Page 14

14

Saffron

The castle’s medical room was quiet except for the steady rhythm of Aurum’s breathing. He slept in a bed by the furthest wall while I sat near his head, ready to act if he needed anything. Once in a while, my hand hovered over his shoulder, wanting to touch him and make sure he was still moving. Mylo was asleep against Aurum’s chest, curled up in ferret form. Taylor had offered to babysit the girls so they could be together, and so they didn’t find out what happened to their dad. They were too young to understand.

My head hurt. I still couldn’t believe this happened.

I clenched my eyes shut, then opened them to stare at Aurum’s injuries. His neck was bandaged, and his eyes had dark bags under them, but otherwise he was okay. The nurse insisted the wound wasn’t as serious as it looked. His thick dragon scales had saved him, thank Holy Drake.

But I felt horribly guilty. I should’ve spoken to Rorik properly that night. I shouldn’t have run away to let him stew in his chaotic thoughts alone. He needed me, and I’d abandoned him. What kind of alpha was I?

The door creaked open.

Before I could even lift my head, Viol already loomed over Aurum. His face was pale. He looked shaken.

“Tell me what happened,” he rasped without looking at me.

How could I even begin to explain? I’d rather dump half my DVD collection into the garbage than try to describe this disaster.

“The omega I like attacked Aurum,” I said miserably. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mylo’s ear twitched.

Viol’s gaze snapped to mine. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

I sighed, gathering the willpower to clarify. “Rorik, the polar bear. He’s from a weird clan that brainwashed him into thinking dragons are evil. He was sent here to kill us, and they’d shun him if he failed.” As the truth poured out of me, so did my feelings. “It’s my fault. Rorik was confused. He never saw my dragon form, so he couldn’t accept that fact that we’re the ‘evil creatures’ he was supposed to kill. I should’ve shifted and proved that we are dragons. If I did that, he would’ve recognized Aurum. Ugh, I’m so stupid...”

Viol didn’t blink as he stared at me. He stood as still as a statue.

“A polar bear did this?” Viol finally asked, his voice low and grave.

I nodded sadly.

A bead of sweat rolled down Viol’s temple. He looked like he wanted to speak, but held back.

A knock came at the door. A voice called, “It’s Jade—with Rorik.”

My stomach lurched. I wasn’t afraid to see Rorik, but I was scared of what Viol would do to him. I leapt from my seat and ran to the door. Shifting energy sparked beneath my skin, ready to unleash itself if Viol even bared a tooth in Rorik’s direction.

Heart pounding, I threw the door open. Jade’s expression was civil as he escorted Rorik forward. He was a hot mess. His usually neat-cropped hair flew in every direction, and dark rings circled his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days despite the incident happening only hours ago.

I expected a twinge of anger in my stomach, but it never came. The only thing I felt was bittersweet relief and guilt.

Rorik searched my face desperately. He seemed relieved to see me, too, but in a wholly different way. He looked like he expected a death sentence, and wanted me to follow through with it.

Stupid-ass bear.

When nobody spoke, Jade cleared his throat. “Rorik wanted to visit Aurum. Is that all right with you, Saffron?” he asked.

I caught the icy glint in Jade’s eyes. It was a not-so-subtle question about my feelings on this visit—if I said no, Rorik might be in danger.

Protective instincts flared up within me. I grabbed Rorik’s wrist and pulled him inside.

“Yes, it’s fine,” I told Jade. “He won’t hurt anyone.”

Incredulity flashed on Rorik’s face. He looked emotionally shattered, and that only heightened my urge to defend him. He knew he’d done something horribly wrong.

Jade nodded, but his gaze slid to the two other people in the room with me—Viol and Mylo.

“Is it all right with them ?” he asked.

I readied a glare at Viol, braced to defend Rorik against him, but to my surprise, Viol’s face was utterly empty. He stared through Rorik, dazed.

While I was distracted by Viol’s strange reaction, Mylo sat up. He shifted to human form and stormed over to Rorik, jabbing a shaky finger at him. His eyes were red from tears.

