Page 20 of Unwanted
With his heart in his throat, Frost locked himself in his office and tried to calm his nerves. For too long, he had thought of Kyrie’s advice to confront Celeste. Every time he had gotten close to a decision on whether that was something he wanted to do, he always took the coward’s path. Maybe some things were better off staying unsaid.
Tears of frustration beat at the backs of his eyes. He didn’t know himself any longer. His life had become so out-of-control since he moved to Wulfe, Frost wondered if he would wake up one day and learn this was all some type of crazy dream. That thought alone was enough to send him over the edge. He couldn’t live like this. Frost couldn’t wake up and learn Gemini was just a fantasy. Gemini was everything. The only thing. Without him, Frost didn’t want to exist. He couldn’t.
Frost closed his eyes and took a breath.Jonathan.
Yo.
Despite everything, Frost smiled at the nearly eight-foot golden Nephilim’s nonchalant response to Frost’s mental call.Would it be okay if we talked?
We’re talking now, so yeah.
Frost shook his head and chuckled. He thought he had issues, but he couldn’t even imagine Jonathan’s experience. One day, he had been a normal, everyday journalist, and the next, boom. He was the Nephilim king of the Americas, ruling the land of supernatural creatures.
I meant in person. Something isn’t quite right.His claim brought an eerie silence.
Right when he worried he had been abandoned, Jonathan was back.Lire is on his way to guide you.
Relief poured through Frost. One hurdle crossed. Maybe he would lose his nerve the moment he set eyes on Jonathan. It was possible Jonathan had no more answers than Frost. He had to do something. There was no way he could go to Celeste. Not to mention, he didn’t want to sound accusing. There was a very real chance Kyrie was wrong about him. What could a barely-an-adult wolf know that no one else did?
Frost’s door exploded open, sending Frost scrambling from his chair and fully prepared for an attack. A very nude, chest-heaving Fen stood in the destroyed doorway, holding an equally nude Kyrie.
“Fix him.”
Frost forgot his own worries as the healer inside him took control. This was his purpose. That much Frost knew was real.
Nothing felt real. Fen didn’t pace. He wasn’t sure he even breathed. Fen damn sure never thought he would see the day he would sit inside King Jonathan’s home, watching his mate slip away. He couldn’t reach Kyrie. It was like they had never met, and Fen stared at a dying stranger. Yet his heart hurt, and hethought his chest might cave. He loved Kyrie. That much was real, even if everything else made no sense right now. He needed Kyrie’s eyes to open. Nothing would be right again until he knew Kyrie’s soul was back where it belonged: with Fen.
Fen went over every moment of the past few months in his head, all the way to the moment he woke up on the floor of his shower alongside a not breathing Kyrie. He had never been more confused or scared. Kyrie had caught him in such a whirlwind, Fen had forgotten all about Kyrie’s mystery illness and the time Kyrie called Jörmungandr Monnie—like they were friends. What he had witnessed wasn’t friendship, and Fen hated himself for all the things he had simply forgotten. His angel had needed him, and Fen had been so caught up in his own happiness, he had failed his mate. Kyrie hadn’t had another incident of not waking up since their mating. He had pushed the incidents from his mind. Fen had told himself it was just dehydration or something and went on with life. Now he listened to Kyrie’s heartbeat get slower by the hour, and the most powerful people he knew couldn’t do anything but try to seek answers from Celeste. In the meantime, all Fen could do was wait and pray Frost could find out what no one else could. It felt like a million years passed. He needed Kyrie to open his eyes and explain everything. Everything inside Fen begged for whatever plan Monnie claimed they had hatched to be all bullshit and had nothing to do with their relationship. This had to be a sick, cruel joke. He wouldn’t feel this strongly unless they were real. This waiting to know the truth and to hear the entire story choked the life from him. Fen worried he might be the one whose heart stopped. He had never been so exhausted, and he couldn’t figure out why. As a vampire, even this massive amount of stress, fear,and sadness shouldn’t make him this worn down. Fen hadn’t felt this way since he was a new turn.
The sound of Kyrie’s soft heartbeat hypnotized him. Fen’s eyes slid closed. He just needed to rest for half a second, then he could get back to hovering and maybe start some pacing. His head bobbed. He sucked in a sharp gasp, startled by his dozing. His eyes shot open. He blinked. Kyrie was gone. Not passed. Just not there. He blinked again. The bed was still empty. Alarms blared as the king’s perimeter was breached. Fen jumped to his feet. His panicked gaze shot in every direction. The blaring stopped, but Fen’s terror didn’t.
Frost rushed into the room. He immediately focused on the bed. His shoulders sagged. “I was afraid of that.”
“Of what? What happened? Where is my mate?” The shouted words were beyond his control. He couldn’t lower his voice. The fear was real. Every loss was too big. He was tired of staying calm when it was obviously time to panic.
Frost moved to the bed and sat. “I have no idea.” He looked defeated, which didn’t give Fen hope. “My guess is his body rejoined his soul.”
Fen’s brain hurt. The frustration had him ready to tear down the world. His blood boiled. Someone had to start answering questions soon or he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions. “What the fuck does that even mean?”
Frost rubbed his temples, as if his head pounded, and he dealt with his own existential crisis. “Jörmungandr had Kyrie’s soul.”
“I know that goddamn much.”
Fen’s rage didn’t seem to penetrate whatever inner crisis Frost endured. Frost simply kept talking as if Fen hadn’t said a word. “As soon as Celeste heard, she sent word to Freyr. It seems he maybe ripped off Jörmungandr’s legs or something like that. Unfortunately, they’ll grow back, but Freyr ensured Kyrie’s safety. As soon as the news dropped, I raced in here, in case he needed me when his soul returned to his body. It seems it went the opposite way.”
Fen sat. “I don’t understand any of that. Went the opposite way? Does that mean he’s still in the dreaming? I don’t know what’s happening right now.”
“Yeah, me either, really.” Frost stared into space, sounding as defeated as Fen felt. “There for a while, I really thought I was making a difference—that I was helping. Every day, I feel a little more useless.” Frost flashed him a wry smile. “I’m sure you don’t care about any of that, and it probably doesn’t make you feel any better.” The smile disappeared. “I’m sorry I failed you. Apparently, that’s what I do now.”
“It’s okay to be sad, but it’s not okay to give up.”
Fen and Frost’s head whipped toward the open doorway. A beautiful, angelic-looking blond stood, waiting for theirattention while twisting a ragged-looking doll and looking unsure of his welcome.
“Hey, Tam.” Frost still sounded beyond saving, but he obviously knew their visitor.
Tam took a small step into the room. His eyes darted between them. He reminded Fen of a skittish animal, looking for any excuse to run away. Suddenly, Tam’s heaven-colored eyes focused on Fen. All hints of innocence and uncertainty disappeared. Pure, unadulterated power stared at him. “Maybe I am an animal.”
Fuck. It seemed Tam was powerful. Even a mind as old as Fen’s didn’t stand a chance of hiding any thoughts from him. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
