“I need you all out of the room if this is going to work,” another female voice said.
“Mom…”
“Your mom is in the waiting room. She’s been with you this whole time. The doctor asked her to wait outside so Tessa and I could speak privately with you. For now, you need to rest.”
“Don’t go…”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here when you wake up,” Kaya promised.
Warmth flooded Josie’s veins. It was different than the heat coursing through her body, and soon, she was floating again. Or moving. Hushed voices talked above Josie, and then she felt a rumbling. Was she in a car? Josie tried to open her eyes, but she was so tired. And hot. Why wouldn’t the heat go away?
“My apologies, Josie. I would never touch you if it weren’t absolutely necessary,” a deep, male voice said.
“Who…?”
“My name is Rafael. I’m taking you to Malakai. Hang tight. You’ll feel better soon.”
Malakai knew he was being moved. Several pairs of strong hands pulled him from the chair and carried him into the house. He wanted to yell and tell them he was still alive, but he couldn’t find his voice. Dante had to feel Kai’s pulse beneath his skin. Someone removed his jeans. Why were they taking off his clothes?
“Everything’s going to be okay, Brother. We’re just getting you comfortable,” Frey said. At least Kai thought it was Frey. The males’ voices were so far away. The pain made it hard to concentrate. Not his pain – Josie’s. Kai didn’t know how it was possible to feel her when she was at home and their connection had been severed when she refused him.
He had no idea how long he’d lain there when the most blessed scent filled the air. The bed dipped, and Kai imagined one of the males sitting down. Too soon, his body was assaulted with intense heat.
“Josie, Kai needs you. You need him. He can take away the pain.” Why was Frey talking to Josie? She was gone. The heat increased when someone touched his skin. Kai thought he was burning alive; the searing pain was unbearable. Was this what it felt like to cross over? He’d always thought it would be a peaceful slipping away into nothingness. His beast stirred somewhere deep in the farthest recesses of his mind. Kai had thought it was gone for good.
“Kai…”
Josie’s voice sounded so close. Yes. This was what he needed to cling to. Instead of holding onto the anguish left by her refusing their bond, Kai held tight to everything that could have been. That searing heat that touched his hand now trailed down his chest through his shirt. At least he thought he was still wearing one.
“Kai, come back to me.”
Water.
Malakai needed water, so he turned toward the lapping waves of his beloved ocean. He looked around for his paddle board, but he must have forgotten it. Why would he do that? He walked toward the surf’s edge, noting the sand was pristine. Untouched by feet. There were no birds circling above, no laughter from children chasing one another.
Water.
Kai could enjoy the ocean without his board. He could swim for miles without tiring. Find a pod of dolphins and spend an hour or so chasing them like he did when he was a kid. The water lapped at his ankles. The small waves broke against his knees. When his feet no longer touched sand, Kai flattened his body and propelled through the mighty ocean. His sanctuary. Kai never felt as small as he did when he entered the cavernous depths. He never felt as one with the universe either. Gargoyles were called to the moon, their wings itching to unfurl and take flight. But for Kai, the water called to his soul in a way the moon never could. Why had he left his island home?
To find our mate.
Ah yes. Josie. His perfect female. Too bad he couldn’t have met her a hundred years before when he still lived in his little house close to the sand. His beast must be happy with Kai’s remembering their last day on the island. It was pushing against Kai’s mind for the first time since Josie drove away. Kai was glad. He didn’t want to be separated from his Gargoyle for all eternity. Crossing over should be a relief, not an excruciating experience.
The memory of swimming was working to douse the flames. The heat had lessened, leaving behind a cool balm against his skin. In reality, Kai was lying on his back, so in his mind, he flipped over and floated on the calmer waters away from the shoreline. His body dipped and rose as the sun sank lower on the horizon. Soon, it would be dark, and he would be able to gaze on the millions of stars twinkling overhead.
“Kai? Can you hear me?”
I hear you.
That wasn’t me.
I know. She’s with me, in here. Kai mentally tapped a finger to his chest where his heart beat. I’m taking her with us on the last part of our journey.
“Malakai, please come back to us. To me. It’s not working. Why won’t he wake up? Being here healed me, so why am I not doing the same for him?”
“You have to keep trying. As long as there is breath in his body, there is hope in his soul. It might be a sliver, but our bond with our mate is the strongest force in the universe.”
That sounds like Rafael. What is he doing
