Free Savage Magic by Judy Teel

and had told him that he had to go back. They'd argued about that point since at the time being dead felt damn good compared to being tortured, and Cooper wasn't too sure he'd wanted to give that up. But in the end, he did. Wanting to be with Addison had brought him back.  
    Maybe the thought of her could help him hold on now.  
    Cooper straightened his back, ignoring the hot, jagged ache in the muscles of his injured shoulder. He looked straight ahead as the guards left and one of the Weres at the door gave it a sharp knock.
    A rough summons came from inside the suite and he was hustled inside, the door closing behind him quickly as if the guards were afraid of what was inside. He looked around the living room, a larger version of the layout adopted in all the living quarters. A necessary change since the room also served as a meeting place to discuss Clan business and to entertain high-level guests. He remembered standing in the corner as a boy, Ryker beside him, as their father had negotiated, bullied, or decreed, depending on what was needed to guarantee the welfare of his people.  
    When they were young, people had trouble telling Ryker and him apart, but as they'd grown, Cooper had begun to favor their mother's side and Ryker came to look more and more like their father. As his brother came toward him from the kitchen, he was struck by the resemblance again, only this time a stab of distress flared in the middle of his chest.  
    In the face he saw now, was his father's when he'd died.  
    Suddenly the PRC chafing his neck didn't seem like such a burden. Two Alpha's, one weakened, and no guarantees. Instincts like that were hard to control. He knew that better than anyone.
    Ryker stopped in front of him, his golden yellow gaze tormented. "Rosalind thought she was doing the right thing by keeping you away from me."
    "I know."
    His brother nodded and stared at the softly faded green and pink quilt thrown across the back of the sofa. A muscle ticked along his jaw. "Isabel is dead."
    The sorrow in his chest squeezed into his throat, and the edges of Cooper's vision prickled with misty darkness. He'd always had a soft spot for his brother's wife, the little sister he'd always wanted. The memory of her bright laughter and the way she could always make his serious brother smile bore down on him, pushing his strength away with it. He crossed to the sofa and eased down onto it away from the quilt. Isabel wouldn't have wanted him getting her favorite wedding present dirty. "When?"
    His brother shoved a hand through his hair, making it stand up in messy spikes. Dropping into the chair next to Cooper, he rubbed his palm across his mouth as if wishing he could erase the words even before he spoke them. "Two days ago. She was..." The muscles of his throat worked as he swallowed. "The week before, we'd gotten your message that you'd be here for the Christening. She was glad. Said it was time some of the old ways backed down and let family be family."
    Cooper's heartbreak deepened. "And now you're sick."
    Ryker nodded. "I don't know how much longer..." He looked at the floor, and then back up to Cooper. "The Alpha of Blood Clan was wounded protecting his bonded mate when their oldest son lost control, but he lasted four days." He pulled in a deep stuttering breath. "Isabel lasted five."
    "A fitting mate for you."
    Ryker nodded, accepting the traditional words and the honor they paid to Isabel's memory. Blinking back tears, he cleared his throat. "Your request to track down Dad's brother... He died during the war, in Virginia. No known children. I'm sorry."  
    A cold hopelessness gripped Cooper's chest as Ryker lifted his gaze. "Will you fulfill your promised duties as Aesei Siian? "

    *   *   *

    I sauntered across the open grass toward the practice ring, Noah in step beside me. I considered telling him that he didn't have to stick with me through this, but the days of being full of the hunger to be an adult laced with