by K Loraine
Sebastian backed away from Briar, his hands gripping hers like she was his lifeline. “I don’t think that’s a very good choice. This one looks like he wants to make mincemeat out of me.” He gestured toward me with his chin. He wasn’t wrong. I’d gladly string him up by his toes and pull out each of his fingernails one by one for the way he looked at my mate. But then he turned his gaze on her. “Come with me, Briar. We can find a place you’ll be safe.”
I finally stepped in then. I couldn’t have this ponce convincing my mate she needed to leave me. “She’s safe here. With me.”
Sebastian laughed. “You? Are having me on? You’re the bastard prince, right? The one who broke her, turned her, and abandoned her. There is no universe where you can keep Briar safe. You’re her nightmare. I should know. I held her when she woke.”
I flashed my gaze to her, praying she didn’t still feel that way. “Briar, Don’t go with him.”
She frowned. “No…I wasn’t…Seb, this isn’t what you think. Everything’s changed. Come inside, and we can talk about it.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Briar? They are the enemy. They’ve probably already called the council here to kill you. You are an abomination of Lucas’ own making. You can’t trust them.”
“Things are much changed since my father was in power,” I offered. “Briar is my mate. There’s nothing that would keep me from her. Not you. Not the council. Not. Anyone.” I took a step forward with each of my final words, putting myself right next to Briar.
She glanced at me, relief flooding her features, then took my arm. “Seb, it’s true. Lucas and I…we have a special bond. He isn’t who I thought he was. He loves me. And I…I love him too.”
Horror flashed across Seb’s face, followed by anger, but quickly camouflaged by indifference. I didn’t miss any of it. Not a single bit. I tried to break through his mental walls and failed. The man was like a bank vault. It infuriated me.
He cleared his throat and put a little more space between them. “I didn’t realize how much he meant to you. You never spoke of him with the exception of your hatred of the Blackthornes for what they did to you.”
“I know. Our history is long and complex. But I promise, Lucas and Cashel, they both only want what’s best for me. I’m learning to control my wolf without needing chains. I can breathe again. My heart is beating again. God, Seb, do you know how hard it was not to feel my heart?” Tears shone in her eyes, and all I wanted to do was brush them away and hold her in my arms and make sure she knew she was cherished.
“Fine. If that’s truly how you feel, I can…give them a chance.” Seb locked eyes with me. “As long as you all understand I’m not on the menu.”
My skin itched with unease at the thought of this man sharing a roof with Briar and me. He wasn’t a vampire. He could walk in the daylight. What damage could he inflict upon us while we slept?
“Perhaps the carriage house would be more suitable than the manor?” I asked. “It’s more private and independent of our…needs.”
Cashel nodded, his eyes sparking with understanding. “Yes. Sebastian, allow me to show you to the carriage house. Our butler is more equipped to serve vampires than those with human needs. You’ll find the house more to your liking.”
I wrapped my arm around Briar as the two of them walked away, Knight flanking them, ready to defend my brother. “There. All better?” I asked.
She frowned, then sighed. “Yes and no. I didn’t think he’d be so combative about this.”
A sharp laugh escaped me before I pulled her closer. “Darling, he wants to keep you away from me at all costs. That much is clear. I doubt he wants to see you with any other man.”
“No. He knows there’s nothing between him and me.”
“Then why did you think he was yours?” I couldn’t stop the question from leaving my lips. It was burning inside me.
“What?”
“Your thoughts. As I was in your mind trying to calm you, you thought, he’s mine. I heard it, plain as day, and just as painful.”
Turning toward me, she offered me frantic eyes. “No. You don’t understand. He’s mine, but not in that way. He saved me. He took me in and made me part of his family. He’s mine just like any of the pack we created is mine.”
“So, you don’t have feelings for him? You don’t love him?”
“Not like I love you.”
That wasn’t exactly a no, but relief sagged my shoulders, and the fist crushing my heart relented, if only a little. “Good. Because I can’t share you. I’m open-minded, but not that much.”
She rose onto her tiptoes and brushed her soft, sweet lips to mine. “No one but you, Lucas. Not in a hundred years, not in a hundred more. It’s always you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her up until our faces were level. Then I kissed her under the stars, hard and demanding. I couldn’t let her go again. This creature was created to be mine alone, but there was a Sebastian-sized roadblock standing in my way. I knew exactly what I’d have to do to prove to him she was not available.
“Marry me, Briar. Be mine as you should’ve been for so long already.”
“That didn’t sound like a question.”
“Too bloody right.”
“Then how can I answer?”
“By showing up and making me a promise.”
She smiled. “When?”
“As soon as we can. I don’t want to waste another minute of my life without you.”
“What about my mother? My pack?”
That put a damper on my mood. “I’ve already sent word that you’re safely here. Your mother wouldn’t dare attack us with her precious daughter as our cargo.”
I saw it the moment I lost her. Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.
She backed away, shrugging out of my hold. “We should wait until I’m able to prove my power. Not rush into anything. Once my pack acknowledges me as the rightful alpha, I’ll be able to ease them into the idea of accepting the Blackthornes as allies instead of enemies.”
