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AARYN 

Aaryn stood in outside the clearing where the birds were gathering, a circle of Protectors, staring at him expectantly, and his head… buzzed. They needed an answer and he should know it. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Aaryn? Are you okay?"

"Yes, sure. Just—"

A whimper was the only warning he had before a warm, Elreth smell accompanied the tackle to his chest. He stumbled backwards, clutching her as she buried her face in his neck and sobbed.

The Protectors went wide-eyed at the sudden and extreme display of emotion from their Queen, but as Aaryn felt his own control threatening to break, he tipped his head at them to give them some space, then walked her back into the trees until they were far enough away to speak quietly without being heard.

Elreth hadn\'t pulled her face out of his neck, though her initial sob was the only real sound she\'d made.

"El," he breathed, holding her tightly. She shook her head and wouldn\'t lift her chin when he tried to look at her. So he sighed and, swallowing back his own tears, just held her.

They stood together for a long time, Elreth\'s shoulders shaking silently, and Aaryn battling the urge to release himself into the pit of emotion that had clearly overcome his mate… but he knew he couldn\'t. One of them had to be strong. Always. Soon it would be her turn. But now… for now he would be the one who stood solid in the storm.

So he stroked her hair, and whispered to her that she would never be alone. Reminded her that the Creator had surprised them so many times before, so perhaps their grief was premature. But that he shared it, anyway.

When she finally stopped shaking he lifted her chin and made her meet his eyes—hers were puffy, shining even in the dark of the forest, the low moonlight making them almost glow.

He framed her face with his hands and they locked gazes.

"I love you, El. And we\'re in this together, forever."

"Stay with me, please," she sobbed. "Please. Through all of this. Stay right next to me. I can\'t… I can\'t lose anyone else, Aaryn. Especially not you. You have to promise me!"

Remembering her panic when he\'d returned from his unplanned trip across the traverse, he nodded and squeezed her again. "I promise. I\'m with you. To the end, El. We\'ll do this together."

She sighed with relief and dropped her forehead against his neck again. But she wasn\'t crying anymore. And soon he was helping her clean herself up, and holding her hand as they walked back to the clearing.

When they broke through the treeline he let go of her hand—she never wanted to be affectionate in front of others—but she looked at him and shook her head, clinging to his fingers, twining hers with his.

"Together. Always," she whispered and squeezed his hand. "I\'m never going to pretend I don\'t need you again, Aaryn. I\'m sorry I ever did."

The admission caught him right in the ribs and stopped his breath. He almost started crying again, but this time with confused joy as they walked together to the gathering of Anima full of grim faces and hands on hips. But it didn\'t matter. Because whatever was causing a problem now, they\'d face it together.

*****

GAR

Something was happening among the Protectors on the other side of the clearing, but Gar smelled no alarm on those nearby, so he turned back to Rika, who had just finished checking through the bag they\'d packed to bring on the trip.

"I still need a knife—and a slingshot if you have one?" she said distractedly, her attention going to the next bag for one of the Protectors, and checking that against her mental checklist.

"Of course," he replied, then watched her, brows high. She moved quickly and efficiently, muttering to herself as she yanked a set of leather straps out of the bag and shook her head. "These are too thick, they\'ll be too bulky. That\'s not what we told them to bring."

Gar shook his head. Everything had been in such upheaval since he\'d brought her back to the Tree City, and she\'d been so off-balance, he\'d forgotten how... sufficient she was. When he\'d met her she was living in the forest in a strange world, utterly alone. Sure, she had technology to help her remain safe. But the truth was, she\'d always impressed him with her resourcefulness and strength. She was like a warrior—practical, relentless—except her enemy was the elements, and the need for food. She didn\'t fear solitude, or nature. Only the ill will of man—or Anima.

When she was safe in herself she was bold and strong—and very confident.

And she wanted to leave the safety of his arms and run straight into the ranks of their enemy.

Damn, he was starting to shake again.

When she straightened from the bag she\'d been checking, he slipped up behind her and put his hands to her waist. She froze, and for a moment he thought it had been a mistake, but then she looked at him over her shoulder, a wicked grin on her face.

"What an unprofessional warrior you are," she murmured.

But Gar looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then tugged her back into the trees where he pressed her against a tree trunk with his hips, but didn\'t take her lips, even when she lifted her chin, expecting him to.

He stared down at her and trembled.

"Gar, what—?"

"I can\'t let you go to them," he muttered, glancing past the tree to where the others stood, making sure none of them were approaching.

She slumped, hands on his biceps. "Gar, this isn\'t—"

"You can come with me. You can advise us. But I can\'t do it, Rika. I can\'t… I can\'t lose anyone else."

"You aren\'t going to," she said quietly, stroking his shoulders. "I\'m going to get in among them and mess up their tech, and then I\'m getting the hell out of there."

He stared down at her, frowning, and she stared back. Within him, that fizzing light began again, pulsing in his veins and he almost snapped it back.

But as she stared at him, her eyes went wide and the bond throbbed in his chest.

"Can you feel that?" she whispered.

Gar sucked in a breath. "Yes, you mean you can too?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"It\'s the bond, Rika. That\'s our mating bond."

She looked down at herself, not that it would do any good.

"It\'s… that\'s amazing."

"You\'re amazing."

She looked up at him again, but he stayed quiet, pushing his hips harder into hers and pinning her into the tree. He wanted to flirt. He wanted to make this fun. But the truth was, he was terrified and desperate, and…

"I need you," he breathed.

Her eyes flared and she reached up to pull him down, but he shook his head. "I can\'t right now," he said hoarsely. "I have to make sure the Protectors going with us are clear on when to meet and who to tell, but… but we need to go get those weapons, and I think I should check the Tree for… anything else… come with me?"

"I\'ll do you one better than that," she whispered. "I\'ll be waiting for you when you get there."

"Thirty minutes," Gar snarled, then stole a kiss and tore himself away, storming back to the gathering, because if he didn\'t he was going to ignore his responsibilities and pick her up and carry her back to the Tree.

Thirty minutes. He could wait thirty minutes. Then he\'d never let her out of his sight again.Â