by S. E. Smith
Sven laughed as he lifted his wife in his arms. “Since when has that ever stopped us?”
Chapter 26
A hesitant knock on the door woke Sergei. He groaned and massaged his neck as he slowly woke. He looked around noticing he was lying on the couch in the library still. The fire burned low in the grate and there was a chill in the air. A throw blanket fell to his lap as he sat up. He breathed deeply through his nose as he tried to determine if the pounding he was hearing was from his head or the door.
He grimaced when the knock sounded again. He threw off the blanket and stiffly rose. Dimitri was snoring on the rug in front of the fire. He grumbled when the third knock sounded and rolled over, knocking several empty bottles of whiskey over as he turned.
Sergei staggered to the door. It took him several tries and a few curses before his hand found the doorknob. He jerked it open, hanging onto the edge of it as he cast a bleary-eyed glare at whoever had the nerve to interrupt them. His eyes narrowed when he saw Micha nervously standing on the other side of the door, clenching his battered cap between his snarled fingers.
“What is it?” Sergei asked harshly.
“It… it is the statue,” Micha whispered nervously.
Sergei frowned and shook his head, trying to clear it enough to understand what Micha was saying. He groaned as the room spun. Clutching his forehead with the hand that was bent against the door while he held on tightly to the doorknob with the other so he wouldn’t fall, he blinked blankly at Micha.
“What?” Sergei asked again.
“It’s the statue,” Micha said. “The garden angel’s statue. It is back.”
Sergei’s mind cleared and he straightened enough to let go of the door and grip the front of Micha’s jacket. He shook the old man and glared at him. Speaking over a mouth that felt like it was full of cotton, he had to start over twice before he could get the words out where they made sense.
“What did you say?” Sergei asked in disbelief.
“I said the statue is back,” Micha said with a small smile.
“Hold that thought,” Sergei said hoarsely as he let go of Micha’s jacket and stumbled over to where Dimitri was passed out on the rug. He gave Dimitri a light kick the ribs knowing he would never be able to bend over and shake him.
Dimitri sat up looking around wildly before he leaned forward and grabbed his head. “Сын-из сукин!” Son-of-a-bitch! He glared up at Sergei. “What?”
“The statue is back,” Sergei said. “Rune. Dimitri, the statue… Rune,” he repeated incoherently. “Come on!”
He bent and helped Dimitri up. It took several tries and both of them almost ended up face first on the floor before they could stand. He glanced at Micha who stood silently at the door looking at them with a small knowing smile.
“Lead the way,” Sergei choked out as he wrapped an arm around Dimitri when the other male’s legs started to give out. “Wake up damn it, Dimitri.”
“I’m awake but I feel like shit,” Dimitri muttered as he gritted his teeth against the pain in his head. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Micha says Rune’s statue is back,” Sergei said.
Dimitri’s eyes cleared a bit as he looked at the old man. “Rune?”
Micha shook his head. “Just the statue. It appeared just a few moments ago,” he said in a shaky voice.
Dimitri shook Sergei’s arm off as he rubbed his face. He nodded sharply to Sergei to let him know that he was awake. He wanted to see for himself that the statue had returned.
“What are we waiting for?” He snapped out sharply. “Go!”
*.*.*
Sergei, Dimitri and Micha walked swiftly down the still dark corridors. It took everything in both men not to burst into a run. Two things prevented that. The first was they were both still suffering from massive hangovers and would have fallen before they took more than a half dozen steps. The second was fear. Fear to hope. Fear to dream. Fear that she would have disappeared by the time they reached the atrium. It was the second that kept them walking slowly behind Micha.
The three entered the atrium and walked down the paths leading to the center platform. Just as Micha had said, the bronze statue of their garden angel stood watch over the gardens they had recreated just for her. Micha stepped to one side. He understood this would be difficult for both men. He muttered quietly that he would be in his office should they need him.
