun, withdrawing his dagger. His body blurred as he pulled me behind him and hit a ready stance. My heart stopped dead and I grabbed his hand. "Stop. It's not Samuel."
There, standing in the centre of the room was my gorgeous best friend and adoptive brother, Bruin. He materialized in a surge of power I was very accustomed to and missed more than I realized. Shaggy brown hair flopped in front of his face, hiding the turquoise peepers that women died for. Wearing his trademark worn blue jeans ripped at the knee and sloganed T-shirt he was the most beautiful site I'd seen in ages. His shirt read- It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye . . . Then it's a critical hit
Every inch of my body vibrated even before he flipped his hair and looked at me. Gods how I'd missed the man under that beautiful shaggy mop. "Hey Blaze . . . Princess!"
Lexi and I launched ourselves across the lounge and into his arms. "You're home!" Our squeals and giggles filled the lounge as he crushed us to his chest with one massively strong arm swooping around each of us.
Lexi covered his cheek with a million kisses. "Gods, we've missed you."
"How are my girls?" He squeezed tight, lifting us like feathers into the air and spinning us in a slow circle. His familiar scent of pine and wood-smoke filled my senses. He leaned down to nuzzle the tops of our heads, growling deep in his throat.
The sound of someone clearing his throat brought us out of our love fest. The muscles in Galan's jaw twitched as he moved forward, his dagger still in his hand. By looking at him, I'd swear he was back to being that angry, mistrusting Galan from the enchanted valley, but with an added edge of possessiveness.
Bruin locked into his stare. "Something I can do for you, buddy?"
"Mayhap you could remove your hand from Jade's backside."
Bruin held his gaze and took a deliberate step forward.
Shit. I wriggled free of Bruin and stepped between them. "Galan, look at me." His eyes were locked on Bruin's as the two men advanced on a collision course. I grabbed his face and dug my fingers into his jaw. "Look at me, now."
When Galan's gaze met mine, Bruin's energy eased behind me.
"Galan, this is Bruin. I told you about him, remember?" I turned to my brother. "Bruin, this is Galan,"
"Blaze? What did I miss?" Bruin asked.
"Too much," I said. Bruin was still standing his ground. "Galan and I are together, the Highbornes have been released from exile and Samuel stabbed me—"
"What?" He breathed out a gust of air and spun to glare at Julian and Lexi. "Why the fuck wasn't I told? How could you—"
"I'm fine," I assured him, stepping in to hug him again. "Actually, I'm over the moon."
Bruin eyed Galan from the tips of his ears to his suede laced boots. "Well then, congrats." He kissed my cheek and extended a hand to Galan. "You're one hell of a lucky man. This woman is as good as they come, you feel me?"
Galan nodded and the tension dissipated a little. "Gratitude. And yes, she is."
With that settled I gave Bruin a smack on the chest. "Do you know how long you've been gone? Seven months. What the hell?" I drank in the sight of him and at the same time, punched him in the shoulder. "Would it kill you to come home once in a while?"
It was a good thing he was looking sheepish. "That's what undercover means, right? Cutting off ties and being, umm, oh yeah, undercover."
Galan was studying Bruin and I could feel his tension ratchet up. Fabulous.
"Reign didn't mention any of this when he told me to come in. This is big news."
"When does Reign ever give up the deets?" Julian said, meeting Bruin chest to chest, arms clapping on broad shoulders. "Good to see you, my man."
"You too. Gods, I've missed being home."
I nodded toward Tham and the others who were gathering. "Bruin this is Nyssa, Iadon, Aust and Tham. Everyone this is Bruin our brother."
In true Tham fashion, he sauntered over and clasped Bruin's wrist. "Merry meet. How long are you home for?"
"Not sure. Reign asked me to watch over the campus while he's at some emergency Talon summit. It seems I've got catching up to do."
"Emergency Talon summit?" I asked. "Bullshit. He's ducking me."
"Maybe, but there was some kind of fallout from an incident in the modern realm—risk of exposure, questions about an attack—that sort of thing. The Fae Authority has demanded a hearing. He said to haul my ass back here ASAP because the shit's about to hit. Apparently, we're planning to raid a Scourge compound?"
"Yep. We're waiting for word on Galan's sister, Lia. We should hear anytime."
