Page 23 of Eternal Mate

He finally shuffled out from under the blankets, blinking away sleep as he took me in. “Sariel?”

“Let’s go for a walk.”

His brow furrowed, eyes darting to the window. The sun was only barely peeking out from behind the curtains, and while I couldn’t read his mind, I knew he was wondering why I’d shown up before dawn to drag him out of bed.

The short answer was that I had no fucking clue.

“What time is it?” he grumbled out, kicking off his blankets and letting out a huff as he stood.

“I waited ‘til the sun was coming up,” I said defensively.

He smirked, swiping a hand down his face as he stretched. “Give me ten minutes.”

He stalked into the bathroom across the hall, so I made my way to the living room. Ashe was dead to the world on their couch—though he’d woken up long enough to unlock their door—so I plopped down at the small dining table instead. I could hear the sink running in the bathroom as I took in the dim room and my brother’s sleeping mate.

It didn’t even take the full ten minutes before Auren circled the corner and nodded toward the door.

The two of us headed out into the hallway without any fanfare, though I noticed he’d put on his shades today.

The hallway was eerily quiet as we descended the staircase, our footsteps echoing softly against the walls. The building was still engulfed in the embrace of slumber, and the world outside seemed to hold its breath in the pre-dawn stillness.

“Why did you bring me here, Sariel?”

Auren finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with exhaustion that felt like more than just a lack of sleep. I took a moment to gather my thoughts, searching for the words that eluded me.

“I needed to see you,” I settled on. “When I thought you were dead, I used to have nightmares about losing you, wondering if there was anything else I could have done to save you.”

“There wasn’t,” he immediately responded.

I gave him a small smirk. “I know that now. We’re not here to talk about me, though. I’m here to remind you that there’s life outside your grief. The world is still spinning.”

Stepping out onto the grass across from our building, I turned to watch the sunrise and sat, patting the grass for him to join me.

Auren hesitated momentarily, his gaze lingering on me, before slowly lowering himself to the ground and settling beside me on the dew-kissed grass.

“We would have had a better view from the roof,” he commented dryly, and I grinned.

“Yeah, but you needed to touch some grass.”

Auren’s shoulder bumped mine when I laughed at my own joke, nearly toppling me over.

“Breathe in the fresh air, and just take a minute before I start dropping bombs on you,” I said.

The first rays of sunlight painted the sky in hues of pink and gold, casting a warm glow on our faces. We sat in silence, our eyes fixed on the horizon to witness the birth of a new day.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of nearby trees, creating a soothing symphony of nature’s whispers. The world was slowly awakening, and with each passing moment, the colors of the sky deepened, casting a spellbinding canvas above us.

Auren finally broke the silence, his voice soft but filled with curiosity. “So, what are these bombs you’re about to drop on me, Sariel? Should I be worried?”

“No more worried than you were before.” I sighed. “We need you, Auren. I’m hoping Ashe has kept you in the loop, but if he hasn’t, rest assured that we’re just floating aimlessly right now. Jack went out to gather intel on the situation—”

“What? Why didn’t Ashe do that?” he demanded.

I gave him an incredulous look. “Because his mate has been drowning in grief and needs him?”

Auren scoffed, shaking his head. “Kiyomasa’s death hit me hard, but not that hard. I wasn’t going to waste away while he did his job.”

I squeezed his shoulder gently, trying to keep him from flying off the handle as he tensed. The fact he was so agitated spoke to his mental state—I couldn’t imagine him ever having an outburst like this before.

---