Evans, Gabrielle - From This Moment [The Moonlight Breed 7] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Gabrielle Evans

  From This Moment 65

  When he broke through the trees at the end of the path, his thundering pulse drowned out all other noise when he saw both twins on the ground, one kneeling over the other. From that distance, he couldn’t tell who was who, and it did nothing to calm his whirling panic. While it was horrible no matter which was immobile in the dirt, the selfish part of him prayed it wasn’t Zavion.

  “Cian.” The kneeling blond looked up at him with watery eyes, pleading for his help.

  Only Zavion ever looked at him that way, and relief crashed into Cian like a wrecking ball, allowing him to breathe again and think intellectually. “Okay, baby, easy now.” Crouching in the mud beside his mate, Cian pulled him into his arms and kissed the top of his head.

  “He just dropped,” Zavion whispered thickly. “He can’t die. Please, Cian, don’t let him die.”

  Cian wasn’t a medic, nor was he the gods. He had no power over life and death, but he’d do everything he could to make sure Zavion didn’t lose his brother. Easing the smaller man to the side, he leaned over Zuriel’s motionless form and pressed two fingers under his jaw to feel for a pulse.

  “Is he okay?” Oscar asked, appearing at Zuriel’s feet with Demitrius’s arms wrapped around him protectively. “Does he have a pulse? Is he breathing?”

  “Aye, he’ll be okay.” Zuriel’s pulse was weak but steady, and his chest rose and fell with deep, easy breaths. “I’ll get ’im back to the dorms. Someone needs to get Logan.” As a former paramedic, Logan would hopefully know what to do. He’d know a lot more than Cian at

  any rate.

  “I’ll do it,” Zavion offered at once as he pushed to his feet.

  “No.” Even though Zavion appeared okay at the moment, Cian didn’t want his mate out of his sight.

  Cicero was as silent as ever, but he nodded curtly and took off at a jog along the path that led away from the pond. Cian didn’t have a clue where Logan was, but if Cicero couldn’t find him, then maybe

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  Blaise could reach him on the phone. Either way, he didn’t have time to ponder it just then.

  Scooping Zuriel into his arms as gently as possible, Cian held himcarefully as he began the trek back to the dorms. “Stay close,” he ordered his mate, slowing his pace to allow Zavion to fall into step

  beside him. If the man collapsed like his twin, there wasn’t much

  Cian could do about it, but it just made him feel better to have his mate within reaching distance.

  “This is it, isn’t it?” Zavion asked with an air of hopelessness that pulled at Cian’s heartstrings. “It’s starting.”

  “I’m afraid so, Zavion.” He wished it wasn’t so, but with the proof staring him in the face, he’d be a fool to deny it.

  “Then we can’t wait anymore. We have to leave now. I’ll find the lab, Cian. I know I can do it.”

  Cian had full confidence in his lover, but that didn’t mean he

  wanted to send the man into the fire if he could help it. Unfortunately, it appeared that they’d run out of other options, and with Zuriel now sick, they’d also run out of time.

  “Please, Cian,” Zavion pleaded. “I have to do this. Zuriel would do the same for me, and I can’t just sit here and twiddle my thumbs.” His hand settled lightly on Cian’s elbow, stopping him just before they reached the front porch of the dorm-like cabin. “I won’t let my brother die, and I’ll do this without you if I have to. Please don’t make me choose.”

  It wasn’t quite that cut and dry, but Cian understood what the man was trying to say. If placed in a situation where he had to choose between Zavion and his brothers, Cian would choose Zavion, but it

  would kill him to do so. However, if he could save his family without endangering his mate, he’d do that as well. It was all a matter of perspective, and right then, his views were a little skewed by his worry for his lover.

  “I’ll not make ya choose, Zavion, but we’ll do this my way. Do ya understand?”

  From This Moment 67

  “I’ll do whatever you tell me as long as it doesn’t include doing nothing.”

  With a resigned sigh, Cian trudged into the house and settled Zuriel onto the sofa to wait for Logan. “Stay with your twin.” He cupped Zavion’s cheek and pressed their lips together lightly. “I have some things to do, but I’ll be back.”

