Chapter 10
Serra sat on the bed, watching the twins sleep in a pile in the middle. Her hand absently stroking them, she murmured something she hoped was soothing while she looked around the room. It all looked so generic, compared to the home she and Jared had built together. There were no photos on the dresser, their clothes weren’t fighting for space in the closet and his toothbrush wasn’t waiting for him in the bathroom. Her soul ached with the emptiness and the lack of reminders of their life together. More than anything, she ached for her mate.
The hand not stroking the twins rested on her belly and even the roll of the cubs inside didn’t have its usual effect. She chewed her lip, wincing at the rawness and realized that she hadn’t stopped the lip chewing since she’d lost Jared. She felt useless. Everyone kept telling her they were doing all they could. It wasn’t good enough. She wanted him home with her and the twins now.
She needed to be doing something, but the cubs needed her and she couldn’t bring herself to put her needs before theirs, no matter how badly she wanted to. She knew she’d pissed of Jared’s parents, Edge, Brian and probably even Daniel. She wanted to care, but how could she? She didn’t have the patience to sit around and talk, when her mate was out there somewhere, lost, alone, possibly hurt. Maybe she should have stayed with the Morgan’s, but she didn’t believe that Jared’s mom cared for her much and if she wanted to feel the hate, as it were, she could have gone home to face Monica. Shit like that wasn’t something she could show even the slightest amount of grace in dealing with right now. Not with how scared she was and the supercharged hormones and powers.
Here was safer for them and the cubs needed some normalcy in their lives. This was the only way that she could think of to achieve that. This may not be their home, but god damn it, she’d make it one where they felt safe, secure and loved, if it killed her. Serra glanced down when Theo snored softly and fidgeted until he found the tip of Justice’s tail to suck on. Once he settled down, Serra got up and piled pillows around them to be sure that no one rolled off the bed. Glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table, she calculated that she had roughly two hours until they woke up again.
Closing the door behind her softly, she jumped and squeaked. Pops was leaning against the wall beside the door, his head down and his hands in his pockets. Covering her pounding heart with her hand she laughed shakily. “Hey Pops. Wasn’t expecting anyone to be there.”
He lifted his head, his deep mahogany eyes pained and searching her face. “I’ll watch them.”
Serra shook her head, not sure what he was talking about. “Watch them what?”
His lips curled up in a half smile. “Don’t even try to fool an old fool, Serra Michelle. If it was your mother, I would need to see with my own eyes that everything was being done that could be. Don’t try to pretend that you’re not cut from the same cloth, Munchkin.”
She stared at her father, feeling the tears well in her eyes before she threw herself into his arms. “Thank you Pops,” her voice was muffled by his chest as he stroked her hair and held her. “I’ll be back before they wake up, I promise.” She kept the fears about her not being a good enough mother and how scared she was that she wouldn’t find Jared to herself. That was a conversation meant to be had in the wee hours of the morning over pints of Ben and Jerry’s and tall glasses of dark liquor.
“Just come back safe, Serra,” he murmured into her hair before releasing her and kissing her forehead.
“I will.” Serra kissed his cheek and ghosted to what was left of their home. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the rubble that used to be the heart of their family. So many memories had lived inside and now it looked the way she felt, utterly destroyed. How could they ever rebuild that? Shaking her head and wiping away the tear, she wrapped her arms around herself and walked toward the last place she’d seen her mate, trying to mind link him. She got nothing but dead air. The only comfort she had was knowing that he lived.
Breathing was good, but who knew what he was going through? Was he being tortured? Was he hurt? Could he even come back from wherever the hell he’d gone? When gods and fuckery were involved, a hole in the ground didn’t mean that it led to anywhere on earth. She coughed, there was a tickle at the back of her throat from the smoke and flames that she couldn’t shake and every swallow or cough felt like it was being cleaned with a wire brush. The rest of her burns were healing slowly, the skin still thin and pink. Damion had offered to heal her too, but the only one she would let do it was Jared and he couldn’t. If he could be trapped somewhere hurting, then she would feel her pain too.
Her feet came to a stop on the charred piece of turf that had swallowed her mate. She arched a brow and poked it with her toe. Kara had blown a crater in the earth, but it was gone. She wondered how that could happen and wondered if it meant anything. Silently, Serra willed it to reopen and give him back. It didn’t.
Sighing she dropped to the ground, sitting crisscross applesauce, as the twins called it, and reached out for anything from him. She closed her eyes and concentrated, screaming for him through mind link. She didn’t know how long she sat like that and didn’t open her eyes or stop until her head thudded with a migraine and she felt the drip of something coming from both nostrils. Rubbing at her face, her hand came away bloody. Nose bleed. Great. The hits just keep on coming.
Pulling up the tail of her shirt, she wiped and pinched her nose, tilting her head back until it stopped. Still, she got nothing but silence from her mate. She dropped her shirt and sighed, rubbing her aching chest with the heel of her hand. Someone had to know something. She refused to believe that Brian wasn’t looking under every rock trying to get his brother back. Hanging her head, Serra ghosted to the parking lot behind The Pit, opening her eyes when she heard Brax barking orders about straightening the rebar.
Serra arched a brow, seeing the bear’s head bobbing over the edge of what looked like a bomb crater in the pavement, and basement. She stepped over a dog sized chunk of cement and stopped at the edge, to look down. Brax’s face was swollen and lump and his arm was in a sling as he ordered a just as badly beaten Beyer around.
