Chapter Two

"Fuck," Xaedren growled, his wolf coming out with his stress. "That was rough." He shoved the suite door shut, locked it, then leaned against it as if he had to barricade us from the badness on the other side.

"Are you all right, Ember?" Rath slid his hand over the back of my neck and pulled me in against him.

I went eagerly, leaning into his steady strength as much as his chest. The other men closed in around us, hands rubbing my back before we broke apart and headed for the sitting area before the fireplace. There was no back to the fireplace, so I could see straight through to the bedroom when I sat down. The bed called to me, offering the oblivion of sleep. Or, if that escaped me, wild lovemaking that would drive the sadness out of my heart. But I didn't get up. I was too emotionally drained to move.

"Here." Xae handed me a drink before he sat down and sipped his.

"You didn't make drinks for all of us?" Keltyr was trying to be his usual, carefree self, but even he was hunched beneath the shadows of the day and his voice lacked brightness.

"Make your own," Xaedren said and then took a gulp. "Fuck. Just fuck."

"Children are resilient. More so than adults," Taroc said. "They will recover. And they are better off than a lot of children."

"Why do people always try to make you feel better by pointing out someone who has it worse?" I mused. "Sorry, Taroc. No offense. But knowing there are children out there suffering more than these is not helping."

"Of course not," Keltyr said. "You'd have to be a dick for that to make you feel better."

"Yes, but we're not the ones suffering," Taroc said. "I'm trying to put things in perspective for us. My mother always told me not to shoulder someone else's pain. Our pain is enough to bear."

"Ah, perspective," Rath murmured. "A double-edged sword. Focus is good in a fight, but this is one battle in which it might be better to lose focus for a while." He took my hand and kissed it. "Let's get drunk. Very, very drunk."

"Ratharin!" Keltyr exclaimed as I grinned and the two shifters grunted in agreement. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"To get drunk?" Rath drawled as he stood and went to the sideboard that held all our liquor. "Everyone has it in them, especially those of us who deal with the fucking Corrupter." He grabbed two bottles and returned to the couch. Handing one of them to Xae, he glanced back at Kel. "I imagine my tolerance is higher than yours, though."

"Is that a challenge, Varraen?" Kel asked, snatching the second bottle out of Rath's hand. "Because I'm in the mood for a challenge."

"Go on then. Show us what you've got." Rath sat back down and slid an arm around my shoulders. As Keltyr took a hearty swig straight from the bottle, Rath winked at me.

Taroc shook his head. "I'm not cleaning up after him if he vomits."

"I'm not going to vomit." Keltyr rolled his eyes and passed the bottle back to Rath. "I'm immortal, just like you. I process alcohol just as quickly."

"That was twice you used the word 'just' inaccurately," Taroc said. "We are not alike."

"Why do all of you pick on me?" Keltyr asked with a grin. "It's because you love me, right? It's the tail. Gets 'em every time."

I finally chuckled and with that glimpse of happiness, I remembered that I was fortunate. I had four men I loved and who loved me. We were strong and getting stronger every day. The Corrupter was a bastard and damn frustrating with his tricks, but we would persevere until we triumphed. One day, we'd be drinking to celebrate, not to forget. And the children would be happy too. They would recover, just as Taroc said.

Until then, we had liquor. Lots of liquor.