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Wyatt shifted into human form midstride while River continued to stretch his long wolf body. He could move faster as a wolf, reach Bel sooner. He just needed to touch him.
“Bel!” Wyatt called and the vampire twisted to look at them. He was alive. Alive and well, if a little pale.
River shifted back to human and crashed into Bel, nearly knocking him over. “You’re alive!” he choked out past his heart in his throat. “Oh, God! I couldn’t feel you. It was like you’d died. Couldn’t feel you at all.”
Wyatt arrived a second later, crashing into them so that the two vampires and two werewolves landed in a heap on the ground. He wrapped his arms around both River and Bel, his breathing also choked.
“I’m fine. I swear, I’m fine,” Bel said. He touched and rubbed his hands on both of them. His lips brushed over their faces, and it helped to push back the tide of fear still swamping River.
“What the fuck did you do to our brother?” Rafe roared the second he reached them. One hand shot out and gripped Bel’s wrist, pulling him out of the dog pile on the ground and into Rafe’s shaking arms.
“Rafe, I’m fine—” Bel started to say, but Rafe talked right over him.
“He killed you. I felt it. He fucking killed you!”
“Obviously, he’s not dead if he’s talking to you,” Winter said drily.
“That’s what I felt too,” River argued. “One second I could feel him, and then he was gone completely. It was as if his life had been snuffed out in an instant.”
The other Variks reached the gathering, but Rafe remained livid despite the evidence that Bel was still alive and well.
“Don’t you ever fucking do that again! Don’t touch him!”
Winter stiffened and pushed himself off the ground, moving away from the family gathering. At the same time, Bel shoved roughly out of Rafe’s arms and crossed to the youngest Varik brother.
“Stop it, Rafe!” Bel snapped. He wrapped his arm around Winter’s shoulders, keeping his brother close when he tried to pull away from all of them. “You know I’m fine. You can see it with your own eyes. Winter would never do anything to harm me. Never!”
“It was like the night you were transformed, and you died on Marcus’s floor. I-I can’t do that again.”
“I’m fine. I promise. Winter’s gift…it’s not what we think.” Bel stopped and hugged his little brother even tighter. River could feel the dread and sadness streaking through him as he held Winter. River didn’t know what Bel meant, but it didn’t matter right now. He’d ask later. For now, he only needed to know that their Bel was safe and sound.
A hint of a smile lifted one corner of Winter’s lips, and he wrapped one arm around Bel, returning the hug. “Sorry about the scare. I forgot Bel was tied to Rafe. Didn’t realize the tie now included Wyatt and River.”
“What do you mean Winter’s gift isn’t what we think? He just fucking vanishes, right?” Rafe demanded.
“No,” Winter said.
Bel was also shaking his head. “It’s like he can slip into an alternate reality. Or maybe just into a different layer of reality.” Bel paused and blinked a couple of times. “I’m still not even sure if I saw what I think I saw.”
“Don’t, Bel,” Winter whispered. He sounded so tired that River’s heart went out to the vampire. “Just let it go. It’s better that way.” He looked up at Aiden and frowned. “The important thing is that I can’t bring anyone through like that. It doesn’t take much for me to use my power, but to include a second person is incredibly draining.”
Aiden nodded and looked at where River and Wyatt were still sitting naked on the cold ground. “Could you smell Winter?”
“Not a hint,” Wyatt admitted.
“His smell stopped at the edge of the woods and didn’t reappear until he reached Bel. He completely escaped us,” River said with a little frustration. Yes, Winter sneaking past them was a very good thing, but it was still irritating. He’d been sure nothing could get past his nose. But if Bel was right, and Winter was walking through another reality, it made sense that he couldn’t catch a whiff of the man.
“Let’s go inside and talk. I…I need a drink.” Bel gave Winter one last squeeze and then moved over to Wyatt and River.
They pushed to their feet, and River wrapped his arms around Bel again. It didn’t matter what his logical brain had said about Bel. All his senses screamed that he’d lost his lover for about two minutes—the longest two minutes of his life, and he prayed he never had to feel that again.
A drink turned into three as they sat around Marcus’s library, discussing strategy and different suggestions for what they were going to do next. Bel hadn’t listened as closely as he should have. He was more aware of the tension that still hummed through his wolves.
