Page 9 of A Trial By Blood

“Why would he do that? You’re his best friend. He loves you.”

“He keeps saying he’s with his brothers, but I think he’s seeing someone.” Mags looked to the window and unconsciously zipped her jacket to her throat and tugged down her sleeves, covering her scars. “Why else would he be acting so secretive? He disappears for hours, sometimes a day or two. Then he comes back and lies about where he’s been and acts like nothing happened. I know him, Rose. Better than I know myself. I know when he’s lying.” She let out a shaky breath. “I fucking hate this.”

“You need to talk to him. Really talk to him. He’s too important to let something or someone else get in between you.”

Her lips curled up again, in an imitation of a smile. “Maybe he’s met someone who can give him something I can’t?”

Did she mean? Was she finally admitting that she knew how Bram felt? We all tiptoed around the subject. It was up to them to figure out, and any interference from us would only make it harder. So, as much as I wanted to ask about his feelings for her being more than just friends, I erred on the side of caution. “Like what?”

She shrugged and chewed her lip, not meeting my eyes. “I haven’t been a good friend to him lately. I know that. I’ve been leaning on him constantly. He’s put up with my moods. My rages. I’ve been so lost in my own head, in my own problems, I haven’t been checking on him.” She looked up, and that false smile was back. “Basically, Bram is over my shit, and I don’t blame him. He’s put up with more than anyone should have to.”

Okay, so no. She wasn’t referring to a romantic relationship. But she was also wrong. Completely. “You could do anything, say anything, nothing will change how Bram feels about you.”

“Yep,” Mags said. “The poor guy is stuck with me. He’s my familiar. He’ll always feel obliged to look after me, whether he wants to or not.”

I squeezed her hand. “I don’t believe that.”

“You don’t have a familiar, Roe. You don’t know.” She said it as gently as she could, but I still had to fight not to flinch.

“No, you’re right, I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Not having a familiar had caused me a lot of pain growing up. I’d waited, but no one had ever come.

Mags flew out of her chair suddenly and wrapped her arms around me. “I can’t believe I said that. I’m sorry, Roe. God, I’m such an asshole.”

A great weariness came over me. The kind that meant it was only a matter of minutes before I was pulled into a deep sleep. “It’s the truth. You don’t need to be sorry.” My limbs felt impossibly weak, and I patted her back as best I could. “I-I’m going to rest now.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

She tucked the covers around me and sat back on the chair.

I closed my eyes, unable to do anything else.

Darkness closed in, heavy and cold, sucking me under. Taking me closer to the other side than I’d ever been before. Taking me closer to Death.

So close, I could feel his breath against my cheek.

* * *

Ronan

The knight’s compound was an old warehouse several stories high. Willow, Rose’s oldest sister, had warded it and still did regularly. It made it almost impossible to find, and anyone who came close felt compelled to get away as fast as possible. The Thornhearts were friends to the knights and had been for many years.

I stood in the common room on the sixth floor. The knights, their mates, and offspring were all gathered around my sister. There was a lot of talking and laughter. They’d sung “Happy Birthday” to her before Eve had carried in a giant chocolate cake with “Happy Birthday Luna” written in purple frosting on the top.

I wasn’t sure why Luna wanted me here. My sister said she liked having me close. I may not understand why, but if she needed that, I would give it to her. After years of suffering because of the way I’d blindly followed Azel, I owed her that much.

I wished I could say it was because I felt affection for her, but that wasn’t something I was capable of. I did, however, remember what it was like to care for her, to feel protective over her. Childhood memories, yes, but it was something, and I found myself thinking of it often and clinging to.

I watched Gunner smile at my sister, a warmth in his eyes that was unmistakable. I curled up my lips, attempting to imitate the action for some unknown reason. It felt foreign, strange. I lifted my fingers to my lips and felt them. My mouth had changed position, but I knew there would be no warmth in my eyes, not like Gunner’s.

Luna turned, and I stopped what I was doing, quickly dropping my hand. She walked over, rested her hands on my chest, and smiled up at me. There it was again, warmth. The first time she touched my chest after I came back, she’d pulled away quickly. She said it upset her that my heart didn’t beat anymore. My sister’s had stopped as well for a while, but after she met Gunner, it had somehow come back to life.

“You have love for me, don’t you?” I asked, even though I knew the answer. She’d said many times that she held affection for me.

Her smile slipped and her head tilted to the side. “Yes, Ronan, I love you. You’re my big brother.”