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They slipped out of the house and silently walked to the back of the
courtyard. They couldn t go far, but Linden thought he d choke in the
pressure of his former home.
They lay down on the grass, as far as they could go given the
situation. Linden leaned against an old tree. I wonder if this tree is
even real, he mused.
Everything is as real as we believe it to be, Ash answered. You
know what Wolfram told us a little while back? That the feral who
attacked you never saw the town. He just saw a strange human
trekking through the wild.
Seriously? Why is it different with you?
It s different because he couldn t sense the souls, Dan replied.
His spirit only felt flesh, as ferals no longer have control over their
spirit. The rest of us, even Lucius and Clara, are spirit wolves, and the
few humans here you and Andrew, that is have some sort of
connection with us. This gives us a superior level of spiritual reach,
and that is why we saw Timber Lake in its enchanted form. The truth
behind the mask can only be seen by The Magistrate and those like
him. He paused and caressed the side of Linden s face. But even if
that wasn t the case, we ll always be able to find you. Always.
That thought encouraged Linden, and he smiled at his mates.
How do you know what to say to make me feel better?
I d have done anything, anything to save you this pain, Dan
answered. I d die for you all over again if it would help heal your
heart.
Linden didn t speak. He just cuddled against Dan and closed his
eyes. Sandwiched between Dan and Ash, he felt safe. He was just
running away from reality, he knew it, but he wanted to pretend, for a
while longer, that he hadn t lived in a ghost town for the past years,
76 Scarlet Hyacinth
his mother still lived, and the Magistrate hadn t sentenced him to
living apart from his mates.
He supposed he should be grateful. Wolfram at least showed some
openness to the possibility of a cure, unlike the D Averams. But
Linden just didn t want to think about any of it anymore. He was
tired, so very tired.
A soft, warm kiss landed on his mouth. Dan licked against the
seams of his lips and murmured, It s okay. We ll deal with things as
they come.
Strong hands came to pull his shirt out of his jeans. Just relax.
Give us your pain.
Tears filled Linden s eyes, and he trembled against his mates. I
don t know if I can.
Ash s warm palms slipped under the material, making him gasp
with pleasure. Don t be afraid.
Linden inhaled the comforting scent of his mates and forced
himself to comply. All these lies effectively served to crumble the
very fabric of his soul. And as much as he hated to admit it, he feared
Wolfram would be right. He found a piece of himself echoing in the
eeriness of this ghost town, a part of his soul that never really healed.
It felt as if a barrier lifted off his eyes and heart. If before, he d
acknowledged his past with only a distant sorrow the sorrow he
experience through Dan he now sensed his own. He remembered his
terror at being trapped within a body he could no longer control, his
desperation at his inability to reach out to Caesar. The physical pain
he d suffered through meant nothing in front of that, in front of
watching a slideshow of his days from the abysses of his mind
without being able to live it. He d seen the increasing strain on
Caesar s face and had cried inside while he spat in his mate s face on
the outside. So many things, so many memories, and they all
culminated with the night when Caesar had finally given up hope.
Linden tasted wolfsbane in his mouth, and his jaw ached at being
forced to eat the drugging plant. His body struggled, but his mind
Mates in Life and Death 77
surrendered, tired of the fight. Even so, somewhere deep within his
consciousness, he saw them, the flames licking just at the outer sight
of his vision. Caesar was surrounded by fire, he realized. The thought
that followed automatically made him understand how he himself
somehow ended up in the same situation.
His survival instinct kicked in and tried to break free. He didn t
want to die, not like this, not before he told his mate how much he
loved him. But then, the fire disappeared. Caesar must have lost
consciousness as well.
There was no pain when the flames consumed his physical body.
He didn t feel any of it. But his spirit wept, knowing he d be
separated of his mate, desperately reaching out and trying to cling to
Caesar. He failed, and he fell through the darkness and the shadow,
until everything turned into a lifeless, colorless void, an absence of
everything.
Warm arms pulled him out of his dreadful memories, the casket of
death fading into the gloom of the past. He didn t recall much of what
happened after that, and by rights, he should have never remembered
it at all. But this place, he knew, this place kept the darkness inside
him at bay, at least until the truth about it emerged.
Linden sobbed while his mates rocked him gently. Shhh& It s
okay, beautiful, Ash said. We re here now. Nothing s going to hurt
you. Never again.
Linden soaked in their attention greedily. He hated being so weak,
but he couldn t help it. Still, he tensed slightly when Dan pulled away
a bit and began to undo the buttons of Linden s shirt. W What?
What are you doing?
Loving you, Dan replied. Don t be scared. Just let go.
But& they will see. It was a half-hearted protest at best, and
Linden himself knew it.
He felt Ash nod behind him. Yes, they will, and we won t care.
No one can tell us not to love you, not even the Magistrate.
78 Scarlet Hyacinth
Linden wouldn t have protested if his life depended on it. He
allowed his mates to disrobe him, slowly, with such gentleness that
his fears began to melt. Each touch reached out to a deep, visceral part
of him, soothing his hurts.
For a little while, the caresses remained almost platonic, but soon,
the gentleness turned carnal. Ash and Dan shed their clothing as well.
Linden had a distant thought he d have very much liked to be around
his naked mates all the time, but not with others around. Not that it
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