Neither man acknowledged Micha as he walked away. Their eyes were glued to the beautiful statue standing serenely in the center of the raised marble platform. They approached as one, stopping at the bottom so they could drink in Rune’s peaceful face. Sergei took a hesitant step up the steps. His fingers trembled violently as he reached out and touched her cheek. Instead of the warmth that he had felt the first time, his fingers touched cold metal.
“Oh, моя прекрасная любовь,” Oh, my beautiful love, he whispered, drinking in her features. “You have no idea how much I love you. How much I need you. Please, please come back to us. Please, Rune. Please come back to us, my love,” he whispered in a broken voice. “Please,” he choked out as tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks unnoticed.
Dimitri took a step closer. His throat was frozen as he stared hungrily at the face of the statue. She was gone. He could feel it. Before, he could feel the heat of her stare when she had been a statue before. Now, there was nothing but a beautiful empty replica of their angel.
“She’s gone,” Dimitri said in a strained voice. “She’s…”
A soft moan drew their attention to the metal bench off to the side of the platform. They watched in disbelief as a slender figure slowly sat up and stretched before a pair of dark brown eyes popped open. Familiar lips twisted into a rueful smile as the eyes moved back and forth between them before turning to the nightgown that she was wearing.
“Sometimes he has a really lousy sense of humor,” she said softly with a humorous smile curving her lips. “But, I really, really want to be here so I don’t mind,” she said standing up, shivering as her bare feet touched the cold ground. “And I really, really love him for sending me back.”
“Rune,” Sergei choked out.
“I love you too, Sergei,” she said, raising her arms to them. “I love you both! I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
Sergei took a step forward, then two before he jogged down the steps and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly against his body, his face buried in the curve of her shoulder as silent sobs shook his large frame. Rune looked over his shoulder at Dimitri who stood on the bottom step watching them.
“I love you, Dimitri,” Rune whispered tenderly. “I need you. We need you,” she added, holding out her hand to him.
Sergei turned, uncaring that his friend and surrogate brother saw the dampness on his face. The look of love, hope and warmth in Dimitri’s eyes made Sergei realize the pain his brother had hidden from him. He waited until Dimitri was close enough to touch Rune before he let her go.
“For how long?” Dimitri choked out, standing stiffly.
“For as long as you want me,” Rune replied, looking at both men. “Forever if you want.”
“I want forever,” Dimitri demanded hoarsely. “Sergei and I… we want forever.”
“Just remember it goes both ways,” she laughed out as she threw her arms around his neck. “You are both mine as well.”
“From the moment we touched you, Rune, you have held our hearts,” Sergei said pressing a kiss to her neck.
Rune leaned back against Sergei, content to be trapped between the two men. Especially since they were both warm and she was freezing. Her eyes moved upward to the stained glass ceiling of the atrium.
You have a lousy sense of humor, she thought ruefully. You could have at least given me my robe and slippers.
A soft chuckle was her only response.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Rune stood in front of the mirror getting ready for the h
uge Christmas party they were throwing. Their guests would be arriving shortly. So much had changed over the past year. She looked down at the huge diamond ring that glittered on her finger.
Sergei and Dimitri had insisted that they marry immediately. They’d had a small wedding with just close friends before having a larger one for the world. To the world, she was legally married to Sergei but to everyone who knew them, she was married to both men.
Rune’s eyes widened when Dimitri reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark sapphire and diamond necklace that matched the dark blue of her evening gown. With her hair swept up, it left her pale throat bare. She watched as he hooked the clasp.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, fingering the delicate necklace. “You know, I don’t need anything else.”
“We know that you do not want anything else but it gives us pleasure to be able to give you something,” Sergei said as he nodded to Dimitri. “You have given both of us something that we have always wanted but always thought would be nothing more than a wish.”
Rune’s eyes softened as she found herself pinned between the two men. Well, pinned as close as Sergei could get to her with her stomach rounded. She gave him a rueful smile as she laid her hand over it.
“Is he moving again?” Sergei asked in a husky voice.
