"At least you have time to say good-bye. My brothers were gone in an instant. There was no time for anything, not even grieving."
Fang paused as he realized how much she was comforting him. They were sharing their pain and . . .
What are you doing?
He was reaching out to her and he had no idea why. He didn't trust anyone, especially not strangers. He spurned comfort and always had.
Yet he didn't want to leave her. He wanted to stay like this for a while. To have her stroke him and soothe the pain inside his heart.
Aimee pulled back from his embrace to look at something on the ground. She bent forward and pulled up the scrap of fabric that Stefan had ripped off one of the attacking Arcadians. He'd carried it back for their inspection and Vane had brought it over to him earlier to look at. Unfortunately, the scent was so contaminated, it was worthless for them to even try and use it to track them down.
She frowned intently as she studied it.
He duplicated her scowl. "What is it?"
"I know this patch. It's from a tessera uniform."
His heart stopped beating. "What do you mean, you know this?"
Aimee closed her eyes to use her powers as images played through her head. She could see the wolves fighting, hear them snarling and tearing. See the Arcadians attacking them. But one face was clearer than the others.
It was a face she knew all too well.
"It's Stone's."
Fang tilted his head. "Stone? Why do I know that name?"
"He was the wolf you fought behind Sanctuary."
Fang's breath left him as if she'd hit him hard in the solar plexus. "What?"
"He was the wolf-"
"No." Fang shook his head in disbelief as those words shredded his soul. What had he done?
"Dear gods . . . I'm the one who killed my sister."
Fang was nauseated as reality came crashing down and crushed him. His stupid fight had cost his sister the life of her mate and it would take her from them as soon as her litter was born.
How could he have been such an idiot?
"Fang, you can't blame yourself."
He heard Aimee's words, but he knew the truth. "They wouldn't have even known we were here had I not attacked them." For you. He didn't say that last bit out loud, but it burned in his mind like a fiery coal.
What have I done?
"Fang-"
He pushed her hand away. "Please go. Every time you get near me, something bad happens."
Aimee recoiled as if she'd been slapped. And those words stung as much as a physical blow. She tried to tell herself that it was his pain that made him lash out. But it didn't matter. It still hurt.
"I'll go, but if you need a-"
The look he turned on her was harsh, biting, and condemning. "I don't need shit from you or anyone else."
Her throat tightened instantly. Nodding, she took herself home, back to her bed where she sat stunned by his rejection. It shouldn't hurt at all.