After a short pause, he heard his cousin's soft voice again.
"Sammy, what happened?" River softly asked.
"Is she still there?" He asked whispering.
"No. Another crisis?"
"No. I mean, yes but it is nothing I am unable to handle"
"Ok. When I get to back to you and uncle Bruno, I will make sure we take plenty of ice cream together to take all the pain away." River solemnly said with a small smile lingering on the edges of his lips.
"Of course, do not forget the roses." Sam said with a broad smile.
"Of course," River said softly.
"I love you Ruby." Sam suddenly said.
"I know, love you too," River said a little bit too enthusiastic.
"I know, I love me too"
The cousin duo burst into laughter at Sam's choice of satire.
"Bye River, I have to go now," Sam said, having a feeling that he would inevitably bawl if he kept listening to River's soothing and assuring voice.
"And when I get back to you and my favorite uncles, I will do my best in cheering you three depressed hell dewllers up." Yuri said with a chuckle, resulting in Sam chuckling along.
"I know," he said with teary eyes.
"Love you, Alpha."
"Bye River"
"Bye, and do not over exert pressure on yourself, everything will be fine, I promise." River pleaded with his eyebrows scrunched up in worry.
"I hope so. You will call later?" Sam hesitantly asked in a small voice.
"Absolutely, later."
Sam heard a beep signifying that the call had ended before releasing a deep sigh, opting to wallow in self-pity for the rest of the day. At least his ray of sunshine would be with him, soon.
Sam is the only child of the Lees, also the only heir of the Lee clan. He was the only survivor of the horrible accident that took his parents's lives years ago. He is the only living memory Monica has of her loving brother. Sam had always been a loner, he decided to move to Arizona immediately he reach eighteen years of age. He and River had been close since childhood, Sam always found solace when he would lay his head on River's lap, and then River would brush through his hair with his fingers, singing beautifully, looking at the starry night sky whilst lying on the garden's soft grass.
Throughout Sam's life, he had lost a lot of people. He blames himself for the loved ones he had lost in the past, and that was the reason he left River immediately he turned eighteen, he does not want to be the reason for his lovely cousin's disappearance. He was not stupid, he knew the people who were after him and his parents wanted him, thus he left his aunt's manor when he attained the age he could. Albeit now, he believes he has grown stronger through the years and he was capable of protecting the ones he loves.
Sam had lost a lot of things, or rather, a lot of people. He lost his parents when he was just five years old. He lost his friends, his toys, his home, and even his happiness, but the pain was lost in the wind when he found his fated soulmates- the devil himself, and one of the princes of Edom.
A sacred bond.
-
"Omma, do you think Sam is doing alright?" River asked his mother in a small voice.
They were idly relaxing on the plush couch of the manor's drawing room. Riv's head was placed on his mother's lap while Monica brushed her fingers through her son's platinum fluff absentmindedly.
River was worried for his cousin. Sam sounded quite depressed while their phone call lasted, it pained him that he could do nothing to help his older cousin. Tears started welling in his eyes at the thought of being utterly useless.
"I am not sure myself, Riv." Monica replied absentmindedly, still brushing through her son's hair.
"Mother," River's voice was small and broken as tears threatened to fall from his eyes, which were now filled to their brims with unshed tears
"Hush, angel." His mother cooed.
"What if he hurts himself? I would be unable to forgive myself Omma." The tears started pouring down like a dam.
"Hush River, wipe your tears, you have no idea how ugly you look when you cry." Monica gazed down at her son with sad eyes.
"Omma but-"
"But you are to be with him soon, right? Now I see more of a reason why you should go to him. Sam is very protective of you, I am certain you will be in safe hands. But I am also worried for him and his mates, when I heard his voice, he sounded lost, he sounded so vulnerable and scared. I am unable to quite place my hands on it, I am just so worried, I definitely cannot bear to lose him too, but he will never come to Asia; as stubborn as his father. Well, his mates are capable enough." Monica said the last part with a sad smile on her rosy lips.
"One has been absent in hell for heaven knows how long, while the other is probably the most vulnerable right now." River said in a downcast voice.
"No need to worry, Ruby." Monica said with a small smile on her lips.
"Now, enough of these tears come on wipe them away, who wants to go gardening?!" Monica asked enthusiastically as she wiped her son's tears away.
"You!" River sarcastically replied with fake enthusiasm and rolled his eye so far to the back of his head that Monica thought he was going to get blind.
"Huh?" Monica looked at her son with a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Where are your manners?!" Monica scolded and playfully glared at her son who was presently mocking her. Seeing his mother's death glare, River sprang on his feet and made a dash for it with Monica hot on his tail.
The duo ended up in the manor's garden which was located in the spacious backyard of the manor, where they nursed different kinds of flowers and plants, the black rose being the most prominent, with the mother hot on her son's tail, keen on giving his ears a good twist. That morning, their laughter filled the manor, ultimately driving away the gloom that once covered the manor like a dark veil.