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  Michael slowly got off the bed and walked over to where Isaac stood. Gently he reached out, wrapped his arms around Isaac from behind and rested his chin on Isaac’s shoulder. “What do you mean that you’d kill her?” Michael asked him before placing a kiss on Isaac’s neck.

  Isaac sighed but didn’t turn around. “Please don’t make me talk about this.”

  I’d never heard Isaac speak with such a pleading tone before. He’d always sounded very controlled. He was never one to show any emotion, except for when it came to Michael. Even then, his affection toward him was very limited—at least when they weren’t behind closed doors. So to see him in that state, extremely vulnerable, was a complete shock to me. He sounded so helpless. No longer was he the cool, broody Fae that I had come to know. In his place was someone who was very lost.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’d never push you to do something you don’t want to do, babe,” I heard Michael say softly.

  Isaac remained motionless as Michael stood, hugging him from behind. I sat there in the chair and watched the two men. I could tell that Isaac was having an internal war with himself on whether or not to tell us what was on his mind, while Michael offered him his silent support. Michael was literally, and figuratively, holding the Fae up, while he battled whatever was plaguing his mind.

  “If I’m going to do this, I need you two to remain silent until all of it is out. And Michael? I can’t have you touching me while I talk, or I won’t be able to get it out. So please go sit back down.”

  Michael wordlessly placed another kiss to Isaac’s neck before unwinding his arms from around Isaac. Quietly, he walked back over to the bed and sat down. I got up and went to sit beside Michael. We needed to be near each other because I just knew that whatever it was, it was something that ate Isaac alive. Something that was powerful enough to break the strong man. I reached out and grasped Michael’s hand and was grateful when Michael offered a reassuring squeeze as we braced ourselves for Isaac to speak.

  Isaac sighed and kept his back to us. Michael and I sat there in complete silence as we watched him grapple with the correct words to say. Clearly, the story he had to tell us wasn’t going to be an easy one.

  “I-it was about two hundred years ago. A few years before Josh executed our father and we had to go into exile. There were a few healers living amongst us Fae. They were the offspring to some of the Fae in our commune who’d had relationships with humans. Obviously, that wasn’t unheard of. If it was, then your friend wouldn’t have her ability,” he said wryly.

  I glanced back at Kimberly’s still form lying behind us and I smiled. But Michael and I said nothing, and I silently prayed that Isaac would continue.

  “There was a healer in the village that I’d become close to. Her name was Francesca and she was like a sister to me, and I guess you could also say, my best friend. We were pretty inseparable, even though she was a lot younger than me. Even Josh got jealous at how close she and I were. He would make comments about how he and I never spent any time together. That she was always around. But I knew he loved her just as much as I did,” Isaac continued without turning back around to look at us.

  Michael squeezed my hand again and I knew it was because we both had an inkling where the story was headed. I didn’t fail to hear how he mentioned Francesca in past tense. Something awful must have happened to her.

  “O-one day Fr-Francesca and I were out on a w-walk. Sh-she had heard from other Fae about a clearing in the woods next to a stream, and she wanted to check it out. I knew exactly what she was talking about since I’d flown over it a few times, so I said that I’d t-take her.” His voice sounded thick with tears and I thought I heard the distinct sound of a sniffle.

  I stole a quick glance at Michael and saw his jaw was clenched shut, and his grip on my hand tightened. The muscle in his jaw ticked, and I could tell that it was killing him to sit there and watch the man he loved break down. I knew it took all he could do not to go to him and offer him some comfort.

  “We found the clearing without incident, and she was so excited to see the stream. She was eager to see it because her father was so protective over her and she had never seen one before. So aside from the things she did with me, her life was pretty sheltered.”

  Isaac paused and drew in a deep breath. I watched him bring a hand up and furiously swipe at the tears that I knew were coursing down his cheeks. I knew because Michael’s and my cheeks were both stained with tears, too.

