Again, he paused and waited for each member to nod in consent. Once each man and woman had acknowledged his request, he stepped toward Bel, drawing her gaze from her lap. “Nicodemus, if you will join us.”
She gasped aloud at the appearance of a wizened old man, maybe four feet in height, who hobbled onto the stage. His legs had a bent appearance not unlike a bird’s as his rolling gait carried him before the council. There he sank down on a low platform perfectly positioned for him to sit and tell a story. Seated, his long, bushy beard spread around him to hide his antique green britches and red shirt. He tucked his walking stick away before an electric-blue tarantula parted the bristly hairs and climbed onto his shoulder to sit and purr contentedly.
With a loving touch he stroked the oddity on his shoulder once and then drew a breath. “Once upon a time, there was a young woman in love with a handsome young man who worshiped the ground she trod upon. A great leader of men, he rose to prominence within his territory despite a darkness lurking deep within him. Their love came to be renowned and celebrated all across Epsilon, being credited for his salvation. And, when each of three girls was born to the couple, everyone celebrated with them.” Looking over his shoulder he smiled fondly at a wide-eyed Bel. “But, not unsurprisingly, a small faction harbored a great jealousy of this man and his success. In a moment of great evil, the few lashed out at the mighty and struck a deadly blow. Stripped of his great love, the man spiraled deep into the darkness that resided within. One day, he discovered the youngest and most beautiful of his daughters, also harbored the very same darkness within her. The need for revenge on those who stole love and light from her world.”
Bel snuck a glance at Liam, and the sorrow in her eyes confirmed what he had suspected since the start of the bard’s tale. She came to them not as an offering to spare her father’s life, but to take theirs. Betrayal sliced his heart open. Did she still wield the blade she’d carried a few nights earlier? Sure felt that way.
“Seeing an opportunity to strike a deadly blow on those he held responsible for the loss of his love while elevating his own stature, he set into motion a series of events, which, once started, could not be stopped. Trust was offered, a deal struck, but flying in the face of such good faith, a Rose was plucked from a private garden. The flower was badly damaged, requiring death be decreed by the mightiest in the land. In a heart-wrenching display, his daughter threw herself on the mercy of those mighty leaders and begged them to spare her father, begged the offended ones to take her instead. Intrigued by such beauty and compassion, a new deal was struck. The girl would live with the offended forever, and her father would be left unharmed. But this, you see, was all part of the man’s plan. Though his accomplice performed in accordance with the plan, she found herself unable to complete her mission.”
With a dramatic pause, he shifted his weight before sweeping the audience with his gaze. When he stopped at Liam, a sensation of tiny fingers crawled over his skin, up his arm, and across his neck. The sensation drove him to break the compelling little man’s stare.
“To the man’s dismay, his weapon of choice had turned useless. Despite all her years of training to kill those responsible for her mother’s death, his Beauty found she could not take their lives for she had come to cherish them. Instead, she’d fled in the dark of night, scared to reveal to her keepers the truth of how she had come to them. With no safe harbor, she fled until exhaustion forced her to stop. Having feared she would fail, her father had placed a lookout near the enemy compound to follow her, should she decide to run. In his fury over her betrayal, her father renounced her and delivered her to those who had deemed him worthy of death, knowing what her fate would be. What none of the players in this tale knows is the truth of the original sin.”
Liam shared Bel’s confusion.
“Alas, the loss of the man’s great love did not come at the hands of two young Beasts, as he believed. Instead, when panic ensued, a single stealthy foe slipped by and threw the deadly blade meant for her husband’s black heart. But, the love of his life threw herself in its path at the last moment to spare her lover’s life in a gift of the ultimate sacrifice.”
The little gnome gracefully unfolded from his sitting position and hopped down from the platform with a spritely grace belied by his obvious years. Stolidly, he moved past a shocked Bel whose tear-streaked face had paled until it resembled fresh cream. The odd man made it past her before she spun around and took a step toward him. Her arm wrapped around her ribs, and she cried out in pain.
Liam and Nate both flinched.
Dauntless, she begged the wee man, “Please, wait.”
The little man stopped and faced her. “Why, yes, lass?”
“Please, the tale can’t end like that. What of their happy ending?” Her voice cracked under the power of her plea. No longer able to resist the need to touch her, to comfort her, Liam and Nate moved as one, no conversation required, to stand beside her.
“Happy endings are not always part of fairy tales, my dear.”
She stepped toward him, reached out and grabbed his small arm wincing with the pain. “But you told me I had to believe. That if I believed, it would be real!”
Slowly, the little man cocked his head and stared. If Liam didn’t know better, he would swear the gnomish man could peel away flesh and bone to peer deep inside her. “And do you believe?”
Liam saw the doubt creep into her gaze when she glanced first at him and then Nate. “I want to.” Her whispered words were salt in her earlier slash of betrayal.
A deep sadness settled on his wrinkly face. “Tsk, tsk. I’m afraid your fairy tale may elude you, lass.”
