“You’re safe,” he told her, his breath hot against her as his teeth tugged on her ear. She trembled with pleasure. “I’d never hurt you, love, never,” he whispered.
She squeezed her eyes shut as Emilian untied her belt and slipped her kirtle and tunic over her head, leaving her naked and completely exposed to him. She was unable to stop the whimper of fear that escaped.
“Look at me, Treime,” he whispered. The sound of his voice, hoarse with emotion, speared right through her soul. Her eyes fluttered open to meet his and she was delighted in what she found there. Her fear instantly fled. “Now let me in,” he ordered.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his.
“I will never love another,” he said, capturing her mouth in another heart-stopping kiss. “This is forever, micuțo.” He lifted her legs and she instinctively wrapped them around his waist.
His magic burst outward as he thrust into her body, causing ripples in the water. Again he thrust and stars burst from the heavens; the fragments rained down upon the entangled couple like glitter. Soon the entire lake was illuminated in tiny shards of light. The closer they became the more the surrounding valley bloomed with life. The trees exploded in varying shades of greens. Flowers grew fuller and higher than ever before, fat on the love they were creating. All around them nature’s scents had peppered the air with a thick honey sweetness like no other.
She gasped as she realized what was happening. Emilian wasn’t just inside of her; he had become a part of her. His magic had become a part of her. Power crackled wildly around them and within them.
“My love is eternal,” he said harshly, his breathing ragged and uneven.
Sunlight exploded through her, a white hot fire that smelled of summer and felt like what she’d imagined heaven would. All past hurts fled and were replaced with love. Love and Emilian.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Present Day
Xan and I had slept through dinner the night I’d woken up in Drina’s RV. That was several days ago and still he wouldn’t let me leave. He’d practically confined me to the bed with a myriad of excuses, ranging from him complaining that I still had yet to fully heal to simply not allowing me my clothing.
He’d actually tied my foot to the bed with my torn t-shirt when, at one point, I tried to make a run for some fresh air.
Why Drina hadn’t come and kicked us out, I did not know.
“So,” I said through a mouthful of raw carrot. “What excuse are we going to give for missing today’s chores?”
Sitting in bed next to me, stark naked, leaning back against the wall in a very inelegant slouch was my…Xan? My boyfriend? Bed buddy? Captor? I made a mental note to ask him later.
“You don’t exactly need an excuse; you almost ended up as someone’s dinner.”
“Actually, I almost ended up as someone’s girlfriend.” I shuddered, remembering the details of my near demise.
I closed my eyes as a ceramic water jug flew across the room and shattered in a corner.
“Hey!” I snapped. “That was like the last thing in here that you hadn’t broken!”
“Are you stupid, Trinity?” he bellowed. “How did you end up outside the wards anyway? If you tell me you tripped over those dishes I found I will strangle you!”
My mouth dropped open. He thought I was clumsy? Angry, I began fumbling for clothing. Finding only my shredded t-shirt, I screeched in frustration and grabbed his.
Tackling me, he tore the shirt from my hands and pinned me down on the floor. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded.
“I’ll tell you what happened. Onyx pushed me out of the stupid wards! I’m not some invalid who trips over dishes you stupid… Xan?”
Xan was hopping out the door with only one leg in his jeans, cursing as he tried to get the other foot in. I scrambled for my own jeans. It took me several long minutes to find them, several more to find and throw on Xan’s shirt, and run out the door after him.
By the time I’d gotten outside he’d completely disappeared.
******
Later that night, I wasn’t surprised when Gerik sought me out; I was only surprised it had taken this long. Knowing how word traveled around camp, my “accident” had no doubt made its rounds several dozen times by now and had warped into something completely outrageous.
Gerik appeared from behind the grouping of trees that grew near the creek. “Did she do it?” he asked, looking emotionally battered.
I sighed. What the hell was Xan doing? “Where’s Xan?” I asked him, ignoring his question.
