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I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. “Is he dead?”
“Oh yeah,” Kern answered.
“Did I...”kill him?The words never made it past my lips.
“Desarae, honey,” Kern said softly. “He poisoned himself. You may have injured him, but he was already at death’s door.”
I lowered my gaze to see my hand engulfed in Seff’s. His palm was abrasive and calloused from work. The strength he conveyed through his touch comforted me in ways I’d never dreamed of or known I needed.
Kern spoke up again, “Desarae, you need to let your Breeder loose.”
I nodded without looking up.
“Sometimes, poison takes a while to work its way through. I need to know if you begin to feel disoriented or nauseous.”
Sighing, I mumbled, “Okay.”
“If you feel shaky, I need to know about that, too.”
I looked up. “I feel fine, Kern.”
“No excitement.” He gave Seff a pointed look.
Seff laughed. “Yeah, I get it.”
“Listen, I’m going to go check on Brenin. I only got a few stitches in him before we heard the call and headed out here.”
“Is Gunner okay?” I asked.
“He’s fine. That body armor saved his ass. He’ll be here soon. He had to talk with the sheriff.” A familiar smile crossed Kern’s face, then disappeared just as quickly. “So you know, we have Decker’s body. Gunner got him out of there.”
I choked back the sudden sob that threatened to break free.
Kern went on. “I know there’s no phone service up on the mountain, but we’ll get a message to your parents.”
I opened my mouth to thank him, but nothing came out.
As Seff wrapped me in his arms, he filled in the words I couldn’t say. “Thanks, Kern.”
“I’ll be back in a bit to check on you.”
The bedroom door closed with a click.
My brother was gone, and I was safe.
All the sadness mixed with the disappointment and anger I’d held onto over the years, poured out in a frightening gush of tears. I wrapped my arms around Seff as though he were my only lifeline, anchoring me with his quiet, calm demeanor while a storm of emotions twisted and turned inside me.
Several minutes later, I sat up, sniffled, and wiped absently at my swollen eyes. I’d yet to catch my breath, and every random hiccup hurt my chest. I was a mess, but I still needed to get myself together and shift into my Breeder form.
Seff smoothed back my bangs. His lips touched my temple, but he said nothing. He didn’t ask me if I was okay because thesakanabond told him everything he needed to know.
I pulled from his embrace and stood. He clasped my hand, not ready to let me go. He’d swept his long hair to one side, fully exposing his handsome face. His beard had grown in enough to hide the thin scar along his cheek. I gazed down into his dark brown eyes, and through our bond, I felt what he didn’t say in words.
I love you. I’m here for you. I’m sorry.
I leaned down and murmured, “I would kiss you, but salty tears and runny noses are so unattractive.”
Wrapping a hand around the back of my neck, he touched his forehead to mine and said, “I’ll be right here.” He released me. “And you should probably take Kern’s advice and let your Breeder metabolism heal you.”