Her body visibly trembled right before she stumbled, but an arm curled protectively about her waist. Nate swept her up causing her to cry out, but was the pain physical or emotional? He carried her back to her chair, and the little gnome disappeared into the shadows. He’d have to ask Joe where to find him later. Somehow, he and Bel had met before, and Liam wanted to know when and where, because whatever occurred during their first meeting distressed her even now.
“Liam, if you will retake your place, we can get on with things.” Joe placed a hand on his arm and squeezed. The reassurance and affection offered in Joe’s touch bolstered Liam’s resolve and helped to quiet the doubt about their future with Bel.
While he returned to his seat, Nate settled Bel and made to move back where he had stood, but she reached out and grabbed his hand. With a worried nod, his bro took up a position behind where she sat. His hand lay on her shoulder; the physical connection pushed past Liam’s doubts and shored up the last frayed bits of his resolve. Nate and Bel stood together waiting for him to join them. This thing between them felt right and whatever came of the High Council meeting, he knew deep down they would find a way to be together. Even if being together meant running.
Joe returned to his spot and gathered everyone’s attention. “Council members, you have heard the sad tale of Bel and her Beasts. Of how the past has reached forward to taint the future. Our laws, our ways, demand Bel be punished.”
“Joseph!” Liam shot from his chair, both surprised and angry with his friend. The other members of the council grumbled.
“I beg you, hear me out. If the Beasts are dissatisfied with the bargain they have struck, taking Bel in lieu of her father’s death, they must stand before the council and renounce her. She would be punished in accordance with the rules governing their agreement. Death.”
More grumbling came from the council, and Nate actually growled loud enough the sound carried across the stage to where Liam sat, fists clenched against his thighs as he struggled for faith in his friend.
“But!” he thundered into the din. “But, should the Beasts take her to tribe, make her one of them, then they shall determine her punishment.”
Liam’s hands relaxed and the tightness squeezing his chest eased once he saw the light coming toward him on the dark stretch of highway.
“So, I ask you, Liam and Nate Whelan, leaders of The Beasts, do you wish to claim Annabel Priestly as one of your people? Take her into the bosom of The Beasts and make her one of you?”
Silence blanketed the group. Not even the soft sound of breathing could be heard while everyone waited for them to decide if Bel would live or die. An easy choice for Liam. A glimpse of Nate for confirmation found him nodding in a ceaseless motion, confirming his commitment to their triad. Liam rose and stepped around the council’s table. He prowled toward the two people who made him whole and stopped before them.
“We claim Annabel Priestly. She will be a Beast from this time forward. In addition, we claim her for ourselves. Nate and I take her for our woman, and all who see her, meet her, will know she is ours.”
Bel gasped, her hand clenched around Nate’s as she stared at Liam in surprise, while the council seemed to release their collective breath.
“B-b-but—” She couldn’t gather the words even after their gazes locked. With a nod, he tried to lessen the intensity of what he knew must have blazed from his eyes because it seared his soul. She tried again, “But, how could you want me after what I did?”
“What did you do, Bel? Deceive us? Run away?” Desperation pushed him to reach out to her, but first she had to believe. Believe in him. In Nate. In their bond. Maybe even in fairy tales.
Shame simmered pink in her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to his chest. “That, and more.”
“What more?” She needed to speak the words. Acknowledge what happened and forgive herself. Without question, they would forgive her. And, despite his wounds, he would forgive her. Already had, really.
“I tried to kill you…well, Nate.” A tear trickled down her cheek.
“How hard did you try? Did you injure one of us?”
She shook her head, tears streaming freely down her face.
“Did you even wield a weapon in a fight with one of us?” He quirked a brow and waited for her answer.
“I could not.” Her hands had clenched into a ball of flesh and bone.
“Will you ever consider running away, deceiving us, or trying to kill us again?” The need to convince her had him struggling to soften his tone so she would understand all he dared not say, yet.
“Never,” she said with a ferocity that caressed Liam’s heart and soothed his ragged soul. She stared him in the eyes and uttered her vow before she faced Nate and repeated the single word. He grinned at her, his sexy dimple peeking out to tease them both when he accepted her promise.
“Other than the formalities of your punishment, I see no reason you cannot be ours.” Crouching on his haunches he laid his hands on her knees. “Baby, say yes.”
Heedless of her healing injuries she threw herself into his arms, tipped him onto the ground, and shouted loud enough for all of Epsilon to hear, “Yes!”
Nate joined them, huddled on the floor of the stage, wrapped in a joyful hug. After a few moments, Joe interrupted their celebration.
“How soon do you wish to hold the binding?”
Liam pulled from his lovers. “Now.”
Chapter Ten
Bel’s heart stuttered. They wanted to be bound to her right then and there? Before the High Council? A small glowing ball of heat ignited low in her belly. With each spicy-scented breath she drew, the flames were fanned while reality set in. These men would bind themselves to her. Permanently. Before the High Council. They wanted her. And despite her borrowed robe of cream, finger-combed hair, and battered face, she wanted to be bound to them. Wanted to be theirs.
“Please, do it now.” She got up from their huddle on the ground and laid her hand on Joseph Weston’s arm. “I don’t want to wait.”
