Thane
Tristan lies unmoving in his bed. Mom didn’t want him in the infirmary, not when he could be in his own bed. Tristan is bare-chested under the sheet covering his lower half, and he’s so pale he already looks dead. Dad lay Tristan on Starr’s pillow, hoping her scent would help wake him. So far, nothing.
I sit beside Tristan’s bed, holding his hand. All of our siblings, bar Esme, their mates, my mate, and grandparents are here. Dad took Mom to lie down. She isn’t coping with this at all, she’s a shadow of the woman she once was, and Goddess knows if she’ll come through this. Losing one child is bad enough, but two must be sheer t*****e on the soul.
“Trist, if you can hear me, I need you to wake up now. Shade? You have to release the hold. Mom needs Tristan here with us, not sleeping away his pain.”
There’s nothing, not even a flicker of Tristan’s eyeballs moving behind his lids. My words haven’t gotten through to him, and he won’t wake up.
“Thane?” I scrub my hands over my face before looking at my grandmother. “We will find a way to help Tristan. The elders are looking into Status Sleep and what it means.”
“Tristan lost the other half of his soul, Lucy.” Grandfather sighs. “If he had a mate, she could maybe have brought Tristan out of this.”
I close my eyes. Tristan hadn’t found his mate, and there was no way of us knowing who she was. We couldn’t just walk up to the girl and tell her that she was Tristan’s mate, even if we did know who she was.
“He does have a mate.” All eyes shoot to Lyric, sitting beside me.
“What? How do you know that?”
Lyric looks at me. “I saw them together at the coronation.”
“What the hell!?” Lyric startles when I yell. I didn’t mean to, but she kept this from me! “Why didn’t you say anything? How could you keep this to yourself?”
“I…”
“Because the girl, whoever she is, obviously rejected Tristan.”
“I know that, Theo! That doesn’t explain why you kept it from me, Lyric.”
“Tristan begged me not to say anything. He was upset, and I promised not to say anything. I did tell him that I wouldn’t keep it from you forever. I wanted to give Tristan the chance to sort things out in his own way. I’m sorry, Thane, I was only doing what Tristan asked of me until he was ready.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Thane Knight, you take that scowl off your face right now!” I roll my eyes at my grandmother and look away. “Do not roll your eyes at me, young man. Now, Lyric, did you see who Tristan’s mate was?”
“What does it matter, Gran? The girl rejected Tristan, and even if we brought her here now, it wouldn’t help.”
“Anything is worth a try, Tyler.”
“There was no verbal rejection.” I turn to look at Lyric. “Will that make a difference?”
“What was said to him?” I shift in my seat and turn Lyric to face me. “Tell me what was said.”
“Just that Tristan was a little boy. His mate demanded Tristan stay away, and they didn’t want him as a mate. I think Tristan’s mate is bothered by the age gap.” Lyric shrugs.
“She’s older than Tristan?”
Lyric nods. “About sixty-two years.”
“That’s nothing!” Isla snaps. “Thane is one hundred and thirty-seven years older than you. Does it make a difference?”
“Not to me. But it obviously did to Tristan’s mate.”
“Who is Tristan’s mate? If she didn’t verbally reject him, the bond is still intact, and we have a chance.”
Lyric looks from me to my grandfather and back to me before sighing. “Brody.” “Brody, what?”
My grandfather growls. William is not a man to be messed with. I remember when I was a teenager, and my mother’s parents came to visit. My mother’s father, Dermot, sat telling me how mates make you weak and not to take a destined mate if one came along. Reject her and take a chosen mate. With a chosen mate, there is no bond like that of a destined mate. If the enemy came for my queen, it wouldn’t hurt as much if she died, not like it would with a true mate.
The man was delusional, and I wondered if he ever treated his mate right or if she even was his mate. It was never confirmed or denied whether or not Mom’s parents were destined or chosen mates, but I assume the latter.
William overheard the conversation and hit the roof. My grandfathers came to blows, and my mother’s father was forced to apologize. William told me outright not to listen to Dermot, and when I find my mate, treat her like the gem she will be.
My upbringing may have been strict, but my siblings and I had much love in our lives. We saw it all around us, though Theo and I were warned we’d have to work twice as hard to keep our mates safe because of our status. However, Dad told us to never underestimate a woman. They’re stronger than any man believes, and she should never be held back or tied down.
“Are you saying the Bear King is Tristan’s mate?”
Lyric nods at William. The women gasp, and my brothers shift uncomfortably.
Me?
I think I’m in shock. Brody nor Tristan let on they were mates. Brody sat in my office with a smile on his face, hiding the fact he’d walked away from my brother! I’ll kill him!
“I’ll call him,” Tyler growls before leaving the room.
