Tears of the Fallen Ch. 07

Memories of that day started to surface, and his eyes narrowed as he began to remember the sense of panic in the room. Reasa had been shouting a warning, terror in her voice. Something awful was happening, something that threatened everyone in the compound. He heard, again, Annie's calm words as she ordered Reasa to help him. The next thing he remembered was the euphoria of having his mate's mind linked with his, as she showed him how to weave a defence so strong he'd been more whole than he could ever remember being.

"The Praetorians..." He couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. He had to know...

Kothi leapt agilely from the tree, catching a neighbouring branch to find himself another perch. "Are your defences really that strong, Liam? Think before you speak. Take it from someone who knows the necessity of strong defences. If you are not one hundred percent sure of that answer, then don't ask questions you shouldn't right now. You nearly lost it when she rejected you." He jerked his head in the direction of Reasa. "Deal with one thing at a time."

It was hard to argue with him, but the unanswered question remained at the back of his mind. Someone would have to tell him one day soon. Maybe he would just head up to the Praetorian compound and find out himself. Kothi may doubt his mental shields, but testing the weave Reasa had taught him, they felt stronger than they had in a long time.

All his life everyone had protected him. How could he protect his mate if he couldn't do the most basic things for himself? Turning his gaze back to Reasa, he watched her sit at the dining table, her movements hesitant as she took her first bite of food prepared by her own hand. If she could start to adapt to the changes in her life, then it was time he did too.

"Don't even think about it, Liam. I swear I will shadow you everywhere, and at the first hint of you leaving the pack, I will either stop you myself or make sure Rafe does."

"When did you turn into a babysitter, Kothi?" Liam's tone was cooler than he'd ever used on one of his pack mates before. "First Pietro and now me? Better watch that, people will think you're going soft."

His jibe didn't instil the response he'd expected from the most unpredictable of them all. Instead of reacting aggressively, Kothari actually laughed, though it was devoid of humour. "There are things more dangerous than your mind games, Liam. Take care that your prodding doesn't awaken something which should be left undisturbed."

Liam regarded him calmly, his moment of pique over. He smiled at his friend before glancing back at Reasa, his eyes warm as they travelled over her face. "Such grandiose words. You enjoy your reputation don't you, Kothi? You cultivate it to the point that no one can see what's real and what's a façade. Sometimes I think you underestimate me more than everyone else does. You forget that I'm an empath, that I know everyone's emotional makeup in this compound."

His gaze once more fell on his friend, his eyes piercing the hidden darkness behind the glasses. For a moment, Liam's brown eyes blazed with a deep burnt-orange glow that brought a scowl to Kothari's face, before they softened back to their usual deep brown. "Despite your ways, and your isolation, there isn't a person in this pack who would do more to protect it than you, Kothari. You would harm yourself before you would let harm come to our pack. I know it and you know it. You can't hide from me."

Kothi dropped down a few branches, his breath coming out on a loud hiss. "Don't let overconfidence be your downfall, Liam. Don't believe you know even a tenth of what goes on in my mind. If you knew the truth of it, you wouldn't be spewing the current bullshit coming out of your mouth."

He reached the ground, his head tilting up to survey his friend. "Stay out of my head, Liam. You don't ever want to be in there. Mark my words on that." Spinning on his heel, he headed away from the compound in a blur of supernatural speed.

Liam watched him leave, his expression thoughtful. There was no doubt in his mind that Kothari was damaged. They were all damaged in their own way, some more so than others. It was an affliction brought on by having too much power, of being so different that no one could really understand them, not unless they too, were Vârcolac. Rayne had tried her best, but she hadn't been able to divide herself equally among all the children who were born so closely together. Then along came Kothari, and her attention had been diverted.

Something had happened during his birth that they weren't privy to. Rafe probably knew, and most likely Annie and Caleb too. He'd been too young to really remember what had happened, but he remembered enough that Rayne and Gard had been absent from the pack for a few weeks and the emotional mood from the adults had been sombre and full of concern. It hadn't been apparent to most people, but he had known, and kept his silence. When Rayne and Gard had returned with their son, everyone had been all smiles and the concern had dampened down to a manageable level.

