by Colt, Shyla
Brigh knew, in that moment, she’d become an orphan. As they’d lived together, they had died together. She bowed her head and closed his eyes. The king of Noble had fallen. She balled her fists, channeling her grief to rage.
They will all pay.
She lay her father’s head down on the ground carefully and rose. “We will avenge them all! Build up our numbers and beat the darkness back until the light shines brightly once more. My father named me, and I’ll be damned if I don’t do him justice. There are wolves amongst us, and I plan on finding them tonight. Gather the bodies into two piles, one for our people and another for the vampires. After we send them on their way, we’ll deal with our in-house issues.” She locked her grief away in a steel box. The best way to honor her father would be to keep his legacy alive. He’d expect nothing less from her. I will do you proud, father.
“Bri?” Jaegar whispered.
She tilted her head back and looked into his worry-filled hazel-colored eyes. “There is no one else I want to do this with. Tell me you’re all in and fully committed this time and I’ll believe you.” She held her breath as she waited for his response. Anyone else would pale in comparison. All their issues aside, the man held her heart in his hands. She could never truly love another and, in the end, she believed he was the one destined to rule at her side.
Jaegar knelt and took her hand. “I swear on everything I am and my family name I will never leave this Clan or you again.” He turned his gaze out to the crowd that had gone silent. “I beg the clan for forgiveness. My heart was no longer in what we do and I had to leave to discover my place in the world. I know now it’s here, and if you’ll have me again, I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for my mistakes.”
“What say you, Clan?” Brigh asked. The words felt wrong coming out of her mouth. Dad should be here asking them this.
“Let him come back, we need every man we can get.”
Similar phrases were tossed their way.
“The Clan has spoken. Welcome back, Jaegar Sutton. “
Cheers rose up and, for a moment, there was something to celebrate. They’d lost more people than they could afford. It was a problem she didn’t know how to fix.
Jaegar released her hand and pulled out the necklace from inside of her shirt that held his ring. “You kept this because deep down…you knew I’d come back for you.”
“Maybe I did, Jag.”
“Tonight, when we wash away the dirt of battle and set aside our grief, we will celebrate life and I’ll place that ring back on your finger where it belongs.”
She barked a broken laugh to keep from crying. It would be a reward for staying sane.
~* * * *~
This was hell. There was no other way to describe it. They’d burned their dead, paying homage to them like the Vikings of old, and that wasn’t even the most difficult part.
“You okay?” Jaegar asked, glancing down at her as she stirred the potion it’d taken her hours to perfect.
“I don’t think I’m ever truly going to be okay again, Jag.” She swallowed.
“What exactly is that?” Jaegar asked, gesturing toward the green liquid that had a layer of smoke coming out of it.
“It’s a truth potion. It renders them unable to lie. We’ll take it to the town meeting tonight. A Dixie cup full will be plenty for each person.” She stepped back from the metal cauldron. “It’s ready and so am I. Nothing can begin to heal until I have the betrayer’s heads on the chopping block. No matter who they are.”
He came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, offering silent comfort. There was nothing he could say to make this easier. He’d just stepped back into things and it ate him up from the inside out. She’d been living among them all along.
“I just don’t understand how we couldn’t see this coming or why. If you want to leave, leave. Why bring our home down around our ears?” She shook her head. “Let’s get this out. I want to raise new blood wards before the vamps have a chance to regroup.”
“They’ll want the claiming soon,” he whispered. Leaders were chosen in pairs. The Noble believed they needed the balance of male and female to guide them successfully. The woman was the heart and the man the head. They worked together to provide the best care they could to their clansmen. The council helped them make large decisions, but the final say always came back to them.
“We’ll do it on Samhain, like my father wanted.”
The sentence was sobering. It meant she was to marry someone else. He’d been damn close to losing her forever. “Alright.”
“Good, now grab a towel and help me carry this down.”
They worked in silence and he soaked up her presence, grateful for a second chance. Brigh was life. How had he walked away from her? A childish part of him had wanted to see what she would choose—Noble or him. He wanted to know she loved him without the trappings of their clan. That it was more than a made match. “Why did you choose me?”
She glanced up from ladling. “Did I make a mistake? Are you having cold feet?”
“No, Bri.” He shook his head. “I just want to know why.”
“Because I love you. That never went away. My emotions aren’t run by a set of breakers I can flip on and off. Why would you even ask me that?”
“I used to worry that what we had wasn’t real. That it was a relationship forced on us and hyped up until we believed it. It was the first truth I learned. The hardest one.” He owed her this before they committed to not just one another, but their clan, for a lifetime. “There were times when not being able to hear your voice, smell your scent, or feel your body beside mine damn near drove me insane. “
“Then why didn’t you come home, Jag? Why wait two years?”
“The first year, I wasn’t ready. I had too many things to work through and learn about myself and what I thought life could be away from Noble. After that, pride, stubbornness, and embarrassment. I know I fucked up doing things the way I did.”
“It turned everything you said to me into a lie. If you could leave me so easily, how could you love me? Why didn’t I see that you were in trouble?”
“We make a living out of lying, Bri.”
