Of Flame and Promise (14 page)

Everyone stilled, including me, fearful of what would happen next. Gemini might have been Aric’s loyal friend, but my wolf seethed with unfathomable rage.

Aric’s jaw was set tight, his stare unflinching as he and Gem faced off once more.

The strain in the seconds that followed threatened to snap my skull clear off my shoulders. Aric wouldn’t hurt me. And Gemini wouldn’t risk hurting me to charge him. That didn’t mean they wouldn’t hurt each other.

My legs almost gave out from under me when Gemini responded by breaking eye contact with Aric to address Celia. “My apologies,” he said, his tone stiff with pain and his beasts’ remaining fury. “If you’re still willing to help me, I’ll return to the table.”

“I’m still willing.” Her attention skimmed briefly to Aric. “He didn’t hurt me,” she assured him.

“Good,”
Aric growled in response. He looked to her, taking in the way that he held her against him, before releasing her slowly.

Celia tore away from him the second his hands slipped to his sides. She bent to lift the discarded tweezers, ignoring him once more. “Taran, come here. I need you to sterilize them.”

Weres
were immune to diseases and infections except those caused by cursed gold or magic. Celia knew as much, but old nursing habits died hard…or perhaps she needed a moment to collect herself. Anyone could see the effect Aric’s presence and contact had had on her, despite her best efforts to remain calm. I pushed up on my toes and kissed Gem’s chin, the gesture encouraging him to loosen his hold.

Once I was satisfied Gem wouldn’t go wolf again, I walked to Celia and held open my palm, forming a crackling ball of blue and white flame. Celia spun the tweezers over them as Gem lowered himself across the table, his face scrunching with every movement. The holes in his back and chest had fully mended, but he favored the side where the bullet remained wedged in his damn kidney. It was all I could do not to lose it.

Celia removed the tweezers from my flame. The air swooshed around my trembling palm as I withdrew my power.

She kept her gaze dead on mine, but it was our sisters she spoke to. “Shayna, I need you to adjust the shape of the tweezers. Thin out the tips and add teeth, as many as you can manage. I also need a sharper and thinner scalpel, and more clamps so that you and Emme can hold the skin open from both sides. His skin and surrounding muscles are healing too fast and obstructing my view.”

My full attention locked on Celia. She shook her head, apologetically. She knew I was close to my breaking point. “Taran, I have to get this bullet out.”

Emme practically fell over herself to gather more utensils for Shayna to transform. Shayna inched over and lifted the tweezers from Celia’s grasp, her tone cautious when sparks of flame engulfed my hands. “She’s only trying to help, T.”

My eyes stung because clearly I hadn’t cried enough. “I’m not mad. I just…it’s hard to see him like this. I don’t know how much more I can take.”

“I know,” Celia said. “And I’m going to make it right. Just stay strong, okay?”

I tried to nod, but the motion seemed awkward. I shook my hands out, and their fire. As I watched, Shayna’s magic manipulated the metal to roughen the ends, her concentration intense and her work detailed to create the fine yet jagged points.

I whirled away before she finished and lifted a chair that had toppled over. I placed it in front of Gemini and reached for his hand. His thumb brushed over my knuckles as he pushed up from the table and onto his forearms.

Currents of agony swirled along his irises as his dark almond eyes blinked back at me, yet it was my presence that drew his concern. He brushed his lips over my knuckles. “Don’t be afraid. As long as you want me, I’ll never leave you.”

A sob broke through my chest as I buried my head against his shoulder. This was complete and pure torture. How had Celia survived when Aric was shot up with pure gold? I knew it had been agony for her—and that he’d been worse off—but I could barely keep it together. I clutched Gem tighter when he released another pained moan, praying I could get us through this.

The longer I waited, the more my emotions flared out of control, and the more it became clear just how much Celia had suffered and done for Aric in that one instance alone—when his body was riddled with gold—when he’d almost
died.
She’d fallen all over herself to care for him—clean his wounds, keep him calm, and watch over him despite her exhaustion.

He was her world, and because of it, she bit through her pain, shoved her needs aside, and saved him from the infection racking his body.

And he still left her.

Son of a bitch, he
still
left her. Was this my eventual fate, too? All these tears, all the things we’d been through, had they all been for nothing?

Gemini’s groans increased. But there was nothing anyone could do. We were waiting on Shayna to finish the tools Celia needed.

“Shhhh. Try to breathe,” I said softly. I stroked his hair, wanting to distract him and wishing I could take away all of his hurt. Yet even if I could, and no matter how it killed me to see him this way, I realized that, like Aric, he could still dump me…no matter what he claimed.

I lifted my head when Aric placed a chair beside me and sat. “You
incredible
asshole,
” I told him.

