Page 2 of Eternal Mate

Aria begrudgingly agreed with that thought, lacing her fingers with mine silently as Zuzanna slipped from the room.

“If you want any more intel from them, you’d best go with her. She probably won’t even wait to see if they have anything to offer,” I advised Elias and Jack, who were both silent as Zuzanna marched across the dirt road.

Elias met my eye, then nodded before following after her with his lover in tow.

“And then there were four,” Barimuz mused again.

I could feel my skin crawling at his presence. Reese was giving him a glare that could curdle milk, but she, like me, had been steadfast in ignoring his attempts to interact with us. Aria was a bit softer, giving him an occasional smile for his efforts; even though I knew it was because we needed him on our side, it still made me want to tear him to shreds.

“You should check on Auren,” my mate finally murmured when the silence dragged on, and I let out a sigh.

I didn’t want to. He’d been more or less comatose since he’d seen Kiyomasa die; I wasn’t even sure if he’d fully processed that the old man wasn’t the only person we’d lost. Johnny, Marilyn, and Harry were all still unaccounted for, too.

Aria pressed a chaste kiss to my lips and then gently nudged me toward the door of the little office where we were going to hold our meetings from now on. I rolled my shoulders back and headed towards Auren’s apartment.

To everyone’s surprise, the little town in the trees was more spacious than our previous hideout. Most people got away with just having a single roommate per apartment, complete with their own kitchen and living spaces. I wasn’t sure I liked it after it became clear that all the survivors could fit into one apartment building, and we’d been more or less forbidden from venturing outside.

The door to Auren and Ashe’s apartment was unlocked. Ashe waved when I walked in, and the… wolf—I wasn’t too sure what he was anymore after that bear thing—followed after me without a word when I turned and headed for Auren’s room.

My brother’s bedroom door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit space. Auren was motionless on the bed, and I only knew that the rumpled lump was him because of the slow rise and fall of his breathing.

I approached cautiously, my heart breaking at the sight. He’d been temperamental that first night, lashing out at everyone for trying to talk to him, and day two hadn’t been much better. I hated that he had withdrawn so fast; it was clear that everyone cared about him, but more than that, we needed him.

“Auren,” I called softly, hoping he would actually be willing to talk today. “How are you doing?”

Grief had completely consumed him, but Ashe had been standing faithfully by his side, offering comfort and support. It was honestly a relief to know that Auren had him, even if they hadn’t exactly been getting along before this mess.

Ashe turned to me with a somber expression when Auren didn’t respond, then gestured to the door with a subtle nod. Once it was closed and he’d led us back to the living area, he sighed, folding his arms.

“He’s really struggling,” he confided, concern evident in his voice. “Losing Kiyomasa hit him hard.”

He seemed to be at a loss of how to handle my brother’s grief, but at least he was trying. It clashed with his otherwise flippant persona pretty harshly to see him looking so disheveled; part of me was grimly amused that he seemed as lost as the rest of us with how to help him.

“I’m not surprised,” I responded. “I don’t think he’s ever really lost anyone before. Sure, we were a world away from him, but we were alive. And Kiyomasa? That was a hard one to start with.”

The fact he hadn’t even responded to me was unsettling, though.

Ashe paused, eyes going hazy for a moment, and then he gave me a thin smile. “He’s sorry about not answering you. He just isn’t in the mood for guests.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I get it. Next time I’ll wait for an invitation. I just… wanted to check in.”

Ashe looked pained at the thought, though I wasn’t sure if it was because he had been shoved into the role of the caretaker by my brother’s breakdown or if he was genuinely empathetic to my plight.

I gave Ashe a reassuring pat on the shoulder, flashing him a comforting smile. “Thanks for looking out for him. Let Auren know that we’re here whenever he’s ready to talk, or if he needs anything.”

Ashe nodded, gratitude shining in his eyes. “I will.”

He hesitated before adding, “I’ll take care of him, Sariel.”

I nodded in thanks, not trusting myself to say anything else.

Leaving the wolf to tend to my brother, I headed for the door, and then wasn’t surprised to find my mate waiting on the other side, anxiety pinging down the bond.

“We just have to give him time,” Aria said softly, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than me. “He’s going through a lot, and healing doesn’t happen overnight. We need to be patient and supportive.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. She was the expert on dealing with grief in a healthy way, if I was being honest—I’d spent the better part of the last few years seething at every fallen-blood wolf who even glanced in my direction—so I would have to take her word for it.

“I know.”

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