Never in my life had I ever seen Kane Creedstill. Rage was his go-to. Always. He was never not moving, hitting, doing something, as if motion itself was the only thing standing between him and collapse. But that day, he was just knelt beside Thorne, his little brother’s head tucked in his lap, his face utterly blank as he stared down into Thorne’s lifeless eyes, like the world had finally taken something that Kane had broken himself to make sure was untouchable. I had seen Kane furious,feral, laughing in the middle of bloodshed, but I had never seen him quiet, like there was nothing left inside him worth protecting. He sensed I was there, his gaze slowly drifting up to meet mine, heavy and unseeing at first, then sharpening with recognition and something darker, something that would never leave either of us. He tugged Thorne into his arms and stood almost robotically, careful with him in a way Kane had never been careful with anything in his life, except maybe Arden.
We shared a dark look, our rage matched as we held onto Creed with everything we had left. Then we walked our other halves out of that compound for once and for all.
We boarded the jet with their limp bodies. The Ravens kept to the front, the girls keeping Mickey and Matthias company. Kane and I stuck to the back, Thorne carefully laid out across the row beside us. I never let Arden go. Not once. I rocked her gently, checking her pulse repeatedly. It remained steady and unyielding, but so did her strange, empty state. I’d never wanted more than to talk in that moment. I thought maybe if I could just whisper in her ear that I had her, that she was safe, then her arms would curl around me and she’d let herself rest against my chest. But I couldn’t do that, so I just kept holding her, stroking her arm, hoping that her gaze would stop looking so much like Thorne’s.
Arden looked dead but her heart was still beating; then again, Creed were always meant to be corpses. I just never thought I’dsee the day when she finally gave in. My gaze flicked over to Thorne, and I swallowed. I knew it was him. He was the reason she was like this. Nothing else would make her retreat except for another Creed being hurt. I think it’d killed her the same as a bullet through the head.
As if confirming my thoughts, a single tear slid down her cheek. I slid my thumb over her cheek, wiping it away and kissing her forehead gently.It’s okay, I wanted to tell her so badly,Thorne finally made it. He’s free. Probably riding a super bike through the pyres of hell waiting on his family to join him. And you can bet that he’s smiling, Arden, driving past where they keep Halden down there and praising your name like the goddess you are to him, what you’ve always been, to all of us.I tucked a curl behind her ear.Don’t you worry, baby. He loves fire. How could he not having known you?
A pained sound left me then. It fucking hurt, but I tried to talk to her. In the seat beside us, Kane shifted closer to me. Carefully, he reached over me and took one of Arden’s hands, grasping it tight, his eyes red-rimmed. His other was stretched across the aisle, wrapped firmly around his brother’s knuckles. It was like he was trying to bridge an impossible gap, and I let my shoulder lean into his.
“She’s not responsive to any stimuli,” the doctor said. He was in his late forties and had a permanently pinched expression as he surveyed Arden. I stood by her side, her body balled in a fetalposition in her bed at the townhouse. The doctor, Dr. Sable, was crouched beside the bed, flashing a flashlight in her eyes and jotting down notes. “How long has she been like this?”
“A few days,” Heath said. The woman had helped me tend to Arden since we got back, her smile always trembling. She was kind enough, but I would’ve rather had Kane there. But my Creed brother was healing in his own way. He’d disappeared shortly after the jet touched down, and if I had to guess, no one would see Kane for some time. He didn’t have a courtyard to explode in this time—only the real world. I was worried for him, but I also knew the person he really needed was the one currently unresponsive. He needed his light. We all did.
“States like these are hard to pinpoint,” Dr. Sable admitted. He straightened with a grim expression. “Usually I would say helping her face her trauma could potentially snap her out of it, but having worked for the Ravens as long as I have, I know that’s easier said than done.”
If only I could bring Thorne back from the dead.
“Shock is tricky, and handling her will need to be done in an extremely delicate manner. She’s disappeared into her own mind, and what she’s facing there may not be entirely good. If she does come out of it, even temporarily, her confusion might make her impulsive. It’s critical that someone is watching her twenty-four hours of every day until this state passes.”
“But it will pass?” Heath asked.
Dr. Sable nodded. “I believe so. Yes. Her vitals for right now are normal. While she’s not responding to the flashlight, you said she took food, correct?”
“Some broth,” Heath explained. “Granted that was all we really got her to eat before too.”
“Good. Stick to lots of fluids. Try and introduce new flavors with each one. You never know what could help her emerge from the state. It could be a taste, a sound, a touch. Just be prepared—knowing you lot—she’ll likely be scared and defensive when she does.”
Heath nodded. “Thank you. And how are Florence, Grace, and the Delgados?”
“The two women will need to remain on IVs for a few more days until I can clear them,” he said. “Mickey will heal nicely in time. Just make sure he stays on bedrest for a couple more weeks. His brother is in a more critical condition, but it’s hopeful.”
I watched as Heath followed the doctor out of Arden’s room, the two of them continuing their conversation without acknowledging me. I sighed and settled on the edge of her bed, tracing the letters ofCREEDdown her arm.C’mon, baby. Kane needs you.I continued my feather light scratches, knowing how much that soothed her when we shared a bunk at the compound. Movement caught in the corner of my eye, and I jerked my head up, my lips turning down.
Alexander limped toward the bed, leaning into a cane. He was a sickly pale, his eyes dull as he took Arden in. It was clear that his cancer was finally wreaking havoc. The guy looked like he was coming home from war, collapsing in the chair beside the bed opposite us and releasing a heavy breath. His tired gaze slid toward me, and he offered me a weak smile.
I didn’t return it. As far as I was concerned, there was only one man responsible for Thorne’s death and Arden’s current state:him. We risked our lives for his fucking sister after he forced us to join his attempt at taking down S.I.N.
“You hate me,” he said.
I read his lips with ease. I dipped my chin.
“Fair.”
I tucked Arden close to me, glaring at him. I wanted him gone, not just from that room but from our lives.
“Rafe, I’d never hurt her.”
Bastard, look at her. You already did, I argued, my fingers signing quickly on instinct.
Alexander shook his head. “I know.”
I stiffened.You know ASL?
He nodded. “A little bit. I’m not fluent. But I taught myself some when I first started thinking about buying Creed.”
I looked down at Arden when she twitched. I smoothed my hand down her hair and over her neck, feeling her pulse pick up. I frowned, brushing through her hair a few more times until it ticked back down to normal. I glanced up when I saw Alexander stand out of my peripheral.
