Page 92 of Emerald Flame
“You love her.”
Warren turned toward Fergus. “I do, and dammit, I don’t want to go back to the way things were before she came into my life. I didn’t know how alone I was.”
“So, don’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t go back. Go find Kiara and bring her home. She belongs here. Our wolves love her for her sacrifices, she knows about your wife and understands, she’s the woman for you. Hell, I don’t think I ever saw you smile, at least not like that, until you were with Kiara. Mary said the same thing.”
Some of the fog began drifting out of his head. Small rivulets of hope started moving in. “There’s a problem. Tonya told her if I stayed with her, I would die. That’s why she left.”
Fergus once more released a string of choice words. “Go see Tonya. Maybe she has something more to add, some way out of this mess.”
Warren knew it didn’t work that way, that it was hard to get Tonya to focus on anything. But he’d been planning on seeing her tonight as it was. “I’ll do that.”
“Now.”
Warren’s lips quirked. “Fine. Now. I was going over there anyway.”
Fergus left shortly after and Warren headed to his rooms to get changed. Once the decision was made, more of the fog peeled away.
Fergus had said he should bring Kiara home. Given his state of mind, he’d begun to think he didn’t have much of a choice. Life without her seemed to be an abyss out of which he’d have to crawl every night of hisalterlife unless he changed things.
She’d fulfilled him, pure and simple. He didn’t want a life in Savage without her.
If it was true his life was in danger if she was near, then they’d deal with it, create a security system to keep them both safe, whatever needed to be done.
First, though, he needed to see his wife.
~ ~ ~
Kiara moved around the refuge as though she had lead weights attached to the bottom of her feet. She didn’t know a body could feel this way, like she was sinking into the earth with each step she took.
Three days had passed since she’d told Warren she was leaving. But she hadn’t. Instead, she’d remained cloistered inside the refuge. She simply hadn’t been able to make herself leave Savage altogether.
She’d already acknowledged she was grief stricken, so she accepted she’d be feeling this way for a long time.
She showered and dressed for the night. Her chef was bringing her a tray with coffee and a lemon-blueberry muffin.
She might drink the coffee.
Later, when she opened the door to take the tray, she felt an odd chill pass through her. She glanced around, but her living room was calm and peaceful. The chill passed.
“You okay?” her chef asked. The sincere concern in the wolf’s tone tightened Kiara’s throat. “Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for bringing this to me.”
“Ralph and Susie headed back to the Strip. They’re rebuilding the club. The Tribunal has approved funds to repair damage to the clubs affected by Julio’s attempted take-over.”
“Well, that’s something.” Mostly she thought the Tribunal useless. But she also knew with so much corruption rampant throughout Five Bridges, and within the Trib itself, Donaldson’s hands were all but tied.”
She carried the tray to the dining table and picked up her coffee. She took a sip and enjoyed the feel of the warm, bitter brew sliding down her throat.
Normalcy.
That’s what she wanted. She knew she’d get over Warren, though it might take years. First step, coffee and a small sensation of normalcy.
Out of the corner of her eye and coming from the direction of her bedroom, she thought she saw a brief flash of green light. She set her cup down on the tray and slowly made her way to the hall.
She moved to levitation and glided down the corridor until she reached the threshold of her bedroom.