“Not to one another, never to one another.”
“I couldn’t tell you what I was in denial about. It was a slow trickle that turned into a busted dam.” He stilled her hand and cupped her face. “Why do you think I asked you to go with me? You were the one thing I was certain about.”
She closed her eyes. “It didn’t feel that way.”
“It was…it is. Please look at me, Bri.” She opened her eyes. “It’s always been you. It will always be you.”
She took a shaky breath and nodded, blinking rapidly.
He kissed her forehead and breathed in her fresh scent. They’d scrubbed until the hot water ran out and he still felt covered in the grime and blood from the battle. She rested her head against his shoulder and he cherished the contact she’d initiated.
“Later,” she whispered.
He kissed her forehead again and pulled back. “Later.”
~* * * *~
Thirty minutes later, they were all packed into a crowded town hall. The empty spaces were a reminder of all they’d lost. They went over the list once more, taking a roll call. The elephant in the room was large and pink. Jaegar glanced at Brigh.
Her face looked drawn and her jaw ticked beneath the mocha-colored skin he adored. Her large doe eyes had darkened to black. One very important member of the Howell family was missing. “Everyone take your cup and raise it to your lips. On three, we all drink. One, two, three.” She threw back her cup and drank.
He did the same.
“If you had a hand in this betrayal, speak now.” The silence that fell over them was resounding. “I think we have our answer. If you want to leave Noble, now is the time. I need only the most dedicated. We have to rebuild our numbers. Start from the ground up and hunt down the bastards who had the balls to come in and destroy what we�
�ve worked so hard to build. This will never happen again. We will be better, faster, and stronger. I will work you until you want to punch me in the face, and you will be better for it. I aim to take over where my father left off. Don’t think me at the forefront means a kinder Noble.”
A murmur of voices rose like a wave. Still, no one seemed to have anything to confess.
“All of you have consumed the serum. Stand now if you betrayed us!” she called out.
Silence reigned and this told her that whoever did the deed wasn’t present. She gazed over the crowd and made a note of just who among the living of the Noble was missing. “I know things are dark right now, but that’s when Noble rises to the occasion every time.” She paused. “When it’s darkest.”
“And how do you propose we replenish our numbers, girl? Noble isn’t into taking in strays,” George asked, his round face red with anger.
“We aren’t the last of our kind. I aim to seek out those who’ve been raised under false pretenses. The ones time forgot. We have power gifted to us. The Howells, Freemans, Suttons, and the Newtons were blessed by the divine. We’ve been holed up in our little town for far too long. It’s time to expand, to grow, to seek. Without growth, we will die.”
Whispers sounded. What she proposed went against the way of things.
“She’s right,” Jaegar said, stepping up behind her. “I left because I wanted to see what was out there. Life here is stifling. That’s why we’re losing so many. We train, we teach, and we never cut the cord. It’s a slap in the face, given how much we place on their shoulders.”
“We’re supposed to listen to him now?” Jeff gestured toward him.
“You will as long as you’re under my command. We wed on Samhain and take up the leadership. Tomorrow will be a day of mourning. But right now, we raise the wards. All of us together, united.” She walked down the main row with her head held high and her white dress flowing around her feet. Black curls tumbled down her back. Her confident stride made it seem as if she walked on air. The contrast of white against her brown skin and her regal bearing proclaimed her the queen she would now be. “Come with me now. This is the first step of taking back everything they’ve stolen.” She paused at the end of the aisle, turned to him, and held out her hand.
Their fingers interlocked and the knot in his chest loosened. Eventually, they would find their way back to the place they’d been before.
~* * * *~
Exhausted, they stumbled into her house. The quaint two-bedroom apartment was a mix of vintage and country. He took in the familiar quirks. The grey couch had taken them months to find. The hanging aqua-colored lights. Memories of love and laughter surrounded him, wrapping him in their unwavering embrace. In the midst of all the grief, he held tight to the invisible rays of sunshine.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, toeing off her flats.
“There are a lot of good memories in this place.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. Her lower lip quivered.
“And we’ll make more,” he promised, moving forward to gingerly wrap her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and he sent a silent prayer to whoever was listening.
“Make me forget, Jaegar. Remind me of why I’m here dying inside, but moving forward and ready to fight. ‘Cause, right now, all I see is the darkness surrounding us and pain—I want to feel something other than emptiness.”
He stepped back and cupped her face. “I’ll do anything you want me to, Bri. Let me take care of you.” He brushed her lips. Sparks came to life between them. He moaned, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue. “Still just as sweet as I remember.” She parted her lips and sighed and he took advantage, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Ripe like fresh fruit, refreshing and irresistible. He ran his hands down her sides, massaging her hips as he deepened the kiss.
She tilted her head and twined her tongue with his. He moaned. She pressed her pelvis against his and his cock swelled.
No woman had interested him since her. He’d tried the one-night-stand and ended up with an embarrassingly limp dick that never got past the blow job stage. It’d never been about leaving their relationship, just the environment they existed in.
