“I know, man. I know.” Luc pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes shut. “As soon as she’s ready, I’ll get her to call you. It’s okay, I get it, she’s your sister. Okay, speak soon, bye.” He drops his phone into the central armrest slot. “Fuck me, I need to see Revea.”
“Me too,” Sylvan throws out from the back, still typing.
I don’t say anything. The bond is already filled with too much tension, and I need to focus on driving.
Besides the sounds of Sylvan working, we’re silent for the rest of the way, which isn’t unusual for Sylvan and me, but for Luc…
In my peripheral, I watch him. His body’s tense, threading a knife between his fingers, tendons of his neck taut as he stares ahead.
I barely get through the final security check for the house when Luc’s jumping out the car. He’s already inside by the time I’ve parked.
“For fuck’s sake,” I murmur, grabbing my duffel bag from the back seat and following quickly.
His alpha is too close. The last thing Revea needs after all this is my brother barrelling in.
I scan the empty living room, head straight to the stairs, then freeze.
Revea’s sweet, dark cherry scent seeps into the air, but it’s cut with a potent sour note.
I follow it to Kaiden’s room, finding him with a hand on Luc’s shoulder. My tight chest eases.
“She’s okay, Luc.” His voice is low and calm. “Her body’s fighting a virus. She just needs to rest.”
Kaiden clocks me as I enter. “Has she drunk anything?” I ask a little breathless, moving closer.
“Not much. But her vitals are good.”
I nod, slipping past them both and kneeling beside the bed.
And there she is.
Pale, exhausted, and right there. After over a week of nothing but phone calls and texts, I can touch her again.
I place my hand on her forehead. Fuck, she’s boiling. Nothing like her heat spike; this is her body fighting infection.
“Luc, can you grab an IV from the medical fridge downstairs?” I don’t catch his response because he’s already gone.
“She needs an IV?” Kaiden brushes a damp strand from Revea’s face.
“A precaution. Means we won’t have to wake her.”
He hums his agreement. On the side table, I notice he’s already gathered cold water and cloths, and while I’m checking her pulse, he places a fresh one over her forehead.
Luc returns quickly. When I pull back the cover, we’re all hit by her scent again.
Fuck, she smells so good, too damn good for someone fighting a virus. But we’re all too preoccupied to enjoy it.
I carefully lift her arm; she doesn’t even flinch, eyelids barely flutter.
“I don’t like this.” Sylvan appears out of nowhere, sitting down on the king-size bed across from me, laptop balanced in one hand.
When did he even enter the room? My instincts are completely fucking shot. All I can focus on is her.
His gaze darts over her still body. “I don’t like this at all.”
We remain silent. Our bond tight, rumbling. We don’t need to voice how we feel.
I carefully scoop Revea into my arms, bringing her closer to the edge of the bed, then start prepping the IV bag.
