Chapter 40
Standing next to Zane, Dakota whispered, “They want David.”
“I figured as much, the way they’ve been staring at him.” Moving slightly in front of his mate, Zane reached back for David’s hand, giving him instructions through their mind link. After hearing his mate say ‘okay’, Zane said, “We’re ready.”
“Valerian Lestat,” called Logan. “We don’t want any trouble, so if you hand over the sea dragon, we’ll be on our way.”
Snorting, Valerian replied, “I don’t think so. Interrupting our meal wasn’t a very nice thing to do, so hand over the one connected to the gods and we’ll spare the rest of you.”
“Sorry, can’t do that.” Logan scanned the woods surrounding the house then, giving a short nod, watched as a pack of Scottish wolves, led by Angus, emerged, encircling the vampires.
Chuckling at the show of power, Valerian used his blinding speed to run between the snarling wolves, bent on seizing David. Before he could get close, he found himself flying backward, landing in a heap near the other vampires.
“The next time you try that,” said Zane, “I’ll kill you. Now, hand over the sea dragon.”
“Fuck you!” yelled Valerian, getting up from the ground, furious at being made a fool of in front of his coven.
“The sea dragon still owes me something and until I get it, he stays.” Valerian glanced at Zeidan and Xavier who were nervously looking at the huge wolves moving in to block their escape.
“What the fuck are you two afraid of? They can’t defeat us. ”
“Yeah? Then why don’t you have the wolf with the gods’ markings,” asked Zeidan, taking a step back, closer to Xavier.
“A slight miscalculation,” Valerian replied arrogantly.
“Sure it was,” Zeidan scoffed. “I don’t know about you, Xavier, but I don’t like these odds anymore.”
Xavier turned to Valerian. “He has a point,” he said, edging back from the menacing wolves. “What I see is that we’re outnumbered and you, our leader, have failed us.”
Valerian’s black eyes glowed in anger at Xavier’s accusation.
When he first saw David’s laurel leaf markings, he knew they were gods-given and the force he felt radiating from the wolf shifter protecting him confirmed it.
Without another thought he whirled and took off in the opposite direction, planning to circle around and snatch David from behind.
As soon as the vampire disappeared, Zane poofed David onto the roof of the castle, hiding him behind the high, stone battlements.
Then, returning to face a bewildered Valerian, still searching for his prey, he said, “I gave you fair warning about my mate.” Raising his hands, he aimed waves of solid energy at Valerian, killing him instantly, after which, he ripped the vampire’s head off, holding it high in the air while giving a howl of victory.
Hearing Zane’s howl, Logan raised his hand, giving Angus and his men the signal to attack the other two vampires. With snarling and growling filling the air as Angus and his men ripped Zeidan and Xavier to pieces, Logan led the rest of his team toward the castle door.
“Kota, are you still in his mind?” asked Zane, guarding their rear from any surprise attacks.
“Yes, but we need to hurry.”
Entering the castle, they found themselves in a giant entrance hall with doorways leading off in five different directions and a marble staircase leading upstairs. “Dakota, which way?” asked Logan.
“I don’t know. Reif was unconscious when he was brought here.”
“Brian, can you sense where Reif is?” Logan asked.
Kieran placed a hand on the sea serpent’s arm when he saw the panic on Nessie’s face. “Brian, close your eyes…good…now find your bond.”
“I will try but ah dinna know if I can,” Brian said, fearing it might be too late. But after about a minute, he exclaimed, “I have my mate!”
“Okay, now follow it,” Kieran said.
Walking to the staircase, Brian began to climb it, feeling the bond grow stronger with every step he took.
~/~/~/~/~
Looking out from his room on the second floor, the man watched the scene unfold below him, shocked when the wolves surrounded his employers.
It was then that Valerian summoned him to join them, but he decided to ignore him.
There was no way he was going to fight to capture a wolf shifter the gods had marked.
That decision was proven correct when he saw Valerian make his move only to be tossed on his ass like a ragdoll.
“Stupid fucker,” he muttered to himself when his boss tried again.
Startled when Valerian was killed, he decided it was time to go when he saw the wolves attacking the other two vampires.
Slipping into the hallway, he heard voices and realized they were here to rescue the sea dragon.
Quietly moving to Reif’s room he unlocked the door and then vanished.