Emme’s gasp was the only sound heard in the sudden silence. Okay. I’ll admit it. That was probably uncalled for.

Aric’s frown relaxed as he seemed to realize what had triggered my reaction. Regret tightened his features and his attention drifted to Celia. Yeah. This idiot knew what I was thinking then.

Celia kept her chin lowered and placed her hand over Gem’s shoulder, her voice shaky although it wasn’t from fear. No, my girl was feeling something far worse. “I’m going to have to straddle your back to get into a good position. Are you okay with that?” She looked to me. “Both of you?”

“Do what you have to,” Gem muttered. His hand continued to stroke mine.

I wiped a tear away and nodded. Koda and Liam edged closer. Aric raised his hand, keeping them in place. “Don’t. It’s not necessary. As his mate, Taran alone can keep him calm.”

Liam raised his brows. “She wasn’t able to earlier. Gem lost it, even with her here.”

“That was before,” Aric said.

I knitted my brows. “Before what?”

Aric seemed to see right through me. “Before you finally accepted what you could do for him as his mate.” He ignored the shock that struck me like a slap. “Whatever you do, don’t let him go,” he rumbled.

There was a lot that went unsaid in those words—for me, and for Celia. Aric felt guilt for leaving my sister. I knew that. Just like I knew he shared in her pain.

How could you break her heart?
I wanted to ask. Yet I couldn’t. Not then. Instead, I looked to the wolf who held mine in his grip. My hand squeezed Gemini’s tighter as I draped my free arm around his neck. I kissed him then, sweeping my tongue over his. It was brief, but it packed a punch. A flicker of desire replaced the hurt shadowing his features, if only for a moment. “Ready?” I asked.

At his nod, Celia climbed on his back and reached for the scalpel. Blood spurted when she hit a vessel. “Hold the wound open,” she urged my sisters. “I see it.”

Gemini’s spine bowed as Celia dug in like she was screwing in a bolt. I swear to Christ, had I been standing I would have crashed to the floor. I clutched him tighter, focusing on holding him close and trying to breathe, barely aware of Aric’s small reassuring words.

Something dinged against the wall and Gem’s body slumped. Around me the wolves swore. “It’s out,” Celia said, panting. “I got it.”

Aric rose when Gemini pushed up on his forearms. I stood, too, albeit not as smoothly. Beads of sweat gathered around Gem’s forehead, but as I watched, his skin resumed a healthier glow.

I just about keeled over when Gemini leapt onto the floor and carefully straightened. He wasn’t one hundred percent—not by a long shot—but the results were astounding. The tension lifted from my back and neck. My wolf was going to be okay.

“You all right?” Aric asked him.

Gemini rubbed his forehead as he gathered me to him. “Tired, still sick, but my wolves are healing me.” He paused. “I apologize about before.”

Aric crossed his arms, tilting his chin slightly. They were besties, and both would risk their lives for each other. Yet times like this required Aric to assert his position as Leader. I understood. And I was grateful for his help.

But that didn’t make their encounter any less scary.

He looked to me, his expression rigid. “Do we have your permission to conference in your family room?”

I nodded, holding tight to Gemini’s hand as we led Aric out of the kitchen and into our large, open family room. He spoke quietly to Gemini, gathering the facts about what happened, and working out a plan to hunt the surviving Tribe
weres.
Liam and Koda took seats on the couch opposite us. His parents took the loveseat, adding to the conversation when needed.

I remained tight-lipped, watching my sisters in the kitchen from where I sat. Shayna and Emme gathered around Celia when she peeled off her sweatshirt and tossed it in the trash. They didn’t speak to her, knowing she was hurting having Aric so close. Her inner tigress had silenced her movements. I hadn’t even noticed her leap from the table. Then again, I’d been close to hurling.

Shayna wrapped her spaghetti arms around Celia’s shoulders as Celia washed the blood caking her hands and wrists at the sink before stepping aside. Emme rubbed Celia’s arm, yet it was as if neither had touched her. Celia concentrated fully on her task, working fast. Girlfriend was close to rubbing that first layer of skin clean off.

“Take the next few days to be with your family,” Aric told Gemini, his tense voice drawing my attention. “I’ll inform the Elders of what happened. If they require more information, I’ll have them call you directly.” He cocked his head in the direction of Gem’s mother, his brows drawing tight. “You wish to say something, Mother Hamamatsu?”

“We ask for passage on to your Den and request use of your quarters.”

“Our Den would be honored by your presence, and that of your mate,” Aric responded. He rose and bowed before them, I take it the right way.

Gem’s parents rose, too, exchanging bows. As Aric straightened, his attention drifted back to Celia, now only dressed in a tiny black tank that hugged her toned figure. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He never could pry his eyes off her.

Celia finished drying her hands, well aware of the attention she was receiving. She folded the towel carefully and embraced my sisters. “Call me if you need me, okay?”