  “We had taken our shoes off to wade in the water and Francesca had found some rocks she was climbing on. I remember the brilliant smile that lit up her face and the sound of her laughter as she climbed on those fucking rocks,” Isaac said shakily. “The rocks were s-slippery from the water and she fell. I was standing t-too far away to catch her in time, and she h-hit her h-head on a r-rock.”

  I brought my free hand up to stifle the gasp that was trying its hardest to escape. Michael made an inarticulate noise beside me.

  “There was so much blood. The water surrounding her had turned red and the rock was coated in her blood. I carried her out of the water and did the only thing I could do. I tried to heal her. I knew she was still alive because she was breathing. All I needed to do was close the wound in her head. I pulled off my shirt to try and stop the blood flow and I tried to project as much of my light into her as I could. It seemed to be working, but then something went wrong. When I went to pull back my light, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she let out a scream. It was a scream I’ve never been able to forget. A scream of pure torture and agony. And then, right there in my ar-arms, she d-died,” Isaac finished with a sob of anguish.

  “Fuck this shit,” Michael growled and released my hand.

  Before I could stop him, Michael had crossed the room and was in front of Isaac. He drew Isaac into his arms and stroked his back as Isaac sobbed into his shoulder. Tears still flowed steadily down my cheeks as Michael and Isaac embraced in front of me. Isaac continued to sob for the loss of his friend, and he clearly still blamed himself for her death. Michael cried for the torment his boyfriend still carried. And I cried, not only from watching them both, but from the helplessness of the situation. What if Kimberly never woke up? What if we lost her forever?

  “I’m so sorry I can’t help her,” Isaac cried into Michael’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. None of this is your fault,” Michael said, trying to reassure Isaac.

  “Her father blamed me. Even though I tried to help her. He b-blamed me. It’s all my fault,” Isaac choked out. “If I hadn’t taken her to the stream that day, she’d still be alive.”

  “No, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know that was going to happen. It was an accident. You did what you thought was right at the time. It was not your fault,” Michael insisted vehemently. He grabbed Isaac’s cheeks and forced him to look him in the eye. “Listen to me, honey. Francesca’s death and Kimberly’s coma are not your fault. You didn’t do anything but try and save both of them.”

  Isaac nodded slowly and buried his face back in the crook of Michael’s neck. For the time being, Michael’s jealousy over Isaac’s and Kimberly’s connection was completely forgotten. I was so busy focusing on the scene in front of me that I failed to notice any movement behind me. I didn’t feel the bed shift. Didn’t hear any noises. I was completely oblivious.

  “What’s going on?” Kimberly croaked out from behind me in confusion. “Why is everyone crying? Did someone die?”

  Chapter 29

  “How much do you remember?” Josh asked as he stared at Kimberly in wonder.

  Josh and Nick had thankfully returned from their shopping trip minutes after Kimberly had woken up. Nick, Isaac, and I didn’t have a chance to ask her any questions, and upon seeing her awake, Josh had instantly rushed to her. He’d enveloped her in his arms in relief and squeezed her so tight that she was gasping.

  “Not much. The last th
ing I remember was healing Isaac and then waking up. I feel like I’ve been asleep for hours.” Kimberly shrugged and wiped the sleep from her eyes.

  “Not hours. Days,” Nick corrected her.

  “Days?” Kimberly gaped at him.

  “Four days, to be exact,” Nick said grimly.

  Kimberly’s eyes widened, and had it been under different circumstances, the look on her face would have been comical. Instead, I could only imagine how she was feeling, knowing that she had lost four days of her life.

  “W-what happened?” she asked softly, a slight tremble in her voice.

  “We were able to save everyone from the cave, and then Isaac needed you to heal him. Some of the other healers jumped in to help. I guess you used too much of your light and it caused you to pass out. You’ve been pretty much comatose while you recharged,” Michael explained with a shrug.

  “Are you okay?” Kimberly asked as she gave Isaac a quick once-over, practically ignoring the fact that Michael had told her she’d been in a coma.

