Page 38 of Reine's Salvation

Chapter Sixteen

Reine swung the door open. Disappointment coursed through him.

“Not the person you were expecting eh?” Max said.

“No,” Reine said quietly.

“Why don’t you go to her?”

“She doesn’t want me,” Reine replied, flatly. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Max. “Why are you here, Max?”

“I’m not terribly surprised, considering the mood you’re in.” The younger man grinned, causing Reine’s temper to rise. “Can I come in?”

Reine chewed on the inside of his cheek for an instant before opening the door wider so Max could come inside. It was not wise to refuse entrance to another Guardian. Without waiting, he returned to the couch where he’d been sitting before Max’s arrival. He heard the door close. Reine slumped against the sofa and closed his eyes. Mystique’s image danced before him. She wore the little black dress she’d had on for their date. In his head, he could see the tip of her tongue graze her bottom lip and then her mouth widen into a smile that made his heart triple its rate and an exuberant felicity glide down every inch of his body. She spoke his name and gazed at him. Her eyes sparkled.

The sound of something crashing against the floor snapped him out of his reverie.

“Sorry,” Max said, picking up the painting of the tree. His eyes widened when he saw the hole in the wall. “Wow, what happened here?”

“None of your business,” Reine retorted. He leaned back and tried to return to his daydream, but the sound of Max rummaging around unsettled him. He watched the younger man wandering about the room, inspecting every nook and cranny. His face was set in an unreadable mask, though Reine had no doubt he was judging him.

Reine had cleaned up the mess after Mystique had left his place earlier that day. He’d swept the floor, rehung the painting, and mended the shelves and the kitchen table. He’d even gone to the market and bought some wine and flowers for dinner.

“Quite a fight you had in here, no?” Max asked as he settled on an armchair.

Reine shrugged. “What do you want, kid? You didn’t come to see me at the hospital and suddenly you’re here.”

“I told you, I was on a mission when you were in the hospital. I was happy to see you the other day at the house and realized I haven’t been a good friend. But, you’re right, I’ve not only come to pay you a visit, I’ve come to gather your report,” Max said.

“What?” Reine sat up straight. “What do you mean gather my report?”

“The council hasn’t heard from you in weeks, Reine. They were expecting something by now.”

“The council did not give me a due date,” Reine replied. “They said I was to observe until they saw fit.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean one month of silence.”

Reine shook his head. Fucking bastards. “I knew they wanted to get rid of me, I just never expected this ploy,” he muttered.

“That’s not true, Reine. I’m sure they thought that by sending you here you’d reconnect with our life mission. They’re worried about you. We all are.”

“What the fuck are you talking about now?” Reine glared at Max.

“You haven’t been the same for a long time, Reine. You’re a Guardian and we’re family. You know that. We protect each other. No man left behind.”

To Reine his laughter sounded like the bark of an old dying dog. There was no humor in it. “Family? Sure. Family stays by your side no matter what, Max. Family cares for you when you’ve lost everything. Family sticks together. My wife was my family. For a while, after I lost her, the Academy and the Guardians stood by me, but when I lost my arm, I lost myfamily”—Reine drew quotes in the air—“few came to see me at the hospital and even fewer came to visit me after. I stopped being invited to places. I received no calls. I was not sent on missions. I had no work. Teaching helped, but I was still a pariah. The one-armed Guardian. The man who cannot fight. I am useless to our duty.”

“Do you really believe that?” Max regarded him in silence. His gray eyes showed no emotion. “Mystique told me what happened at the cinema.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Reine asked.

“You’re still a Guardian whether you want to be or not. You’re a fighter of good. It’s in your nature. It’s who you are, Reine.”

“It was,” Reine said. “But I’m tired, Max. I’ve stopped caring,”

“I can see that. Outbursts of anger, destruction of property, you’ve even lost a potential mate, and all for what, Reine?”

“Mystique is not my mate.”

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