Behind her Liam and Nate gathered, side by side, each with a hand on her waist. “We’re ready,” Nate confirmed.
Joseph smiled and turned back to the council. “It appears we shall have a binding ceremony today!”
And just like that she found herself standing before the High Council with Liam and Nate by her side.
“Today we are gathered to bind these three in a sacred pact of commitment, trust, and love. Will the three of you each place a hand before me?” He took her hand and wrapped it around Liam’s wrist. Next he took Liam’s hand and wrapped it around Nate’s wrist. And finally, Nate’s hand was wrapped around her wrist. One of the girls Bel remembered bringing her food stepped up and provided a bright-red strip of soft, supple leather. Deft hands wrapped and wove the leather strip around their wrists until it mimicked their triangle before he tied it off. “The leather strip represents your commitment of the flesh, bound to each other until flesh no longer holds you to this earth. The red represents the blood shed both in your pasts and that which will be shed in your combined future. And the knot represents the trust that binds you together. Repeat after me. We are three. Three bodies, three souls, three hearts.”
They repeated his words in unison, alternately staring into each other’s eyes.
“Three together is stronger than each alone.”
Their voices carried the words.
“Where one is weak the others will be strong. When one is in need, the others will give.”
Bel felt the bond draw them closer with each repeated phrase.
“Pure of heart, clear of soul, jealousy will have no hold.”
Each word infused her with strength and caused the glowing ball to grow bigger, glow brighter within.
“We are three. Three bodies, three souls, one heart.”
And she felt it. Physically felt the connection between the three of them in a way she had not before the sacred ritual. Maybe it was all in her head, but it still meant something to her. Gave her something to believe in.
***
Nate rolled into Beastly Ink with Bel tucked under his arm and Liam a step behind. The neon lights aglow in the window announced they were open for business. Across the room, Ford sat up after wiping off his latest creation. “Looking good, sweetheart.”
The girl on the table sat up, her breasts exposed. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Got a mirror?”
He handed her a small one and she stood at the full-length mirror. On her upper right shoulder sat a rose in the gap of torn flesh. All around it, blood vessels fed into vines and roots that morphed into a flowering bloom. The MC’s banners wove in and out of the skin to read Order of the Roses.
“Fucking badass.” She turned and grinned at Ford.
“Nice. You know the aftercare drill.”
“Sure do. Thanks again, Ford.” Her words were muffled by the T-shirt she pulled over her head.
The Rose smiled and nodded at their group before she sauntered past. Nate felt her curious gaze take in the tableau of him and Bel with Liam pressed up against them from behind. She moved on while Ford finished tossing his supplies. Their friend turned to face the three of them, surprise in his eyes. “So, the rumors are true. You two found a woman.” His smirk indicated how likely he thought the scenario was.
“Yeah, we did,” Liam growled over their shoulders.
Their friend’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Besides, if you’d been around at all the last few weeks, you’d know what went down.” Nate watched the shadows dance across Ford’s face. What had kept him away?
“Been busy, man. So what can I ink you, though not sure where you’ve got room for more?”
Nate grinned and shoved Bel forward. “Not us. Her.”
Ford fumbled the tattoo machine he held, but recovered before he full-on dropped it. “Yeah? What can I get you...?”
“Bel.” She strode away from him, out of the shadows, and toward their friend. “As for my ink? I’m a Beast now. Need to get marked. And I belong to my boys here.” She waved at them, and Nate’s dick got hard at her acknowledgement of their claim on her. “So, I need something that says I’m theirs.”
Ford’s eyes flared wide at the sight of her bruised face and throat. A fie
rce look of anger flashed across his face while he absorbed the damage along with the news. “Yours? As in bound?” Their artist’s curious gaze inspected him first then Liam, who had moved up by his side.
“Both.” Liam growled again, apparently not real appreciative of the conversation.
“Wow. I have missed a lot. Though maybe you guys should take better care of her.” Ford stood and approached Bel ignoring Liam’s growled displeasure at the casual observation. “So, you’re a Beast now? And how do you want to display the tag?”
“I’m thinking a half-sleeve to claim the Beasts with a display of roses and barbed wire interwoven around it. And I want a phoenix woven in with the words Family is Forever worked into the design.”
A wave of lust swept through Nate as her words settled into the silence. When had she decided what she wanted for ink? She sounded so confident. So sure. Damn, it was hot.
“Let me draw something up.” Ford glanced at the two of them and smirked. “Make yourselves at home.”
Already lost in visualizing the art, their friend disappeared in back, and Liam didn’t hesitate to reach over and haul Bel back against him. “Damn, baby.”
Nate stepped around and sandwiched her between them. “When did you come up with that idea?”
Her lips stretched into a smile, and pink dusted her cheeks. “Just now. It seemed natural to pull elements from the ink I’ve seen on you two and integrate it into my own design. I wanted something representative of us. All three of us.”
“But, baby, what is there of you in the design?” Liam slid his hands around her waist and held her tight.
Her body melted against him. “All of it. It’s my present and my future. The past no longer matters.”
Love and Punishment Page 12