Fated Heroes

by Brittany Cournoyer

  “Come on, Isaac. Josh needs you. We all need you,” I whispered, willing him to wake up.

  “I do. I never got the chance to tell him I love him. He’s the only family I have. I can’t lose him,” Josh cried out with a heartbreaking sob.

  “He knows. He wouldn’t be here with you if he thought any different. Just because you didn’t say the words, doesn’t mean your actions didn’t tell him otherwise,” Nick reassured Josh.

  “I haven’t had enough time with him,” Josh cried harder. “We all haven’t had enough time with him. Michael needs him just as much as I do. They just found each other.”

  “We have to believe he’ll be okay. And when he feels better, you and Michael can take turns kicking his ass for what he did,” Nick joked, trying to make light of the situation.

  Nick hated any heavy conversation or situations. He could only take so much before he had to insert a snarky comment or a joke. Otherwise it’d be way too much for him and he’d find himself in a dark place he didn’t want to be in.

  “He’s starting to move,” Kimberly suddenly announced. The exhaustion was evident in her voice, but she soldiered on with giving Isaac her light.

  We all gasped in relief and hugged each other as the healers started to slowly pull back from him. Each one of them looked fatigued, but they hugged one another for helping and working together. We walked over to the other five and profusely thanked them, and I watched them walk away. Probably headed back to the others to let them know what had happened before heading back to their homes and families. To their own protectors, who were probably frantic and wondering where their healers were. I knew we’d never see them again, and I was okay with that. Being part of that group of six was a thankless job.

  “Isaac?” Josh finally asked as he knelt back down beside his brother. “Are you okay?”

  “What do you think?” Isaac asked stoically.

  “Why did you do it?” Josh questioned him.

  “What other choice did I have? They were blindsided and would have been killed otherwise,” Isaac replied bitterly as he sat up slowly.

  Nick, Michael, and I stood back and watched the exchange between the brothers. They weren’t telling us the consequences of Isaac’s actions for a reason, but I was determined to figure out just what in the hell it was.

  “You know what this means now, right?” Josh asked. His voice was once again filled with despair.

  “Of course I do. I’m not stupid, Josh. But it seemed like the only thing I could do at the time.”

  “We could have found another way, surely,” Josh argued.

  “What’s done is done, Josh. The people we care about were about to be slaughtered. I had to do what I had to do and there is no changing that. If I hadn’t done it, I know you would have, and I couldn’t let you risk yourself, not again.” Isaac’s voice was very serious and final.

  “Thank you for bringing me back,” Isaac said and turned his eyes to Kimberly.

  “Don’t mention it. You saved my friends.” Kimberly shrugged, her voice weak.

  Isaac nodded and turned back to Josh and that’s when I saw it. His back where his feathers had emerged from earlier, even though he was healed by Kimberly, was scorched. Where his wings would have been had just littles bits of the spines left. And there on the ground where he was lying were blue feathers. Lots and lots of blue feathers. Blue feathers with black tips.

  “Oh, no,” I cried and brought my hand to my mouth to fight off a cry. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean what I think it means.”

  The rest of the group looked down at the ground and let out equally shocked gasps and cries. Isaac glanced at all of us and nodded somberly.

  “Yes. It does. Using that energy made me lose my wings. I’ll never be able to fly again.”

  Chapter 27

  Even though we were all ecstatic to have Kimberly back with us, the euphoria was short-lived after what had happened with Isaac. We all quietly trudged back through the woods and made our way to the car. I noticed that Nick and Josh leaned on each other while, surprisingly enough, Kimberly leaned against Isaac. It was as if with every step she took, Kimberly grew weaker and weaker.

  “What’s wrong with her?” I finally asked. My eyes were trained on the charred skin and burnt pieces of wings on Isaac’s bare back.

  “She lost a lot of blood and then used too much of her energy to save me. She used more than any of the others. Even now, I can still feel her light, but the others were gone the minute I woke. Her strength is what brought me back, but she used too much. Now she’s very weak,” Isaac explained without even turning around to look at me. Instead, he pulled Kimberly closer against his side. She didn’t seem to mind us talking about her while she was right there.

