28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Days passed.

Time skipped by, and Ava clung to a hope that seemed to be slipping further and further away. Kaien continued his attempts to heal Remmus' mind. He murmured about having had to watch while Zeke's burned away the poison, when Remmus' screams gradually faded to nothing, as his eyes shifted from agonized and fearful to bleak and blank.

Ava listened as Kaien explained how Zeke had used psychic fire to cure it, the cross-webbed structure of their dual clan networks allowing the sovereign to cleanse the poison from where it'd taken root.

They weren't sure what was left of his personality, his breed-driven abilities, and whether or not he'd have psychic scarring.

Or if he'd ever wake up.

Ava didn't dare leave her mate. Knowing what she did now, she couldn't believe she hadn't seen the signs. Regardless of the conversation they'd had where he'd spoken of his childhood abuse, she had no idea it'd been so severe.

She'd curled around him on the bed where he lay, still unresponsive.

The steady in and out of his breath tickled over her skin. Gently, her fingers traced the tracks of the X on his chest, the roughened skin over his heart. It thudded beneath her palm. For the thousandth time, her emotions welled over and her tears slipped down her cheeks.

Footsteps echoed in the hall, unhurried.

Kaien had been her constant while she'd been here, his mate nearly as much so. Fierce but friendly, Blair had been a silent sounding board, listening to Ava as she ranted about the unfairness of it all, of how she'd do it differently given the chance.

Blair revealed that she'd kissed Remmus once, startling a laugh out of Ava for the first time in what seemed like ages. The other woman had no form of filter, and she delighted in the vampire's honesty.

Entering the room on the fifth day, Kaien's disapproval was apparent. "You need to eat, Ava. If Remmus wakes up and finds you withering away to nothing, guess who's going to get flogged on your behalf?"

Ava stared at him blankly. "You?"

"Precisely." He matched her stare before dragging his gaze to her mate and sighing ruefully. "Aidan is in the kitchen with his mate. Go eat something. Refresh yourself. Remmus isn't going anywhere."

Idly, Ava fiddled with a lock of Remmus' dark blond hair. She'd tried to ignore the protests of her stomach. She hadn't wanted to leave him unattended. It felt like a betrayal somehow, considering how she'd abandoned him when he needed her most.

As if sensing her reluctance, Kaien softened and said, "He won't be alone. Go Ava."

Though she bristled at the command, she ultimately gave in. Gingerly, she extracted herself from where she'd coiled around him and stood. She forced herself to walk toward the door even though every stride took her further away. Casting another apologetic look back at her mate, she continued down the hall.

Her wolf was restless beneath her skin. She continued to war with a deep-seated need to shift and sprint off the excess and the anxiety, but she'd find no release there, not unless Aidan went with her over the unfamiliar lands.

The moment she was within sight of the other wolf, tears flooded her eyes. Aidan, having instinctively known Ava was coming, enveloped her in a massive hug. He gently cupped the back of her head as she cried, letting his touch soothe a portion of her soul.

It didn't matter that he hadn't been her alpha in centuries. Once pack, always pack.

After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly released him. He turned, then shoved a bowl of baked macaroni into her hands.

"Eat, Ava."

She devoured the comfort food, her stomach finally satisfied after days of starvation. While there'd been food placed in her general vicinity, none of it had passed her lips. Too much had happened, and it'd strung up her stomach in knots.

Depositing the empty bowl in the sink, Ava murmured a thank you to Aidan's beaming mate, but the sorrow that'd been her constant didn't dissolve. Her resulting sigh held more melancholy than relief.

When Aidan grabbed her arm and dragged her outside, she trailed on feet that felt numb. The massive black werewolf that appeared seconds later turned to look pointedly at her. Leaping into the shift, Ava's higher reasoning gave way to the simplicity of the animal. Both halves of her soul relished the freedom to run off the stress that'd impinged on her ability to function.

After a half hour, the pair of wolves returned to Nina's home. Anxiety pinged through her, making her movements jerky as she turned the knob and entered Remmus' room. She found that he wasn't alone. The woman she'd attacked only days earlier was by his side.

Celeste.

Hot pink hair was worn in loose waves down her back, her petite frame leaning over the bed. For a moment, Celeste didn't even know Ava was there.

And in that same moment, Ava noticed that the other woman was crying. Celeste's hands gently held one of his, her fingers shaking. The pink-haired woman bent and pressed her lips into his knuckles.

There was nothing more than platonic affection in the way she held Remmus' hand, and while Ava's wolf had hackles raised, she knew these weren't actions of a woman in love.

When she let go of the doorknob to close it behind her, it rattled. A yip of surprise sounded as Celeste jumped and spun toward the door.

"I just wanted to check on him; I've been worried," she sputtered, then added, "Remmus is my friend. Before, at his house, I didn't know you were his mate."

Ava nodded, not knowing how else to respond. She held her tongue when all she wanted to do was ask about the nature of their relationship—especially considering how they'd been together during the Heat.

Celeste must've seen the question in her eyes. "He told you about what happened during the Heat?"

