me inside.
“Where’s Axel?” Acutely aware my buddy isn’t here, I reach out to the closest thing. Right now, that’s Zoe.
“He’s picking up Skye.” Forest’s voice rumbles behind me. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
I run my fingers through my hair to hide the shaking in my limbs.
“Griff,” Zoe places her hand on my arm, “she wants to tell you what happened, but she’s not ready. It doesn’t mean anything more than that.”
Nothing more than that?
This is the woman I welcomed into my home, into my life, and my bed, yet she still holds out on me. Is it a lack of faith? Trust? What do I need to do to get Moira to open up and confide in me?
I need to stay by her side, but before I can be of any use to Moira, I need to get a grip of my own emotions. I head into the living room and meet the concerned stares of my team. The front door opens and Doc Summers breezes into my house as if she owns the place.
“Where is she?”
I point to the bedroom and watch the doc disappear into my room.
Axel enters next, closing the door behind him. He walks right up to me, clasps my hand, and pulls me into a bro-hug. Axel taps my back. This is when we would normally break, but he holds me for an extra beat.
“Tell me what happened.” Axel releases me and takes in our team. “How can we help?” This is who we are, Guardians to the core, but when it comes down to it, we’re brothers, a family formed by choice with bonds forged in the fiercest fires of hell.
“Can I get anyone something to drink?” I clear my throat and look around.
Axel rolls his eyes and shoves me toward the bedroom. “Go to your girl. I’m sure we can figure out what to do next.”
The guys stand as one and surround me. Fists out, they shove their hands into the center of our circle. I place my fist on top of the pile. One by one, they show their support, removing their fist from the bottom and tapping mine on top. When Wolfe finishes, we huddle in, head to head, shoulder to shoulder.
Forest watches the display from the kitchen, giving us what privacy he can.
Max speaks for the team. “Sworn to serve.”
Knox continues. “Driven to protect.”
Axel grins at me. “We are Guardians.”
I clear my throat. “We stand together.”
Liam shifts his feet. “Brothers united.”
Wolfe grips my wrist. “We are one.”
“Thanks, guys. It means the world to me to have you here.”
“Go to your girl. We’ll be here.” Max claps me on the shoulder and shoves me toward my room.
The guys part, half of them returning to the overstuffed sofas, the others toward the kitchen. The banging of cupboard doors sounds behind me as I leave them to it.
When I walk into my room, Doc Summers looks up at me. A stethoscope is propped in her ears and the drum is pressed to Moira’s chest. The doc puts a finger to her lips, telling me to be silent, then closes her eyes.
Zoe paces back and forth, wringing her hands as she goes. I lean against the doorjamb and wait for the doc to finish her assessment.
Doc Summers pulls the earpieces out of her ears and folds the tubing of her stethoscope before tucking it into the pocket of her jacket. She again puts a finger to her lips. Rising with incredible grace, she closes the distance between us.
“Her vitals are weaker than I’d like. I don’t know what happened, but she’s exhibiting signs of shock.”
“From what?”
Doc Summers’ gaze shifts to Zoe. “I’m hoping we can piece that together.”
“So, what do I do?” My attention shifts to Moira.
“We tuck her in and let her body do what it’s designed to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“Rest and heal.” Her attention once again shifts between Zoe and me. “I suppose I can leave it to the two of you to get her settled in bed?” Her brow arches.
I don’t need Zoe’s help, but I sense there’s more going on here than I realize.
“Of course.” I manage to get the words out, despite my concern.
I don’t know what catatonia looks like, but I’m scared. That’s not an emotion I’m equipped to deal with. I fight my enemies head-on or hand-to-hand. How do I fight the demons locked in Moira’s mind?
I’ve never felt so helpless.
Twenty-Eight
Moira
I stir beneath the soft comfort of down and fleece, stretching my arms overhead. My