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“Rukia, you were his second,” the werewolf said softly. “You’re the one who needs to take the lead.”
Beside him, Lucy’s eyes widened, outraged and hurt. “But Gideon could still be alive! Fates, Aidan, it’s been aday.”
Rukia’s eyes shuttered, hating the volatility between people who’d been laughing together only days before. Tyee said nothing as she rose from her chair and let her feet carry her out of the offices. She didn’t stop until she felt the warmth of summer air on her face.
Rukia closed her eyes. Regardless of the space she put between herself and what’d happened, the debilitating pain that beat against her psyche was a continuous hum. It lingered, shadowing her mind, and threatening to undo her.
Opening her eyes, she gazed upon the spot where they’d last seen Gideon before the earth took him. Yellow hibiscus flowers had blossomed magnificently overnight, covering the earth in an unspeakable beauty. Citrine-colored petals waved delicately in the breeze, a lovely earthly tide that bowed to the winds gusting over the garden.
It was in stark contrast to the dying nature that surrounded it.
Barely visible was Rona, her arms wrapped around her knees amidst the splendor. All the air left Rukia’s lungs, instantly feeling compelled to join the vampire among the beauty of the flourishing botanicals.
Rona’s dark brunette hair was loose against the faintly blowing breeze, the vampire completely silent as Rukia came to stand above her. Without speaking a word, Rukia collapsed against the earth seconds later in companionable silence.
Arms wrapped around her knees; the vampire shivered amidst the sun-colored petals. Hibiscus blooms gently kissed toward her as they swelled in the winds, but she took no notice.
“It’s starting to fade.”
Rukia felt her eyebrows draw together. “What is, Rona?”
“The earth,” came the bare whisper of her reply. “He gave me the gift of feeling her through his blood, and now that footprint has started to fade.”
Rona stretched out her hand over the grassy carpet, her trembling fingers gently running through the green shards. “She no longer responds to me as she once did. I can no longer feel her.” A sharp intake of breath. “Just like I can no longer feel Gideon.”
A rush of emotion pitched through Rukia as her hands clasped fruitlessly against the stiff fabric of her jeans. Below them was the body of a man who hadn’t deserved his end, who had been owed so much more than a hateful execution but the hand of a terrorist.
Rona’s dark brown eyes slowly caught her own. “How could I ever live without him?”
She threw her arms around the other woman, drawing her close. “I can’t tell you because I don’t know.”
They sat in silence, holding each other while grief darkened its hold over their hearts. Sniffling, Rukia turned to Gideon’s wife once more. “He loved you, Rona. More than anything, he loved you.”
Gazing thoughtfully at the flowers that’d sprung up since last night, the barest ghost of a smile hinted on Rukia’s lips. “He loved you so much that even now, he couldn’t bear to leave you without your favorite flower.”
Rona’s hands delicately cradled a wayward blossom in her palm, the smile that appeared over her features one of remembrance. “Thank you, Rukia.”
Tears sprung anew in her eyes even as Rukia rose. The beautiful tribute to Gideon’s wife lovingly caressed her calves when she retreated from Rona’s side and ruefully turned back toward the compound. Clutching her arms over her chest, her nails dug into her upper arms.
Entering the great hall, her pace faltered when she came across Aaron and his young daughter, Mia. Though he was only a hundred years old, Aaron had been a powerful earth Elemental since he’d come into maturity under Gideon’s tutelage. Now, with his mentor gone—even temporarily—he was perhaps the strongest of the element in their nation.
His hands were affectionately intertwined with the ivy of the walls of the great hall—the ivy that’d withered upon Gideon’s death. Dry, parched veins of the once-green foliage clung to the walls and cast a dreary shade over the space. Under Aaron’s touch, the rotting vines sprung into new life, green and healthy.
Mia, his daughter, cocked her head to the side. “I thought Mr. Gideon took care of these, daddy?”
“He did, my sweet.” There was sorrow in his tone, barely concealed from his daughter. “Now Daddy is going to take care of them.”
Anguish burned in her chest, her hands clutching together fiercely while she tried to keep her eyes from springing new tears. Scampering out of the hall before she lost control of her emotions, her vision blurred. Sobs coiled in her throat, her feet taking her any direction other than where Gideon had taken his last breaths.
Turning a corner, she collided with a solid wall of muscle. Evergreen and spice enveloped her moments later as she melted into Isaiah’s chest without words. Fisting a hand in the fabric of his shirt, she buried her face in the crook of his arm.
Her words, mumbled against the starchy fabric, were barely intelligible. “I can’t be here anymore, Isaiah. Take me away.Please.”
The words ground out from her throat, a trail of salty tears staining her cheeks. Looking up at him, she caught the telltale sign of empathy hiding behind his gaze.
“Please, Isaiah, take me somewhere else.”
And he did.