  “She seemed stronger once she got out into the sunlight,” I pointed out to him.

  “Yes, sunlight does help recharge a healer, but she nearly depleted her energy to save me. We need to get her to a hotel immediately, so she can rest and we can keep an eye on her.” Isaac lifted Kimberly into his arms as if she weighed next to nothing and then continued his trek back to our car with her cradled against his chest.

  “She’s our family and she saved my brother. We take care of our own,” Josh vowed before he untangled himself from Nick and followed his brother.

  I looked behind me and felt my heart lodge in my throat. Two of my dearest friends stood there. Both covered in dried blood. Their skin was torn and ripped from their bodies. Their hair mussed. They looked like absolute wrecks, but it wasn’t the state of their bodies that got to me. It was the look on Michael’s face.

  It was bleakness in his eyes. The stain of tears on his cheeks. The way he carried one of Isaac’s feathers and held on to it as if it was the most precious, fragile thing that he’d ever touched. He looked absolutely devastated about what had happened to Isaac, as well as guilt-ridden.

  “Nick,” I said softly, “can I have a moment with Michael, please?”

  Nick nodded swiftly and followed the path that Josh and Isaac had walked down. I walked closer to Michael and reached out to touch his shoulder, trying to offer him some comfort. It felt like a punch in the gut when he flinched away.

  “It’s not your fault,” I told him fervently.

  “If only we had paid closer attention. I should have been keeping a better eye out. I was in fucking wolf form, for God’s sake. I should have been able to sniff them out!” Michael cried out as fresh tears started to stream down his face.

  “Michael, that’s just not true. Those freaks came out of nowhere. We were exhausted and were focused on getting Kimberly and those other people out of there. He made a split-second decision to save us. Do not feel guilty for that.” I stepped closer and put my hands hesitantly on his arms to pull him closer.

  I didn’t care that he was standing there without a stitch of clothing on. Or that we were both covered in dirt and blood while the machete was once again tucked into the sheath. My friend needed comfort and I wanted to give it to him.

  “He’s never going to be the same again and it’s my fault.” Michael’s face crumpled and he finally closed the small gap between us. His arms came around me in a vise-like grip as he wept on my shoulder.

  I gently ran my hands up and down his back, trying to ease the pain as his body trembled. I felt his hot tears soak through my shirt and I felt helpless. I didn’t know how to take the pain away. All I could do was repeat over and over again that it wasn’t his fault. But I knew he wasn’t listening to a word I said.

  “I’m afraid he’s not going to want me anymore,” Michael finally confessed.

  “Don’t say that. Of course he will,” I argued.

  “Why would he?” Michael asked as he stepped back, the feather still in his grasp. “Think about it, Courtney. Every time he goes to fly, or fuck, I don’t know, stretch his wings, he’ll be reminded that he can’t. Then he’ll remember why he can’t. Because I fucked up! I am a wolf and it’s my job to protect you and everyone else. And I
failed! Isaac doesn’t want a fucking failure. He won’t want me anymore. He’s going to leave us. Leave me,” Michael said, his voice cracking on the last word.

  “That’s not going to happen,” a deep voice bellowed out.

  Michael and I both turned and saw a very angry Isaac standing there, his chest heaving and his eyes narrowed. I wasn’t sure how much he’d heard, but it was obvious that he’d heard enough. And, oh, was he pissed.

  “I came to check on you guys to see what the holdup was and heard a very interesting conversation,” he said as he stalked closer to us. “Courtney, why don’t you go ahead and meet up with the rest of the group while I have a word with Michael.”

  Jesus, Isaac was intimidating. Even though I knew that Isaac would never hurt my friend, I was almost scared to leave them alone together. I glanced back at Michael for reassurance and he nodded his head. I watched as he raised a hand to wipe his eyes and offered me a small smile.

