Love or Not

Chapter 9: You Make Me Forget to Breathe

"Everyone, can you please stand up and join hands? We know that Zee is Nu's lifemate and will be with him until the day the gods call us home. You are all part of Zee's family, just as we are Nu's. We are all a package deal. Our people are special and have special skills. We will talk about others' skills later, but we must talk about Nu. Nat, join us. You are family, not by marriage, fate, or blood but by love. My brother loves you like a brother, and so you are family," Aya smiled at Nat as he held his faen's hand and P'Aof's.

"I don't understand why we all must stand in a circle holding hands like we are going to say a prayer. How could this help us understand why there are dark circles under Nu's eyes? We should be calling a doctor, P'Aof barked.

Zee gave a stern look at P'Aof, and he stopped talking. The other DMD brothers looked concerned at Zee and then at the new family members. All big stars, rich, and royal.

They knew that they needed to listen before they passed judgment. They were stand-up people. No matter how weird they are, they are family, end of discussion.

"We are here for Nu if something is wrong, and we will help him get better," Tommy exclaimed confidently.

The rest of the brothers shook their heads in agreement. They all reached out to hold each person's hand. Even P'Aof, after Tommy's declaration, looked determined to help Nu in any way they could.

Jax, Wilder, Luke, and Jake were standing with their eyes closed and had put their hands on Nu's back. The rest of the people in the room noticed that the color returned to Nu's face, and the dark circles began to fade.

After a few minutes, the four boys removed their hands, and Nu's skin, which had that deathly gray, was now blushing and pink. All the others looked at the four boys with their mouths open.

"Come, brothers. We are not finished here; the explanation cannot be us, and it must be about Nu," Jake said, taking Luke's hand and walking back to where Qi and Aya stood.

"My brothers transferred their energy to Nu, and it was because his energy was low. There was a little girl in the crowd who was sick, and during the whole concert, Nu was trying to heal her enough that she would survive her treatment and live a long healthy life. He never thinks of himself, always of others, and it is why we protect him so," Qi swung his gaze to Zee.

He is our light in the darkness. He is hope, life, and a gift to us and the world. He is ours to protect and love. He heals without thought or question because he can, because he must. There is no us without him. He is the one that saves us all," Luke smiled, looked at Nu with devotion and love, and reached for Jake's hand, who had a tear running down his cheek.

Jax stepped forward, "This is why it is vital as his lifemate, his strength to keep him in check. To boost his powers, to be an amplifier of his gift, so he doesn't drain away his energy, life, and light. We cannot lose him. His light cannot diminish. If we lose him, we are all lost. The worlds are lost. Children can see his brightness and mistake him for an angel. The very young have no preconceived ideas that adults do. They can see Nu for the beautiful special light that he is. Nu is drawn to sick children. He can't help but want to help them. His bodyguards are of our people and can recharge him when he does things like this."

Jax gently lifted Wilder's hand to his lips before reaching for his brother's hand with the other. The royal family looked at each other and then at each of the new family members in turn and said simultaneously. "You are our new family born from love. Join us."

The new family members looked slack-jawed, trying to comprehend what they heard and saw. Zee was rolling his shoulder when something dawned on him. His back no longer hurt! He always had back pain, and now there was nothing. He broke the circle. He took off his shirt and stood with his back facing P'Aof.