Arrow Inferno
Chapter 93: Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks ~ Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… The alpha returns!

***

Everything that happened after Jeremy's first sob happened so fast it was almost a blur. One moment Ryan was looking down at an emotional Jeremy, the next moment they were on their bed inside their suite. Jeremy didn't even seem to know what was going on. He just sobbed. It was only when Ryan looked up and saw Deloris standing beside their bed that he connected the dots. She'd blinked them away from all those people.

"I didn't want them to see him like that." She whispered.

"Thanks, Deloris." Ryan sounded as if he was in shock.

"Take care of him." She said, leaning down to kiss Ryan on his wet cheek. "If you need anything, get in touch with any of us." "Gloria..."

"She's fine," Deloris assured Ryan. "Just spend time with him. It's late anyway. The others will have their turn tomorrow or the day after...don't think about it." With that, the warlock disappeared. Ryan draped himself over Jeremy and allowed him to cry it all out. After a long moment, Jeremy finally quieted down and drifted into a deep sleep. And throughout the night, Ryan just sat with his back against the headboard and watched him. He didn't understand why he was still missing the man even though he was staring at him. He kept checking to see whether Jeremy was breathing. At a point during the night, he noticed that he kept tossing and turning. Ryan decided Jeremy would feel more comfortable without those clothes he'd had to wear for three months. But for the tear from the neck to his chest...almost as if the wearer had attempted to rip it from his own body in desperation, the blue long-sleeved t-shirt he'd gone to purgatory in looked exactly the same.

Ryan quickly undid the buttons on Jeremy's jeans and pulled them off him. Then he completed the tear in the t-shirt to make it easier to remove. Jeremy's boxer briefs and socks followed. Then Ryan went for a washcloth, some soap, and some water and wiped Jeremy down thoroughly. Jeremy didn't open his eyes even once throughout Ryan's ministrations. But afterward, he seemed to sleep better.

When it was almost dawn, Ryan stripped and slid in beside Jeremy, under the covers. He curled into his sexy hard body, loving the feel of his mate's warm flesh against his. Fuck, he'd missed the guy. Ryan absorbed his heat and breathed in his scent, which was slightly different from what he was used it. Maybe there was an explanation for that, he thought as he drifted off to sleep. The most important thing was that his mate was back in his arms. Ryan couldn't have asked for anything better.

***

Ryan jerked awake at the sound of the phone ringing. For a moment he was disoriented. His first coherent thought was...

"Jeremy..." He gasped and sat up in a rush.

When he saw Jeremy sleeping peacefully beside him he gave a sigh of relief and felt his racing heart slow down. The sound of the phone drew his attention to what had woken him up in the first place. Shoving his hair out of his face he thrust out his arm and grabbed the receiver. Fortunately, Jeremy didn't look disturbed.

"Hello?" Ryan croaked into the phone, noting that the time on the bedside clock said it was after one o'clock p. m. Shit!

"Oh Ryan I'm so sorry for disturbing you but I was worried..."

"Don't be mum. I can't believe I've slept till now. Jeremy is still asleep. Why don't you come over?"

"No, no I just wanted to know whether he's ok. If he's asleep I can always..."

"Come over mum." Ryan encouraged softly. "We can both sit and just stare at him. It will be fun and fulfilling."

Gloria laughed. "Alright, I'm on my way. I'm bringing muffins." She sounded so happy.

"Muffins? Too bad Deloris is nowhere around you to blink you over." Ryan laughed softly. "Or is she?"

"No, she's not." Gloria laughed. "I'll be there very soon.

"Waiting," Ryan said and then hung up. He could imagine how Gloria felt.

He quickly went to brush his teeth and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt. Then he went outside the suite and waited for Gloria. He didn't have to wait for long. When the elevator opened, Ryan hugged Jeremy's mother for a long time. Then he took the basket of sweet-scented muffins from her and ushered her inside. Ryan placed the basket on the dining table and drew Gloria to the sleeping area. Since the sliding door was already opened, they climbed in and just stood beside the bed, looking down at a sleeping Jeremy. When Ryan heard Gloria's sniffles, he reached for a tissue and wiped her face. Then he gently pushed her down to sit beside Jeremy. "He's okay," Ryan said softly.

Gloria nodded. "Thank you, Ryan." She said shakily. "Thank you."

"I should rather be thanking you for producing this wonderful man." Ryan chuckled, leaning down to kiss Gloria on both cheeks. "Would you care for anything?" "No. I'm okay."

"Be right back."

Ryan came back with a cup of tea, some muffins, and a huge smile. He climbed onto the bed and ate quietly.

"How come he smells different?" Ryan finally whispered.

Gloria smiled. "You did mark him, Ryan. His scent was bound to change." She patted Ryan on the shoulder. "He smells more like you now."

"Oh god, he'll hate that." Ryan breathed.

"What? No, he won't." Gloria chuckled. "But he will mark you again so expect it."

"Oh no, do we still have to do that ceremony thing?"

"I'm sure we can work something out." Gloria laughed, noting how uncomfortable Ryan suddenly looked. "Let's just get him back on his feet." "Okay. Why do you think he was so angry at the high priestess when he got out?"

"Beats me." Gloria shrugged. "Has he said anything at all?"

"No. He just slept and hasn't woken up since." Ryan reached out to place his teacup on the bedside table. "It's almost as if he hasn't slept the whole..."

"He hasn't," Gloria said quietly, staring at her son. "Everything comes to a standstill. You don't get hungry, there's no growth, no sleep. Just unending torture."

Ryan reached out to soothingly rub Gloria on her back. "He's back. That's all that matters."

"I know." Gloria sighed. "I just pray he adjusts smoothly. Shedding off the pain is another stress on its own."

Ryan frowned. From what Gloria was saying, Jeremy was going to be fucked up for a while. Well, he was going to help his man through whatever struggles he was going to go through. That was what mates were for, right? To be there for each other.

"I hope the council isn't going to give him any grief," Ryan muttered. "And Lu..."

Gloria chuckled and shook her head. "Nope. He's been cleared." She informed Ryan. "There was an aggressive meditation and consultation this morning. Joel was right after all. Jeremy's release was dependent on the defeat of Reynard Wyatt." "Why's that?"

"He would have killed Jeremy, Ryan."

"So he wasn't bluffing."

"No, he wasn't." Gloria sighed.

"Shit. Meaning if we'd defeated him earlier, Jer would have been out sooner?"

"Uh-huh. But we didn't have any choice but to wait for them to make their move."

"And they did exactly that, three days after Jer left. They kidnapped Camilla." Ryan groaned. If only Deloris had come to them sooner...

"She couldn't risk her daughter's life at that point." Gloria accurately read Ryan. "She had to at least try. As it stands, coming to us after three months still put her daughter at risk. She did good, Ryan."

"I know." He sighed.

"And I really don't think Luna would have given a mere three-day sentence to Jeremy." Gloria chuckled. "He would have probably stayed longer even if we'd defeated the clan immediately after he left. What would have been the punishment in staying at the Fort for only four or five days?"

"I know right." Ryan groaned, knowing Gloria was right.