If he had lost her—a roar of denial barreled down his tongue, but he clamped his teeth before the barest sound escaped. Startle her? No.
Fluffy jumped onto the bed and settled in on Viola’s other side.
Even in sleep, she sensed the pet’s nearness and mumbled nonsense while reaching for him. The way I want her to reach for me.
Brochan hadn’t slept since her disappearance, but he remained too keyed up to drift off.
He clung to his mate as if she were a lifeline. Perhaps she was. For the first time in his existence, satisfaction danced within his reach. He had his goddess in his arms…but she might demand to leave him when she awoke. Forsaken hunted her for a key she didn’t have, and the warriors would never believe the truth.
He must deal with the Forsaken as soon as possible, one way or another. He must win Viola, as well. Could he? Soon, she would give him the test.
He squeezed his eyes shut. Still his mind whirred. And what of Fluffy? The animal would require continued nourishment. He wished he could give the pet his immortality, charging him for the rest of eternity. Although…
An idea struck. What if there was a way? If it failed, Fluffy could die. But if it succeeded…
The beloved “fur-baby” might live forever, no other batteries necessary.
Whatever Brochan did, he couldn’t—wouldn’t—cut his brother from his life, and that was what Viola would ask of him. He knew it. She expected total adoration, nothing less.
So how could Brochan win her, keep his brother, and save Fluffy?
Chapter Thirteen
Warm and relaxed, Viola stretched. Lights in her mind gradually brightened, and she cracked open her eyelids. Hey! This wasn’t the land of the lost. Instead, the master bedroom she’d never thought to see again walled her in. She lay in a soft bed, surrounded by softer wings. Familiar wings. But…surely, he wasn’t…
She gulped. Maybe he had. Even breaths caught her attention.
Heart drumming, she craned her neck. Oh, yes. Brochan curled up behind her, one of his legs wedged between her knees. Her eyes widened. Had he ever looked so beautiful? The morning brightness highlighted everything she admired about him: long lashes, freckles, and those mouthwatering horns. They curled back, resting against messy dark hair. He had pointed ears! A delightful trait she hadn’t noticed before.
How had—? Memories of his rescue flooded in, and she gasped. Oh, my. How positively savage he’d been.
Movement drew her attention to Fluffy, who lay before her with his tummy exposed and all four legs extended in the air. Smiling, she kissed his precious face and maneuvered onto her other side, facing Brochan, only then realizing her hand had regrown.
Another smile broke free as she combed her fingers through her companion’s silken hair and toyed with the tip of his ear. He murmured something and leaned into her touch.
I’m winning him, body and soul. He believed he was falling in love with her.
Had he forgiven her for her crimes? Maybe? Possibly? If he could pardon her, when he had more reason than most to hate her, shouldn’t she pardon herself? She wasn’t the girl she used to be. She had confidence now—genuine confidence. The demon had played its best cards, but she’d come out on top.
I will find a way, it growled, its whisper thready.
She rolled her eyes, unimpressed, only to gasp as surprise popped like a balloon inside her head, raining confetti. The fiend was losing its grip on her, weakening while she remained strong.
What a heady realization! She’d have to be careful, though. From experience, she knew how easy it was to slip into old habits and patterns. Which meant she needed to be honest with herself every second of every day. Even the sweetest lie led to bitter regret. So. She would remain aware, always. Test her own motives and intentions. She wouldn’t lash out at others in order to feel more powerful. She wouldn’t exchange real confidence for the demon’s fabricated overconfidence.
Brochan mumbled her name, and Viola soaked in a haze of warm, wondrous contentment. He might not be the only one falling in love. In the core of her being, she knew they had a chance at happiness here. But…
Would he pass her test?
Tension settled into her bones. Sweat glazed her palms. He was loyal to a fault, yes, but was he loyal enough? She refused to offer her heart to anyone with skewed loyalties. Good intensions were nice and all, but they meant nothing when compared to genuine dependability.
Stomach hollowing, Viola untangled from her companion. She rose, careful not to wake the beasts, both the big and the small. In the bathroom, she brushed her teeth and activated the shower, seeking the comfort of the water. Her most troubling musings followed her. She didn’t want to lose Brochan. There was no warrior fiercer, more brilliant, or more beautiful, and she deserved the best. He had to pass her test. He just…had to.
A snarl sounded behind her, startling her. She whipped her head around and gasped. “Brochan.”
He loomed in the entrance to the stall, his hands braced on opposite sides of the wall, his naked body leaning in. Any trace of his humanity was gone. His horns stood straight up. Flames had melted his irises. Like mercury. Aggression rippled through his wings. The muscles in his abdomen looked as if he smuggled rocks under his blue skin. He pitched his breaths.
He was hard. “I woke up and you were gone. I thought you’d left me again.”
A pang rent her chest, and her stomach fluttered. This ferocious male would absolutely pass her test.
Softening, she told him, “I won’t leave you without speaking to you first.”
“You won’t leave me at all,” he said, his voice like gravel. Wow! The thought of not having her in his life, even for a moment, had wrecked him.
She dipped her gaze over his body. “Is that what you came to tell me?”
“I heard the water and remembered everything I regretted not doing before.” He stepped into the stall. A single step.
“Whoa. Hold up.” She held out her hands to ward him off. “Before we go any further, we should talk.” The test… Best to get it over with.
Concern exploded from him. “Do you still feel sick? Unwell or weak in any way?”
“No. I’m good to go.”
“Do you worry Fluffy might see something he shouldn’t? Because he left the bedroom at my urging.”
“No,” she repeated with a shake of her head.
He didn’t relax, tension crackling in the air. “Then I don’t want to talk. I want to take what’s mine.”
Okay. All right. That might be the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. Her resistance crumbled. The test could wait. “I’m yours, then?”
“You are. Know this, kitten. You have my pledge of eternal devotion. You are my mate. My wife.”
His wife? Heavy eyelids sank low as she purred, “Come here, beast.”
He needed no further encouragement, stalking toward her. “One day, you’ll call me husband.”
She…might.
He clasped her waist and half-walked half-carried her to the far side of the stall, where he pressed her against the cool tile and kissed her. As his lips crashed into hers, she wound her arms around him and hooked a leg over his backside.
He kissed her hard, and he kissed her well, devouring her. His exquisite taste tantalized her. Though his skin appeared ice-cold, it burned white-hot, searing her to the bone. He kneaded and plumped her breasts as he nibbled the length of her throat.