Whatever had happened must have been serious, but there was no mistaking the love Kothi's parents had for him. His friend thought he hid his issues so well, and maybe he did for the most part by his isolationism, but he was never truly as alone as he thought he was. Liam always kept a loose track on him when he disappeared. He couldn't focus too tightly because Kothi's emotions went off the scale at times and caused too much pain, but he tried his best to monitor his friend in case he needed help.

For the moment, Kothi was doing okay, so despite his cryptic statements, Liam wasn't concerned. His gaze was fixated on his mate and his aunt as they sat together at the dining table, his senses being teased by the sound of approaching footsteps. Sighing, he reluctantly dragged his gaze away from Reasa, turning his head to watch Dayton and Elina walking home. Dayton's arm was thrown casually across his daughter's shoulders and he was laughing as he murmured something to her.

Liam smiled as he always did when his beautiful cousin was near. It was a smile tinged with sadness as he watched her expressionless face. All of her life Elina had given everything to him until she was so closed down emotionally that even her father, whom she adored, couldn't raise a smile to her lips. Whatever he was saying did amuse her though, because her body language was relaxed against his side. While her facial expressions remained unchanged, someone who knew Elina well could tell her responses by how she reacted on an instinctual level.

Her attention suddenly shifted as she glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. Sighing again, Liam dropped down from the tree to greet them, a rueful smile on his face.

"There's a word for that, Liam. Voyeurism I believe it is. Are you spying on my mate?" Dayton's tone was full of mischief; his eyes twinkling with laughter, letting him know that he wasn't serious.

Liam had such love and respect for the Beta who'd loved and lost, and found love once more with his aunt. He had given Freya a reason to live her life again, after years of being so wounded even her brother had begun to give up hope. How could he not love the Were who had brought happiness to his aunt's life? His smile was wide as he hugged him. "I think she'd have a few things to say if she thought I was, Day."

He turned to his cousin, giving a warm smile at her sardonic expression. "How was the visit to the grandparents?" Elina was always unsettled when surrounded by such open warmth from the Alexanders. They were very tactile and that was something she tried to avoid.

"Grandmother thinks it would be a good idea if I stayed with them for a while. I politely declined, explaining I am needed here with the pack at the moment."

"Ma's right, honey," Dayton smiled. "Now that we know there is no threat to you from the poison, some time at the Hanlon pack would be a good thing. It would do you good to get away from all the shenanigans going on here."

"I'm not leaving Liam or the pack right now, Dad. We've already spoken about it. My place is here."

It was obvious Dayton wanted to press the point, but he held his peace and inclined his head in in acknowledgement. He smiled again at his nephew. "So, are you coming in or were you just enjoying the view?"

His words had the desired effect, making Liam laugh. God, how he wanted to go inside their home, every fibre of his being wanted to... but for the first time in days, Reasa wasn't weeping. She was interacting with others and doing small basic things. If he went inside, she would close right back down again, turn inward and be in pain. He couldn't do that to her. "No, I'm going to take a walk, clear my head a little."

"I'll come with you," Elina said, giving her father a quick hug. "It would be better if Reasa becomes accustomed to others in stages. As I am Vârcolac, I should be the last stage of this family meeting."

Nodding, Dayton carried on into the house leaving the cousins alone. Elina's cool green eyes travelled over Liam's face quickly, before a faint smile touched her lips. "The weaving technique she showed you appears to be working well. I was concerned about you, being away for so long today."

Liam unconsciously adopted Dayton's previous gesture, looping a big arm across her shoulders as he forced his feet to walk away from his mate. "You don't have to take care of me anymore, Elle. Despite earlier, I'm doing fine. I just wasn't listening to wiser heads, and now I am. I am content for the moment. I can give Reasa the space she needs to adapt."

"She has a long road to travel, Liam. The shock to her system of what's been done to her...that will be a hard thing to come to terms with. On top of that, she's predisposed to hate us and that includes you. This isn't going to be easy and you will need all the help you can find."

