I turned and engulfed Ezra in a hard hug that had the last of my energy and too much emotion laced into the embrace. “I love you, Ezra. You’re the best dad a girl could ask for. Thank you for putting Von back together.”
Ezra was startled at my sudden declaration, and then softened in my grip. He squeezed me, tucking my head under his chin. “I love you too, my dear. Now run upstairs and get some rest. And be gentle with Von.”
I nodded into his chest, silently relieved that Ezra confirmed Von had no control over his meltdown. I tripped twice on the way up the stairs, and stumbled into my bedroom just as the shower turned off. “Hallo?” Von called from the bathroom. “Is someone in the room?”
“Just me and the Abominable Snowman. I figured you missed sleeping as a threesome, so I brought in a wild monster. That’s okay, right? He’s cold now, sure. He’s made of snow. But wait until he warms to you. Absolutely melts, the puppy.”
The silence that greeted me wasn’t all that reassuring. “You’re back, then?”
“Of course. I live here, apparently. Come on out. I want to run something by you. I had a little talk with Judge that I think might fix a few things for now.” I locked our door so we could have some privacy, and flopped on the bed that called out to me.
I stared up at the ceiling, my body jittery from all the coffee, but I was still exhausted because, let’s face it, coffee can only be expected to do so much.
I heard the bathroom door open, but was too tired to get up, so I waited for Von to come to me. I addressed the ceiling as I spoke. “And no matter what I say, your job is to be like, ‘October, that’s the most amazing plan I’ve ever heard. Brilliant. Pip-pip. Cheerio. Bangers and mash.’” My impression of his accent was slightly less than stellar, but I made no apologies. When Von didn’t laugh, I turned my head toward him and gasped at the sight that greeted me. “Von! Oh, what happened to you?”
My exhaustion took a backseat as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I stumbled toward him, my fingers finding welts and bruises peppering his face. I tried to make sense of the drastic change he’d undergone in a weekend. Most shocking of all was his hair – or lack thereof. “You cut off your hair!”
Von closed his eyes and dipped his chin downward as my fingers fluttered over his face and half-inch long black hair. He inhaled the scent of my palm with torment painting his features, as if it pained him to have me this close. “Never thought I’d miss a smell this much. Your hand sanitizer. Smells just as I remembered it.” He seemed to recall himself and took a step back. “You shouldn’t be here.”
I stiffened. “I should be exactly where I want to be. I want to be with you, so that’s where I am.”
“But I blacked your eye. I must’ve seemed completely mental! Please tell me you’re back because you understand that I was touched in the head. Tell me you have more self-respect than to come back to a bloke who hits you.”
“Of course. Ezra and Danny explained it all to me. Sama was controlling you. I’m not mad at you for something you didn’t mean to do.”
“Tell me you left me,” he whispered, the pain in his closed eyes spreading across his face. I hated when Von was in pain. He was so much better with a smile. “Tell me I know your strength.”
I nodded, my forehead pressed to his. “I gave your ring to Danny, but he brought it back once they figured out you were being controlled. I don’t want to break it off if it wasn’t you who hit me. It wasn’t you, was it?”
A tear dribbled out from the corner of Von’s eye and drooled down his cheek, his lower lip trembling. “On my mum’s honor, I would never raise a hand to you. I’m so sorry my hand raised itself and struck you. I saw myself doing it all, but I couldn’t stop it! I love you, November. I would never...”
I pressed a closed-mouth kiss to his repentant and trembling lips. “Shh. I know the rest. Now what happened to your face? Who do I have to pound on for beating you so badly?”
“Oh, most of that’s just me again. Sama must’ve realized he was losing his hold on my mind, so he made me start to trounce myself. Tried knocking myself out on the jail cell bars in the basement.”
“That’s horrible!” I kissed his face all over, slowly and gently so I didn’t press too hard on any of his bruises. “Sama made you cut off your hair, too?” I led him to the bed and sat him down, leaning his forehead to my chest as I stood between his legs and held him, rubbing soothing circles into his back.
