Chapter Five
No nightmare could compare to what Brant was experiencing at the moment. He thought that seeing Kat kidnapped in front of his eyes was the worst but seeing her like a broken doll simply destroyed everything in him. Once they got her out the house, Hunter had taken charge of everything, leaving him to stay by her side. It didn’t matter how many times he touched or spoke to her, she showed absolutely no reaction. When asked, she stood up, and walked, following whoever was there like a puppy, but nothing more. No sound came from her lips, and her empty white eyes barely blinked.
Hunter had insisted that they go to the hospital, and with despair clinging to him like a bad friend, Brant agreed, but warned the cop that he wouldn’t allow her to stay there.
Indeed, the doctors were baffled by the state of her eyes. It was nothing they had seen before. They examined her, ran a bunch of tests, but still, she was a medical mystery for them. At least they confirmed that apart from cuts and bruises, she was in good health, and that the men hadn’t violated her in any way. It was a small blessing.
Kat had spent a day and night at the hospital, being and poked and prodded and stuck with needles, all without a reaction from her or a diagnosis. When they’d spoken about sending her to a specialized place, Brant had decided it was enough and brought her to Sanctuary.
How strange to see her here, in his home. How many times had he imagined her within these walls, meeting the people he considered his family, laughing with them, baking in the kitchen. And now she lay in the bed, her sightless eyes closing as he whispered to her to sleep.
As he dragged a chair from a corner of the room to bring it beside the bed, he felt someone approaching. Two people in fact. Sitting beside the bed, he took Kat’s hand in his and didn’t turn as Asher came into the room. His alpha, and master of this sanctuary, didn’t move for a moment. A slender figure stayed by the door. He didn’t have to look to recognize Genevieve, one of the Faes residing within these protective walls.
“Brant? I know you want to stay here, but we need to talk.”
“I’m not leaving her.” His voice creaked as if he hadn’t used it for a while, or more probably because he hadn’t slept since he’d rescued her.
“I know. Genevieve will stay with her while you take a shower and grab something to eat.”
Brant had always been easygoing, but the thought of leaving Kat’s side, even for a moment, was unbearable.
Asher sighed. “I understand, believe me, but you’re not helping her by getting weaker. I know as a shifter, it would take more than a few sleepless nights and skipped meals to affect you, but I know you want to help her. Find solutions. And for that, we need you at full strength with a clear brain. You need to talk with Sera and Valeria. As witches, they have knowledge of things that we don’t necessarily understand. Maybe we can find an answer, a spell, anything to help bring Kat back to us.”
Silent as a breeze, Genevieve came into the room, almost gliding to his side. “I promise I will call out if she stirs. She’s peaceful. It’s the best time for you to follow Asher.”
He’d never hated the voice of reason more. Genevieve and Asher were right.
Standing, Brant remained by the bed where Kat was resting, and gently pushed a lock of hair from her forehead before gathering all his will to follow Asher out the room.
Damn the shower, Brant preferred to get to the heart of the matter and join the people he could sense were already gathered in the kitchen.
Valeria, Asher’s mate and a witch with newfound weredragon powers, came to him first, taking him in her arms. “Oh, Brant. I’m so sorry. We’ll work at finding a solution. Wewillfind a solution.”
It was a little awkward as it was an implicit rule to not be intimate with a claimed mate, Brant patted her back, the only safe place to touch her in his opinion.
Feeling relieved as she pulled away, the smaller form of Ian’s mate Sera, filled the empty space. A look at his friend told him he was smiling, and Brant relaxed a bit as the werewolf didn’t seem threatened or offended by his mate’s display of affection. On the contrary, when Sera kissed his cheek before going back to Ian, Asher and Ian came by his side, each with a hand on his shoulders, a show of support and strength from his pack. He’d never had that in the life he’d had before Sanctuary, before this unique place where he could contribute and forge a life for himself.
Valeria pulled him by the hand and led him to the table, making him sit. His body felt like lead, and it took a couple of blinks before his nose realized there was food in front of him. His stomach growled but his throat closed.
“I don’t think Kat has eaten today.” Since they’d recovered Kat, she had only eaten if someone had put food in front of her. With Kat not speaking she couldn’t say when she was hungry, and with that thought Brant tried to remember the last time she’d had a proper meal.
“Calm down, Brant. She’s sleeping now. I’ll prepare something when she wakes up. Even better, maybe Asher can whip up one of his famous dishes for her as he’s the undeniable chef of Sanctuary.”
Asher rolled his eyes at his mate’s teasing, but the tenderness and amusement were undeniable in how he looked at her. Brant turned back to his plate of food. Seeing intimacy like he’d shared with Kat was tearing him apart. Valeria’s focus immediately shifted to him and she put her hand on his arm. The uneasiness returned. He didn’t want to shrug her off as he understood her need for care and compassion, but her touch didn’t feel right.
He looked at Asher and his discomfort must have shown, as his alpha kissed the top of his mate’s head and gently moved her to his side, breaking the contact.
Asher sat beside him. “Did you mate with her?”
Brant was surprised by the question, but not by his bluntness. “No. I wouldn’t dare. I know we can’t. I just couldn’t...”
“You couldn’t stay away?”
Brant nodded his head, defeated.
“I wonder, though...” Asher’s voice was low and pensive. Brant saw him glance quickly at Ian who shrugged. Sera elbowed him hard in the ribs.
“Stop that! Clearly the poor man doesn’t know what’s happened to him. You’re not helping!”