  “What do you have to do?” Zavion’s fingers looped around his wrist, holding him in place as he nuzzled against his palm. “Where are you going?”

  “I need to have a talk with my brothers. I promise I won’t be gone long.” He really didn’t want to leave Zavion’s side, but if they were going through with this crazy plan, he hoped his family would be willing to come along for extra protection.

  He respected the hell out of the other Enforcers in the coven, but

  he’d feel more comfortable with his brothers there to cover his back.

  He just didn’t trust anyone like he did the Murphy men. They were family, and where he came from, that meant something.

  “What should I do?”

  Cian kissed his mate’s lips again and eased away. “Watch Zurieland keep him company. Tell Logan what happened.” He ran a hand through his hair and bobbed his head with a huff. “Then pack a bag and be ready to go when the sun comes up.”

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  Chapter Eight

  “Are ya okay? Do ya feel sick? We can stop for a bit, darlin’.”

  When Zavion had said that he wanted to go hiking and camping, this wasn’t exactly what he’d meant. “I’m fine. There’s still an hour of daylight left. Let’s keep going.”

  For three days, they’d marched through the hills of Missouri as Zavion tried to retrace the path they’d followed from The Hive. The days were cold, but the nights were frigid, and he’d taken to curling up next to Cian in his fox form to stay warm.

  So far, they hadn’t found anything, but Zavion could sense that they were getting closer. Once or twice, he’d even picked up a lingering scent from one of his friends, but each time, he’d lost it just as quickly. Still, it was a good indication that he was on the right track and headed in the right direction.

  The trip probably would have been mind-numbingly boring if not for Cian’s brothers. While most of them were busy hunting evil vampires in the mountains back home, Devlin and Flynn had agreed to make the journey with them. The two had talked nearly nonstop since they started, regaling Zavion with tales of Cian as a boy.

  “So, he’s screamin’ his fool head off like a wailin’ banshee, he is,” Devlin said around his laughter.

  “We all go runnin’ into Cian’s bedroom,” Flynn continued when Devlin had to stop to regain his composure. “Thought Da was goin’ to wet himself from laughin’ so bloomin’ hard.”

  “I was five!” Cian huffed in disgruntlement, which forced Zavion to slap a hand over his mouth to muffle his giggles.

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  “So, Cian’s on the top bunk, and Jiminy Christmas, I still don’t know how he managed it,” Flynn added, ignoring his brother’s indignation. “But he’s hanging upside down with one leg caught in the rail, and Farren’s just starin’ up at him like he’s lost his damn mind.”

  “So, Da asks what he thinks he’s doing.” Devlin picked up the story, though he still had to pause after every few words when he started chuckling again. “Cian stops shoutin’, pushes himself back up on the mattress, crosses his arms, and stares our Da in the face bold as

  you please.”

  “And what did you tell him?” Flynn asked, bumping his shoulder against Cian’s.

  “I don’t remember,” Cian mumbled, but the gleam in his eyes said he was lying through his teeth.

  “Well, I remember.” Stopping in his tracks, Devlin folded his arms over his chest and stuck his nose into the air. “‘I’m trainin’ to be

  an acrobat, Da. You’ll not stop me. I’ll run away with the circus.’”

  “Oh, wow,” Zavio
n breathed before he dissolve into giggles.

  “Aye,” Flynn answered, “but it gets better.”

  Zavion had no idea how the brothers were going to top that one, but he listened intently just the same. “So, what happened then?”

  “Well, Da tells him to go on and run away with the circus if he’s so bothered about it. Cian, being the rebellious shit he was, says he’ll do just that.”

  “You really ran away? At five?”

  “I didn’t make it far,” Cian answered with a chuckle.

  “You didn’t make it off the bloody porch!” Devlin shouted. “For a whole hour, we were sittin’ in the front room listenin’ to ya goin’ on about how you couldn’t run away because ya had no clean underpants.”

