by Laken Cane
She shuddered, and his stare turned dark. He knew. He knew what she was thinking, and his own memories, much, much worse, flared in his eyes.
“I am not the same,” he murmured.
She pressed her palm hard against his chest. “You are. Here.”
He watched her as though to do otherwise would make her disappear.
“You came back to me,” she whispered. “You don’t have to say anything else.”
“I’m yours, Rune. I need you to know.”
She lifted his torn, dirty, scarred hand to her lips, and kissed it feverishly.
Shit would come. Bad things would happen. Pain…pain was a given.
But he’d come back to her, and that made everything just a little fucking brighter. Neither of them was like other people.
They were both shattered and damaged and full of ugly, black things. They were broken.
But they were more than their brokenness.
Together, they were everything.
He matched her. Matched her pain, her strength, her need.
With the berserker, she was not alone in her darkness.
Her rage at his desertion…that would come. Her mistrust. Her pain. It would come.
And she’d let it. Just not right then.
“Swear you won’t leave,” she half-yelled, fear and pain and anger tearing at her chest. “If you’ll leave again, then go now. Go back into the portal. Walk the unkind path. If you care even a little, say you’ll stay forever or turn right now and leave me and the crew alone. Please,” she begged, her voice breaking. “Please.”
Please stay.
“I will never leave you.” There was no hesitation, absolutely no doubt. “And you will never leave me.”
She shuddered, suddenly cold.
“Let’s go home, Berserker.”
She wanted to see him smile. Wanted to see her old berserker peeking out of those stormy, dark eyes.
In time.
Surely.
“There’s something,” he said.
She closed her eyes. She’d known.
And Gunnar had warned her.
There were choices waiting at the portal.
“I defeated the path,” he told her. “Not the first time, but the second time…” He stepped away from her, and clenched his fists. “The second time I defeated the path. I carried something with me, something for you, and I could not fail again.”
She dug her nails into her thighs to keep herself from going to him. He’d said he would not tell his story, but he was telling her something, and it was something she had to hear.
Whether she wanted to or not.
“I was near death,” he continued. “I was near the end. I was sure I wouldn’t make it out. I could see the doorway…” he dropped his voice to a near whisper. “But it was still too far away. Unreachable.” He paused. “I fell.”
And she could see it like she’d been there with him. She could see his agony, feel his pain, and in her imagination she watched as he fell to his knees, the life draining from him while the storms and horror of the path raged around him.
Something was missing in the berserker. She didn’t know what it was, not yet, but the path had stolen something, and no matter that he’d made it out alive, he’d left something behind.
Something vital.
“Someone forced me up,” he continued. “Someone dragged me to my feet and helped me to the end of the fucking path. He shoved me through the portal. It would have been over, right there at the end, if not for him.”
“Who?” she whispered. “Who saved you, Berserker?”
He simply pointed, and she spun around, half-terrified.
Terrified of who she’d find there.
That was the moment she understood what Gunnar had meant.
Choices.
Always, choices.
“If a gift comes from the edge of hell, you should destroy it.”
The assassin stood behind her, mask firmly in place, and he held the little black-haired baby in his arms.
About Laken Cane
The coffee addicted urban fantasy writer Laken Cane lives in Southern Ohio with her genius son, two Yorkies named Daphnis and Lexi, and one Golden named Chloe who rules them all.
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From the author—
Authors need reviews like vampires need blood! If you’ve enjoyed this book, would you consider rating it and reviewing it on Amazon.com?
Thank you!
Laken
Book List and Reading Order:
1. Shiv Crew
2. Blood and Bite
3. Strange Trouble
4. Obsidian Wings
5. New Regime
5.5 Shadows Past (RA Short)
6. Wormwood Echoes
7. The Witch’s Daughter
8. Killing Land
9. Kill Switch
10. Book 10 is in progress
Laken has started a new series—a paranormal romance series called the Waifwater Chronicles. Book one is UNBREAKABLE and you can find it on Amazon.
Book two in the series is in progress.
As always, Laken loves hearing from her fans! If you’d like to contact her personally, you can contact her through her various social media sites or email her directly at [email protected]