Ava unlocked her jaw to say, "In a way, yes."

Relief loosened Celeste's shoulders. "I'm glad he did. I—after everything, I'm glad he had someone to confide in."

"Confide in?"

She nodded. "That we didn't sleep together."

Ava tried to right herself as the metaphorical rug was pulled out from under her. Shock must've clued Celeste in to the fact that Remmus hadn't revealed that part of their story, and the other woman sputtered, "He didn't tell you that?"

Ava shook her head. "I thought you were together during the Heat?"

"We holed up in his house to ride out the worst of it," Celeste grimaced, "but his coercion prevented him from following through. It prevents him from engaging in significant romantic relationships. He rejected the Heat urges and was concerned what his rejection would mean for me."

Ava's eyes shut as she sat down in a chair alongside Remmus' bed. "He didn't tell me that part."

"I'm sure he would've, given enough time," Celeste said, sitting beside her. "But knowing him, he probably didn't want to burden you. Either that or he thought he could keep the coercion under control."

Ava sighed, desperately wishing she could talk to her mate. The loss was as sharp as ever, cutting her every time she thought about it. "I'm sorry I attacked you. My wolf is a bit … possessive, and I thought you were involved."

"Remmus is my oldest friend, my confidant. A brother." Celeste wrapped her arms around herself. "The fact that he's your mate doesn't change that."

"Then why did the Heat pull you together?"

"Neither of us were mated at the time." When Ava frowned, Celeste continued, undaunted. "The Heat isn't about attraction, Ava; it's about trust. Do you know how many women Remmus trusts implicitly?"

Ava remained quiet.

"I can count them on one hand, and nearly all of them are mated." Celeste's lips thinned before she continued. "Remmus has difficulty trusting anyone, women in particular. His mother made sure of that. The Heat pulled us together because he trusted me. And though it messed with our friendship, I wouldn't have it any other way."

And for the first time, Ava understood why. Just like that, she and Celeste were on the same page.

Kaien walked into the room several minutes later. "We've contacted a mind healer, Ava. She thinks she may be able to help Remmus surface."

Leaping at the hope, Ava perked. "Where is she?"

"We wanted your consent first," Kaien said. "You're his mate, whether it's finalized or not."

"Of course! We need to try everything." Then, softer, "I won't give up on him."

Approval shined in Kaien's eyes a second before a familiar electricity tingled up Ava's spine, signaling to her that the Raeth in front of her was communicating via telepathy.

Five minutes plodded by. Nina entered the room with Zeke and Hemin quick on her heels. The female Raeth closed the distance between her and Ava in three strides before pulling her into an affectionate hug.

Retreating just enough to hold her at arm's length, Nina smiled. "Stay strong. Remmus will return to us. Have faith."

A displacement of air signaled the arrival of a pair of Raeths. It was odd; only a few months ago she'd gone nearly catatonic when a Raeth had teleported into her office. Now, it felt like a blessing.

The first of the new arrivals caught her gaze. With dark eyes and an infectious grin, the male Raeth held himself with a casual air, but there was no denying that he was very much a predator. His strong features, softened by his smile, hinted at a Pacific Islander descent.

Beside him was a woman with a shock of red hair. Her elegant eyebrows were furrowed above stark blue eyes. She was petite and delicate, looking like she barely weighed over a hundred pounds soaking wet, but there was something ancient about her. An ageless air that made Ava take a second look.

Zeke spoke first. "Luna, Nero. Thank you for coming."

"Of course." Nero's smile dissolved when he looked to Remmus. "He's seen no change?"

"Nothing. We've tried everything, but he hasn't even moved." Kaien scrubbed a hand through his hair, his anxious energy crawling across Ava's skin.

Luna's attention shifted to Ava. "What do you feel from him through the mating bond?"

She jolted, caught off guard by the woman's comment. Luna—the healer—hadn't been advised she was Remmus' mate. Though she'd have readily replied after introductions, the animal beneath Ava's skin was anxious, uncertain, and it had the unintentional side effect of rendering her mute.

"Ava, Luna is an Arbiter," Kaien explained. "She senses bonds between immortals in addition to healing the mind and the body."

Relief poured through her, thankful for the explanation, and she responded, "When I reach for him through our bond, it's like I'm reaching into a black hole."

"Was it always like that?"

"No."

A flare of energy emanating from a pensive Luna washed over the entire room. It was undoubtedly her power, and it was overwhelming.

When Luna spoke, her voice took on a husky quality, as if she wasn't quite here. "Your bond is old, soaked in the blood of the past." At Ava's sharp gasp, Luna's eyes found her, softening. "But worry not, there's always hope where love abounds."

Did she love Remmus?

The instant answer was a resounding yes. Even if she hadn't known his history, or befriended him as a child, it would've been yes.

Given the width of the bed, Luna gently sat upon it beside the unconscious Raeth. Then, two fingers touched his temple. Within seconds, Luna's eyes snapped up to find Nina's in the crowd.

"He is damaged."