“Stronger than love?” Josie asked.
“Stronger than love. Your mother loves you, but even she couldn’t heal you. Your connection to Malakai did that. Just being next to him took away your pain.”
“Why am I not healing him?”
“We don’t know that you aren’t. Kai’s anguish runs deep in his soul. Please tell me, what did you feel when you drove away from Malakai?”
“Heartache. Like I was making the biggest mistake of my life. It was as if a part of me was being ripped away, and all I had to do was turn around and go back to him.”
“Multiply that times one hundred. Kai’s Gargoyle experienced the worst thing it could possibly ever endure – the loss of its mate.”
“What about death?”
“When a mate dies, it’s the beginning of the end for a Gargoyle, but we’ve gone through life with the other half of our soul. It’s painful, but we have the memories we shared of our lives together. We willingly continue on for a while using those memories to keep us going for the others still in our lives. Or we choose to follow our mate into the next part of our journey. For Malakai, he hadn’t known the bond with you. Hadn’t experienced life with his soul completed by being with you. Think of it in terms of the human Christian belief. Mated Gargoyles who die move on to a heavenly realm. Kai is going to cross over into hell. Not because he was bad or sinful, but because his soul has been shredded. I know this is hard for you to understand because just yesterday, you knew nothing of our kind.”
“I laughed at him. I thought it was a joke.”
“And you believe him now?”
Kai held his breath. He was no longer floating on water. Instead, he was lying in bed with his mate’s hand rubbing soothing circles on his chest.
Are you with me?
Hush. I want to hear her answer.
“How did I get here? I remember my mom and sister arguing. Someone named Red was giving my sister a tongue-lashing. I remember my mom riding in an ambulance with me, but everything after that is blurry.”
“We brought you here. Kaya, my brother, Gregor, his mate, Tessa, and me. My cousin is the archivist for our Clan. When Kai mentioned the Curse of Sevens, Nik did some digging and discovered it is actually called the Auspice of Sevens. The bond Kai has with his mate is special. We knew then what he was experiencing, but it wasn’t until we got to your apartment that we knew you were going through your own ordeal.”
“Who are you exactly?”
“My apologies. My name is Rafael Stone. Kaya is my mate. The four of us paid you a visit after finding out you were searching for Kaya. That’s when we encountered your mother and sister. Red is what Gregor calls Tessa.”
“Because she has red hair?”
Rafael and several others chuckled. “Among other reasons. You overheard Tessa talking to Presley. Tessa’s a fiery one, but she wasn’t wrong. Pardon me for saying so, but your sister is a piece of work.”
“She’s a piece of something, all right.”
“Anyway, we called in a favor from one of the mates who is a doctor at the hospital. Currently, your family believes you to be under quarantine. She snuck you out, and we brought you here. When both you and Malakai are well, we will sneak you back into the hospital, and your illness will be miraculously healed.”
“What if he doesn’t get well?” Josie rolled to her side and draped her body across Kai’s.
“I have every faith you will be able to reach him. Keep talking to him, but remember, Josie, he needs hope. I’m going to leave the two of you alone, but if you need anything at all, several of us will be in the living room.”
“Is Kaya here?”
There was a brief pause in the conversation, and then Kaya said softly, “I’m here, Josie. For whatever you need.”
“Are you really a Queen now?”
“I am. Someone had to corral all these alphas.”
“I heard you talking to me. At least I think I did.”
“You did. Tessa and I didn’t want you to be alone in case you woke from your fever.”
“I thought I was dying. I never want to feel that type of pain again. And I can’t bear the thought of Kai going through the same thing.”
“I promise you won’t regret being Malakai’s mate if you choose to accept the bond.”
Kai felt Josie nod against his chest. He wanted desperately to open his eyes, but he was afraid. Afraid he wouldn’t find acceptance on his mate’s face.
Chapter Nine
Josie believed what Kaya and Rafael said to be the truth. Not because of who Kaya was, but because of the way they looked at each other. Kaya didn’t look like a woman under some cult leader’s spell. She was a woman who was part of the man standing at her side. Their bond was something Josie could feel from across the room. And they had a son together. Josie wanted that. The connection. The child. She wanted to meet Tessa, who had stood up to Presley on her behalf. Tessa who said they could be friends.
She sighed, snuggling closer to the Gargoyle at her side. Yes, she believed the creatures were real. She might not understand it, but she knew in her heart it was the truth.
“I’m sorry. I know that’s not enough, but if you come back to me, I will show you I believe you. I don’t understand how all this fated mate stuff works, but I want to. Please don’t let me be too late.” Josie rested her cheek against Kai’s chest over his heart. A strong arm wrapped around her, and Josie looked up at Kai’s face. His eyes were