Aust's head cocked to the side, his expression showing a whole-lotta confused concentration. Faolan whined a soft whimper and laid her head on the floor. Bruin's attention was drawn to Aust a moment before I spoke.
I held up my hand toward my brother. "What are you sensing Aust?" I was impressed by both his sensitivity and the fact that Bruin was letting him meet his stare.
"I am not entirely certain." He strode to my side. Bruin seemed equally intrigued. "It is similar to what I sense with Cowboy's wolf, yet not."
I nodded. "Bruin, Aust has the strongest natural druid powers I have ever seen. Without any training, he communicates with all wildlife he comes in contact with and has an unbelievable sensitivity to nature."
Bruin smiled with a warm admiration of brother to brother. Subtly he raised his head and sniffed the air. "Can you shift forms?"
"No . . . you?"
Bruin looked to Lexi and me. "I'm insulted that my reputation hasn't preceded me girls. My talents should have come up with a natural druid in the castle."
I turned to Aust, ignoring Bruin's feigned distress. "Yes, he shifts. He's a Were."
"What breed? Would you show me?" He looked quickly to me. "Is it rude of me to ask?"
"Nah," Bruin said. "Weres love to show off." Bruin flashed a dazzling boyish grin before stepping into an open space and falling forward onto all fours. His clothes disappeared as his body exploded into his animal form. Muscles expanded, bones lengthened, fur appeared where a moment ago there was bronze skin and shaggy brown hair.
"He is a bear," Aust mumbled.
"A Silver Kodiak," I clarified. "His sleuth came from Alaska."
Bruin lumbered over and nudged his massive head into my side, nearly knocking me over. His head was wider than my rib cage. He growled long and low as I scrubbed the thick fur between his ears. He'd loved that since we were kids. Galan strode to my side, looking anxious. I could tell he was trying not to lose his cool, but he was just this side of a total melt down.
"Relax, Galan, s'all good. Just don't meet him eye to eye again. Bruin is the Alpha, King of all Weres. He's as dominant as they come and his bear considers a stare to be a confrontation. He's pretty good at control in his human form, but you can't get so poss
essive of me."
Aust's look of sheer fascination warmed my heart. "What a miracle it would be to run as one of my animal brothers in the wild." He studied Bruin's massive frame and I recognized the look as soon as Aust started speaking into his mind.
Bruin changed back into human form and materialized in his clothes. "Sounds great." He nodded as the two clamped wrists. "How about tomorrow? I'll join morning training and we can try out a few things."
"I look forward to it," Aust said, a genuine grin lighting up his face.
Lexi huffed, shifting her feet and Bruin brought his attention back to our sister. "What's doing, Princess?"
"Have you brought us presents, because I haven't seen any yet?"
Bruin raised a brow and it disappeared under his shaggy bangs. "Have I ever forgotten to bring you girls a token of my love?"
No he hadn't and Lexi knew that as well as I did. She bounced in front of him, wriggling her fingers and closed her eyes. Bruin chuckled and winked at me as he magically produced two gift bags bursting with color coded tissue. He placed the mauve one into Lexi's hand and handed the emerald one to me. We'd been doing that since we were kids. Bruin's color was turquoise and Julian's was mint.
I reached in and pulled out a cute midriff T-shirt that said, Tank 'n' Spank. Lexi's said, Well behaved women rarely make history.
"There's one other thing. Dig a little deeper."
We did as instructed and came out with something smooth and curved. I examined the mystery gift and a rush of pleasure surged through me. It was a bear claw pendant on a woven cord. The claw was almost three inches long with the tip cut, hollowed and a small hole bored near the top. It was polished to a deep chestnut and was smooth as satin. Lexi's was identical.
I stroked the lustrous sheen with a light, gentle touch. "Are they yours . . . the claws?"
He nodded. "I've been researching some of my clan traditions and learned about these. These are an ancient gift called talisman skirls. If you blow into them I will hear the call no matter where I am in this realm or any other and will come.
"Our very own personal Bruin whistle?"
He crinkled his nose. "It's a hell of a lot more masculine than a whistle, but yeah, that's the gist." He reached into his pocket and tossed a third skirl to Julian, who inclined his head and settled his skirl around his neck.