“Y-you have some nerve, coming in here after what you did to my mate,” Mylo barked. “I should—I should bite your ears off!”

Rorik was gigantic compared to Mylo, but the bear omega looked ready to crumple under the ferret’s scorn.

“I don’t deserve to be in this room,” Rorik said hoarsely. “I only want to know if Aurum is okay.”

The thick guilt in his voice cut me like a knife. There was no faking that. He felt awful.

I squeezed my fingers tighter around Rorik’s wrist. I wanted him to know that even if nobody else believed in him, I did.

“Mylo,” I began, “I promise I won’t let anyone hurt Aurum again. But I won’t let anyone hurt Rorik, either.”

Mylo’s eyes widened at the implication. His shoulders trembled as he took a few breaths. Finally, he sighed and sat down. “Okay.”

My promise to protect Rorik dissolved the fog of distrust in the air. Viol kept out of the way, lurking against the wall with a blank look, while Mylo watched us closely, curious but no longer thirsty for bear blood. He must’ve been awake earlier when I mentioned Rorik’s brainwashing. Otherwise, I doubt he would’ve been so lenient.

“Come on,” I urged Rorik softly.

Rorik swallowed hard and followed me to the bedside. I felt a ripple of relief run across his skin when he saw Aurum breathing.

“Oh, thank gods,” he mumbled, grasping his chest with his free hand. His knees suddenly gave out. The huge omega sank to the floor as if the terrible weight on his shoulders had finally caught up with him.

“I’m sorry,” Rorik murmured. “I can’t make up for this by apologizing. But I am sorry.”

I couldn’t help but flinch at the broken quality of his voice. That wasn’t the strong, proud bear I knew.

I sank beside Rorik and put my arm across his broad back. His frame shook beneath my palm.

“It’s not going to happen again,” I stated.

“No,” Rorik choked out. “I would rather die.”

I growled. My nails dug possessively into his shoulder. “Stop that. Nobody’s dying, okay? Cut it out.”

Rorik turned his drained face towards me. I hated seeing him look so worn down and pathetic. I wasn’t angry with him—I was angry at the circumstances that led him to this.

Rorik shook his head miserably. “But I—”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

I crushed my mouth against Rorik’s to silence him. He made a small sound of surprise that I swallowed. After a hesitant beat, Rorik kissed me back. His body sagged with relief, the demons of guilt exorcised by a good, long kiss.

When we broke apart, Rorik’s dark eyes were wet and glistening. I’d never seen him so close to tears.

I smiled and stroked his cheek. His stubble felt pleasant, like home.

A cough interrupted us.

My heart leapt when I saw Aurum awake. He was braced against the bed with a tired grin.

“Y’know, I would’ve preferred to see my mate’s beautiful face when I woke up, but I guess watching my twin brother make out with my almost-assassin is fine, too.”

“Aurum!” I cried.

Mylo and I dogpiled on Aurum simultaneously.

“Ow, hey, watch it!” Aurum complained.

We pulled back, though Mylo stayed close and snuggled against his arm. Aurum gave his mate a kiss on the head.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

Aurum flashed a lopsided grin. “Like a polar bear mauled me.”

Rorik winced, ducking his head shamefully.

“Oh, it’s fine, quit moping,” Aurum said, rubbing the bandage on his neck. “It looks worse than it actually is. Like when you get a nosebleed and it gushes blood everywhere.”

I snorted, grinning at Rorik. “Just like you.”

Rorik grumbled in embarrassment. “Please don’t compare my nosebleed to this …”

Both Aurum and I chuckled, which seemed to make Rorik feel better.

“Aurum, I… I am truly sorry,” Rorik said pleadingly. “I wish this never happened.”

My twin’s expression turned grave as he looked Rorik over. “I overheard what Saffron said. So, you’re the victim of a weird cult. Don’t think I didn’t notice those scars all over your body, either. You’ve had it rough, huh?”

My heart squeezed. Aurum must’ve seen the scars when Rorik was naked in our living room, but decided not to bring them up.

“It’s no excuse,” Rorik muttered.