She crossed into the family room, staying so far away from Aric her ass almost brushed against the wall. “I’m glad you’re safe,” she said in our direction. “If you need me, let me know.”

“Thank you, Celia,” Gemini said quietly.

At her subtle nod, Liam and Koda murmured their goodbyes, and Gem’s parents bowed. Celia forced a small smile and attempted to hurry out.

Aric called to her, stalking forward. “Celia, wait.”

His voice cemented her in place, but it was his clasp to her hand that hitched her breath and caused a quiver to rack along their forms. Aric closed his eyes and took an unsteady breath, followed by at least three more.

While he seemed to barely grip her, his hold welded them together and kept her in place. He opened his eyes, and Celia did, too. “Thank you for helping my brother,” he said.

Her hand slipped from his, but again all she could manage was a nod. For a moment, it was like the rest of us had disappeared. They locked gazes, their shared misery bonding them and freezing time. “I don’t mean to force you from your home,” he said softly. “I apologize for my presence.”

The sadness dulling her beautiful face was as tangible as my clasp on Gem’s hand. “It’s fine. I have to get back.”

Aric’s jaw tightened. “To
him,
” he responded with a growl.

Celia slapped her hands against her sides. “What do you expect, Aric? We both have new lives to return to.”

She could have said more, but she held back. She didn’t want to hurt him.

“I wish things could be different,” he admitted.

It was at that moment that I caught the barest hint of his vulnerability—the frustration, the anger, yeah, those were way more obvious. But I think it was his vulnerability that chinked Celia’s armor and glistened her eyes with tears. “I don’t see how.”

And neither did Aric. “Don’t go back to him,” was his sole response.

It was then Celia’s anger flared. “Don’t make this about Misha. And don’t tell me what to do. Your opinion no longer mattered the day you walked away.”

Aric’s fists clenched and his head lowered when she crossed the threshold and shut the door behind her. Everyone there regarded him with sympathy, as if they could sense every sliver of his regret and heartbreak.

Everyone had always been nicer than me. “It’s taking all I have not to knock you out right now,” I told him. Gemini was at my heels as I stormed toward Aric. “How can you just let her go?”

Aric’s chest rose and fell with each ragged breath, but he wouldn’t answer.

“Answer me,” I demanded. I pointed to the door even though Celia was probably long gone by now. “She gave you everything, Aric—
everything.
And how did you repay her? By walking away and into the arms of a total psycho.”

“Taran—” he began.

I cut him off. “Don’t tell me you have no choice. Don’t tell me about your sense of duty. Just tell me how after all she did for you, and after how hard she loved you, you could just turn your back on her.” Tears born of resentment and honesty blurred my vision. “She offered you her heart, Aric….”

The sniffles behind me told me I didn’t cry alone. I didn’t have to turn around to know that Shayna’s and Emme’s eyes were pooling with tears.

My mouth opened, ready to say more. But as I watched him, all thoughts and words spun inside my head, making me dizzy.

Love wasn’t beautiful; it wasn’t pure. Love was brutal. Never had a word existed that could be so cherished and hated from one breath to the next.

I barely sensed Emme’s gentle caress against my skin, and Gemini’s tightening hold. The only thing I felt was sick and empty then. I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep from crying as I realized nothing anyone said would send Aric charging after Celia, and that without him, my sister would spend her life alone, mourning what once was, and would never be again.

Numbness and something else claimed Aric. For all his strength and power, he seemed so defeated. He faced the Hamamatsus and bowed. “I’ll wait outside until you’re ready.” He straightened slowly, then turned on his heel and stalked out the door.

One by one, everyone dispersed, leaving Gem and me alone with his parents. The four of us stood there, the events of the last few days appearing to encase us in lead. We’d taken on demons, vamps, and
weres,
and almost died. We’d bled, had the shit knocked out of us, and Gem had had his heart blown out and bullets dug from his skin.

That moment between me and Aric had been one of many, nothing compared to the feel of Gemini’s lifeless form in my arms. But it was the knockout punch, and maybe something more.

I did a double take when I realized Momma and Pop were eyeing me with the same “we just sucked on rotten lemons” scowls. I guessed that yelling at a revered pureblood probably topped their Taran Sucks list.

“You’re not what we expected, Taran Wird,” Pop said.

I managed a smirk. “Yeah. I kinda figured.”

His stare bounced to Gemini before landing back on me. “But you truly are Tomo’s mate.”

I stiffened my spine, knowing he was right, and fully accepting the meaning of that long dreaded word.

The quiet lengthened between us. Just when I thought I should say something more, Gemini’s parents bowed.

We returned the gesture in silence. Slowly, the elderly duo made their way to the front door. I thought the night would end like that, quiet with only our breaths, until Momma paused and glanced back, meeting my face directly with hers. “Thank you,” she said.