"And you need to be living your own life and not using all of your energy trying to save mine." Liam dropped a kiss on the top of her head and pulled her through the trees towards the lake. For the first time in so long, he felt balanced enough to be able to concentrate on someone else rather than trying to keep everyone out of his head. It was time Elina had a moment to herself, to remember what it was like to laugh and enjoy life.

"Do you miss her, Elle, that little girl who once lived inside you and laughed all the time?"

Her reluctance was plain as she tugged back on his hand. "Liam..."

Grinning at her, he moved at supernatural speed, picking her up and throwing her high into the air. His move was so unexpected she didn't have time to counter it, merely let out a startled cry as she sailed through the air and landed in the middle of the lake, sinking swiftly to the bottom. As she was swimming back up to the surface she was sucked back under by Liam's large body splashing beside her.

Spluttering, Elina broke the surface, pushing her wet hair out of her face as she turned cold eyes on her cousin. "Have you lost your mind?" Loud laughter filled the air, a rich deep baritone that sounded so free, so full of joy that for a moment she was mesmerised by the sheer beauty of it.

"No, this is called having fun." He continued to chuckle, splashing water in her face. "You remember what fun is, don't you, Elle? And smacking Karn clear across the room doesn't count." He splashed her again causing her to splutter once more.

"Stop it, Liam." There was the hint of a threat in her voice but he ignored her.

"Or what? You're going to beat my ass? You think you could, Elle? Just because you can take on a vamp doesn't mean you can take on me." The next wave of water he sent over his cousin was fast and unrelenting. He dived under the water and grabbed her legs, pulling her under while she was still shaking the water from her face.

Elina snapped. It was the only word she could apply to the sharp pull in her head, as she sucked in water and sank to the bottom of the lake again. Striking out, she caught Liam in the stomach, her blow hard as she pushed him away. Scrambling to the surface, she kicked out when he grabbed her leg to suck her back down. Was he trying to kill her?

The sound of his mirth filled the air and he was on her again, capturing her in his strong arms and rolling her over under the water. She wrestled hard with him, getting free and dunking his head under the water as he struggled against her tight hold. "See how you like it, idiot." She muttered the words through lips that threatened to tilt upwards as she watched him squirm.

Her cousin broke her hold and came at her fast, rising up out of the water with her balanced in his arms. "Nice try, Elle, but I'm always going to be stronger than you physically."

She was sailing through the air again, laughter bubbling out of her mouth, as she struck the water hard and began to sink. She had to close her mouth quickly, but was coming back up and searching for her cousin the instant she broke the surface. He was a few feet away from her, swimming away. "Don't even think about it." Elina dived under the water, using her speed to catch him quickly and tug him down. See how he liked it!

She smirked in delight as he sank, making her own bid for escape knowing he would come after her in a heartbeat. He may have superior strength because of his physique, but she had the superior speed and was more agile. She dodged her cousin's attempts to reach her and climbed soaking wet out of the lake, bending over to catch her breath as she giggled at his bedraggled state.

Liam's hair was a tangled, dripping mess, looking almost black as opposed to the rich deep auburn it normally was. His jeans and T-shirt were drenched and weighed him down as he waded out of the lake. She knew she probably didn't look much better and tried to wring some of the excess water out of her hair as she laughed at him. "You look like a drowned rat."

"So do you," he chuckled, pouncing on her and taking her down to the grass where they rolled a couple of times before coming to lie on their backs in the waning sunlight, laughing. "That's the most beautiful sound I've heard in a very long time, Elle."

She turned her head to look at him, puzzlement in her eyes. "What is?"

"Your laughter." Liam turned on his side, leaning up on an elbow to smile down at her. "There's no harm in letting go and having a little fun every now and then, Elle. You deserve it and it's your right. You don't have to look after me anymore."

A frown marred her face and her gaze slid from his to look up at the darkening sky. "I do enjoy life, Liam. I may not be as spontaneous or demonstrative as most people, but I am not unhappy with my life. We are all different, cousin."

"But I know there is so much more within you, Elle. It was there once, a long time ago. It hasn't disappeared, it's merely been suppressed."

