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His very cellular structure recognized her as an intrinsic part of him—an essential beating heart outside his body. In the worst of his nightmares, the lethal ability crawling within his skin in unspoken protection would never hurt her. The knots in his soul loosened their death grip as the tension in his shoulders disappeared.
Rukia’s hand reached up to gently probe one bloodied side of his face. “You’re still bleeding. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Derikles and Sia formed a protective guard behind them, as Jeremiah led the way to the infirmary in another part of the compound. Isaiah leaned on her, conscious that he was showing weakness, but knowing the display wouldn’t compromise the support of his people.
Every part of him was fascinated by this fearsome woman, this fierce siren that’d ensnared him hook, line, and sinker. Isaiah realized the truth of it with stunning clarity: he loved her with the very depths of his soul, an intimate bond from the core of his being to hers.
Lights flickered on in the vast space of the infirmary. Large pits of open earth spanned near the entrance, followed by pools of crystal-clear water and what looked to be open vents. Jeremiah led the way to the more typical portion of the med-bay, chatting away with Sia.
And that’s when they heard it. A gentle drum.
Jeremiah and Rukia froze in their tracks, slowly turning their heads in unison to gaze at the single monitor that lingered across the room near a pit of earth. It was the only one that appeared in use.
Rukia’s voice was tight with suppressed emotion, the mating bond lighting up with an aching sense of anticipation. “What is that, Jeremiah?”
The wind Elemental’s lip quivered before he answered. “That’s … that’s Gideon’s heartbeat.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Minutesturnedtohours,hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks. And still, Gideon’s heartbeat continued. A steady, perpetual rhythm that held all of them in thrall.
In the days that immediately followed their discovery, Gideon’s bonsai tree sprouted back into life. The grounds and forests around the compound teemed with growth, the wealth of lush green only solidifying their assumption that Gideon was indeed alive under the blanket of earth.
Having no desire to leave Paracel when her monarch could rise at any time, Rukia had clung closely to her new mate whenever he could be with her in Iowa. When she took a page out of Gideon’s book and worked too many hours, Isaiah would come and drag her away.
Sometimes, over his shoulder.
Hundreds of miles away, Isaiah’s clan was melding together following Jacob’s death, but their new bonds required their sovereign’s oversight and presence. This was especially true as new house plans were drawn, plots of land were claimed, and Raeths discussed their own personal spaces in collaboration with others.
Though it killed her to be apart from him, Rukia slept in Paracel most nights. Isaiah was never far away. In a testament to his love for her, they’d fall asleep together in the evening, and then he teleported back to his territory in the early morning hours while she continued her rest.
As soon as they’d realized that Gideon’s heart was beating again, Rukia had collected Rona from where she’d been isolating in their home. When she broke the news, the vampire’s face had bloomed with beautiful hope.
Rona hadn’t left the great hall since she’d heard the steady pulse.
Fortunately, Toni and Rukia had been seeing to Rona’s needs in between fretting idly themselves. Rona paced around the hall, talking to herself, and nervously braiding and unbraiding her hair. Jeremiah fidgeted constantly while maintaining the Search and Rescue business in tandem with Rukia and Tyee.
Tyee was far more pensive, preferring to meditate while the rest of them flitted about, anxious and anticipatory. Lucy and Toni chatted about their mates, clothes, and shopping, but neither Elemental could seem to sit still for longer than five minutes.
Aidan and Isaiah, when they were there, merely observed. During the second week, they began talking to each other from their stationary post against the wall, and by the third, Isaiah had admitted to Rukia that he actually liked the other man.
She smirked at the thought. Looking up from where she sat typing on her laptop, she saw Aaron stroll back into the great hall, an indignant frown on his features. He’d just come in from trying to commune with the earth where they’d last seen Gideon, but he’d had no success thus far.
It didn’t look like this time had yielded any more positive results.
Aaron shook his head almost angrily. “It’s like the earth is protecting him. Like there’s a defensive cocoon around him and she prevents any attempt at intervention.”
“Your element has a mind of its own, Aaron,” Tyee said from where he sat near the wall of western facing windows. “Far more so than either water or wind.”
The tall man combed a hand through his blonde hair, scowling. “It’s infuriating. I can’t even get past the topsoil. It’s like my own element is rejecting me.”
“Maybe it’s Gideon,” Rona reasoned. “Maybe he’s the one who’s blocking you.”
“But why would he?” Aidan crossed his arms. “Even if he’s still healing, wouldn’t he want us to know he’s alive?”
Everyone looked to Tyee, but the man had no answers. “No Elemental has come back from such extensive wounds before, and we cannot know how it affected him. Our elements can cure almost anything, but there is a limit to even our healing.”
Rukia pursed her lips, her eyes linking with Isaiah’s. “Why is now any different? I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, but why does his heart beat when no other Elemental, earth or otherwise, has ever come back?”
