Taming The Queen Of Beasts

<strong>AARYN</strong>

"What's going on?" Gar asked quickly, but Aaryn, too prideful to reveal his fear in front of a female who wasn't Elreth, looked down at Rika. He hoped she saw the apology in his eyes as she took the cue immediately and pulled out of Gar's grip.

Gar began to growl, but she gave him a soft smile and patted his chest.

"I'll start walking," she said quietly, eyeing the last of the crowd ambling through the entrance to the Hallowed Grounds. "I'm slow, you'll catch me."

Gar gave her a look like he was afraid she'd disappear, but she smiled again, then nodded and, squeezing his hand, started to walk, watching the crowd ahead of her carefully and keeping her pace slow so the disformed wouldn't notice her at their backs. Aaryn could smell her fear, but she didn't turn around. He admired her courage.

Gar watched her go, frowning, but then turned back to Aaryn.

"What's going on?"

Aaryn took a deep breath, his nerves fizzing in his stomach. He wanted to curse, and he wanted to cry. He'd been so focused on getting the disformed here, to this moment, he hadn't really let himself dwell on what else there was to do. But as he'd been dancing with their tribe, it had hit him like a rock to the temple.

"Elreth is serious about crossing to the human world in two days," he said carefully.

Gar nodded.

Aaryn's eyes widened. "I have to get her there safely," he said. Couldn't Gar see the problem? It should be obvious. "It's just… it's just hit me. I am the one who has to get her there. Me."

His voice cracked in fear and Gar's grunted, looking over Aaryn's shoulder to make sure there was no one else nearby. Gar clasped his shoulder and held him there, leaning into his face in a way that reminded Aaryn so much of Reth, it was kind of eerie.

"You're made for this, Aaryn," Gar said quietly. "Your love for her alone is a massive defense. And your character—"

"I need… I need you to take me across. Or let me take you across, or… I just can't do this for the first time with her, Gar. Just in case." He'd been feeling so strong. So solid about it until this moment. "What if I get it wrong and the Queen is taken from all of us? We're on the cusp of this battle and everything depends on her. She's carrying all of it, Gar. This is the only part that's on me. Bringing the Protectors in does no good if I fail her! I need to train!"

"Relax, Aaryn. We won't throw you guys in there and just hope for the best. I promise."

Aaryn huffed. "I know that. That's not what I'm worried about. I need to understand it. You said I had to keep my mind clear—my mind isn't clear, Gar. All I can see right now is her, broken and destroyed because of me. I need to practice in a way that won't put her in danger. I can't let Elreth down."

Gar nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, hey, look at me, Aaryn. We'll meet tomorrow, okay? I'll bring Apryl. You're going to be fine, brother. I promise."

"Thank you," Aaryn said, a hair of the tension going out of his shoulders, though he still felt like his guts were knotted. "Thank you."

The turned towards the entrance to the Hallowed Grounds together and stopped at the top of the rise, where the earth fell to the clearing below.

A long, thick parade of Anima spread out before them, the Protectors in clusters and handfuls here and there throughout. There were a few groups from other tribes that clearly weren't the celebrating mood, but for the first time Aaryn couldn't easily pick out his friends from the other tribes.

They were a part of it. A part of Anima as a whole.

Gar shook his head. "Can you believe it?" he murmured.

"Honestly, no," Aaryn admitted. "But I want to."

"Me too."

They were both silent for a moment. Then Aaryn cleared his throat. "Thank you, Gar."

"For what?" his brother said, surprised.

"For not seeing us," he said, indicating himself, as a disformed—a Protector, "as anything lacking. But seeing us enough to want to do something about it."

Gar looked at him, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, you're welcome. But I don't remember ever really thinking about it. You're just… you. Annoying as hell, but a good male."

Aaryn laughed louder than the joke deserved, but there was so much pent-up tension warring with excitement and relief in him, he needed a release. "If it matters, I would have said the same thing about you," he chuckled.

Gar smiled, then turned, his eyes going straight back to Rika's back as she followed the Anima into the forest. "Does it get easier?" he asked suddenly.

Aaryn smiled. "What?" he asked, though he knew.

"Being afraid they'll walk away. Or… I don't know, just waiting for something to go wrong."

"Yeah, it does," Aaryn said. "At some point your heart starts to believe she's serious when she says she loves you. And it gets… I don't know, more comfortable? You trust it. But then sometimes something happens and all that fear comes rushing back even worse, because the longer she's in your arms, the more she means. And anytime something happens that might take her away…" he trailed off with a shudder, his mind going back to the traverse and his sudden clench of fear.

But Gar was nodding, but his face was grim.

"Is she… I mean, are you two—"

Gar shrugged. "It's getting better, but she's still uncertain," he said. "I think she wants me more than she trusts me," he said, his voice gruff.

Aaryn patted his shoulder. "What a burden for you," he said dryly, intending to tease. But Gar turned on him, his eyes black with sudden anger.

"That isn't a good thing," he growled, and even though Aaryn's own Alpha wanted to snarl and rise to meet the challenge, he forced himself to hold his hands open, though he didn't break eye-contact.

"I was teasing, brother. I know it's hard at the beginning when you aren't sure of each other. Just… don't give up."

"I'm not!"

"Then you're going to be fine."

Gar grunted and turned away, but his eyes went back to the dark space under the trees where Rika had disappeared. "I need to get down there," he said after a minute.

Aaryn nodded. "Go get her. Make sure she's okay. That was a hell of an introduction to the Anima," he said, fighting back nervous laughter.

Gar huffed, but his smile disappeared immediately. "Yeah. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Aaryn agreed and started walking while Gar raced ahead. It was in him to run too, to get to Elreth as quickly as he could. But he though Rika probably needed a moment with Gar. And besides… the longer he waited to find his love, the sweeter the reunion would be.

Now if he could just keep his shit together in the traverse, they could get this done, once and for all.

Humans or no humans, Aaryn wasn't ever letting Elreth out of his sight for long. She belonged with him. It was that simple.