“No, I did that. The Manas snatched my hair to give to Sama. Thought I’d keep this from happening ever again. My father hits women, not me! I don’t do this!” He clung to me, his tears falling into my shirt. “Tell me I’m not that bastard.”
“Of course not. I knew it couldn’t be you.” I held him tighter, my heart breaking for his inner turmoil as he cried silently into my breasts. “When was the last time you ate anything?”
“I bit Ezra. Does that count?”
“No. He probably only tastes like tea and crumpets.” That earned a humorless snort from him, which I considered a small victory. “Let me get you something. What do you want?”
“I don’t want to eat. I couldn’t stomach a bite.”
“Well, you’re going to stomach several bites. You’re shaking. I’ll be right back.”
Von held onto my hand, holding me in place for a moment longer. “I would’ve understood if you’d left me. And you were with Finn, too. If you kissed him, I understand.”
I smiled with pride that made me stand a little straighter. “Thanks, but I didn’t kiss Finn. I only kiss vampires now. I’m engaged, after all.”
Von kissed the ring on my finger, his lips damp from his own tears. “Hurry back, Mrs. Brady.”
Leave it to Von to say the perfect thing.
I returned a few minutes later with a plate of cut up fruit, cheese, crackers, bottled waters and a blood bag. “You miss me?” I asked in lieu of anything else to say that might cut the tension.
“You shouldn’t be here. You should go to your house for a while. I hit you. You’re letting me off the hook too easily.” Von was in gym shorts and a green t-shirt, still sitting on the bed and looking like a wild animal who’d been coerced into domestication.
“Oh, I plan to punish Sama right good when I get my hands on him. You didn’t do it, Von. I know who to punish. Had you been the one behind the wheel, it would’ve been you catching my wrath. Now you get to help me plan his inevitable demise.”
Von snorted. “I can get behind that plan.”
I pressed a strawberry to his lips, softening when Von looked up at me through thick lashes as he reluctantly let me feed him. “Scoot over. I’m exhausted. What do you say we eat and then take a nap?”
“You’re just saying that because I’m tired. You don’t have to do this. You’re being too nice to me.”
“Now who’s being too nice? I’m barely upright, Von. I haven’t slept since the last time we were in bed together. I could use a nap where I’m not afraid Sama’s going to infiltrate my dreams. And I need food, come to think of it.”
Von picked up a grape from the plate in my hands and fed it to me, a flicker of longing crossing his features. He pulled the covers down and moved to sit on his side of the bed, patting the empty spot beside him, and looking like the sexiest man on earth with an invitation like that. His back pressed against the headboard while his eyes danced over my form. “You really trust me after what I did?”
I snuggled in beside him, tugging the comforter over our laps, and setting the plate across my thighs, so I could feed him a piece of cheese. “I really do. If you say it wasn’t you, then it wasn’t you. Honestly, after all we’ve been through, I feel like we need to take a little time to be normal. After we sleep, could we try being boring for a while?”
He picked up a strawberry and fed it to me. “I long for nothing else lately. I still can’t believe I hit you. And Danny, too. And the days leading up to that were wonky, as well. What must you have thought when you came home to bags of
socks and lotion? Why didn’t you send me packing for the Loony Bin right then and there?”
“We were grieving. I think that’s the time to be a little irrational. It was sweet. Sama was controlling you back then?”
“He was starting to. Thought he could turn you against me by making me all clingy and manic. He knows you well, Peach. He wanted you to leave me of your own volition. When that didn’t work, he resorted to force.” Von winced. “I could feel his emotions toward the end. He didn’t like the idea of hitting you. Whatever else he’s up to, he wants a baby, and he wants you. I didn’t think the bastard capable of actual feelings, but he’s got them for you, sure enough.”
I shuddered and pulled the comforter to my chest. “Oh, good. I was hoping to be creeped out right before bed.”