That morning I slept without her for the first time in a week. It was the worst sleep I’d ever had. Briar should have been in my arms. There was nothing that could convince me otherwise. I woke with her name on my lips, memories of her taste on my tongue, and a distinct weight of dread on my chest. I couldn’t lose her again. I knew that. But she was a wild tempest, unable to be tamed. Something I’d simply have to survive. I was willing, but I had to figure out how to make her stay.
14
BRIAR
Marry him.
Lucas Blackthorne asked…no, not asked, told me to marry him. I hadn’t let myself fantasize about what that might be like for us. Nothing we’ve ever had together was allowed. Why would I think we’d be able to be happy? I’d ruin myself all over again if I hoped for a future. And then there was Seb. His appearance here brought back a plethora of feelings I didn’t know how to process. What would happen to Seb if I never came back to our family? We’d been each other’s salvation for so long, I didn’t know what to do without him.
I stood on the balcony, not caring if anyone saw me, and stared at the sky as it changed from midnight blue to a soft gray.
“I don’t understand why you’re not sick.” Callie’s voice made me flinch, her ghostly movements terrifyingly silent.
“God, Callie, don’t do that.”
“Do what?” she smirked.
“You know exactly what.”
Sighing, she sat on the fainting couch and stared into the fire I’d started. “You should have been infected, by all rights.”
“What do you mean?”
“The samples you shattered in my lab. I inspected them. They were all Callum’s. There’s no way you weren’t exposed.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. You tested me.”
She drummed her fingers on her thigh and frowned. “I did. Perhaps it was a reaction to the silver? Or the transfusion at the onset of exposure?”
The sun climbed over the horizo
n, beams of light filtering into the room from the open doors.
“Briar. The sun.” Panic filled her voice.
“Oh, it’s fine. I can walk in the sunlight. It hurts my eyes a little, but other than that, nothing.”
Eyes wide, she gaped at me. “You neglected to tell me that. Does my brother know?”
“Yes. He saw. We haven’t spoken about it since then.”
Was that why he brought me back home? Why he hadn’t given me up to my mother? Suspicion swirled in my mind, and I hated how turned around all of this had me. Seb showing up here was like a splash of cold water on my face, waking me up from a dream I hadn’t wanted to leave.
Callie materialized in front of me, less than an inch away. A chill bled from her form into my space. I was tempted to reach out and see if I could touch her. “Well, my darling girl, I think we need to test your blood.” She turned away, pacing and muttering to herself excitedly. “There might be a solid case for hybrids after all. I was just looking at the wrong kind.”
I had no idea what she was going on about, but if she thought I could help with the terrible disease they’d been fighting for centuries, I would. Even if Lucas was just trying to tie me to him so they could study me. I’d rather be willing than be coerced. If Lucas was only trying to use me, I’d take away his power. Before I could respond, she evaporated into a soft mist, then completely vanished. It was unsettling, to say the least.
I tuned in to Lucas, to his heartbeat as the day broke and he settled in for the remaining hours of light. Was his proposal simply an effort to sweep me off my feet and get my blood while still getting me in his bed? My heart ached at that thought. My beating heart. Beating because of him. It couldn’t all be a ploy.
I feel you.
His voice was a whisper across my mind. Even still, my body fought a wave of longing for him.
You’re supposed to be asleep.
A chuckle sent a warm wave of comfort through me. I would sleep better if you were here with me. Stop this, Briar. Come be with me.
I walked out onto the balcony and grabbed the stone rail before closing my eyes and letting the sun shine down on me. Did he feel how torn I was? Could he tell I didn’t totally trust him?
I can’t.
I could feel his displeasure. It radiated through his thoughts, heavy and dark.
You won’t. There’s a difference.
God, how I wanted to simply be his. I’d lie in his arms, and we’d forget the world together.
We could do that right now. Just because I can’t be in the sunlight doesn’t mean we can’t have fun in the dark. If you’re up for it.
I had to be more careful. He clearly connected to my mind.
Come here to me. I’ll make you remember why you wanted me in the first place.
His voice called me to him like a moth to a flame. I couldn’t give in yet.
A grin twisted my lips. It would be so easy to go to his bed. But I had things I needed to do. Checking on Seb was one of those. And it was better to do that while the rest of the occupants of Blackthorne Manor slept.
Tonight, you can have me however you want me.
Another chuckle from Lucas, but this one held the promise of wicked things done in the quiet of his chambers. I’ll want you in every way. You need to feed. So do I.
Tingles prickled at my nape. We hadn’t shared ourselves fully yet. Both of us taking and giving. It seemed so much more intimate. Permanent. Something you only did with a mate.
Tonight, Briar. Promise me.
I swallowed through a suddenly dry throat. Tonight.
Arms laden with a tray filled with a teapot, a cup, and breakfast for Seb, I traipsed across the grounds toward the carriage house. My senses were on high alert, ready to intercept any possible ambush from my former pack, but nothing appeared suspicious. I didn’t know if Lucas was exaggerating the danger, or if they were just biding their time. Waiting to see what I’d do.
