Unafraid

didn’t want to ponder the many reasons why David would be wandering through the woods without his shirt on, so luckily he interrupted their thoughts.

“This is just the beginning, my son,” David said, placing his hands on Morgandy’s shoulders. “So many more surprises await you.”

Reading Ronan’s mind, Michael got glimpses of information that helped him understand that Ronan was incredibly perplexed. Morgandy had been The Guardian of The Well, destined to protect it; now he was one of Them. It didn’t make sense; more than that, it violated rules. Michael couldn’t grasp everything at once and deliberately blocked out the images and thoughts that were invading his brain.

Leave them for Ronan for now; he could ask questions later. The most important thing to do was to get out of here before they were seen. Or before Ronan accidentally exposed them.

So frazzled, Ronan forgot where he was and allowed his emotions to lead him. Impulsively, he stepped forward, not looking at the ground, and heard several branches crunch under his feet. Yanking Ronan back, Michael pulled them behind the thickness of the trees just as David and Morgandy looked up to find the source of the noise.

Ronan’s heart beat loudly against Michael’s chest, and Michael could feel him shake in his arms.

He wasn’t going to scold Ronan for acting foolishly. The events of the day and the incredible stress had finally gotten to him. All he needed to do was hold his boyfriend until the danger passed.

Several seconds later it did just that, and they heard David and Morgandy retreat deeper into The Forest. For the time being, thanks to Michael, they were safe.

chapter 12

After spending a few hours in his own bed Ronan finally felt safe. Unfortunately, he also felt restless.

He couldn’t concentrate on his reading. As far as he was concerned Edith Wharton had abandoned the English language and had written The Age of Innocence in Russian. He saw letters on the page, and he knew that they formed words, but his mind was so troubled, his body so worked up, that he couldn’t comprehend one sentence of the novel. He had read the same paragraph over three times and still had no idea what she was trying to say. Maybe it was because his age of innocence had been over a long time ago, ever since Morgandy took it away.

Not eager to start philosophizing about his own complicated history, he slammed the book closed, startling Michael who was sitting at the desk typing up a Latin essay for Professor Volman.

Turning around, Michael thought Ronan looked like he was just taking a break from reading. He was leaning his head against the cherry wood headboard; his arms were wrapped around the book that lay on his chest; his eyes were shut. But Michael knew better, he knew that Ronan was trying once again to get in touch with his mother.

It was all he had talked about when they first got home from The Forest. I have to talk to my Mum. I have to let her know that Morgandy’s back and he’s one of Them. She’ll know what to do. That’s all Ronan kept saying. Michael remained quiet and just nodded, knowing that Ronan was too anxious to listen to anything he had to say. It was interesting—more often than not Michael was the one who was revved up and unable to listen to reason or logic. Now the roles were reversed, and even though Ronan was lying quietly in their bed instead of pacing the floor of their dorm room, he was just as incapable of being calmed down. Michael had no other choice but to watch and make sure he was there for Ronan when he needed him.

Turning back to his laptop, Michael resumed typing his report on Latin etymology and didn’t see Ronan frown and his body twitch. Try as he might, Ronan couldn’t connect with Edwige. She wasn’t responding to any of his telepathic messages. Now that so much time had passed since he had last heard from her, there could only be two reasons for her silence: either she was hurt and physically unable to reply or she was simply ignoring him. And Ronan knew it couldn’t be the latter.

“Mum’s done a lot of things,” Ronan said. “But she’s never deliberately ignored me.”

Pia, matris quod filius, amour mater. His mind focused on Latin word origins, Michael didn’t hear Ronan speak. So much for being there when his boyfriend needed him.

“Michael,” Ronan said. “Don’t you agree?”

He typed one last sentence at lightning speed, then turned away from his laptop and crawled onto the bed. “Sorry, what did you say?” Michael asked, placing his hand on the bedspread just above Ronan’s knee. He watched as the waves in the ring Ronan had given him moved up and down as he massaged the bone and skin through the thick material; it was as if they were from the sea and not bound in silver. Michael hoped his touch would release a little bit of Ronan’s tension, but Ronan’s expression didn’t change.

“She must be hurt,” Ronan said quietly, trying to keep his voice strong. “I can’t think of any other reason why she would disregard me like this.”

He didn’t want to agree, but Michael had come to the same conclusion. “This might sound stupid, but do you think you can ask The Well to intervene?” Michael asked. “I mean it’s connected to all water vampires, right? Wouldn’t it be able to tell us where Edwige is?”

Despite his growing fear, Ronan smiled. It wasn’t because Michael’s suggestion was a brilliant solution; it was because of the use of one word— us. Ronan wasn’t alone; he had Michael by his side, so no matter what had happened to Edwige, whether it was good or bad, he would be okay. “You’re right about The Well’s connection to our people, but I don’t think it works like a GPS, love,” Ronan said, placing his hand on top of Michael’s. “I wish it did, though, because I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

Tossing Edith Wharton’s tome to the side, Michael got under the covers with Ronan. They lay on their sides facing one another, enveloped in silence and shadow. Michael realized that for all Ronan’s strength and muscles and preternatural abilities, his eyes still shined with the ideals of a little boy. The only real safety a child could know came from his parents. When that link was severed, it was like being plunged into an unquiet darkness, each step unknown, each step bringing with it uncertainty.

Michael knew exactly what that felt like, and he wished he could spare Ronan the same fate.

Wrapping his leg around Ronan’s, Michael held his hands, rubbing his thumb against Ronan’s smooth skin. He knew a kiss wouldn’t resolve anything, so instead he spoke. “I’ve been thinking about reaching out to my father,” Michael whispered.

“Really?” Ronan said, unable to conceal his surprise. “What made you change your mind?”

“Edwige.”

Ronan figured that all the talk about his mother’s disappearance from his life had made Michael realize that even a parent who was wildly flawed was better than no parent at all. That was only part of it.

“If something has happened to Edwige, and that’s a really big if, ” Michael started, “we know that David and his people are behind it.” Ronan’s body tensed up a bit, and he held onto Michael’s hands harder. “My father’s one of Them, so he’s got to know what’s going on, and if he doesn’t know he can find out, especially if he sees how worried his son is.”

Now that was a brilliant plan. And the perfect excuse for a kiss. “Thank you,” Ronan said, his breath lingering hot on Michael’s lips.

Their bodies moved closer together. One of Michael’s hands disappeared inside the sleeve of Ronan’s T- shirt and caressed his shoulder while Ronan’s fingers stroked Michael’s chin. “Honestly, I don’t know if I can ever forgive him,” Michael confessed. “But I don’t know, I just thought that maybe I should make an attempt before it’s too late.”

“I’m really proud of you,” Ronan said, his leg rubbing against Michael’s softly. “It’ll be bloody hard, no doubt, but even if he knows nothing about Edwige, I think it’ll be worth it.”

Running his hand up and down Ronan’s arm, Michael could almost feel the blood race underneath Ronan’s hard flesh. His boyfriend was trying desperately to remain calm, but he was so agitated, Michael half-expected him to scream out loud.

Not too far away in a secluded enclave, Imogene did just that.

“Nooooo!!!!”