Chapter 26

26

L averna found her phone, which she had left in the bathroom the night before, and took a steady breath. She tasted tears at the back of her throat, and she quickly swallowed them. It was not the time to cry for the dead she had found or rage over the fact she had seen Romulus on the ground bleeding, and she had lost it.

No. He was alive still. Sagana was dead, and Remus was wounded. Laverna needed to help Romulus, not let herself fall apart.

Laverna called Claudius and grabbed some extra towels from the bathroom cupboard.

"Wass 'rong?" Claudius answered groggily.

"The villa was attacked. The guards are dead, and Rom is hurt. Get the praetorians and get the fuck over here," she said and hung up. She didn't have time to explain everything to him when she would just have to do it again when everyone arrived.

Laverna spread out towels on Romulus's nice couch before lifting him up and all but carrying him over to it.

"You're so fucking heavy," she complained, trying to act like she wasn't freaking out on the inside.

"I'll be okay. I just need time to heal," he replied.

"Shut up, I know it's bad. Where is your first-aid kit?" she demanded.

"Kitchen. Big red bag," Romulus said. Laverna pressed a towel to the deep claw marks on his chest and placed his hand on it to hold it in place.

"I'll be right back. Claudius and the others are on their way," she assured him before going for the bag. She opened the cupboards until she found a large soup pot and filled it with hot water. She doubted Romulus had been so hurt in centuries, and she had to close her eyes and force herself to focus.

Laverna could feel the thread of connection and magic that still tied them together. She didn't need to tell him it was their mating bond. She could feel how much pain he was in, how worried and upset he was that he had seen his brother again after so long.

Laverna dumped a bag of sea salt into the hot water and carried everything back to the lounge room. She opened a bottle of water and pressed it into his dirty hands.

"Drink that if you can," she said, not looking him in the eye.

I'm a big, tough girl. I don't cry when my lover is hurt , Laverna told herself. She dunked one of the clean cloths into the water and started washing the orange ichor off Romulus's chest. He hissed a little but didn't make her stop.

"I didn't think it was really him. At least, I hoped it was some witch's trick that had you thinking it was him," Romulus admitted.

Laverna kept on task. "I know you did, Rom. I don't think it's fully him. The shade they have stuffed inside of that abomination is more like an echo of him. But I never forgot his voice, and it's just enough of him for the witch's purpose."

Romulus's golden eyes filled with tears, and he quickly blinked them back. "If he is back, why hasn't my curse for killing him been lifted? I can still feel my connection to the city."

"I would say it's because he's not really back, Rom. It might sound like your brother, but that thing is not him," Laverna said, rubbing the back of her hand against his cheek. "Try to focus on that fact and not the emotions the witches are trying to force you to have. They want you off balance and distracted at the thought of having your brother back. We can't let them have the satisfaction of knowing they got to you."

Romulus sniffed, and when he nodded, Laverna went back to cleaning out the dirt and muck from the claw marks. Fates only knew what Remus had on him, and Laverna wouldn't put it past the witches not to dip his claws in poison either.

"They are all dead, aren't they? Remus and Sagana killed all of them," Romulus said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. Claudius and the others will deal with it. Your job is to focus on healing right now. I killed that fucking bitch." Laverna moved and rested her forehead against his. "I will kill them all for this. For your people. For my people. For ever thinking they could come back to our city," she promised him. She kissed him and double-checked his cuts. They were still bleeding, his wounds not closing.

"Does it normally take this long for your healing to kick in?" she asked.

Romulus looked down, his glazed eyes focussing. "They aren't closing yet?"

"I'll take that as a no." Laverna felt his alarm and panic through their bond. He kept it all from his face so as not to worry her. "Stop it, Rom. Stop hiding from me. I can feel it all anyway." She gave the bond a mental tug, and he gasped.

"Oh, shit. It really did work," he whispered. His eyes went soft. "You accepted the bond. Laverna, I..."

"Save your sappy feelings for later, amore mio . I need to fix you," she said, her own feelings threatening to overwhelm her. Romulus pulled her into his lap, and she straddled his legs, careful of his wounded chest. "There's not time for games with you like this."

"Kiss me first," he begged. She pressed her mouth to his, her relief of him being alive palpable. She used the kiss as a distraction as she focused on the bond in her mind's eye. She held it with one hand and gently fed her power into it.

She wasn't a goddess of healing, and she didn't know if it would work, but she shared with him her strength, opening the deep well of her power inside of her. Rom's teeth closed on her bottom lip as the power hit him.

"Breathe through it. Open to it," Laverna whispered against his lips. " Please . I need you to heal. I can't fight them on my own."

"Never on your own. Never again," Romulus groaned, his back bending as the light of her divinity began to pour out of his wounds.

Laverna moved off him, grabbed a fresh cloth, and started to clean his wounds again. They purged themselves of whatever poison or magic was in them before the light burned hotter and cauterized the deep scratches. Romulus collapsed back against the couch, his breathing coming in gasps like he had just run a marathon.

"Maybe give me a warning next time you do that." Romulus touched a pink scar and flinched. "Damn, that's the fastest I've ever healed."

Laverna winked at him saucily. "Perks of mating with a goddess, baby."

Romulus's eyes shone gold in warning before she was pinned on her back on the carpet. "My mate," he purred and nuzzled her neck and chest.

"So you two survived just fine," Claudius said drolly from the other side of the lounge room.

Laverna pushed at Romulus. "Get off me, beast. We have company." She was blushing but tried to ignore it. "How far out are the others?"

"About fifteen minutes. Sun's just rising." Claudius looked Rom all over, especially at the scars. "Those are new. How about you two shower off all the ichor and crud off, and I'll get breakfast started. It's a fucking mess outside, and I need to eat before I deal with it."

Laverna saluted him, and Romulus held out a hand to help her off the floor. "Make lots. I'm starving."

"I imagine you both are," Claudius said before picking up the ruined towels. "I'll take care of this. Don't linger in that shower either. I need to know what the fuck happened here before my wolf loses it."

"Will do," Romulus said and took Laverna's hand. "Come on, goddess, I need your assistance with washing. I'm still tender and wounded."

"And you say I am the liar," Laverna replied primly, but her hand tightened on his.