  I quickly turned my gaze back to Isaac to warn him not to hurt my friend, and noticed that he only had eyes for Michael. My warning wasn’t needed. Gone was the hard glare, and in its place was tenderness. And I knew that neither I nor Michael had anything to worry about.

  Without another word, I started to continue to walk down the path and only stopped when I got a small distance away. I couldn’t help but to turn around, and I felt my heart swell at the scene in front of me.

  Isaac had his hands clutching Michael’s cheeks while Michael’s arms were wrapped tightly around Isaac, the feather still in his grasp. Their bodies were practically fused together, and Isaac’s lips were moving. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but the words sure put a huge smile on Michael’s face. Then Isaac pulled Michael’s head closer and slammed their mouths together. That was definitely my cue to leave.

  “Everything okay?” Nick asked as I exited the clearing and made my way to the car.

  Josh and Nick were leaned up against the back of the car, their fingers laced together. I was thankful that Nick, at least, had put his clothes back on and Josh’s shirt was once again covering his upper body. I had seen enough nakedness for the day.

  “Yeah, they just needed to clear a few things up. How’s Kimberly?” I asked.

  “She’s asleep. I’m starting to worry about her, to be honest,” Josh answered me.

  It was hard to get used to this serious side of Joshua. I had gotten to the point where I almost thrived on his silliness and blunt way with words. I counted on him to bring lightness when the days looked dim. I needed him to be the comic relief to remind me what laughter was. A serious Josh meant that things weren’t looking too great.

  “Why are you worried?” Nick asked, his eyes narrowed.

  “When a healer goes into a deep sleep like this, after depleting themselves of almost all of their energy, sometimes they slip into a coma,” Josh answered hesitantly.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked and looked in the car window to see Kimberly lying on the back seat.

  “No, I’m not. Best-case scenario is she’ll wake up after a few hours or even days,” Josh sighed.

  “And what’s the worst-case scenario?” Nick questioned.

  Josh averted his gaze and focused instead on Michael and Isaac emerging from the trees, both of them wearing huge grins on their faces. I had never seen Isaac smile before and it was a beautiful sight to see. His entire face was transformed, and he looked breathtakingly handsome.

  “Josh!” Nick called out, knocking me out of my daze and forcing my attention back to our new problem. “What is the worst-case scenario?”

  “Worst-case scenario for what?” Michael asked as he reached into the car for his clothes and Isaac’s shirt. His eyes landed on Kimberly and he quietly shut the car door. He handed Isaac his shirt, then began to dress.

  “Kimberly has slipped into what we call the Deep Sleep. Healers usually go into it after they’ve used up nearly all of their energy. As Josh was explaining, she will hopefully wake up after a day or two. But sometimes that isn’t the case,” Isaac told us.

  “Meaning?” Michael prompted, even though I was pretty sure we all knew what he meant.

  “She might not wake up at all,” Josh said grimly.

  Chapter 28

  Four days. Four agonizing days. That was how long we’d waited with no progress. How long we’d been waiting for Kimberly to come back to us. To open her eyes and reassure us that she was going to be okay. Four days of us hunkering down in our hotel rooms waiting and hoping that she’d wake up and tell us how the vampires took her.

  Once we’d left the mountains, Josh had directed us to a nearby hotel and we’d requested three rooms. Each of the couples had their own rooms, and I’d stayed in the room with Kimberly to keep an eye on her. The idea of all of us having separate rooms hadn’t gone over well with the other four, but after I’d reminded them that it would give them some time together, they’d relented. I’d also pointed out that there really wasn’t much they could do, even if they stayed in the room with me. Not to mention there really wasn’t any space. And quite honestly, I’d needed a break from the couples, anyway. Sometimes Nick and Josh could get way too intense and touchy-feely.

  During the day we’d order in room service and hang out in the room to see if Kimberly would even stir. But she’d never moved, never even wiggled a finger. If it wasn’t for her deep, even breaths telling us that she was alive, anyone could have thought she wasn’t among the living anymore.

