Chapter Ten

The overwhelming show of support left Raidh at a loss for words. He'd known the Frost men for less than a week, yet they were willing to wage a war to protect him. This level of support was something Raidh had never experienced before, especially since Elvine had always been the only person in his corner.

Although he loved her to pieces, admired her fierce and strong-willed nature, no one other than Raidh would answer her call to action.

Finally, he knew what it felt like to be a part of a loving, supportive family.

"Mine," Jaytee snarled tenderly as he yanked Raidh into his brawny arms. "There isn't a law in this universe that will supersede fate's decision." He hugged Raidh close and whispered in his ear, "My heart, my soul, and my very existence belong solely to you, Moonbeam."

Crackers. Jaytee was going to make him bawl his eyes out. "I give the same promise in return," he whispered right back. "Not even death can separate us."

A soft chuckle rumbled in Jaytee's chest. "You stole my line, naughty fairy."

Covertly, Raidh used Jaytee's shirt to wipe away the tears that had escaped his control, determined not to let anyone see him cry.

"I'll treasure this shirt forever now that it holds your tears, Moonbeam." Jaytee kissed the skin near Raidh's ear.

"You're determined to make me cry in front of everyone, aren't you?" Raidh nipped his chest.

"Not a chance," Jaytee replied. "Your tears are solely for me."

Raidh frowned. "So you only want me to cry around you? That doesn't sound like a very happy relationship."

"That's not what I meant." Jaytee started his beard-stroking thing again. "I honestly don't know how to phrase it without it coming out all wrong. Help me out, hon."

"Nope." Raidh grinned. "You're gonna sink or swim on this one, buddy. Feel free to use my tears if you're low on water since you're gonna hog them all to yourself."

Raidh nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud burst of laughter erupted behind him. What the snickerdoodles? He was shocked to see it was Jaytee's dad who'd caused the shockwave of laughter.

"Sorry." Kalen's blue eyes danced with amusement as he gestured to his ear, indicating his superior hearing had picked up every word. "That shit was funny as hell. Keep him on his toes, son."

"Didn't hear a thing." Jax curled his lips in, but it was dang obvious he was fighting not to laugh if the flood of bust-your-gut sparkle in his eyes was anything to go on.

"He's a damn liar." Damon chuckled. "Looks like my Rick Blaine charm has rubbed off on you, fairy."

"Please don't rub any part of yourself on Raidh." Elvine gagged. "I'm going to have to scour that image out of my head."

"You're just mad I don't want to rub off on you." Damon's brows shot up. "Wait, that didn't sound right!"

It looked as if the twins had that in common.

Elvine made a fake retching noise just as Kalen whapped the back of Damon's head, the sound reverberating in the suddenly hushed room. "Pup, that's a lady you're speaking to. Show some damn respect."

Raidh gripped Jaytee's shirt tightly, worried things were about to turn violent.

"You threw a frying pan at her!" Damon argued.

Eyes bugging, Elvine fluttered close to the ceiling. Jax's mouth dropped open.

Raidh heard Jaytee quietly curse and mutter, "Fucking idiot."

"She startled me," Kalen growled. "If I'd known it was a woman coming into the house, the pan wouldn't have left my grip."

C orn nuts! Raidh couldn't let this escalate. Kalen looked as if he'd use the frying pan to beat manners into Damon. The thicker the tension grew, the higher Raidh's anxiety flared.

"Guys, please." Raidh's voice shook as he spoke, never once confronting predators, especially when they were ready to fight. Raidh had clearly lost his mind.

He extended one arm, gripping the oversized short with his other hand, and plead with wide eyes. "Can we just take a second to breathe? I just don't like… Please."

The kitchen was filled with suffocating levels of testosterone, making it feel almost impossible to breathe. Which probably explained why Raidh was hyperventilating as he looked between the two men.

"Tone it down to zero," Jaytee growled low in his throat. "You're scaring my mate."

Rapidly descending to the floor, Elvine grabbed Raidh's arm and examined it. "What happened? How did you get this laceration?"

Suppressing a hiss, Raidh tried to pull away from her tight grip. The slice on his forearm throbbed painfully, even worse than when Jaytee had examined it earlier. "I cut myself to cast the concealment spell."

