Falling

Chapter 17: Disappearing Acts

Blake's POV

I felt relief as soon as Josh was away from the scene: He didn't need to be here for this. But at the same time fear filled me, knowing that Amelia was on her own right now. Josh was in no state to protect her if something happened, and who knew if the people that murdered Josh's brother, Mike, were still out there. Plus, the thought of the traitor was in the back of my mind still.

I gave my warriors their orders, before helping scent out a newly found trail.

"This is human. Why are you following this?" I questioned. No way could Mike have been even remotely injured by any human, even if he was somehow taken by surprise. Mike was one of my strongest warriors, one of the few who was trained by myself.

"It's the only trail we have, Sir," Graham admitted.

"You're a skilled tracker, Graham. Find something more realistic and call me then." I knew I was being unfair but I didn't give a damn. My mate was potentially in danger and my second in command and closest friend had just lost his brother.

With that in mind, I decided to go find the both of them and ensure they were okay. I soon found them sat on the bench looking out over the stream. It was at the other side of the castle so we couldn't hear the sounds of what was going on over there.

The two of them were hugging each other, and I couldn't help the feeling of jealousy rise up in me. Knowing that Amelia was just comforting Josh, I pushed it back down, but still hurried to interrupt them.

"Josh," I greeted.

"It's okay. I'm fine." He said, before I even had a chance to check how he was. "We are going to have a funeral for him, say goodbye. Then get revenge. And what a revenge it's going to be," he snarled, making Amelia back off a little. She was brave, but not brave enough for an angry Josh apparently.

I knew Josh would never hurt Amelia, but I didn't appreciate him scaring her, whether accidentally or not. Standing a little closer to my mate, I felt better, knowing I could protect her. I felt a little pride when I saw her shoulders relax slightly. Subconsciously, she knew I was there for her, whether she would admit it to herself or not.

I didn't know what magic Amelia had done, but Josh was much better. Of course he was distraught, but he had stopped crying and decided to not let his brother's death be in vain. We continued talking, and making sure Josh was okay before he told us both to stop fussing and went inside, leaving my mate and I alone.

Amelia's POV

"You were amazing with Josh just now. You made him feel a lot better," Blake broke the silence.

"Oh it was nothing, really. I understand how hard it is to lose a family member," I admitted, unexpectedly. Sometimes I felt like I could share anything with Blake.

"I'm sorry to hear that. How did it happen?" He asked, gently.

"I don't want to talk about it," I whispered, looking out on the fast flowing stream. I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place, but it was an accident.

"You know, talking about it helps. You said that to Josh. Why don't you take your own advice." I hated the fact that what he said made sense.

"Because it's a bit of a rough story. I don't want to bother you with it. You have enough on your plate."

"I have time for you Amelia. Always," he told me, holding his arm out to put around me.

I looked up at him with teary eyes. No one had ever said anything like that to me before. No one had ever had time. Fleetingly, the memory of Marietta telling me about mates crossed my mind.