We finished off the plate of food, the water and the blood bag, and then settled into the mattress. Von looked foreign to me with bruises on his face and his head shaved. I’d loved his wild hair, and cursed Sama for making Von cut off one of the things I adored about him.
Von was reluctant to hold me, but after a few minutes of polite handholding under the covers, our bodies found a way to bridge the gap between the things we wanted to be true and the things that were. Our legs tangled in the sheets, craving the solace we knew would be waiting for us. As we sought comfort in the one failsafe we always came back to, I realized that no matter what life handed us, Von and I would always find a way to tease and tangle ourselves in the beautiful web of each other.
Thirty-Four.
Our Odd Little Family
After a few days of resting and recuperating, Von and I decided it was time to go back to work. Mariang was in her final month, so we decided to give her an extended maternity leave with Danny, reaping so she didn’t have to. Graham joined us, since Mason still had not come home. While Graham couldn’t reap for me, he pulled as we walked through the hospice to give Von a little break. Our faces were back to normal, but our spirits were sufficiently broken. When Von suggested we call it a day after five reaps, I didn’t even argue. Ollie had given me the all clear to come home that evening after work, and I couldn’t get there fast enough.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but perhaps I should’ve anticipated the whole crew would want to be there for the unveiling of the house they’d worked so hard to redeem and give back to us. Their cars were lined up down our street, and I knew they were all patiently waiting inside.
I stood on the porch with Graham and Von, admiring the porch swing that looked handmade, facing out at the street. It was gorgeous, and could fit three easily. “I can’t believe this thing. It’s incredible. Someone made this, for sure.”
Graham tapped the back of the swing. “The top plank has a message here for you.”
I came around, shifting close to Graham to read the inscription that had been burned into the wood. For my wife to rest her weary head upon. With much affection, Prince Langgam.
My intake of breath couldn’t be helped. It had been a year ago that Lang had fake proposed to me, promising to build me a porch swing if I delivered the stone to his land first. I’d forgotten all about the promise, dismissing it as a joke until the tease materialized as an actual porch swing in front of my house. “I can’t believe he did this. That’s the sweetest thing.”
“Can I say I’m not thrilled with princes from foreign countries calling you their wife?” Von jabbed, only half kidding.
“You can say whatever you like, but I’m keeping the swing. It’s perfect.” I looked to the guys. “You ready to see the house?” The three of us held hands on the porch. I inhaled a steadying breath and plastered a lively smile on my face before opening the door.
We were greeted with hugs, kisses, music, beer and pizza as everyone took turns squeezing me around the ribs, and slapping Von on the back. No one mentioned September, or the fact that Allie was still lying in the hospital with no end in sight. That evening was for celebrating – my friends had given me my home back, and for that, I loved them.
Even Darius came for the unveiling – he’d done more than his fair share of the work. He nodded to me when I came in, tapping a brand new cell phone with a hint of meaning before hugging me so he could slip it into my pocket. “Just to keep you safe,” he assured me. I had my doubts, and made a mental note never to talk Terraway business on that phone.
Ollie was in his element, and couldn’t stop grinning. He took his time going through the house and pointing out who fixed each part that had once been so very broken. “This one’s not your room anymore,” he informed me, pointing to my bedroom door. “This is my room now. I thought since Von and your dog would be staying here, you three should have the bigger bedroom.”
It was Ollie’s sweet way of making sure I didn’t have to sleep in the same room I’d lost September in. The tour stopped right there as I sunk into my brother’s arms. “I love you for this.”
“As you should. I’m nothing if not loveable.” When I didn’t let go at his shtick, he squeezed me tighter, smiling when Gabby flitted by and smacked my backside.
Graham was busy gorging himself on half a pizza in the kitchen, while Von and I perused Ollie’s new room. It barely looked like the place our worst nightmare had unfolded. Ollie’s headboard was pressed up against the window, and behind the wood, I noticed thin black bars across the glass. My smile sank when I realized I now lived a life where bars on the windows were necessary. Ollie seemed to understand the sad song my deflated shoulders sang. “It’s temporary. Until everything settles down. This way we can sleep without worrying about anything crashing through our windows.”