She ran her fingers through his hair and gripped at the longer strands. The tension sent tingles down his spine. He took his time rediscovering every inch of her mouth. Lost in the flood of emotions, he got drunk on her. She was a high he could never grow tired of.
They surfaced for air and he peppered kisses down along her soft neck. She tilted her head to give him better access and he sucked on her special spot. She whimpered and gripped his shirt. His dick ached and his heart threatened to overflow. He’d never thought he’d experience this again.
“More,” she whispered.
“Not here.” He pulled away and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom they’d shared. He set her down on the bed like the precious gift she was. “You’re so beautiful, Bri.” He grabbed the hem of her dress and worked the gown up along her body, drinking in the sight of her. She’d filled out since they parted. The muscle looked good on her. He tossed the material behind him and his breath caught at the beauty of her high, firm breasts in the frilly pink bra. His girl had a hard-on for lingerie. It was a secret he loved knowing, that underneath her hard exterior there was a sexy, feminine woman. Her sweet, dusky nipples beckoned. He sucked one into his mouth. She arched her back. He hummed while massaging her other breast.
“It feels so good, Jag. It’s been so long.”
He bit down gently and she gasped. “Spread your legs for me, Bri. Let me back into paradise.” She opened her legs and he ran his fingers over the damp seam of her panties. “You’re so hot and wet. I can feel you through your panties. Can I touch you?”
“Yes.” Her voice shook. Her breathing increased.
He slipped his fingers inside her panties and moaned. Her sticky heat gathered on his fingers. “You’re so wet for me. I’m going to make you feel good.” He rubbed the gathered moisture around her clit and she cried out. “That’s it, let go and feel for me. Right now, you and I are the only things that matter.” He eased his fingers into her entrance and her slick walls contracted. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. “Did you save this for me, Bri?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“I saved it for you too, baby.” He eased out and thrust inside her, circling her walls, loosening her up. “I wrote you every day. I have boxes of letters I want you to read.”
“Jag,” she whimpered.
“I want you to know how much I’ve always loved you. I need to earn your forgiveness.” He hooked his fingers.
She nearly bucked off the bed. “Jaegar.”
“That’s right, baby. I’m the one making you feel like this.” He increased his speed and she rocked in time with his motions. “Come for me. I want to see you come undone.”
“Oh.” Her moans made his dick throb in his pants. She was a wild thing, panting and fucking his fingers with an uninhibited abandon that reminded him of their youth and the days they spent locked away in the bedroom. Her body shook and her walls clamped down around his fingers. She screamed his name as she thrust over the edge. He continued to stroke her until she lay back on the bed, blissed out. He removed his fingers and sucked them into his mouth, swallowing down her essence. “Mmm, best taste in the world.”
He hooked his thumbs into her panties and pulled them down along her legs, admiring her neatly shaved pussy. He spread her legs. “So pretty and pink.” He ran a fingertip down her slippery slit. “Is all this for me?”
She lifted herself up on her forearms and arched a brow. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“Damn straight it is.” He stood, unbuckling his belt. “I don’t think we can do slow this time.”
“I don’t want slow. I want you to fuck me into oblivion. Be rough. We know I won’t break.”
Her come-hither, husky tone snapped his control. He stripped down like he was on fire and knelt
on the bed between her legs. She reached between him and gripped his base, pumping swiftly.
He grunted. “You keep that up and it’ll be over before it begins. When I come, it’s going to be inside you.”
Her eyes lit up. She bit her bottom lip.
“I remember how much you like it when I feel your insides. Let’s see if we can break our record tonight. Lay back.”
She lay down. He gripped his base, nudging her entrance. He pushed inside. Her body resisted before giving way. Her sheath wrapping around him was perfection. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to go slow. They came together and the slap of skin on skin filled the room. The musk of their arousal scented the air.
“Harder, Jag, please.”
He gripped her hips and slammed home.
“Yes, like that.”
“You want it hard. I’ll give you hard.” He unleashed, pounding inside her as he burrowed so deep into the joy they were creating, the events of earlier faded to the background. She dug her nails into his biceps, snaking her legs around his waist and digging her heels into his back. He relished the twinge of pain. “Mark me, Bri.” He gritted his teeth to keep from exploding.
She bit his shoulder and he thrust deeper. The headboard tapped against the wall. Her body tensed. “I’m coming.”
“Do it, baby, take me with you.”
She flew over the edge, taking him with her.
He offered up all he had to give and collapsed in her arms, resting his head on her ample breasts.
“I love you too, Jag. I always have, even when I didn’t want to,” she whispered, stroking his hair.
Surrounded by her scent, held in her arms, and accepted back into her heart—he was home.
EPILOGUE
Brigh knelt beside Jaegar, holding his hands as they were officially named. Her cream-colored lace dress spread out around her in a dreamy circle. She wished her parents were there to see this.
“Rise and greet your clan.”
They stood together and turned to greet the smiling faces. This was what they needed, a spot of happiness amongst the darkness. They still had many things left to do. She forced a smile and waved. “Today, we begin a new journey together. Tonight, we celebrate not only the wedding, but the lives of the great men and women who gave everything for the cause. Drink and remember the good times.”