Rune laughed. “He always moves when you two get close to me. I swear he thinks it is play time,” she chuckled.
A knock on the door drew their attention. Dimitri reached around her and rubbed the small foot that was pressing outward. He chuckled as their son rolled and Rune’s face turned to resignation.
“On the bladder?” He teased as he kissed her neck.
“You laugh now but don’t forget you two promised to get up during the night and bring him to me when he is born,” she said. “Privy!” She muttered before hurrying off to the bathroom.
Sergei opened the door and saw one of the servants standing in the doorway. He spoke quietly before he turned to look as Rune came back into the room straightening her gown. He held out his hand to her as she came forward.
“Are the guests arriving?” She asked as she waddled toward him.
“Yes,” Dimitri held the door open.
They walked down the long corridor to the entry hall. Their guests were just arriving. Sergei and Dimitri stood on each side of Rune as they greeted their guests before she began to droop.
Simone came to her rescue, leading Rune into one of the main ballrooms and insisting that she rest for a bit. Both women had become best friends over the past year. Simone had burst into tears and thrown her arms around Rune the first time she saw her after learning that she was alive.
They sat talking quietly until Rune’s attention was caught by the figure of a slender girl as she glanced around before slipping into one of the side rooms. There was something familiar about her. A moment later, a tall furious male glanced around before his eyes narrowed on the door the girl had disappeared through.
“Who is that?” Rune asked Simone.
“That is Sheik Nasser Al-Rashid,” Simone said. “He doesn’t look very happy.”
“Who is the girl that he is looking for?” Rune asked.
She turned to look back at the door to the small sitting room where the girl had escaped into. There was another door leading out of it. Rune decided if she had someone who looked that angry looking for her she would probably use it the first chance she got.
“I think Petre said her name was Dalla something or other. I can remember her last name. I think it started with a ‘B’,” Simone replied.
Rune’s eyes widened before a slow grin curved her lips. Her eyes glowed with speculation. Dalla was an unusual name and the girl reminded her of her older sister. Her eyes swept through the room stopping on Sergei and Dimitri who were walking toward her. If it was possible for her to return, who was to say it wasn’t possible for her sisters to also return.
“Rune, are you alright?” Dimitri asked as he reached her.
“I’ve never felt better,” she replied as her hand rubbed the swell of her stomach. “I think our family might be growing.”
To be continued: Challenging Dalla
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Smith has always been a romantic and a dreamer. An avid writer, she has spent years writing, although it has usually been technical papers for college. Now, she spends her evenings and weekends writing and her nights dreaming up new stories. An affirmed “geek,” she spends her days working on computers and other peripherals. She enjoys camping and traveling when she is not out on a date with her favorite romantic guy. Fans can reach her at [email protected] or visit her web site at: http://sesmithfl.com. Join me for additional information about the books at http://pinterest.com/sesmithfl/s-e-smith/, http://twitter.com/sesmithfl, http://facebook.com/se.smith.5?fref=ts and at my new book discussion forum at http://www.sesmithromance.com
Additional Books:
Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1)
Capturing Cara (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 2)
Tracking Trisha (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 3)
Ambushing Ariel (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 4)
For the Love of Tia (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 4.1)
Cornering Carmen (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 5)
Paul’s Pursuit (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 6)
Choosing Riley (Sarafin Warriors: Book 1)
Ha’ven’s Song (Curizan Warrior: Book 1)
Lily’s Cowboys (Heaven Sent: Book 1)
Touching Rune (Heaven Sent: Book 2)
Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass: Book 1)
River’s Run (Lords of Kassis: Book 1)
Star’s Storm (Lords of Kassis: Book 2)
Jo’s Journey (Lords of Kassis: Book 3)
Rescuing Mattie (Lords of Kassis: Book 3.1)
Tink’s Neverland (Cosmo’s Gateway: Book 1)
Hannah’s Warrior (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 2)
Tansy’s Titan (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 3)
Cosmos’ Promise (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 4)
Gracie’s Touch(Zion Warriors: Book 1)