“Is there any way you could have misunderstood what happened?”
“How do you misunderstand someone pushing you through the wards, waving goodbye as she declared her undying devotion for the man she loves?” I demanded.
He continued on as if I hadn’t said a thing. “Do you realize what Xan is doing right now?” He raised his voice several octaves. “He called ‘Kris’ against Onyx, forcing Jericho to hold court, and is right NOW presenting a case against her in your stead because you are not clan.”
Oh my gods. I would have wept at the sweetness of it all if, at this very moment, I weren’t faced with an angry Viking. “And you know all of this how?” I asked. “Did they seriously allow you as part of the court?” I scoffed. “How biased can you really be when it comes to her?”
Still ignoring me, he asked, “How is it that Xan just happened to realize you were missing only minutes afterwards?”
“Why does it matter? He saved my life!”
Gerik snorted. “From what? A rabid squirrel?”
“No, Gerik, from a rabid human. There are Skin Eaters outside camp. Remember?”
“Skin Eaters? Not only are you smoking but you’re talking like him too? You do realize what an idiot he sounds like, yeah?”
Without thinking, I slapped him across the face as hard as I could, cursing as sharp needles of pain prickled across my hand.
Eyes blazing white, Gerik reached out and snatched my fingers, crushing them until they were grinding painfully against each other. “Let go of me!” I screamed, trying to shake free of his hold.
He went statue still, his expression one of equal shock and horror.
“Gerik!” I yelled, “Let me go!” I continued to beat against his chest with my free hand, trying to get him to release me.
In a blindingly fast move, he gripped my face and captured my lips with his own. He was relentless and unforgiving, leaving me no choice but to open to him or be unable to breathe. Knowing a losing battle, I stopped struggling.
My daddy always said that sometimes I’m a little late to dinner but I usually arrive before the food gets cold. He said it was typical of left-brainers.
Xan and I had not only made it possible for us to be intimate with each other but our joining appeared to have stripped the bond between Gerik and me. Normally, I would have rejoiced at this revelation but I doubted very much Gerik was in the mood for rejoicing unless it was going to be taking place in a pool of my blood.
“What have you done?” he roared, grabbing my neck.
“Nothing,” I squeaked. His hand tightened on my throat.
“Shit, Trinity.” His chest heaved angrily. “Fucking shit. I knew I smelled Drina’s herbs on you…” His nostrils flared. “I can still scent you, but it’s faint now and you…you smell like cigarettes and sweat and…” Gerik’s hand clenched, causing me to cough.
For the first time ever I, too, could smell Gerik. The thick, sweet scents were still there but no longer muddling my senses. A few days’ worth of sweat and lingering smoke from the bonfires clung to his clothing. The proximity of him even allowed me to taste the salt of his skin.
This was just me and Gerik. Nothing magical here. And apparently neither of us liked the other very much. Soul mates who didn’t like each other. How ironic.
“What I don’t understand…” he seethed,“is how you managed it?”
The ground beneath us star
ted to shake when I wouldn’t answer him.
“How?” he roared.
I shook my head. I was not going to tell him a damn thing; it was none of Gerik’s business what or who I did.
“Tell me!” he yelled again.
“Let go of me!” I screamed back. He did. “Does it really matter?” I asked him, backing away. “It’s done. It’s over.”
The incredulous look he gave me was full of murderous rage. “Does it matter?” he repeated. “You fuck Xan and have the nerve to ask me if it matters!” He started laughing, a horrible, maniacal sound. “Do you know what you’ve done to me?”
I had an idea. But I could honestly say I didn’t care, especially after how he’d just treated me. If Gerik wanted a storage facility for his excess power, he could find another, or explode, whatever, it wasn’t my problem.
“Do you know what you have done?” he roared.
I nearly jumped out of my skin as a blast of lightening struck a nearby tree, causing it to split down the middle. The charred braches and leaves lit up in flames.