I raised my brows.
For swearing, for throwing you off a mountain, for singeing your fur and making you bald?
As it was, her hair still hadn’t grown back. “Pardon?” I managed.

Her voice was absolute. “For loving our son,” she said.

I gaped at the closed door even long after she shut it behind her. That woman would likely never call me to go shopping, or to have lunch, or be the mother I’d missed and longed for. She didn’t approve of me; she didn’t like my clothes, the way I talked, or possibly even the way I walked.

But she knew I loved her son. Out of everything she’d witnessed and the multiple times I’d screwed up, somehow, I had managed to show her what Gemini meant to me.

I crossed my arms and shook my head. At least I’d gotten something right.

I leaned heavily on Gem when his arms gathered me to him. “Do you want to eat?” I asked him. “You must be famished.”

“Later. What I need now is rest, love.”

I groaned. There was that “L” word again. Of all the four-letter words I knew, it was the one capable of causing the most pain. Celia and Aric had more than proven it.

Gem’s palm pressed against my back as he led me into our room. “What are you thinking about?” he asked. He lowered himself to the edge of the bed and clutched my hands as he waited for me to answer.

“Believe it or not, Aric and Celia,” I told him.

“I recognize your need to protect your sister. But considering all we endured, I find your preoccupation with them odd.” He adjusted his hold. “Why did their interaction upset you so much? It was as if you were hurting for them.”

I wasn’t sure how to explain what I felt. He was right; I did hurt for them. But it wasn’t as simple as that. The other piece of the Taran puzzle…well, that stirred something entirely different. “They loved each other.”

He considered me as he played with my hands. It was then I could see just how tired he was. “They still do,” he admitted.

Tears swirled my vision. “Yeah. And that’s what makes this so wrong. Everything my sister did, and everything she felt, didn’t matter. Gem, she’s risked her
life
for him—”

“Just as he has for her, and just as he would even now that they’re apart.”

He had to go and say that. But I wasn’t done. My voice shook. “He made her soul bleed.”

“And bled his own out in the process.”

I tried to settle—and not cry like those women on TV who wailed over the tiniest thing that went wrong. I took a few breaths, but of course it didn’t work. My shoulders shook for how hard I cried then. “But he walked away,” I insisted once again. “All this suffering—all his willingness to lay down his life for someone he abandoned, for everything Celia supposedly means to him—it’s not enough. They’re not together, and will never be together, no matter how hard they love each other.”

Gemini gathered me onto his lap, watching me intently. “What was the point of all of it?” I asked him. “Why did they even bother?”

He pushed my hair away from my face. “We’re not really talking about Aric and Celia, are we?”

I tensed against him. “Yes, we are.”

I didn’t have to see him then to know he was smiling. He pressed a kiss onto the side of my face and chuckled. “You may use their names, and your words may have merit. But I think your worry and pain surpass their situation and reflect onto ours.”

I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but shut it instead and muttered a curse. Sometimes it didn’t pay to have a smart boyfriend. If he were dumb and sexy, this thing could be a lot easier and way more fun.

Gemini kneaded my hip. “They hurt, and they’re apart, that’s true. But if they could somehow relive their time together, I know that they would.”

His voice lowered to a rumble. “There are no guarantees in life, Taran. But Aric and Celia have demonstrated that the love they share will burn through eternity.”

“And so will their misery.”

“Perhaps. But when adoration runs that deep, so does its torment.”

“That’s another one of those Zen things you people throw around, isn’t it?”

This time, he did chuckle. “No. That one was all me.”

I sighed, allowing my head to fall against his shoulder. Although it was caked with God knows what, he swept his lips over my brow, speaking barely above a whisper. “Our life together hasn’t been perfect. We’ve argued and hurt each other more times than I would wish. I’d like to say it won’t happen again, but given—”

“My attitude, short fuse, rage?” I offered.

He drew me closer. “I meant to say that given the state of our world, our troubles are far from past us.” He cupped my face and lifted it so I’d meet his gaze, the look in his eyes as patient as his smile. “But all things aside, I need you to believe that I would rather endure the hardships that await us than to never have known you. I love you, Taran.”

Yeah. Me too, baby.

I wiped the tears that followed before slipping from his lap. His dark eyes sizzled as I yanked the remains of my dress over my head. I rolled my shoulders following the toss of my bra (the girls needed to breathe, after all) and kept my gaze locked on his as I peeled off my panties. I held tight to his jaw when I straddled him and lowered my lips to meet his hungry mouth.

Gem flipped me onto my back, stripping out of his sweatpants, his bare skin warm and ready to push inside of mine.

This wasn’t about sex. Not this time.

It was simply my turn to be claimed.