Page 30 of Gathered Sparkle

“What?” Her eyes gleam with that spark of mischief I adore. “He said he still owed me one.”

Sylus lets out a bark of laughter. “God, I love you.” He nudges her forward, guiding her toward the living room.

To my unconscious twin—the one she saved.

And to my former best friend. The one I’ve both missed and hated in equal measure for the last thirteen years. Yet here he is, back in this house, also because of her.

Sylus and her walk out of sight, and reality sharply pulls me back.

She’s hurt and needs Alaric.

I take the stairs two at a time to get upstairs to his room. When I reach his door, I knock. Once. Twice.

No answer.

“Ric, we need you.” I knock again, louder. “Glitter’s hurt. She got shot in the arm, and she’s bleeding. I need you to get your set and stitch her up.”

Still nothing. The silence that greets me is tense, heavy.

Dammit, Ric.

I twist the knob and push his door open, stepping inside. The room is dimly lit, the curtains drawn tightly against the outside world. Alaric sits on the bed, his fists balled, his jaw clenched so tightly I can see the muscles twitch beneath his skin. His eyes are pressed closed, and he’s breathing heavily.

Did Nicholas being here trigger him that badly?

I thought he was fine when they first met.

I step closer, watching him. His posture is rigid, his shoulders hunched forward. “What’s going on?”

He doesn’t respond, doesn’t even look at me. He’s locked in whatever battle is raging in his head, and it’s as if I’m not even here.

I cross the room, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. The reaction is instant. He jerks back, his eyes snapping open, filled with something raw—fear, pain, and anger all swirl together in a chaotic storm. He looks at me, and it’s obvious he’s teetering on the edge, barely keeping it together.

“Ric. Glitter is hurt. She gotshot…” I pause, letting the words sink in before I repeat, “I need you to clean the wound, stop the bleeding, and stitch her up.”

“I can’t,” he whispers, his voice so quiet it’s almost drowned out by the sound of his uneven breathing.

“Ric,” I try again, leaning down so I’m at eye level with him. “You know I love you like a brother, and I never push you. But right now, I need you to get over your shit.” I keep my tone calm, though the words themselves are anything but. “She saved Levi.Your brother. And she’s hurt. We can’t take her to a hospital. Weneedyou.”

I don’t want to coerce him with hypnosis, but dammit, I will if I have to.

He looks at me, his expression twisted in agony. His eyes are pleading, his jaw working as he tries to find the words. “Koen, I—”

“I need you,” I repeat. “This family needs you. Can you do this for us? For her?”

He bites his cheek, his eyes closing for a moment as he takes a shaky breath. I can see it, the battle inside him, the struggle.

But then, resolve straightens his posture, and slowly, he nods. His eyes open, and he pushes himself stiffly up from the bed before he walks to the other side of the room and crouches down to pull something from beneath his drawer—a black medical kit.

Alaric straightens and turns to face me. When his eyes lock onto mine, there’s an unmistakable flash of reproach. It feels like he’s about to say something, but then his jaw clenches, and without a word, he steps past me, brushing by as he leaves the room.

I know I’m acting like an asshole. I know what this is costing him.

But he’s doing it anyway.

And right now, that’s all I need.

Novalee

---