Rising, Elina reached deep within herself and called on her abilities to quickly dry her clothes and hair. In less than five seconds, there was no indication she'd just been playing in the lake, her expression once more calm and collected. She turned to face her cousin, warmth flickering across her features. "You have the gentlest of hearts, Liam, and you have much to endure while you try to claim your mate. Apply your gifts where they are needed, cousin. I am fine as I am."

She turned and headed back to the compound, leaving Liam feeling frustrated. For just a second there he'd had her laughing, hoping to have started her off on her own journey of discovery. An image of Karn came to his mind as he rose and dried off too. Maybe it wasn't his job to awaken Elina's emotions; maybe that role belonged to another? He'd love to be a fly on the wall as THAT situation unfolded. Smiling again, Liam turned and followed his cousin.

*****

Dayton smiled as his eyes lovingly traced his mate's features. He could detect a slight hint of strain in the set of her lips, but overall she appeared to be handling Reasa's presence in their home quite well. As always, she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, and his pulse sped up as he strode across the room to pluck her from her chair and kiss her hard.

He ignored Reasa's presence, instead luxuriating in the exotic taste of his woman, delighting in how she instantly moulded her body against his and didn't hesitate to kiss him back with as much fervour. "Hmmm, I missed you this afternoon. Ma wants to know when her daughter-in-law is going to grace them with her presence. She said to remind you it's been three months since your last visit." There was no rebuke in his tone, just a light teasing. Despite her protestations, he knew Freya enjoyed her visits to the Alexander household.

Sighing, she pulled her head back and gave him a pointed look. "I have Ancient duties to perform as well as pack duties. I am expected to perform familial duties too? I visit as often as I can." Her lips quirked in a small smile. "Anyway, your parents prefer to see Elina, rather than me. Where is our daughter? Did you leave her there?"

Dayton dropped another quick kiss on her mouth and reluctantly released her before his body reacted as it predictably did. One kiss from his woman was all it took to have him wanting to ravish every delicious inch of her body. "We found Liam lurking outside so Elina's gone for a walk with him." His gaze slid to the other woman in the room and he watched her stiffen at her mate's name. It made him sad to see her instinctive reaction. Liam was certainly going to have a hard time wooing the attractive creature sitting at his table.

"He was told to stay away," Freya growled, a frown marring her brow. "What is it with you males that you're incapable of listening to the simplest of wisdom? He was really spying on us? I am going to have some serious words with that young man."

Her irritation immediately had Dayton reaching for her again and brushing her lips gently with his. "Yes, it's amazing how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, honey. I know someone else who was incapable of resisting the urge to spy on her mate when she met him."

His teasing struck home and she had the good grace to look slightly sheepish, but being Freya she wasn't about to back down easily. "I did not know you were my mate," she countered in a prim tone. "You were merely someone who was irritating me and required to be put in your place."

"I had to seek protection in the pack, woman. You were a nightmare," he continued to tease, laughing as her expression turned outraged. "You know it's the truth, Freya Eriksson, so don't try to deny it."

Her mutinous expression softened and she laughed with him. "Very well, I may have been a nightmare, but I turned into the best daydream you've ever had."

Her answer had him laughing, as did the smugness of her tone. "That you did, my love, and we can't forget that you're also my biggest fant..."

"Dayton! We have a guest."

He chuckled louder at her outrage and gave a gentle squeeze so she knew he was just teasing her. He liked seeing his mate off balance and it would do Reasa no harm to see the open, affectionate love there was in a mixed mating. Maybe it would help her to come around to a healthier way of thinking. "Okay, I'll behave. Just cut Liam a little slack, Freya. He's doing the best he can under the circumstances."

Turning from his mate, he smiled at the former vampire. It wasn't hard to see what enthralled his nephew so much. She had her own brand of exotic beauty; her skin having a glorious dark sheen to it, which made him think of warm caramel. Her green eyes were a surprise, given her colouring, but they suited the woman frowning back at him. "Welcome to our home, Reasa."

She inclined her head, rising from the table and walking a wide circle around them. "I will return to my room now, Freya. I will try not to intrude on your personal space."