certain was where he lived.
As her chest pained her and she became breathless, she tarried a moment longer and then scattered north and east, toward the Brotherhood’s compound. There was no enthusiasm to the trip, just an abiding obligation to inform her twin that she was in fact alive and unharmed.
When she took form on the stone steps of the vast mansion, she approached the double doors with a strange dread. She was grateful to be back to a home of sorts, but the absence of her male hollowed out any of the joy she should have felt at the reconnections that were to come.
After she rang the bell, the door into the vestibule immediately unlatched and she was able to step out of the night—
The second, inner door was opened even quicker by the smiling butler.
“Madam!” he cried out.
As she entered a foyer that had charmed her from the moment she’d first seen it days ago, she had a brief impression of her shocked twin leaping into the archway of the billiards room.
Brief was all she got of him, however.
Some great force knocked Vishous out of the way so hard he went flying, the glass in his hand popping out of his hold, whatever drink was in it spraying into the air.
Manuel ripped into the foyer, his body surging forth, the expression on his face one of disbelief and terror and relief all at once.
Except it made no sense that he was running toward her, no sense that he was here in the—
He had her in his arms before she could finish the thought, and oh, fate, he smelled the same, that dark spice that was unique to him and him alone flooding her senses. And his shoulders were just as wide as she remembered. And his waist just as lean. And his embrace just as wonderful about her.
His strong body shook as he held her tightly for a moment and then he backed off as if he were afraid he was injuring her.
His eyes were frantic. “Are you all right? What can I do for you? Do you need a doctor? Are you hurt—I’m asking too many questions—I’m sorry. God . . . what happened? Where did you go? Shit, I have to stop . . .”
As romantic reunions went, perhaps those were not the flowery words some females would want to hear, but to her, they meant everything in the world.
“Why ever are you here?” she whispered, putting her hands to his face.
“Because I love you.”
In so many ways, that explained nothing . . . and told her everything she needed to know.
Abruptly, she jerked her hands back. “But what about what I’ve done to your body—”
“I don’t care. We’ll work with it—figure it out—but I was wrong about you and me. I was a pussy—a coward, and I was wrong and I’m so fuck—damned sorry. Shit.” He shook his head. “I have to stop cursing. Oh, God, your robe . . .”
She glanced down and saw the black blood of the slayers she’d killed, as well as the red stain that was of her own.
“I am whole and I am well,” she said clearly. “And I love you—”
Cutting her off, he kissed her on the mouth solemnly. “Say that again. Please.”
“I love you.”
As he groaned and wrapped his arms back around her, Payne felt within her heart a great welling of warmth and gratitude, and she let the emotion carry her against him. And whilst they embraced, she looked over the shoulder of her male. Her brother was standing with his own
Meeting the eyes of her twin, she read all of the questions and fears in his stare.
“I am uninjured,” she told both her male and her twin.
“What happened?” Manuel asked against her hair. “I found your phone smashed up.”
“You were looking for me?”
“Of course I was.” He inched back. “Your brother called me at dawn.”
All at once she was surrounded by people, as if some gong had gone off and called into the foyer all the males and females of the house. No doubt the commotion of her arrival had summoned them, and they had stayed in the periphery out of respect.
It was clear there were more than just two minds to put at rest.
And that made her feel as if she were a part of this family.
“I was down at the river,” she said loudly enough so that all could hear, “when I caught the scent of the enemy. Drawn to them, I traversed the alleyways and set upon two
At this, she hesitated. Except the king nodded. And so did a powerful female with short hair—as if she, too, fought in the war and knew both the drive and the satisfaction. The Brothers, however, clearly felt uncomfortable.
She continued. “Upon me there arrived a group of males—strong backed, well-weaponed, indeed, a squadron of soldiers. The leader was very tall, with dark eyes and dark hair and a”—she put her hand to her mouth—“defect of his upper lip.”
Now the cursing started—and as it did, she wished she’d been able to use the seeing bowls on the Other Side more before she’d left. Clearly, the male she described was not unknown to them, and not welcomed in her narrative.
“He apprehended me—” There were not one, but two growls at that—from her twin and from Manuel. And as she soothed the male who stood so close to her, she looked at her brother. “He was under the misunderstanding that I had wrought a calamity upon his bloodline. He believed he was the Bloodletter’s son—and he’d been a witness to the night I brought death upon our sire. Verily, he had searched for me with vengeance for centuries.”
At this point, she stopped herself, realizing she had just admitted to patricide. No one seemed fazed, however—which spoke volumes about not only the kind of males and females these were, but also the bastard who had been her father.
“I disabused the soldier of the mis-notion he was operating under.” She left out the fact that he had struck her, and was glad the bruising on her face had faded. Somehow, she did not believe anyone needed to know about that. “And he believed me. He did not hurt me—in fact, he protected me against his males, giving me his bed —”
Manuel bared his teeth as if he had fangs . . . and did not that just turn her on.
“Alone, I slept alone. He kept all of his subordinates upstairs with him.” More soothing of Manuel—at least until she realized he was fully aroused, as a male driven to mark his female would be. And how erotic was that. “Ah . . . he blindfolded me and had me driven out to a scenic ledge with a view of the city. And then he let me go. That was all.”
Wrath spoke up. “He abducted you against your will.”
“He believed he had cause. He thought I had killed his father. And as soon as he was set correct on that, he was prepared to release me, but it was daylight, so I could go nowhere. I would have called but my phone was lost and it did not appear that they had any to hand as I did not see such. In fact, they were living in the old way, communally and modestly, in an underground room that was alit with candles.”
“Any idea where they stay?” her twin asked.
“I haven’t a clue. I was unconscious when they—” As a loud shout of alarm rose up from so many throats, she shook her head. “I was shot by a
“What the fuck—”
“You were what?!”
“A gun—”
“Shot with a—”
“—injured?!”
Hmm. Mayhap that was not of help.
As the Brothers all talked over each other, Manuel scooped her up and held her aloft, his face a mask of bald fury. “That’s it. We’re done here. I’m going to do an exam on you.” He looked over at her brother. “Where can I take her.”
