Elliot snorted, never having forgotten his brother's distaste for logic. That had always been one of the more glaring differences between them, although in Elliot's case, it could be questionable. He indulged his younger brother's interests far too often.
It was good to think that again. In the present tense.
Of course David would argue with him. He'd expected that and it made him grin. Gripping his brother's shoulders, he said, "Okay, fine, not stronger. But definitely smarter than a lot of other people I've met." That sounded overly cruel. Elliot partially regretted it, but he couldn't deny the truth of it. Too many people ran into danger, to hell with the consequences, and were now members of the undead club.
Saying thank-you to Rae felt like an inadequate way of showing how truly grateful he really was that she had helped him reunite with his brother. Too many people made empty promises that they never kept, but not Rae. Never Rae. When she said she'd do something, she put every effort into seeing it through. And she had. And it had almost killed her. Elliot gave her a small smile, before turning back to David when he heard him speak.
"Hey. No." Elliot cocked his head to one side, gripping David's shoulders once more. "Don't you dare put the blame on yourself. None of this was your fault. I was with them... I could've done more." How, he couldn't honestly say, but he didn't want to ruin their reunion with gory details. If David wanted to know the whole story, Elliot could work up the nerve to tell him later. But not now.
Elliot forced himself to smile, then said, "My friend Rae helped me find you. She said she sent you here." He gestured for Rae to join them.