Page 62 of Fallen Mate

Johnny chuckled. “He is. Both of his brothers were little copies of him growing up.”

“Do either of you have any suggestions?” Sariel asked Neo and Matilyn.

Marilyn shrugged. “I know some nephews of Elder Nikolai’s, but they wouldn’t come. They’d quicker drink us dry, and they’re unpleasant company at the best of times.”

Neo hummed. “I’m familiar with Francesca’s daughters, but in order to get them to make a sacrifice like this one, I would have to earn their trust, possibly seduce them. We don’t have time for that. And I can’t rush perfection.”

“Did she give you a time frame? A deadline?” Reese inquired.

The three of them exchanged contemplative glances.

“No, she didn’t,” Sariel finally replied, “but wedon’thave time. Every second we spend discussing is a second the Upper Council or Azazel—assuming they’ve slackened his leash—is using to find us.”

“Which is why I think it should be Michaelson,” I reiterated. “He’s your brother above all else, Sariel. Maybe if you explain things to him—”

“And what if he tells Azazel?” Sariel quipped. “What if he shows us exactly where his loyalties lay, Aria? What do we do then?”

“He will, by the way,” Johnny interjected. “He’s absolutely going to snitch. Anything to get on daddy’s good side.”

Sariel sent me a look.

“I’m not saying that we can’t out-maneuver them by just taking Mikey with us and convincing him along the way, though,” Johnny pointed out. “It’s very possible that there might be more going on in Mikey’s life than you realized, Sariel, and I think it’s time you faced it.”

Sariel’s face was suddenly wiped of all emotion.

I sighed. “Guys, give us a few minutes alone? Get some rest or something,” I told the rest of the group.

When they’d left, I adjusted myself, tossing one leg over Sariel’s thighs and settling on his lap to straddle him. His hands immediately landed on my hips, which he gave a gentle squeeze as he looked up at me.

“I don’t think I can face him,” he confessed. “I don’t know if I can look at him after so long and not be consumed with guilt. I don’t think I can be rejected by him again.”

Oh.

I sucked in a sharp breath. My heart ached for my mate; I’d misunderstood his hesitation for something it wasn’t. It hadn’t occurred to me that he would be afraid of getting hurt again.

“But he’s worth it,” I said slowly. “He’s your brother. Regardless of what might have been, he’s in a shitty situation not much different from the one you were in. Maybe it’s a bit less abusive, but your father is a dick, Sariel; without you as his punching bag, do you really think Michaelson escaped unscathed from him?”

My words made him still beneath me. I could feel his anguish, and it led me to press a warm kiss to his forehead.

“I hadn’t thought about that,” he breathed.

“It happened once,” I reminded him. “It’ll happen again. It likelyhashappened again.”

“He never came to me after that one time,” he said quietly.

I swallowed what I wanted to say, tilting his head up and pressing a kiss to his mouth. “There is nothing you could have done if he didn’t come to you, Sariel.”

Another kiss. “You are not any less of an incredible brother because you didn’t help him in a situation where he clearly didn’t want your help.”

Another, this time to the tip of his nose. “You aren’t all-knowing. You can’t read minds other than mine. If he needed you, Sariel, he would have called you.”

My final kiss was on his forehead again.

He leaned into my hold, wrapping his arms around his waist and fitting his head against my chest. He sighed, causing my heart to lurch. I could sense contentment, yet I could also feel resignation.

“Have you considered that he might have been doing the same thing you were doing for him, for you?” I asked, running my fingers through his hair. “Maybe he was trying to protect his big brother. Maybe he saw more than you thought he did.”

He squeezed me tightly. “I’ll do it,” he said, his words muffled by my shirt. “I’ll get in contact with him.”

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