I held my hands up in front of me. “Gerik, please, stop. You’re going to hurt someone.”
“I’m going to hurt someone? Oh that’s precious, Trinity. It’s great to know that you actually care about others, when you have destroyed me! Do you have any Greek mythology for this? Any words of wisdom to share about a stupid, selfish bitch that has damned someone to a life of madness?”
I did actually, but I didn’t think Gerik would appreciate me telling him about it.
The sky began to darken, storm clouds were rapidly rolling in and heavy raindrops started to fall. Gerik’s hands were fisted, his eyes blazing white. There was no doubt that it was Gerik causing the storm. Every shudder that tore through his large body was followed by a booming blast of thunder.
“I could take you anyway, yeah? Maybe it will still work. Maybe you haven’t ruined every—”
The sound of a gun’s slide being cocked behind me cut off Gerik’s rant. “You’ll have to kill me first,” Xan told him, raising his semi-automatic at Gerik’s head.
“I should have killed you the first time you looked at her like she was something other than mine!”
The ground beneath us shook harder and all three of us faltered. The nervous clucking coming from the chicken coop grew louder.
“She’s a person, frate,” Xan said, his voice deceptively quiet. “Not a pair of shoes.”
Gerik let loose a roar filled with anger. “I am not your brother!” With a wave of his hand a blast of wind wrapped around Xan. His dreads flailed wildly as he fought for his footing.
His gun hand, however, didn’t waver.
“You were once,” he told Gerik. “Remember? And you were right,” he continued. “What you said that night…” Xan looked at me and his dark gaze softened. “I do love her.”
My heart stuttered. Reality had never felt more right than it did right now. Despite what nature did or demanded, it was Xan who had my heart and soul. Or half of it, anyway.
Xan looked back at Gerik, his grip tightening as he held the gun higher. “So you see, you will have to kill me because the only way I’m letting her go is if my heart no longer beats.”
Silence.
Then Gerik surprised me. He walked away. He walked right through the wards and disappeared inside the shadows of the forest, his storm following him.
******
Once home, I found out that Xan had presented my case in front of the “Kris-Romani”, which was essentially the traditional court of the Romani people. Usually the court would be made up of several clans’ Barós. The Barós would appoint a neutral member of one clan to preside over the court, who conclusively would pass judgment on the person in question. In light of the circumstance, that wasn’t an option, so Jericho had appointed Stefan, the most neutral man in camp. I had to agree, Stefan was very kind.
It had been ultimately decided that Onyx should be banished as was the typical punishment for attempted murder on a clan member. However, true banishment would be a death sentence in today’s world so she was ostracized instead. As far as the clan was concerned, even though Onyx would continue to live in camp, the clan would treat her as if she’d gone.
I had to admit, even as much as I hated her, it seemed rather brutal. But something else was nagging at me. I sat up in bed and tugged on one of Xan’s dreads.
“Attempted murder on a clan member?” I asked, confused.
I could honestly say I’d never seen Xan look sheepish before. Shifting in bed, he began clearing his throat. I raised my eyebrows. “I…uh…well…”
“Xan! You what?”
“We’re married,” he said quickly.
I blinked. “No we’re not.”
“Trin.” Xan looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat again. “That night…when I found you in the woods and then… Fată, you honored me when you gave yourself to me.”
Embarrassed, I threw a pillow at him. “Careful, Xan, someone might start to think you’re a nice guy.”
He shook his head. “No. That’s just it. I am a bastard. Always have been. But I feel different with you, better. And I meant what I said to Gerik. I love you. God, I love you.” That intensity I’d glimpsed in his eyes earlier had returned. “What you went through, all that crazy shit, just to give yourself to me.” He shook his head again, his face full of wonder. “It’s probably the most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but fuck if I was going to let you go after that.”
Oh gods. I sucked in a breath. “Drina’s!” I shouted, scooting away from him. “You wouldn’t let me leave! You even tied me up!”