"Three days ago?" Worry filled Elvine's eyes, the tension between Kalen and Damon forgotten. "Tell me what happened when you saw your father during the casting."

All eyes in the room were now on them. Raidh struggled to keep hold of the oversized shorts Jaytee had given him to wear while trying to break free from Elvine's grip.

"He threatened to eliminate Raidh, which is why he hired vampires to kill his own son," Jaytee said, glancing at Elvine. "I looked at the cut an hour ago, and it didn't look good, but now it looks worse." He turned to Raidh. "Your pained expression tells me you're trying to hide the fact that it also must feel worse."

"Or my pained expression is from two family members about to hurt each other," Raidh retorted between clenched teeth. His arm really did hurt.

"What are you guys talking about?" Kalen crossed the room and joined them, concern creasing his brow as he looked down at Raidh's arm. "Son, why didn't you tell us about this?"

"No." Elvine shook her head firmly. "There's more to it, isn't there?" She cupped Raidh's face in a tight hold. "What else happened during the casting, dewdrop?"

Jaytee let out a low growl. "Be very careful with your tight hold on my mate, little fairy. You two may be best friends, but my wolf is getting pissed you're bringing him more discomfort."

Ignoring Jaytee, she continued to stare into Raidh's eyes with an earnest expression.

"He blew across his palm," Raidh finally admitted. "Do you know what that means?"

She gasped, releasing his arm and taking a step back, colliding with Jax. "Oh no!"

Jax's hands lingered on her for a second too long before he gently steadied her then drooped his hand. But Raidh noticed how Jax's gaze lingered even longer.

"Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Jaytee demanded, his frustration evident. "Why didn't you tell me about this, Raidh? And what does it mean, Elvine?"

Her gaze remained locked on Raidh as tears welled up in her eyes once again. "It was the kiss of death," she said in a hushed tone.

"But doesn't the kiss of death have to be an actual kiss?" Damon interjected.

"It varies depending on the culture or species," she replied, glancing at Damon. "Humans use an actual kiss, but fae blow across their palm."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Jaytee asked Raidh.

Because, apparently, he hadn't known. Why hadn't he? Raidh couldn't recall his family ever mentioning the kiss of death. In fact, he couldn't remember anyone ever talking about it.

"Because the power behind that kiss is drenched in so much darkness even the Unseelie fear it," Elvine explained. "Once it's performed, nothing can reverse it. Any injuries sustained by the cursed individual will only worsen until it eventually kills them." She looked down at his cut. "How were you able to heal from a vampire bite while under the curse?"

Dizzy and feeling detached, Raidh gazed at the red, angry slash in his arm, throbbing with pain and hot to the touch. Was he really going to die? No, no, no. He adamantly refused to believe it. But if it was true, his own father had given him a death sentence.

A curse so feared even among the dark fae that they never spoke about it out loud.

As panic set in, Raidh felt like he was going to be sick. His father may have despised him enough to pay off vampires to kill him, but why did this feel so much worse?

"I used the healing properties in my saliva to close the tear in his throat," Jaytee told her as he pulled Raidh into a tight embrace. "My mate spent the next three days unconscious as he fully healed."

Trembling, Raidh struggled to catch his breath once more.

"But nothing should have healed him." Elvine seemed perplexed.

"Stop!" Raidh buried his face in his mate's chest. "Just stop talking about it like it's some puzzle to solve and not my life slipping away!"

Jaytee swayed back and forth slightly as he held on to Raidh. "We'll find a solution, Moonbeam. I won't let anything happen to you."

He could detect the fear and concern in his mate's voice. "How can you say that if the curse can't be undone?" Raidh closed his eyes, attempting to control his erratic breaths and racing heart. The thought of dying was frightening, but the thought of abandoning his mate was even more gut-wrenching.

Not even death can separate me from you. My loyalty to you is unwavering, Moonbeam. My heart, my soul, and my very existence belong solely to you.

I give you the same promise in return.

Hadn't he and Jaytee just spoken those vows not less than ten minutes ago? They resounded in Raidh's mind, a cruel twist of fate now that death threatened to tear them apart.