  “You couldn’t run away because you didn’t have clean panties?” Zavion teased, though he was starting get a cramp in his side from laughing so hard. “Oh, that’s precious.”

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  Cian’s cell phone began to ring, quickly sobering everyone’s mood, and Zavion lunged for his mate, holding his hand out with his

  palm up. Pulling the phone from his pocket, Cian glanced at the display screen, bobbed his head, and passed it over to Zavion. “It’s Oscar.”

  “Oscar? How is he? Is he doing better? How are you? What about Cicero? Is anyone else sick? Is Zuriel still mad because I left him there?”

  Oscar had been calling twice a day since they left with updates on Zuriel’s condition. Zuriel had woken up before Zavion had left, and they’d had a good fight about the wisdom of his brother accompanying him and the Murphys. In the end, Cian had been the one to put his foot down, saying that they wouldn’t be able to cover much ground with Zuriel so sick.

  Zavion appreciated the support from his lover, and Cian had an excellent point. He still felt guilty about leaving while he and Zuriel were mad at each other. His twin could just get over it, though, because he wasn’t about to do anything that would jeopardize Zuriel’s

  life.

  “Hey, Zee, it’s Braxton.”

  “What? Braxton? Where’s Oscar? What happened? Why do you

  have his phone?”

  There was a long pause, followed by a nearly silent huff of breath. “Demitrius asked me to call, said you’d be expecting updates. Oscar had a little incident today, and he’s resting.”

  “What kind of incident? Braxton, just tell me.”

  “Zuriel and Oscar are both vomiting, though Zuriel has progressed to throwing up blood. They’re tired and weak, but Logan says there’s really not much we can do for them other than clear liquids and bed rest.” Braxton sounded so sad and hopeless. “I’m sorry, man. I wish I

  had better news.”

  “What about Ro? Is Cicero okay?”

  From This Moment 71

  “He’s been sleeping almost all day. Keeton’s sitting with him right now. He hasn’t started vomiting yet, but Logan says we should expect it soon.” Braxton paused again, and his voice was measured when he finally spoke. “How are you feeling, Zee? Are you okay?”

  Honestly, he felt like he’d been rode hard and put up wet. His whole body ached, his eyes felt gritty, and he could probably sleep for the next week. “I’m fine. We’re about to bed down for the night, but I think we’re getting closer. Call me in the morning with updates, okay?”

  “Yeah, okay. Zavion?”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re not going to help anyone if you drop dead out there in the middle of nowhere. If you start feeling sick, please tell Cian.”

  “Sure. Gotta go, Brax. Call me tomorrow.” Then he hung up and passed the phone back to his lover. “Well, we might as well stop for the day.”

  “Zavion, look at me.” Cian stepped in his path and grabbed his face in both hands. “Your face is pale, your eyes are glazed, and your skin is burnin’ my hands. Tell me the truth, baby. How are you feelin’?”

  “I’m fine,” Zavion repeated, shrugging off Cian’s hold. “I’m tired from walking so much, but that’s it.”

  “Don’t,” Cian growled. “Don’t lie to me.”

  Marching ahead of his mate, Zavion covered his mouth to quiet the sound of his cough. It was just allergies, but Cian would go berserk. The blood dotting his fingers and palm when he pulled his hand away definitely wasn’t a good sign, but they were so close, and he wouldn’t give up now.

  Quickly wiping the blood away on his jeans before anyone noticed, Zavion plastered a bright smile on his face and turned back to Cian. “I’m absolutely fi ”—

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  Wrapping both hands around his stomach, he hunched over in

  agony as his stomach heaved, expelling a torrent of blood onto the

  forest floor.

  * * * *

  “Did you try givin’ Oscar blood?” Cian paced outside of the tent where Zavion was resting, frantic, scared, and going out of his goddamn mind.

  “Yeah, we tried,” Demitrius confirmed. “He just threw it up, though.” The shifter sounded as panicked as Cian felt. “I don’t know what to do. We’ve had all kinds of doctors in to take blood samples, but they can’t figure out what’s wrong.” A loud, pain-filled moan echoed in the background, making Cian wince. “Sorry, man. I gotta go. Let me know if you find anything.”