I don’t want Brody here because I fear what I’ll do. But, on the other hand, if having Brody here helps Tristan, then here is where the bas.tard needs to be. Brody doesn’t owe me anything, but Tristan is my brother. If Brody refuses to see Tristan, the war with the Fairy King will be nothing compared to the hell I’ll rain down on the Bear King!
‘Brody has the right to refuse his mate, Thane.
‘I don’t care about that, Jagger! Brody doesn’t have to take Tristan as his mate. But if there is any chance he can help my brother, then Brody needs to come here. He needs to give enough of a sh.it about Tristan to help him!’
‘I know.’
I get out of my seat, kiss Tristan’s forehead, and leave the room without a word to Lyric. I shouldn’t have walked away from her, but I’m angry that she kept something so important from me. I need some air; I can’t breathe will all those people around me.
I check in with Blaze, wondering if I should get someone else to cover Royal duties for a while. I’m putting a lot on his shoulders, but Blaze assures me he’s okay. If he needs a break, he’ll take one. Blaze doesn’t want me to worry; his younger brother, Blaine, is helping him with everything. James and his mate are with my parents, taking care of them. Esme. Goddess, I haven’t checked on Esme yet, so that’s where I head next.
I find Esme in her bedroom, lying on her bed, curled up with her teddy bear. Melissa, our resident Nanny, tips her head and leaves the room. Melissa has been with us since Thorin and Tane were born. She’s always been there for my five youngest siblings, and right now, Esme needs her more than ever.
“Esme?” She’s facing away from me and hasn’t moved to acknowledge she heard me. I walk around her pink canopy bed and sit in the seat Melissa vacated. My eyes close momentarily before opening them to see Esme staring at me. “Hi, baby girl.” “Hi.” She whispers.
“I know you’re sad right now, and I’m sorry everyone seems busy. But I want you to know that I am always here for you. Okay?”
“Okay. Why did Starr go to heaven? She promised never to leave me, but she did.”
“Oh, Esme.” I sigh and lift her onto my lap when she reaches for me. I’ve never seen her look so sad, and it fuc.king hurts like hell. “You know that some things happen and people die as a result?” Esme nods. “Remember what Mommy told you about those people and how they would never leave if they had a choice?”
“Starr didn’t have a choice?” I shake my head. “She didn’t want to leave us?”
“No, baby girl. Starr didn’t want to leave us. Something happened that took Starr away from us, but she’s with the Moon Goddess now.”
“She’ll be safe there? And happy?”
I nod, even though I don’t know if that’s true. “Starr will always be watching you, Esme. Always remember that, baby girl.”
Tears fall from Esme’s eyes, and it breaks my heart in two. She’s just eleven years old and shouldn’t have to deal with the death of a loved one this early in life.
“Tristan is going to die too. Isn’t he?”
I swallow back the lump in my throat while stroking the back of Esme’s hair. I wish I could tell this little girl that Tristan will be fine, but I can’t. I can’t lie to Esme and say everything will be okay. Because if I do that and Tristan dies, Esme will see me as nothing but a liar. She would never trust a word I said again.
“I honestly don’t know, Esme. Hopefully, when his mate arrives, Tristan will wake up.” I pray to every deity up there that this works. If Brody refuses to help…
“Will my mate always come to me when I need them?”
I smile and kiss Esme’s head. “Of course, baby girl. Your mate will always come when you need them.”
Esme snuggles into my chest, and I wrap my arms around her. “I hope Aidan is my mate.”
“The Vampire King?”
“Yes.”
What the fuc.king hell!?!?
“He is so nice and kind to me, Thane. When I was at his castle, he played games with me and watched any movie I wanted. He took me horse riding and swimming and even baked cookies with me. He didn’t even get cross when I broke one of his favorite vases!” “You broke a vase?” That doesn’t sound like Esme.
“Yeah,” She nods. “It was an accident. Starr and me were playing tag, and she was chasing me. I ran into the stand the vase was on, and it fell and shattered. Starr said we might be in trouble because the vase was hundreds of years old. I was very scared Aidan would be mad with us.”
“What happened?”
“Marcus, Aidan’s friend, said we had to explain to Aidan what happened. When Aidan came, he asked me why I was crying. I told him I didn’t mean to break the vase and was very sorry. He crouched down and smiled at me. He said I shouldn’t be sad and was proud of me for being honest. But it was just a vase that broke; it wasn’t the end of the world, and everything was okay. Then he hugged me, and it was nice. That’s when I asked the Moon Goddess to make him my mate. Everyone should have a kind mate like Aidan…” Esme’s voice trails off as she falls asleep in my arms. Maybe this is just a little girl crush, but I need to keep an eye on Esme as she gets older. I’d hate for her to fall for the Vampire King and be disappointed when he turns out not to be her mate. She’d be heartbroken, and that I won’t stand for. I think it’s best Aidan stay away from my little sister until after she finds her mate.
‘Thane, Tyler’s voice fills my head. ‘Brody is here.’
Truth time.
Goddess above, please let this work.