“No,” Aurum agreed. His voice was scratchy from the injuries, but he was determined to speak, so neither Mylo or I tried to interrupt him. “To tell you the truth, Rorik, I’d be more pissed off if I hadn’t seen you interact with my daughters.”

Rorik lifted his head, eyes wide.

“You were amazingly gentle with them. Didn’t even want to drop clothes on their little heads.” He laughed, but it came out more of a cough. “When I saw that, I knew who you were. The real you.”

A wave of emotion crested inside me. At that moment, I’d thought the exact same thing as my twin. Aurum felt how I did, too.

“Those fangs of yours are strong,” Aurum continued hoarsely. “You don’t want to hurt us. You’d rather use ‘em to protect those kids, and the rest of the family. Wouldn’t you?”

Rorik stared at him like he’d said something magical. Slowly, he nodded. “Yes. I would.”

“There you go.” Aurum coughed again. Mylo rubbed his back.

The room was quiet for a moment. Rorik’s shoulders heaved as he sighed. “I was an idiot.”

Aurum smirked. “Just like me and Saffron. You’ll fit right in, big guy.”

Rorik opened his mouth a few times and nothing came out. Finally, he sputtered, “How are you okay with any of this? I almost killed you!”

Aurum snorted. “Don’t give yourself so much credit. Dragon scales are harder than you think. Besides, you missed any major arteries. Almost like you didn’t really want to kill me.”

Rorik let out a deflated sigh. “No, I didn’t.”

“There you go.” Aurum’s eyes remained lighthearted, but his voice suddenly took an edge. “But if you’d tried that shit on Saffron, I wouldn’t be so forgiving. Be glad it was me and not him.”

I saw a shudder roll down Rorik’s spine. He met Aurum’s gaze gravely and muttered, “Trust me, if I hurt Saffron, I could never forgive myself.”

My breath caught at the raw emotion in Rorik’s voice. The gravity of it hinted at his true sentiments. He did have feelings for me. I heard it in the way the words caught in his throat, saw it gleam in his dark eyes.

My chest stirred with hope. Could this wretched moment be the catalyst for Rorik’s true self to finally shine?

Jade sauntered over and readjusted his glasses. “Well, that’s settled. Aurum’s prognosis is good, and Rorik will not be disqualified from the Games.”

Rorik swung his broad face up in surprise. “Even after my crimes?” he cried.

Jade smiled. “With the magic of post-production editing, nobody has to know. Except everyone who was present at the scene, of course.”

Rorik’s shoulders slumped, torn between guilt and relief.

“But that does mean we’ll need to re-film the second challenge,” Jade mused. In a teasing tone, he asked, “I assume you can behave this time, Rorik?”

Rorik leapt to his feet with a serious look. “Yes. I won’t blow this chance.”

At the same time, Aurum and I snickered under our breath.

Rorik’s cheeks flushed. “I meant—”

“We know what you meant,” Jade said kindly while he shot us a silencing glare. “All right. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow will be a fresh start for all of us.”

Rorik nodded seriously. “Understood.”

“And if you’re really Saffron’s fated mate,” Jade continued, still smiling, “then I’m sure you’ll make up for mauling his twin.”

“Jade,” I admonished.

My older brother didn’t break his innocent-yet-scary smile. “I look forward to watching you two grow together.”

He left before I could scold him for that final jab, but Rorik didn’t look shaken. If anything, he seemed more determined to prove himself than ever.

But as I watched Jade evacuate the room, I noticed somebody else was missing too—Viol. When did he slip out? And why was he acting so weird?

Aurum yawned. “All this drama’s making me tired. Mylo, how d’you feel about a private video game session?”

Mylo blushed as he caught Aurum’s drift. “We still haven’t beaten that new side quest…”

I snorted and took Rorik by the hand. “C’mon. Let’s get back to the room before they do. I don’t want to walk in on them ‘gaining experience’.”

Rorik turned to me. He looked flat-out confused. “I don’t understand.”

“You don’t have to. Forget about video games. Movies are way better,” I insisted.

Aurum scoffed. “I heard that.”