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By the time I left, I was well on my way to being drunk. Thankfully, she wasn’t too far from my house, and Sariel was waiting on the porch for me. My mate swooped me up bridal-style, and I laughed when he carried me back to our room.
21
IF IT’S BROKE, FIX IT!
SARIEL
“How’s Marilyn?”
I didn’t actually want to ask, but it felt rude to pretend she wasn’t suffering when I ran into Johnny. My friend made a face that pretty much said it all, a soft huff of bitter laughter escaping him.
“She’s coping.” He glanced at the woman in question, who was sitting with her legs crossed in the morning light a few yards away. “I think it’s mostly denial. She comes out here every morning to try and reconnect, and I usually end up carrying her home afterward.”
He tucked his hands into his pockets, a small flash of rage passing over his features.
“And Jack said there's nothing he can do?”
He was shaking his head before I’d even finished my question. “No. There’s only been one instance of a witch managing to reconnect with her magic, and it was because she found her mate. Most people think the story is just another myth hyping up how great the mate bond is, though.”
It would make a twisted sort of sense, though; the terrible irony that Marilyn would have to leave Johnny to find her fated mate if she wanted her magic back wasn’t lost on me.
I’d felt dead inside ever since I’d dragged myself out of bed like Mikey’s execution had set me back years in progress. Johnny and Aria had basically been tending to Marilyn and me in tandem, ensuring we were both making an effort to function. Reese had come out shortly after I’d seen the video, too, giving me a hug that felt like it was more for her than for me.
“I’m not going to ask how you’re holding up,” Johnny said, where I managed not to wince, “but I’m here if you need to talk, Sariel. Nothing that happened was on you.”
Nodding, I hoped he would leave me be. I wasn’t any more ready than Marilyn was to deal with my issues. “Thank you. I know I’m not always easy to stick with, and I’m sure it would have been easier to jump ship, but… I appreciate it, Johnny.”
He patted my shoulder, chuckling. “Never even crossed my mind, man. We’re a family—pack, even. It’s kind of funny now, almost like I knew what you’d become. I’d do anything for you.”
I knew he meant well, but the admittance still made me nauseous. I didn’twanthim to be that loyal; if something happened to him, too, I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.
“I’ll miss Michaelson.” He pursed his lips, brows furrowed in difficulty. “You know that… they didn’t just kill him, right? Tarragon had a lot of people killed that day, and—”
“I don’t want to know, Johnny,” I interrupted, and he nodded sharply, unoffended by my rejection. Thankfully, neither of us was interested in prolonging the heart-to-heart; I was able to swallow my curiosity about who else we had lost.
“Lucia is okay, right?” I asked. When he nodded, I steeled myself. “Good. We’ll need to get her out before the baby is born. I’d rather die than let those assholes have Mikey's kid.”
“Duh,” Johnny sighed. “I hope we get to tear that fucker apart for all the shit he caused.”
“Oh, I’mgoingto.”
While the vow had more growl behind it than I’d planned, he grinned at me, looking more vicious than I’d seen him in ages. When I finally got my hands on Tarragon, he’d be right behind me, I realized. That’s what a pack was.
My wolf wanted to howl with joy, making a point to wriggle in my chest.
My mate tugged at the bond. She was undoubtedly curious about why I was suddenly feeling more at peace than I’d been since seeing the broadcast. She didn’t linger, though, and by the time I’d managed to wrangle my near-shift back under control, my friend was already changing the subject.
“I can’t believe Aria's old pack actually joined up,” he commented when Marilyn put her head in her hands. He shuffled like he wanted to go to her, but didn’t want to interrupt her meditation.
“She’s definitely excited about it,” I said, frowning. “I’ve been trying to be supportive.”
“But you’re pissed at Sean for being a dick? I don’t blame you.” Johnny chuckled. “They brought a bunch of witches with them, too. It was crazy watching Auren negotiate with the covens. They didn’t want Zuzanna poking around in their heads.
“Now that the fallen-bloods are all healed, there's basically no difference between them and us anymore. One day, we might even all be one people. No more infighting with the packs, no more discrimination.”
He trailed off, eyes distant for a long moment as he watched Marilyn. I tried not to stare as she hunched forward, inhaling before rolling her shoulders back. Her eyes closed again, and she took another deep breath, obviously trying to find some inner peace.
I hoped she could find it, somehow.