“Just because I have two arms, don’t mean I can move at the speed of light, you know. Rebending this shit ain’t easy,” Beyer growled as he yanked on the rod of metal that looked like someone had tried to bend it into a coat hanger.
“Less yapping, more working,” Brax barked back.
“What the hell did I miss?” Serra shook her head.
“Don’t ask. You don’t want to know. Trust me.” Brax snorted.
“True story,” Beyer agreed and grunted as he got the piece of iron lined up.
“I’ll take your word for it. Is Brian or Kara around?”
“Brian went for more supplies. Think Kara might be upstairs.” Brax glanced up and winced at the dark circles under the panther’s eyes and his gaze dropped to her rounded stomach. “We heard. Sorry, Serra. He’ll find a way to get back. It’s what Jared does.”
“Thanks,” Serra sighed. “I’m going to go up,” She nodded to the second and third story windows above them, before stepping back and walking around the crater.
“Be careful, Brock’s back and he’s being an asshole,” Beyer called after her.
Serra stopped and turned. “Where did Brock go?”
“He died. Last week. You didn’t know?” Brax looked as shocked as Serra felt.
Serra gasped. “But I just talked to him last week,” She had missed a lot and Kara hadn’t mentioned a thing when she had to be falling apart just as badly as Serra was. “But he’s back? How?”
“Fucked if I know. He just came strolling through the portal with an attitude and a need to kick our asses,” Brax muttered.
“Yeah, ya’ll got no problem with Kara being the one to deal with him now, do you?” Beyer snorted.
“No one asked you dip shit,” Brax growled back.
Serra turned away as she was forgotten and the bears conversation degraded into the usual name calling and threats. Is was weirdly quiet inside, with none of the typical laughter and joking that made the place feel like home. Some of the furniture was broken and had been shoved to the sides of the room. “What the hell?” She shook her head and pushed into the kitchen, raising a brow at the cold grill and fryers before finding her way up the stairs.
Serra followed the halls and her nose until she was positive that she’s found the Valkyrie and Brock’s room. Finger-combing the hair back from her face, she rapped her knuckle against the door, remembering that they had a dog and wondering why there was no barking.
Kara couldn’t stop running her fingers through Brock’s hair as he slept and snored softly. Bob should be here to, she thought, sighing as the heat of the bear’s body begged her to lay with him and surrender to the sleep she’d been avoiding since she woke in the cell with the lion. She blinked her eyes rapidly, willing them to stay open. She’d made her bear a promise and she had no intention of letting him down. Not now and never again.
Hearing the soft knock, she crawled out from under Brock, taking care not to wake him. Maybe Bob had found his way home too. And learned to knock, Kara? Really? Shaking her head, she opened the door and tried to smile. “Hey, Serra. How are you holding up kid?”
Serra lifted her head and looked at Kara through her hair. “About as good as you did when you came back.” She shrugged. “Maybe worse, but with less drinking.”
Kara breathe out in a puff and stepped back so Serra could step inside their tiny kitchen, living room combo. “That good? Damn Serra, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t tell me that you’d lost Brock.”
Kara shrugged. “You didn’t need to hear about that. It was my own hell to live. No one else’s” She couldn’t help that her eyes teared up and her chest ached. “I know how it hurts, Serra and I won’t stop until we get Jared back.”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying. Any leads? Seriously, I’ll take anything.” She blinked away tears and tried to swallow past the sore lump in her throat.
Kara slid and arm around the panther’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t yet. Brock came back and my brain kind of skidded to a halt for a minute. I’m no good without him.”
Serra nodded and blinked back her tears. “Mine would too, if Jared walked in right now, I don’t think I could let go of him for a week. He’s all I want.”
“I know.” Kara leaned her head against the short blonde’s. “I won’t stop until we get him back or I’m dead. My biology won’t allow it.”
“Even though you just got Brock back, that claiming thing you did with us is that strong?”
“Yes. It pisses me off sometimes,” the corner of Kara’s mouth curled up slightly.
“I’m sorry, but good,” Serra whispered. “if you hear anything or need me to help with,” her words were chocked off as a sob closed her throat.
“You will be the first one I tell. I promise, Serra. I won’t make a move without you knowing, first. Even if it’s a quick mindlink.” She patted her hand on the panther’s hitching back. “There isn’t a connection I won’t be hitting up. I’ve got you both Babes.”
Serra let herself lose it and let the Valkyrie comfort her. Finally, she pulled herself back together enough to whisper, “Thank you.” The alarm on her phone beeped, telling her that the twins would be up soon and they would be expecting their afternoon snack. “I have to get back.” She wiped her face as dry as she could with her fingers. “Really Kara. Thank you. Give your bear a hug for me.” She gave a weak smile as the blonde nodded and ghosted back to her kids.
Kara stared at the empty space and raked a hand through her hair. Her heart bled for the kid and she wished she had the slightest idea of how to find Jared. Her mind turned to that demon in the clearing. War was his name. Why the hell did that sound familiar? There was something there, she just needed the time to work it through, or maybe Ve could help jog her memory. Sighing she turned to return to Brock and fulfill her promise of watching over him as he slept.
Brock listened to the women talk, his bear’s brows twitching as they acted like he was important to the Valkyrie. He was having trouble believing it. He thought back to the incident in the bar, when he’d bolted her. Those tears had been from the pain of the impact. They had to be. No one cried for him. But what if they did? He closed his eyes when he heard her approaching and his bear groaned when she rejoined him on the bed and her scent, made his body turn fluid again. This is all weird as hell, he thought, stretching his paw to hook her waist and pull her closer.