failed. The word burned itself into my mind.
“Theo?” The raw, husky voice had me turning with a snarl. The pair facing me had been shadowing my steps for the last week, and I hissed before angling my head, indicating for them to follow me.
“How is she?” Tao was the first to speak up, his voice hoarse, when we were farther away and unlikely to disturb her.
“The same,” I growled with a shrug.
“That’s not enough!” Cedric cried, stepping forward before Tao grasped his arm.
Well now. My sharp eyes ran over the pair, considering them. It was time for a conversation, and I needed to get some of this aggression out anyhow. “Follow me. I’m not talking about this here,” I snapped.
D, I’m taking these two shitheads to Ciarán. I have a hunch about something, and I need his help.
Be safe, he called back. Let me know if you need backup. Or a ringmaster.
Neither Tao nor Cedric flinched as I led them through the storm that raged outside, nor when I briefly knocked at Ciarán’s door, not bothering to wait for his answer before letting myself in.
Ciarán glanced up from his desk, pursing his lips at my guests, before leaning back in the thick leather chair he’d been residing in. “Now normally I make a habit of answering the door myself, you realize. I’m aware it’s an odd habit, but it’s one that has become a favorite.” He arched a copper brow at me, but I ignored it, ushering the pair into the room and slamming the door before standing in front of it with my arms crossed.
“These two were waiting outside of Molly’s room again,” I grumbled, waving my hand at Tao and Cedric. “They seem to think they have some right to know how she’s doing.” Ciarán steepled his fingers, pressing his pointer fingers to his lips with a hum as he studied them. It was clear they had both lost weight over the last week. Their skin was pale, their eyes ringed by dark shadows, and stubble dusted both their faces. Their eyes were flat and dark and veiled in pain as they watched us carefully.
“I see,” Ciarán murmured, his eyes searching mine for a moment before going back to them. “Is that true?”
Tao and Cedric shared a look before Cedric lifted his chin. “She’s ours. We’re sure of it.” The words burst from him. “We hadn’t claimed her yet, hadn’t compared marks, but I was certain they would match.”
Ciarán’s eyes sharpened as he leaned forward. “Would?”
Tao grimaced. “When… when Molly died something happened.” Ciarán’s eyes met mine over Tao’s shoulder, widening the slightest bit. This was the missing piece. The puzzle that none of us had been able to solve.
“It was agony.” Cedric’s voice broke on the word as he shuddered, his eyes glazing over as he remembered. “I can’t even describe the pain.” His already gray skin took on a green tint, sweat beading on his brow.
“It was like someone shredded my soul,” Tao murmured, reaching out to clasp Cedric’s shoulder in support. “Shredded it, burned it, froze it…”
“That’s not what happens when mates die though,” I pointed out, leaning back against the wooden doorframe. “Even bonded mates. No stories about true mates have that happening either.”
“It wasn’t when she fell,” Cedric whispered, leaning against Tao. “I was too far away to get near her, but I saw. I just couldn’t get through. My heart broke, but there was no pain. Then I saw Nix wrap her in that power, saw it swallow her. Then…” My Kraken roared at the idea that he blamed my mate.
“Nix saved her,” I reminded him, my teeth clenched.
“You say that, but then you won’t let us see her!” Cedric shouted, his eyes bright with tears. “You won’t tell us how she is, but every time you leave that room you look as though she’s just as dead as she was on that damn snowbank! My mate mark is gone, damn it. It was ripped from my fucking alter after whatever Nix did to Molly. It was ripped from Tao, too, and it pulverized my soul in the process, so forgive me if I don’t believe you when you say she was saved.” He was screaming the words, and only Tao’s arms kept him from throwing himself onto me, his eyes frantic.
My knees nearly gave out, my shoulders slumping down as the truth of what they said hit me. “Fuck. Ciar.”
“Cedric. Tao. Sit down,” Ciarán offered with a sigh. “We’ll tell you