  “Same to you.” Cian disconnected the call and scrubbed at his face. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

  He had known this was a bad idea from the beginning. Now Zavion was sick, and they were miles from the nearest hospital—not that he thought human doctors could do anything for his mate. The only option was to keep moving forward, but how could he ask Zavion to do that in his condition?

  “Stop worrying so much.” Stepping out of the tent, Zavion wobbled a little but pushed himself up straight. “Yes, I’m sick, but I’m not dead yet. If you’re not going to sleep anyway, I think we should keep going. Maybe we can find The Hive before I get too much worse.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it. The gods know I don’t. It’s all we’ve got, though. Either we find one of the Doctors who can undo this, or my friends are dead. Then we did all of this for nothing.”

  Cian knew his lover was careful not to lump himself in with his friends and their situation, but Cian was well aware that he could lose

  From This Moment 73

  his mate. He also knew that Zavion had a valid argument. If it was anyone else, he might agree, but his emotions always got in the way where Zavion was concerned.

  “We have to hike out of here to get home. We have to hike the rest of the way to The Hive. I don’t really see much of difference other than the fact that home doesn’t have a cure.”

  “Stop makin’ sense.”

  “He’s right,” Devlin agreed as he sauntered up to them. “We should keep goin’.”

  Easy for him to say. He didn’t have a dying mate.

  “I know what you’re thinkin’,” Flynn added as he joined their group. “I do have a mate, though, two of them, and I’d do whatever needs doin’ to keep them safe.” He glanced in Zavion’s direction and back to Cian. “If hurtin’ a little now will keep him alive later, it’s worth it.”

  “Agreed.” Wrapping both arms around Cian’s waist, Zavion rubbed against his chest with his cheek. “I know you’re worried for me, but this is my choice. I can die at home doing nothing, or I can die out here trying to find this antidote. At least out here there’s a chance I might actually survive.”

  “Then I guess we better get movin’.”

  “See?” Zavion purred. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  Actually, it had been like pulling teeth without Novocain. Still, Cian could admit defeat. “You’ll not be walkin’, though.” Besides, if he and his brothers shifted, they could cover more ground more quickly.

  “I’m fine with that. Let’s go kick some ass.”

  “Easy, RoboCop,” Devlin said with a wave of his hand. “There will be no Murder-Death-Kill unless absolutely nece
ssary.”

  “That’s Demolition Man,” Flynn said with a snort. “Get your

  movies straight, Dev.”

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  “Whatever. We just have to find the place. Then I make a phone

  call, and this area is swarmin’ with Enforcers. Hopefully, we can

  avoid casualties.”

  “Is there anyone on the inside who could be an ally?” It would much better if they could get what they needed and actually trust the person giving it to them. How could they be sure what The Hive offered them was truly an antidote to the poison and not something more sinister?

  “Hmm.” Zavion rubbed at the back of his neck as his brow

  furrowed. “There was this one Doctor.”

  Even better. “Why do ya think he could help?”

  “He was always a lot nicer to us than the others.” Zavion’s lips twitched at the corners. “I think he had the hots for Oscar.”

  “We’ll be leavin’ that part out when we tell Demitrius later.”

  Zavion chuckled and bobbed his head. “Good thinking. Dr. Woods is probably our best bet, though. He always apologized when he had to do tests on us, and I’d see the Trainers yelling at him all the time. I don’t think he really wants to be there, but I get the feeling this isn’t the kind of place where you just put in your resignation, either.”

  “Why do you ask about allies?” Flynn pulled his shirt off and kicked his boots to the side, obviously planning to shift along with Cian.

  Cian wiggled his eyebrows as he began stripping out of his clothes in preparation to shift. “It could be helpful to have someone actually willin’ to share information.”

  “Aye, correct ya are, brother. Would make our jobs right easier as

  well.”

  “It’s a ninja attack,” Zavion mumbled tiredly. “The force is strong