Seb opened the door before I could knock with my booted foot. He was sleep rumpled, with his dark blond hair sticking up every which way.
“Morning. I brought you some tea.” I pushed my way inside and surveyed the space before setting the tray on the small kitchen table. “Wow, when they said carriage house, I expected something much less…”
“Finished?” he asked.
“Yes. This makes our most recent base look like a hovel.”
“These Blackthornes don’t know anything other than what it’s like to live in comfort, Briar. They’ve never struggled a night in their lives.”
“They’re not that bad, you know. I wish you’d give them a chance.”
Seb frowned, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Has he got you that well wrapped around his fingers then?” There was such hurt in his eyes. Hurt I’d put there.
“No. It’s the truth. You don’t know the whole story. Not really. Neither did I.”
His irises blazed green, and a tendril of fear worked its way through my chest. “Are you sure it’s not fiction? There’s a difference, you know. The Blackthornes are very good at twisting the truth.”
“Seb, you have to trust me.”
Crossing the room in three strides, he stopped directly in front of me. His dominance rolled off him in waves, making my heart race. “I do trust you. But I don’t trust him. Have you completely forgotten the shell of a person you were when I found you? That wasn’t solely Nik’s fault. It was Lucas who broke you. Lucas who abandoned you. I am the one who has been there for you. Have you forgotten me?”
Reaching out, I placed my palm on his forearm. “I couldn’t forget you if I tried, Seb.”
“I think you’re lying to yourself. How many times did you think of us, of our family, before you jumped into bed with that bastard?”
Guilt swam in my gut, churning and roiling.
“Do you know what happened to them after he took you?”
My stomach lurched as I waited for him to drop the bomb I could see in his eyes. “What?”
“Rami called. Petra is dead. Jess and Desi are missing.”
No. No. Why wouldn’t he tell me this sooner? “When did this happen? When did you find out?”
“Rami woke me with the news a few hours ago. He found Petra with her throat ripped out and a silver stake in her chest.”
My head spun, forcing me to sit on the nearest chair. This was my fault. If I’d been there for them, been doing my job and keeping us safe, they’d be fine.
“We have to find them. Rami…is he okay?”
“He’s crushed. His mate was killed.” He ran a hand through his hair, then crouched in front of me, eyes searching mine. “I think you know exactly where to look for Desi and Jess. The Blackthornes took me hostage, who’s to say they don’t have our family locked away in some dungeon?”
Shaking my head, I stood, walking away from him. “No. They have no reason to take Desi or Jess. The only interest Lucas has in me is as his mate. And…”
He arched a brow as he rose and followed me. “Go on.”
“My father is dead. My mother is marrying his exiled brother. She wants me with the pack. Lucas says I’m the true alpha, and my mother threatened to kill his family if he couldn’t ensure my safe return.”
He laughed so loud the sound bounced off the vaulted ceilings. “That is preposterous. Don’t you see? He’s manipulating you again. There’s no way you can be alpha. No pack would have an abomination lead them.”
I bristled at that, but he was right. I couldn’t control my wolf. Couldn’t stop my hunger. All I was good for was killing bad men for money.
“Help me. I can try and control my wolf.”
Brows lifted, he pressed his lips into a thin line before sighing. “You know what happens. The last time you lost it, I had to chain you in the basement until I could work up a strong enough spell to pull you back.”
I rubbed at my wrists on instinct, remembering the pain of the silver. The flashbacks of what Nik had done plagued me for weeks after. Nothing brough
t back nightmares like waking up naked in a dark basement while shackled to a wall, especially after spending nearly a century the same way.
“Have the Blackthornes figured out you can walk in the sunlight? Because if he hasn’t delivered you to your mother yet, I’d start looking into the why of it. It’s not because you’re his bloody mate. It’s because he knows he can get something from you.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words fell flat even as I said them. He was echoing my own doubts.
I’d been reunited with Lucas for less than a month. He’d stolen my heart in that short length last time too, and look what had happened. Doubt crept in and gripped my chest. I really had no clue who he was, except for the connection between our hearts. Could my mate truly be bad for me? Would he betray me? The fact was, I didn’t know anything about being a vampire.
“I’ll be here when you need me. Don’t forget that.” He took my hand and squeezed. “We’ve been there for each other through too much to abandon everything because of him.”
Guilt punched me in the gut. We had. I’d been weak, broken, and battered when he’d found me and released me. Seb didn’t judge me for killing Nik and feeding on him like a feral beast. He hadn’t left me for dead. He’d taken me in and helped me channel my anger, my trauma, into something that could help people. He saved me from being trapped as a wolf, killing without discretion, becoming a true monster. I owed him more than what I gave him.
“I’m not abandoning you. Things have just…changed. I know more now. Things that are irrefutable. The story is more complex than I ever considered.”
“Have you spoken to your mother yet?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what to say to her. My father died, and she’s already hopping into bed with his brother. I know theirs wasn’t a love match, but still… Was she just waiting for him to die so she could find another?”