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As Rukia allowed herself to be guided into the fabric-covered wooden chairs, sitting without a wound. Clutching her stomach, she dragged mouthfuls of air into her lungs, her cheeks wet and sticky. Shivering, she held herself tightly as Gideon’s loss threatened to devour her.
A whoosh of air next to her when Jeremiah collapsed into the chair beside her, but he could no longer comfort her. Rukia knew that he’d be as lost to his own demons as she was.
Best friends, the two men had been inseparable since they met nearly four centuries ago. Over the years, they’d been confidants and companions, never growing tired of one another’s presence.
Recently, Jeremiah had been best man at the monarch’s wedding, and Gideon had hoped to return the favor when—and if—his friend ever settled down. Gideon had undoubtedly been their leader, and Jeremiah had been as much a second to him as Rukia had.
But now, with the Earth Elemental wounded with little hope of recovery, Rukia had to assume the leadership of their community.
The mere thought of it nauseated her, but she couldn’t afford to fall apart. Someone needed to ensure Paracel remained standing—that their Search and Rescue operation continued to save lives.
“Here, take this.”
A voice pulled her from her vicious cascade of unsettling thoughts. Blinking, Rukia lifted the heavy veil of her eyelids to see Isaiah crouched before her. He held the offering out, his gaze locked with hers, before she glanced down to fixate on the bottle of water in front of her.
Water. Her element.
Eyebrows knitting together, she simply stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. Isaiah merely held the small token out to her, patient and forgiving. When her fingers finally remembered how to move, she jerkily took it from him. Chilled water had condensed along the outside of the plastic, a coating that glazed her fingertips in a kiss of sensation.
Jeremiah was far faster to accept Isaiah’s offer, but he, too, said nothing.
“I’m going to speak with Nina,” came the soft tones of Isaiah’s voice. “I’ll come back.”
Standing, he’d left the room before Rukia’s hazy mind even grasped the concept of what he’d spoken aloud. In her chest, her heart kicked, the crippling feeling of solitude sinking into her bones. Jeremiah remained silent beside her, his presence a faltering reed that was dangerously close to drowning under the flood waters.
Swallowing harshly, Rukia swiveled her head to study the redhead who had been her faithful friend for over three hundred years.
His eyes, hard and unblinking, stared ahead into nothingness. Every trace of his jovial personality had evaporated with the course of the night, leaving the man a hollow shell of his former self. His pale lips, so often turned up with sarcasm or cheerfulness, were pursed in a straight line. The very air around him shimmered, the heat of his anger bristling unconsciously with his element.
Everything that had made Jeremiah who he was had perished when Gideon had.
Chapter Eight
Isaiahhadn’twantedtoleave Rukia, but he needed to touch base with Aidan and Nina.
Striding into the great hall, he sought the only other person he knew would be of use. Isaiah’s eyes flicked to Nina as soon as he located her, the Raeth speaking quietly with Aidan and Lucy. The rest of the hall had cleared out of immortals, for which he was glad.
Someone had torn down the music console and the food that’d been put out had vanished. The makeshift dance floor sat empty, the only remnant of the night before everything had gone wrong.
Nina’s pale blue eyes scrutinized him as he entered. “How are they?”
“Not well,” Isaiah answered honestly. “Has everyone left?”
The other sovereign dipped her chin. “I teleported the vampires to their Headquarters in New York, and the Raeths have all gone. The werewolves will stay the night with Aidan and Lucy and leave tomorrow at dawn.”
Isaiah nodded soberly. “Rukia and Jeremiah are both in shock. I don’t think it’d be wise to leave either of them alone.”
“I happen to agree with you,” Nina exhaled with exhaustion. “But we cannot force them into our company.”
“Rukia has seemed to latch onto you, Isaiah.” There was a growl behind Aidan’s words as the wolf appeared in his eyes, the citrine-orange a feral reminder of the predator that lived under the other man’s skin.
Isaiah felt his eyes narrow, holding eye contact with the other dominant male in subtle challenge. “Perhaps I was merely the closest one to her, wolf. But regardless, I won’t leave her alone—unless she kicks me out.”
“And what of Rona?” Aidan questioned Nina, the hard edge of his words softening.
“Drake, Toni, and I will remain with her tonight,” she shook her head, distraught, “but tomorrow is another day. We can re-evaluate once the sun rises—and figure out how the hell theCitizensdrew Gideon out.” A sad sigh. “If he doesn’t rise, his loss will be difficult. He was a good man.”
A stifling breeze rolled through the cavernous interior of the great hall, their only signal that Jeremiah had entered. The summer blue gaze of the wind Elemental narrowed into a sneering expression Isaiah had never seen on the other man’s face.
