Page 69 of Of Flame and Fate

He shuts the door to the refrigerator and leads me to the table, pulling me onto his lap. “Have a drink,” he murmurs against my ear, cracking open the bottle I passed him and placing it in my hand. “The magic you conjured expunged a great deal of your energy. You need to take care of yourself and replenish it.”

“So I’ll be up for whatever crazy crap the day might bring?” I ask, taking a long pull.

He doesn’t bother to sugarcoat it. “Yes.”

I finish half the bottle and give the rest to him. I think I’m still thirsty, but I can’t seem to force it down. Maybe he feels the same. He sets the bottle along the antique gold and granite table. “What are you going to with Johnny?” I ask.

His unflinching gaze fixes on the bottle. “For now he’s with us, but there’s not much we can do to keep him. He’s not our prisoner, and regardless of what happened between him and Destiny, he’s committed no crime against the earth.”

“I know.” My head falls against his shoulder. “Did you see him, how bad he hurt when she was close?” I shudder. “I couldn’t stomach watching him suffer.”

I frown when he doesn’t reply. It’s not that I expect him to be disturbed by the memory, my wolf can handle a lot more than me. I just don’t expect his silence then. “What are you thinking?” I ask, stroking his light goatee when he doesn’t reply. “Do you think he’s lying?”

Gemini’s hand sweeps along my thigh to my ass, adjusting me so I lay closer against him. “I don’t know. Even if he can somehow hide the truth from us, it’s hard not to believe him. He was close to death in Destiny’s presence.” He looks at me. “I could smell it.”

“What do you mean?” Although I ask, I’m afraid what he might say. Death in general is creepy, and in the mystical world, it’s downright terrifying.

“When something dies, there’s a strong aroma that accompanies that passing,” he explains. “We equate it to the soul leaving the body. It’s the only time our kind can scent it.”

“And you definitely smelled his?” I ask.

“I did.” He cups my knee. “But it gets worse.”

“It always does,” I remind him.

He smiles, but it doesn’t last. “I could smell Destiny’s soul as they brought her down the mountain. It was everywhere. I’m stunned she’s still alive.”

I raise my head. “So if you scented it, Tye did, too.”

“Exactly. Which is why he reacted so violently.” His features gather and edge. “That didn’t mean I could allow him to kill Johnny.”

“I know.”

I look over to where Celia and Aric wait in the living room. The way he holds and speaks to her is precisely what she needs now. That, and a break from all the crazy.

“Let’s go,” I whisper.

Gemini stands, easing me to the floor and leading me out. “We’ll see you guys later,” I call, holding out my hand when they start to rise. “Dinner maybe?”

“All right,” Celia says, rushing to her feet and to where I’m waiting before we can make our escape.

She hugs me, something she always does. Today it’s a little stronger, a little sadder, a little less like the sister I know. I slide my hands across her back, reminded how much the world literally hangs on her shoulders.

The longer I embrace her, the more the pang of sympathy filling my chest becomes too much. Except my tears aren’t what my sister needs from me. “We’re going to figure this out,” I assure her.

“Okay,” she says.

“You don’t believe me, do you?” I ask.

“Not one word,” she admits.

Laughter through tears are one of the many things Ceel and I have shared throughout our lives. Today is no exception. I step away, before she sees the few that trickle down my cheeks, but not before I catch the ones she can’t manage to hold in.

The moment we open the door leading out to the hall, the young wolves and cougars on guard appear, their imposing beast forms erasing any trace of my misery. “Alert me of any changes,” Gemini orders.

They bow their heads as we pass. They’re young, likely students who want to help. Gemini’s arm slinks around my waist, his large hand resting in the “girlfriend zone”. He’s not typically this affectionate unless another male challenges his position, but he is feeling protective.

I’m not feeling protective. I’m mostly being myself. Being all class and not giving a damn what others think, my hand slips into the “boyfriend zone” and I give him a pat. “Something on your mind besides the fate of the world, baby?”

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