Page 79 of Of Flame and Fate

With Emme.

And enough tension between them to spackle tile.

He leans back into the kitchen chair, threading his hands behind his head, watching Emme prepare a tray of food, and overall acting very mate-like.

“Emme is Bren’s mate,” I insisted the other night over dinner.

“He can’t be,” Aric replied, not bothering to look up from his food.

“Why? Because you don’t think he’s good enough for her?” I countered.

He looked up then. “That, and because he’s been aloneall his life.”

“He’s not alone. He’s part of the Pack,” I reminded him. “Your pack.”

“No, we welcomed him into the Pack,” Gemini clarified. “But hislonetendencies have kept him from fully committing to being one of us.” His expression sharpened. “It’s these same innate tendencies that will keep his wolf from recognizing and committing to his mate,ifhe even has one.”

“Bullshit,” I said, and I’m saying it now.

The strain between them reminds me of the time when Gemini and I broke up, how awful it was, and how far away he seemed even when we stood mere inches apart. Yet as much as I hate what’s happening with them, and to them, it doesn’t compare to the despair competing for space in the room.

Death lurks close. I feel him. And there’s nothing I can do to kick his ass out.

“Hey,” I say.

I wasn’t sure Emme realized I was waiting by the door, not with the way she kept her head down and her full attention on preparing the tray. She covers a hot bowl of soup with a lid, and arranges a cloth napkin and a spoon carefully beside it, taking her time to make sure everything is just right. It’s only when she finishes that she walks toward me and hugs me gently.

“Hi,” she says.

I hold her against me, worried I’ll somehow hurt her, even though I realize she’s not as delicate as she appears. “I didn’t know you were here,” I admit. “I thought Shayna and Koda were watching Destiny today.”

“They were, but they’ve been here a lot. I told them I’d take over her care and stay the night. This way, they can get a break, too.”

“You’ve been here a lot, too,” I remind her. “Just as much as Shayna and Koda.”

“It’s all right. I want to be,” she whispers. “No one else comes, but us.” She lifts away from me so I can see her face and all the sympathy it carries. “She doesn’t say much. But she always seems happy to see me.”

How could she not be? Emme is like an angel you’d want welcoming you into heaven. At least, she’s who I’d want for me.

I play with her hair, praying heaven won’t claim Emme before me. I’d gladly go first. The world is kinder with her here, more soft, and maybe more innocent, too. “Can I see her?” I ask.

“That would mean a lot to her,” she says, reciting Shayna’s almost exact words.

I glance at Bren who’s unusually quiet. “You okay?” I ask.

“As good as I can be, considering all this shit,” he says.

“I know what you mean,” I mutter.

He pushes out of his seat and lifts the tray, easily balancing everything with one hand. “I can take that,” Emme says, not that she looks at him when she says it.

“I got it,” Bren says, his tone making it clear there’s no sense in arguing. “I’m not sure what kind of mood you’ll find Tye in, and I’m not taking any chances.”

“He hasn’t left her side,” Emme adds, her attention darting briefly to Bren.

“Of course not,” I say, casting them one hell of a look. “They’re mates. Together is how they belong.”

A small line forms between Emme’s brows when she frowns. She may not know what I’m talking about, but Bren does, and that shit needs to come from him.

---