“It’s smart,” I complimented him. “I’m just sorry this is your life.”
Ollie raised his chin, elbowing me so I did the same. “I’m not sorry. Reeses don’t fall to pieces, remember? If you’re in it, so am I. Best of luck to whoever thinks they can go up against us.”
I found my smile again and wore it for Ollie. He showed Von and me to Allie’s room, which had been given a fresh coat of cheery yellow paint and new linens with daisies on them for when she awoke.
When, not if.
The bathroom had been refurbished with new fixtures that were brushed steel – the kind Ollie wanted when we first moved in, but had been too expensive way back then on our much smaller budget.
“You ready to see your brand new room?” Ollie asked with too much excitement in his voice. The others were milling about the living room. Gabby was trying to start a dance-off with Rachel and Jessica, while Jordan was halfway to losing his third hand of poker at the kitchen table with a few of the guys.
I don’t know why I was nervous, but I held tight to Von’s hand when Darius flung the door open to Ollie’s old bedroom. My jaw dropped as Ollie ushered us inside, not registering a word my brother said as I took in the giant king-sized sleigh bed with a dark wood head and footboard. “How did you... Is this...” Half-sentences raced through my head, but no whole ideas sprang from my mouth.
“When did you have time to do all this?” Von finally worked out, just as shocked as I was. “Did you build a bookshelf into the wall?”
Ollie slung his arm over Von’s shoulders and lowered his voice. “We did. I figured you and Mason could use a few shelves for your stuff. Make it feel like your home, too, which it is.”
Von was touched. He turned into Ollie’s half-embrace to seal it into a whole hug of unfettered affection. “Cheers, brother. This is incredible. Truly.”
Ollie held tighter to Von, clapping him a few times on the back in that unshakeable dude way that choked me with emotion. “You are my brother, Von. I always wanted one of those.”
Two lavender walls were accented by two cream walls, and on the wall opposite the one our bed was pushed up against was a large framed picture of the three of us. I studied the image of Von and me sitting on the old couch in our living room, with wolf Mason’s maw resting protectively on my thigh. My fingers were tangled in his thick gray fur, and his eyes were closed contentedly. I do
n’t even remember anyone taking the picture, but there we were. Von was grinning with his eyes closed, while his lips rested on my temple with the smirk I loved. I looked... It was the strangest thing to see myself with a contented smile on my face. My happiness wasn’t forced, and neither was Von’s. It was our odd little family, and in the middle of my home, I found us there.
I tangled my fingers through Von’s, and he squeezed my hand. “I know. I miss Mason, too,” he whispered to me.
“He should’ve been back by now.”
Von looked down at me and kissed my temple the same way he had done in the picture. “I’ll see what I can do about bringing him home. Let me talk to Ezra.”
“Thank you.” I turned to examine it all, taking in the TV mounted to the wall above the desk. “What do you think of our new room?”
A smile I hadn’t seen on Von in what felt like ages breezed over his lips, reviving so many things that had for too long been dormant. “I think that bed looks a bit too new. What’s say you and I break it in when your friends are gone?”
“I love you,” I breathed, missing the grin I’d lived too much of my life without.
“Oh, yeah? You might have to prove it. I’m not sure I believe that dreamy look in your eye when you gaze up at me like I’m your hero.”
“You are my hero,” I echoed with a shy smile.
A low rumble of desire started in Von’s chest. “I don’t think I can wait until your friends leave us, love.”
Ollie didn’t need to be asked to give us some space; he shut us in the bedroom so we could acquaint ourselves with the new bed, and the lock on the door.
Thirty-Five.
Dancing with Danny
“I don’t understand why I can’t go. I mean, it’s Sombi, which is basically deserted, except for zombies.”
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