~/~/~/~/~
At the top of the staircase, Brian found a long hallway lined with locked doors, except for one.
Moving toward it, he could feel their bond better now, even though it was still very weak.
Somehow he knew Reif was in there. As he entered the room, Brian cried out, seeing his mate lying still with a blue cast to his skin.
At first, he thought they were too late, but then, as Colton and Ian rushed past him, he felt Kieran’s hand once again on his back.
“Brian,” the Shaman whispered into his ear, “Reif’s alive but he needs you. Go, kiss him, hug him and tell him how much you love him. He needs to hear this from you.” Then he gave the sea serpent a gentle nudge toward the bed.
Taking a step, then pausing, then taking another, he reached Reif’s bed just as Ian was stepping back after unlocking the iron collar around his mate’s neck.
Kneeling at the head of the bed, he reached out and ran his finger down the side of the face he loved.
Following the Shaman’s instructions, he whispered, “I’m here, yer Nessie, I love ye…
please come back to me because I canna survive without yer love.
I need it…I need ye…please…please.” Brian lowered his head until his lips were ghosting over Reif’s and then, pressing forward, he kissed his mate, putting all his love into it.
Receiving no response, Brian leaned back, glancing at Ian snapping commands to Colton as they worked furiously to save his mate.
A minute went by, then another and Brian shifted his eyes to Reif’s face, hoping to see some sign of life returning.
Desperate now, he kept whispering. “Mate, our babies are safe. Please, come back to me. I love ye so much.”
Fifteen minutes had gone by with no response from Reif. Handing his stethoscope to Colton, Ian looked at the despondent sea serpent. “I’m sorry, Brian, I’ve done everything I can, but none of it is working.”
Stricken at Ian’s words, Brian looked up from Reif, his eyes filled with grief.
“There must be somethin’ ye have nae tried.
Please, please, I beg ye, dinna give up.
” His eyes filled with tears as they returned to the man who was his world, the reason for living, the one who chased away all the shame and loathing he had buried in himself, setting him free to be who he was truly meant to be.
And for the first time since he’d attended Tommy’s funeral those many years ago, he understood why his friend committed suicide—because without hope, without love, there wasn’t any reason to live.
Looking at the face he loved, Brian memorized it, wanting to remember it forever.
Then gently kissing Reif’s forehead, he moved down, kissing his closed eyes…
his cheeks… his nose… until he reached his mate’s beautiful lips.
Kissing them filled his eyes with tears; it was more than he could bear.
As the distraught sea serpent lifted his head, one of his tears fell onto Reif’s lips, glistening for a moment before disappearing between them.
Brian sat back on his knees, picking up his mate’s hand, holding it to his face, his tears flowing over it.
He couldn’t stop crying for their too-short life together, the death of their dreams, their hopes, their babies and, most importantly the love they’d both found after a lifetime of loneliness.
Picking up his medical bag, Ian left Brian alone with Reif and walked out with Colton by his side to face the group gathered in the hallway.
Seeing the question on everyone’s face, he shook his head.
“There isn’t anything else I can do nor can Colton.
It appears Reif has given up. I believe it’s his way to protect his children from suffering the same fate he did. ”
“Is Reif dying?” asked David, joining the group after returning from the castle’s roof.
“Yes, he is,” Colton replied. “And I can’t use Raphael’s Power to save him because he wants to die.”
“Ki, can you help him, like you did me?” asked Fionn.
“No, he’s passed that point. The only hope I had was if Brian could reach the little bit of Reif still on earth.”
Ignoring the murmur of voices in the hall, Brian crawled onto the bed and, gathering Reif into his arms, held him tight against his chest while humming an old Scottish lullaby to his mate and their babies, his tears continuing to fall.
Sobbing as his grief overwhelmed him, Brian buried his nose in Reif’s hair, trying to imprint his mate’s unique scent in his mind forever.
~/~/~/~/~
It has to be a dream! There wasn’t any other way Reif could explain why Nessie’s scent was enveloping him or why he was being hugged in the arms of his mate.
He inhaled deeply, wanting to remember everything about his mate in the afterlife where he’d wait for Nessie to join him.
So fucking real! Lifting his face, Reif’s lips felt the stubble on his mate’s jaw that he loved.
“Nessie, Nessie, Nessie,” he whispered. If this was keeping his last thread of life from parting, then he hoped it would never stop.