Chapter 96: They chose her
The three brothers threw themselves forward at the same time as rain lashed against their faces, turning the rooftop into a sheet of slippery tiles. For one terrifying heartbeat, Eloise’s body hung suspended in the air before gravity pulled her down.
"Kieran!" Kaden shouted. "I’ve got her!"
He launched himself over the edge. His half-shifted claws scraped against the wall before he pushed off again, stretching both arms forward just as Eloise’s body dropped into his embrace. The impact drove the air from his lungs and forced him back several steps before he finally collapsed onto one knee with her cradled tightly against his chest.
"Eloise..." he called out.
Her body trembled violently in his arms as the wolfbane bottle slipped from her weakening fingers. It bounced once against the wet ground before rolling across the courtyard. A violent cough tore through her body, and a mouthful of blood splattered across Kaden’s soaked tank top.
His eyes widened. "Eloise..." Panic slammed into him.
Kieran landed beside them a second later, breathing hard as he dropped to his knees. His gaze fell on the blood staining Kaden’s shirt, and his face drained of colour.
"She drank it..." he gasped.
Rainwater streamed over Eloise’s pale face. Her eyelids fluttered weakly before she slowly lifted a trembling hand towards Kaden. A faint smile appeared on her lips as her bloodstained fingers brushed against his cheek, leaving a crimson smear across his skin.
"Since..." she whispered between ragged breaths, "...I can’t have you in this life... maybe... in another."
Kaden’s entire body shook. "No." His voice cracked. "Don’t say that."
Kieran immediately clasped her hand between both of his, his own hands trembling just as badly. Rain rolled down his face as he leaned closer, refusing to accept what he was seeing.
"You’ll be alright," he promised, his voice breaking despite his efforts to remain calm. "You’ll be fine. We’ll still be together."
Eloise looked at him and gave him one last fragile smile before her eyes slowly drifted shut.
"Eloise!"
Frantic screams echoed across the courtyard as Yvonne broke free from the servants and ran through the rain, with Maddox close behind.
"My baby!" she cried, dropping to her knees beside them. "What happened to my angel?"
She reached for Eloise, but Kieran caught her wrist before she could touch her.
"This isn’t the time," he said firmly, even though panic was plain in his voice. "We have to get the poison out of her system first."
He looked at Kaden. "Take her to my quarters," he instructed.
Kaden didn’t waste another second. Tightening his hold around Eloise, he sprang to his feet before disappearing across the courtyard in his half-shifted form. Kieran immediately followed after him, leaving only Killian standing in the rain with Yvonne’s cries echoing behind him.
"It’s all that vixen’s fault!" Yvonne screamed as Maddox struggled to hold her back. "She did this to Eloise! If anything happens to my daughter, I’ll make her pay!"
Killian barely heard her. His heart lurched violently.
Yuki.
His head snapped towards the rooftop. He couldn’t feel her through the bond. Worse, he couldn’t sense her wolf at all.
Cold dread spread through him.
"Yuki..."
He reached for her through the mate bond.
Nothing answered.
His breathing became uneven as he turned and sprinted back towards the house. Without slowing down, he scaled the wall in a series of effortless leaps before pulling himself onto the rooftop.
His heart nearly stopped.
Yuki lay crumpled where she had fallen, blood staining the front of her nightdress where the rough roof tiles had torn through her skin. She wasn’t moving.
For a brief moment, he forgot how to breathe.
His feet carried him to her before he even realised he had moved. Dropping to one knee beside her, he brushed the wet strands of hair away from her face.
She was burning.
*******
Yuki drifted back to consciousness, feeling as though someone had filled her head with lead. Every part of her body ached. Her skin burned one moment before shivering uncontrollably the next. Something warm rested against her forehead, and without thinking, she leaned into it.
When she slowly opened her eyes, bright morning sunlight poured through the windows. Her blurred vision gradually focused until she found Killian sitting beside the bed. He was still in his half-shifted form, his golden ears visible through his damp blond hair as one large hand rested gently against her forehead, quietly channelling his healing energy into her body.
"Killian..." she whispered.
She tried to sit up, but only a hoarse wheeze escaped her throat before his free hand pressed lightly against her shoulder.
"Don’t move," he muttered. "You’re burning up."
A painful cough shook her body.
"It’s... just a fever..." she said in a raspy voice.
Killian gave her a strange look.
"Yeah," he answered.
Something about his voice made her frown. It sounded distracted, almost uneasy.
The fever wasn’t the only thing wrong. Her chest felt strangely hollow, as though her wolf had retreated somewhere deep inside herself. Even with Killian’s energy easing the ache in her body, she couldn’t shake the emptiness left behind by what had happened on the rooftop.
She remembered everything. The three brothers running past her without looking back.
Turning her head towards him, she asked quietly, "Why are you here? You should be with Eloise."
Her head was spinning as though she were drunk.
Killian let out a weary sigh. When she tried to sit up again, he gently but firmly pushed her back onto the mattress.
"Stop moving around."
His voice came out harsher than he intended.
Yuki flinched immediately. The fever had left her in a half-drunken state, making her emotions raw and unguarded. Tears gathered in her eyes before she could stop them.
"Don’t..." she whispered, her voice shaking. "Don’t yell at me."
Killian froze.
Looking down at her, he saw tears silently spilling onto the pillow. He knew he should ignore them. He knew he shouldn’t care. Maybe it was pity or the bond, or maybe he just could not stop himself.
His thumb moved on its own, gently wiping away the tears rolling down her cheeks. The tiny act of kindness shattered the last of her restraint.
"It hurts, Killian..." Her voice cracked. "It really hurts."
The words hit him like a knife.
Before he could react, she reached for him with surprising strength, pulling him down onto the bed. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face against his chest, clinging to him like someone desperate for warmth.
Killian’s entire body stiffened. Every instinct told him to push her away. His wolf demanded the opposite.
In the end, he slowly wrapped one arm around her, telling himself it was only because of the fever, because his wolf refused to settle otherwise. He continued feeding her small amounts of his energy while she gradually relaxed against him.
Within minutes, her breathing became soft and even.
She had fallen asleep.
Killian remained where he was, staring silently at the ceiling while the warmth of her body rested against his chest. The strange feeling of peace that settled over him was something he refused to acknowledge. He had brought her to his chamber to avoid rumours. His quarters were more isolated.
He felt her warm breath against his neck.
The bedroom door suddenly swung open.
"Killian, Eloise is..."
Kaden stopped in the doorway.
His eyes settled on the bed where Yuki, dressed in one of Killian’s shirts, was curled tightly against Killian’s chest while Killian held her without realising it.
A bitter feeling twisted inside Kaden’s chest. He couldn’t explain why.
He only knew he hated what he was looking at.