At the top of the staircase, Brian found a long hallway lined with locked doors, except for one. Moving toward it, he could feel their bond better now, even though it was still very weak. Somehow he knew Reif was in there. As he entered the room, Brian cried out, seeing his mate lying still with a blue cast to his skin. At first, he thought they were too late, but then, as Colton and Ian rushed past him, he felt Kieran’s hand once again on his back.
“Brian,” the Shaman whispered into his ear, “Reif’s alive but he needs you. Go, kiss him, hug him and tell him how much you love him. He needs to hear this from you.” Then he gave the sea serpent a gentle nudge toward the bed.
Taking a step, then pausing, then taking another, he reached Reif’s bed just as Ian was stepping back after unlocking the iron collar around his mate’s neck. Kneeling at the head of the bed, he reached out and ran his finger down the side of the face he loved. Following the Shaman’s instructions, he whispered, “I’m here, yer Nessie, I love ye…please come back to me because I canna survive without yer love. I need it…I need ye…please…please.” Brian lowered his head until his lips were ghosting over Reif’s and then, pressing forward, he kissed his mate, putting all his love into it.
Receiving no response, Brian leaned back, glancing at Ian snapping commands to Colton as they worked furiously to save his mate. A minute went by, then another and Brian shifted his eyes to Reif’s face, hoping to see some sign of life returning. Desperate now, he keptwhispering. “Mate, our babies are safe. Please, come back to me. I love ye so much.”
Fifteen minutes had gone by with no response from Reif. Handing his stethoscope to Colton, Ian looked at the despondent sea serpent. “I’m sorry, Brian, I’ve done everything I can, but none of it is working.”
Stricken at Ian’s words, Brian looked up from Reif, his eyes filled with grief. “There must be somethin’ ye have nae tried. Please, please, I beg ye, dinna give up.” His eyes filled with tears as they returned to the man who was his world, the reason for living, the one who chased away all the shame and loathing he had buried in himself, setting him free to be who he was truly meant to be. And for the first time since he’d attended Tommy’s funeral those many years ago, he understood why his friend committed suicide—because without hope, without love, there wasn’t any reason to live.
Looking at the face he loved, Brian memorized it, wanting to remember it forever. Then gently kissing Reif’s forehead, he moved down, kissing his closed eyes… his cheeks… his nose… until he reached his mate’s beautiful lips. Kissing them filled his eyes with tears; it was more than he could bear. As the distraught sea serpent lifted his head, one of his tears fell onto Reif’s lips, glistening for a moment before disappearing between them.
Brian sat back on his knees, picking up his mate’s hand, holding it to his face, his tears flowing over it. He couldn’t stop crying for their too-short life together, the death of their dreams, their hopes, their babies and, most importantly the love they’d both found after a lifetime of loneliness.
Picking up his medical bag, Ian left Brian alone with Reif and walked out with Colton by his side to face the groupgathered in the hallway. Seeing the question on everyone’s face, he shook his head. “There isn’t anything else I can do nor can Colton. It appears Reif has given up. I believe it’s his way to protect his children from suffering the same fate he did.”
“Is Reif dying?” asked David, joining the group after returning from the castle’s roof.
“Yes, he is,” Colton replied. “And I can’t use Raphael’s Power to save him because he wants to die.”
“Ki, can you help him, like you did me?” asked Fionn.
“No, he’s passed that point. The only hope I had was if Brian could reach the little bit of Reif still on earth.”
Ignoring the murmur of voices in the hall, Brian crawled onto the bed and, gathering Reif into his arms, held him tight against his chest while humming an old Scottish lullaby to his mate and their babies, his tears continuing to fall. Sobbing as his grief overwhelmed him, Brian buried his nose in Reif’s hair, trying to imprint his mate’s unique scent in his mind forever.
~/~/~/~/~
It has to be a dream!There wasn’t any other way Reif could explain why Nessie’s scent was enveloping him or why he was being hugged in the arms of his mate. He inhaled deeply, wanting to remember everything about his mate in the afterlife where he’d wait for Nessie to join him.So fucking real!Lifting his face, Reif’s lips felt the stubble on his mate’s jaw that he loved. “Nessie, Nessie, Nessie,” he whispered. If this was keeping his last thread of life from parting, then he hoped it would never stop.
Trying to choke back his tears, Brian thought he heard his mate call his name but it was probably just wishful thinking…until he felt Reif’s lips moving against his face. Leaning back, Brian gazed at his mate’s face, searching for a clue that what he felt was real. “Mate?” he murmured. “Can ye open yer eyes?”
Hoping his dream world wouldn’t evaporate, Reif’s eyes fluttered open to find Nessie’s light blue eyes staring at him.This is so real!Snaking his hand up between their chests until it reached his mate’s face, he ran his fingers over its contours, tracing the features he loved so much.
“Mate, ye came back to me,” murmured Brian, relishing the gentleness of his mate’s touch. But when Reif’s fingers reached his lips, Nessie craved more than just a touch. Capturing a finger with his teeth, Brian licked it—savoring the taste, before giving it a quick bite.
“Ow!” Pulling his finger from Nessie’s mouth, Reif looked at the indentations left by his mate’s teeth. “You bit me!”
“Ay. Sorry, could nae resist. Ye taste so good. How are ye feeling?”
Reif ran his hand over Nessie’s jaw, delighting in the roughness, before grabbing his mate’s hair. “You feel so real.”
“I am real. So are ye. Do ye need another bite to prove it?” Brian growled.
Raising his head, Reif looked around the room, spying the open door and his friends standing in the hall. Then he glanced at Nessie. “Where’s the man?”
“The vampires? Dead.”
Stunned, Reif asked. “Are you sure?”
“Ay. Yer really free now.”
“What about the man? The one who gave me all the shots.”
“Shots? What shots?”
“The shots to make my sea dragon’s eggs grow,” Reif explained.
