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“Jeremiah, you already know that she was in—”
“She can answer the question herself, Tyee.”
“Utah,” Rukia ignored Tyee as her indignation sparked.
Eyes narrowing, the red-haired wind Elemental scoffed. “What the hell is in Utah that’s so important? That’s more important than beinghere.”
For once, Rukia didn’t have an answer. When she’d run, it had been the only conclusion her grief-addled mind could come up with. But now, looking back on it, leaving when the community had been hit the hardest was far from wise.
“Lay off, Jeremiah.” Toni’s soft-spoken request from the back of the room had both of them turning to look at the strawberry blonde. Seated next to Lucy, the fire Elemental’s eyes were puffy and red, a tissue crumpled in her hand. “Rukia dealt with Gideon’s death how she needed to, and we shouldn’t take offense to that.”
Jeremiah’s aggression softened, but he lost none of the malcontent on his face when he sat down seconds later. Rukia took her place in the unoccupied chair that’d always been hers. Supple leather welcomed her back as if nothing had changed since she’d last been there.
Gideon’s chair remained empty.
“How is Rona?”
“About as you’d expect,” Aidan replied, seamlessly shifting into the role of alpha, his knuckles rapping on the tabletop. “Drake and Toni have been staying with her.”
Rukia fiddled with her hands against the cool wooden surface, unsure of how to respond. Shivering, she studied the natural woodgrain of the cherry table beneath her fingertips, eager for a distraction. She’d never coveted a leadership position, nor the limelight.
Now, it seemed, she’d have both.
“We’ve put all Search and Rescue operations on hold,” growled the wind Elemental across from her, “seeing as there was no one to assume Gideon’s role in the time you’ve been gone, and most of our people refuse to leave Paracel at the moment.”
Rukia frowned. “Refuse to leave?”
“Word has spread beyond our borders of what has happened,” Tyee clarified. “Elementals from around the world are coming to pay their respects.”
She swallowed. “And there’s been nothing to suggest that Gideon—that he’s still alive?”
Tyee merely shook his head.
As Rukia processed the news, the clock’s second hand was the only sound. She couldn’t stop the Elementals from coming to Paracel—nor would she ever want to—but their arrival seemed like the final nail in Gideon’s coffin.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be the leader Gideon wanted me to be—or the leaderyouwanted me to be. I didn’t mean to take his place, Jeremiah, I just didn’t want to let him down. To think that he’d be ashamed of how I reacted—” her voice broke, “—I failed in that regard, and I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”
She looked at Jeremiah, seeing the pain reflected in his features. “I’ll do better, Jeremiah.”
“Rukia …” He swallowed. “Rukia, that day, with Gideon—when we were there and neither of us could help him—”
Closing his eyes, he stopped speaking as if overcome. Instinctively, she reached across the table and hooked her fingers around where his were splayed against the wood.
“I know, Jer. I know.”
But when Jeremiah opened his eyes, the same man she’d always seen looking back at her had changed. No longer did he have the carefree manner she could depend on for a joke or obnoxious positivity. Staring back at her was someone she barely knew.
As if sensing the change, Aidan interjected, “We’re hosting a gathering tomorrow night in his honor.”
“Tomorrow?”
Taking a deep breath, Rukia tried to stop her head from spinning. While she’d been evading her responsibilities and shirking her duties to her nation, she’d missed far too much. She’d nearly squandered the chance to honor Gideon’s memory by running from what’d happened.
Tyee nodded. “We’ve invited the dignitaries and their subordinates.”
Her eyes snapped to his. Isaiah hadn’t mentioned anything about a gathering to her while she’d been with him. Then again, the past day and a half had been traumatic for the Raeth sovereign.
She wouldn’t blame him if he’d missed the memo.