“That’s the thing, Trin. I couldn’t let you leave. Not without giving us a chance.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. There was real pain in his eyes. “Fată, I never wanted to trick you, but knowing that you might have walked out of my mamă’s after what happened between us and still ended up with Gerik…” He cursed. “I would have rather died before I watched him take you from me. I needed something to make you mine that was just as strong as the bond he has with you. Marriage is sacred in the eyes of my people. It’s everything.”
I wanted to be mad, I really, really did. After the lies and manipulations I’d been through with Gerik, what Xan had done should have felt like a betrayal. I’d trusted him, gave him all of me and he’d tricked me. Tricked me into marriage!
And yet… it didn’t hurt. I knew how Xan felt about me. I'd heard him tell Gerik he loved me despite the obvious danger he’d been in. And I knew with a certainty I’d never felt before that I shared his feelings.
“Why would Jericho believe you?” I asked, skeptical. “Who’s to say you weren’t lying about marrying me?” Xan opened his mouth to speak. “Drina!” I yelled before he could get a word out. Why Drina had never returned to her trailer now made sense. I kicked him playfully in the leg. “Your damn mamă was in on it!”
He grinned. I shook my head.
“I’m going to kill you,” I told him, very seriously.
Bracing myself on his knees, I lifted up his shirt.
“This is really going to hurt,” I promised as I kissed my way up his stomach, delighting in how his muscles tightened as I went.
“That’s cool, fată.” he said thickly. “It’ll be a good way to go.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Ack!” I nearly choked on a mouthful of stew when Xan pulled me into his lap and buried his face in my neck, quickly making his way toward my mouth.
“How am I supposed to eat with you all over…mmph!”
“I can’t eat either; you’re both making me physically ill,” Shandor complained.
“How the mighty have fallen.” Gunnar grinned at Xan, who flipped both of them off around my shoulders.
I tried to eat another spoonful of stew and ended up with a mouthful of Xan.
“Seriously, Trinity, take your man and get a room,” Becki said, laughing as she sat down next to me.
I tried to give her a hug but Xan was
loath to fully release me. I ended up having to half hold onto him while giving Becki a one-armed hug.
Aside from wearing one of Hockey’s destroyed Blackhawk jerseys, she looked good. Her skin had a healthy flush and her eyes were sparkling. She was smiling too, something Becki hadn’t done willingly in a long time. Was it too much to hope that I had my friend back?
“Are you moving back home?” I asked.
Becki laughed. “Forget something, hun?”
I bit my lip and tried hard not to laugh at my scowling husband. Husband? So not used to that. The last thing I thought I’d be at twenty-two was married. Graduating from college, yes. But married, no.
“No,” she said, now laughing at the expression on my face. “I’m moving in with Hockey and Stevo.”
She didn’t mention Gerik, their former third roommate. No one had seen him since he’d walked through the wards. He’d never come back to camp.
“It only seems right,” Hockey said, sitting down next to her. “That we let Stevo stay since he played such a critical part in our marriage.”
Becki leaned into him as he planted a big, wet kiss on her cheek.
“Besides,” Becki continued. “How can I subject him to having to move back home?” She lowered her voice significantly. “To Aishe…” She made a face and the entire table laughed.
“He could move in with us,” Shandor said, referring to Pitti and himself. “Xan has officially left the building and joined the ranks of boring.”
Xan, unbothered by Shandor's jokes, busied himself nipping at my shoulder.
“Nope!” Pesha slammed his fist down. “I went through two hours of my mamă crying and hugging me just so I could leave. I’m not giving that up!”
Pitti groaned. “I just barely got away from you, now I have to live with you again?”
A piece of bread went flying over the table. Bouts of cursing followed in several different languages.
I leaned back against Xan’s broad chest and tugged his arms forward, wrapping them around me.
“Mmmm,” he said and squeezed.
The Holy Trinity Trilogy Page 14