  Isaac smiled at her reassuringly. “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

  Kimberly smiled back and seemed to let out a shaky breath of relief. That was just Kimberly’s way, though. She always put the needs and concerns of others over her own.

  “Kimberly, do you have any idea how those vampires were able to take you?” Nick asked.

  “It’s kind of fuzzy. I just remember waking up out of a deep sleep and feeling insanely restless. I didn’t want to wake you guys up, especially Courtney since we shared a bed, with all of my tossing and turning, so I decided to go for a walk.”

  “You took a walk?” Josh asked in confusion. “I didn’t hear you get up, and I’m usually a light sleeper.”

  “Unless someone wore you out,” Kimberly quipped before turning serious again. “I was going to just walk the hall up here, but for some reason, I felt compelled to go downstairs.”

  “Why in the hell would you go downstairs in the middle of the night by yourself?” Michael practically yelled at her.

  “I don’t know. I’m never usually that reckless. It was as if something was just drawing me outside. But as soon as I stepped out the door, someone grabbed me from behind.”

  Michael and Nick let out equally intimidating growls. I watched as Isaac placed a comforting hand on Michael’s shoulder while Josh seemed to perk up in excitement. Evidently, he liked it when Nick went into alpha mode.

  “I fought back,” Kimberly said after a moment of silence. “When they were struggling to get me into their car, I fought back.”

  “They can drive?” I asked in surprise.

  Isaac shrugged. “The Strigoi have been around for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years. They adapt to changes just as us Fae do. And if it were Liderc who grabbed her, well, they’re half human. So clearly they will be capable of doing the things other humans do.”

  “I-I did notice that when we were fighting, no one else was around. Granted, it was very late in the night, or maybe it was early in the morning, but no one heard me screaming. No one heard the struggle or saw them drag me to the alley. But I managed to kick one in the face, and when he stumbled, he landed on a piece of metal that was sticking out of the dumpster. So at least I was able to kill one.” Kimberly shrugged with a wry smile.

  “Maybe they put some kind of weird barrier up that blocked out everyone from outside of it? Who knows with the vampires. They seem to come up with something new every century,” Josh said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “But kudos to you, Cupcake, for kicking that vamp’s ass!”

  Kimberly laughed weakly. “Everyone made it out of the cave safely, correct?”

  “Yes, though we’re unsure what happened to them after they all took off,” Nick answered her.

  “Guess we’ll never know,” Kimberly sighed and looked at us. “So now what?”

  “Isaac and I actually talked. I think maybe I need to call my grandfather and let him know what happened,” Michael said after he cleared his throat.

  “Do you think that’s a wise decision? Don’t forget what happened the last time you talked to him,” Nick cautioned.

  “I’m aware, Alpha. But I think he needs to know what happened. So he’ll know that we were able to save the healers and destroy that little nest of bloodsuckers,” Michael snapped.

  “Do what you want, man. I just don’t want your feelings to get hurt again.” Nick held up his hands in mock surrender.

  Michael walked over to the phone situated between the beds and quickly dialed his grandparents’ phone number. He pressed the button to place the call on speaker and the rest of us made ourselves comfortable on the beds.

  “Michael? I thought I made myself perfectly clear that I didn’t want you to call me,” Everett Buchanan’s gruff voice came through the speaker.

  “I’m sorry, but I just wanted to let you know that we completed our task,” Michael said with a hint of pride in his voice.

  “What task might that be?” Everett asked.

  “Well, w-we saved over two dozen healers and destroyed the group of vampires that took them.”

  “Okay? What do you want me to say? Congratulations?” Everett‘s gruff voice asked rudely.

  “I guess I don’t understand your response. I thought we did what we needed to do,” Michael said softly.

  The hurt was definitely evident, even though I could tell he was trying to mask it. Isaac wrapped his strong arms around Michael’s waist from behind and held him close. Michael leaned against Isaac’s broad chest and seemed to relish in the comfort Isaac was giving him.

  Everett laughed harshly from the other line. “Michael, you did one thing. Which is great, don’t get me wrong. But what you did is miniscule compared to what you have waiting for you.”