  We tried to keep our conversation light, and Josh tried his hardest to provide the comic relief with his bold and crude comments, but it really didn’t help. No matter how much we would laugh, the worry was always there, hovering. Until she made even the minutest movement, we would not be able to breathe easily.

  “Where are Nick and Josh?” I asked Isaac and Michael after I let them inside Kimmie’s and my hotel room.

  “Supply run. Josh and I need clothes and toiletries, and you guys needed some more things as well,” Isaac explained as his gaze rested on Kimberly. “Still no progress?”

  “None at all. She hasn’t even twitched. It’s so bizarre. Is this normal?” I asked as I sat down in the armchair against the wall.

  “Fucking nightmares,” Isaac muttered under his breath and shook his head.

  “What was that, babe?” Michael asked in confusion.

  Isaac shrugged. “She’s terrified. She’s having nightmares,” he explained feebly.

  “How do you know that?” I asked, completely taken aback by what he’d said.

  Isaac stared down at me. I could tell he didn’t want to explain what was going on between him and Kimberly. Quickly he looked at Michael and sighed. “Kimmie and I are connected somehow.”

  “What do you mean? How are you connected?” Michael asked.

  “I don’t know if it’s because she used so much light to try and save me, or what caused it. But that’s my guess because I don’t feel connected to the other healers, and she used so much more of her light than them. Maybe she projected a bit of herself into me. We’re already distantly related, anyway. Maybe her light strengthened that. But somehow we’re connected, and I can read her thoughts. It’s different than me putting my thoughts into your mind, Courtney. I can actually see what she’s seeing.”

  “Can you read her mind all of the time?” I questioned him.

  “No. Only sometimes. When I’m close to her.”

  “What are her nightmares about?” I asked dubiously.

  Isaac looked uncomfortable. Like he didn’t like that he was able to see what she was seeing. “Just her time in the cave. And what happened when she was taken.”

  “You saw what happened when she was taken?” I gasped. “Well, what happened?”

  Isaac swallowed hard. “That’s not my place to tell. That’s her story for when she wakes up.”

  “Well, that’s just great. Now my boyfriend is connected to everyone’s mind except mine,” Michael snapped and rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in th
e air in exasperation.

  “That’s not true. I’m not connected to Nick’s,” Isaac hastened to point out.

  “As if that makes me feel better,” Michael said with a pout.

  “How long do you think she’ll be asleep?” I asked, trying to take the subject off their newfound connection.

  Michael finally sat down on my bed with a dramatic huff and Isaac instantly flopped down beside him, practically plastered against his side. I couldn’t help the small smile that spread across my lips. Isaac might have been the most intimidating person I had ever met, but the love he felt for my friend was hard to miss. Even when Michael was acting jealous, Isaac’s love didn’t wane. And gauging by the look in my best friend’s eyes, the feeling was definitely mutual.

  “In the many years I’ve been alive, I have seen some sleep for only a matter of hours. Others have remained like that for months. Each healer is different. It’s just a matter of when she’s fully recharged and ready to wake up,” Isaac explained as he laced his fingers with Michael’s.

  “Can’t you use your light to help her?” Michael asked.

  “We can’t,” Isaac sighed.

  “Why not? She helped you,” I reminded him.

  “It doesn’t matter why not. We just can’t,” Isaac practically growled with a sense of finality and jumped off the bed.

  “I’m going to need more than that, Isaac! Kimberly is fucking comatose. She helped save you when the time called for it. So I’m going to need to know why you can’t do the same for her!” I practically yelled in frustration.

  Isaac stood with his back to Michael and me. He placed one hand on his lean hip and the other rose up to run his fingers through his long hair. That was the first time I had ever seen it loose, and I was surprised to see it hung down past his shoulders in gorgeous waves.

  “Isaac?” Michael asked softly.

  “Because I’ll kill her!” Isaac flung the words at us. His head dropped down and I saw his shoulders sag, almost defeated. “If I help her, she will die,” he repeated, his voice full of remorse.