  “What do you mean?” Michael managed to choke out after making an inarticulate noise.

  “I’m assuming you found your two guides?”

  “Yes, of course we did,” Michael answered, and I watched as Nick pressed a quick kiss to Josh’s forehead.

  “Then your fate is sealed.”

  “I thought it was sealed the day I shifted into a wolf, and even before this when my ancestor wrote about all of this in her diary,” Michael said sardonically.

  Everett sighed deeply. “In a way, yes, but you weren’t the Exi until you met your guides. It wasn’t a one hundred percent certainty that you were the Exi. I was just guessing, considering who you associate with. But once you teamed up with them, it was done. The Exi was formed and there is no going back. You are all now marked and on the enemies’ radar.”

  “I see.” Michael sounded pissed.

  “I’m sorry, Grandson. But your life has forever changed. The life you once knew? Forget it ever existed. And the same goes for everyone else you are with right now. Forget about having a normal life. This, what you’re doing now, is your new normal. Forget about your jobs, any other friends, and your family. I love you. We all love you. But do not contact me again.”

  Everett hung up and we all sat in stunned silence, staring at the phone.

  “Now what?” Josh finally asked, breaking the silence.

  Our gazes all turned to Michael, whose eyes were still staring intently at the phone. His brow was furrowed in fierce concentration and his jaw was clenched.

  “Isaac, I need you to listen to me.” Michael pulled from Isaac’s arms and turned to face him. His hands reached up to grip Isaac’s cheeks and his eyes locked hard on the Fae’s. “This, what my grandfather said, I cannot ask you or Josh to uproot your lives for us. This isn’t a life for you. And as much,” Michael swallowed hard and I saw tears glisten in his eyes, “as much as I love you, I can’t risk you getting hurt. I thought I lost you once and that nearly killed me. I need you and your brother to be safe. So as much as it pains me to say this, I need you to leave.”

  “What are you talking about? We’re already in the middle of this,” Isaac argued, confusion etched all over his face.

  Michael shook his hea
d at Isaac’s words. “Then I need you to get out of it. Please don’t make this any harder than it already is. Just take Josh and leave.”

  “Michael, no! What are you saying?” Nick asked angrily from where he was sitting.

  “Just fucking leave!” Michael yelled harshly at the Fae. Anger and misery burned from his eyes.

  Wordlessly, Isaac pulled back from Michael and grabbed onto Josh’s hand. Josh didn’t even protest, he was in so much shock, as Isaac pulled him out of the hotel room. We all jumped when the door slammed shut behind them.

  “What in the ever-loving fuck did you just do?” Nick yelled at Michael.

  “I saved their lives.”

  Chapter 30

  “And you think you can just make these decisions without consulting us? Without asking me?” Nick bellowed across the room at Michael. Fuck, was he furious.

  “I did what needed to be done. They didn’t ask for this. They got caught up in it and risked their lives way too much for us. I can’t ask them to keep doing that.” Michael lowered his head and stared at the floor.

  “And we did? Do you honestly think this was something we asked for? Because I sure as hell didn’t. I know I can’t speak for Kimberly or Courtney, like you seem to think you’re fucking able to do, but I’d love to be at home on my couch right now watching television and eating chips. Or better yet, lying in bed with my boyfriend. But I can’t do that, either. And you know why that is? Because I was born into this shit and you sent Josh away!”

  “I had to do what was best for them,” Michael sighed, his voice sounding weary and defeated.

  “No, you had to do what was best for you! You can quit with that fucking hero bullshit. You were perfectly fine with them staying with us until you called that pathetic excuse for a grandfather! Fat lot of good that did, huh? All he did was make you feel like shit and guilt you into sending them away! Well, FUCK YOU!”

  Before Nick could catch his breath after his little tirade, Michael was off his feet and slammed Nick into the wall. The air was knocked out of Nick’s body from the impact and Michael had his forearm pressed against Nick’s throat.