by J. R. Ward
Beth stirs, feeling stiff. She reaches out for Wrath, and when he’s not there, she opens her eyes. Her sight is still with her. She gets up, looks down at her body. It feels the same. She does a little jig. Works the same, too. She dresses in a black robe which smells like Wrath and goes upstairs. She notices on the way up that she’s not breathless at all from the exertion. Which is a bonus, she thinks. Maybe there are benefits to the whole vampire thing.
When she gets to the top of the stairs, it takes her a minute to figure out how to push the secret door open. And then she steps into the drawing room. Butch is there with a gorgeous blonde woman. The two of them are sitting on the couch and both look up. Butch comes over to Beth and gives her a hug. Beth can feel the blonde watching her closely, as if the woman’s measuring every inch of her. There’s no hostility in the blonde’s eyes, though. Just curiosity and something oddly close to awe. Butch introduces the two of them, and when Beth asks where Wrath is, he tells her he’s in the dining room.
Beth walks across the hall and her feet slow when she sees a group of deadly looking men sitting around a table with china on it. The scene is totally incongruous. All these hard ass guys in leather eating with silver. Then she sees Wrath. He’s sitting at the head of the table. The moment he sees her in the doorway, he rushes over to her. He takes her into his arms and gently kisses her. Beth is dimly aware that all conversation in the room has ceased and that the other men are staring at her. Wrath asks her softly how she’s feeling and it takes her a little time to reassure him. He asks if she’s hungry and she says she has the oddest craving for chocolate and bacon. He smiles and tells her he’ll bring her some of both from the kitchen. He pulls back and then seems to realize he needs to introduce her. Wrath points at the men around the table, telling her their names and then introducing her. After saying her name, he uses a word she doesn’t recognize and then heads for the kitchen.
Beth watches him go and then there’s a rush of sound in the room as the men push their chairs back and stand up in a group. Daggers appear in their hands and they start for her, moving with purpose. She panics and backs into a corner. Just as she’s about to yell for Wrath, the men drop to one knee in a circle around her, bow their heads to her, and thrust their daggers into the floorboards at her feet. The handles wobble from the force, the blades flashing in the candlelight. Umm, nice to meet you, too, she says lamely. The men look up at the sound of her voice. Their harsh faces are reverent, their eyes shining with adoration.
In the bad part of town, Havers is sensing the coming dawn and worried that he’ll lose his resolve when a lesser finally starts to track him. Just as the lesser is about to attack, Havers stops him by offering information on a great vampire warrior. The lesser pauses. Havers points out reasonably that he’s small potatoes. If the lesser wants to take down a real vampire, he should get reinforcements and go across town. Havers gives the address of Darius’s home, where he knows Marissa has been meeting Wrath.
Meanwhile, back in the drawing room, Butch and Marissa are talking when she says that she has to go. Why, he asks. And where? When can I see you again? She says she doesn’t know. Can they have lunch? Dinner? What are you doing tomorrow night, he asks. Marissa smiles a little. It feels kind of funny to be pursued. She likes it. She considers the options for places to meet and finds, oddly enough, that seeing the human at Darius’s house feels right. She tells Butch that she’ll meet him the following night. He then offers to give her a ride home. She says that she’ll take herself home. She stands up, and forgetting that he’s a human, dematerializes in front of him.
Butch leaps up from the sofa. He looks around. Rushes forward to feel the air where she’d stood. He puts his head in his hands and decides he’s losing his mind. At that moment, Wrath and Beth appear in the doorway. Butch wheels around, stuttering. Beth smiles at him and steps forward, taking his hand. Butch, I’ve got some things to tell you, she says.
As the sun rises, Mr. X opens up the martial arts academy. He’s still not where he wants to be with the capturing of vampires. The one he caught last night died too fast. Mr. X signs on to the internet and there’s a posting for him. It’s from a Mr. C. Mr. X calls the other lesser, and when he hangs up the phone, he’s grinning. At that moment, Billy Riddle walks into his office. Billy tells him that he’s considered his offer and he wants to come on board. Mr. X gets up and puts his arm around the boy. Perfect timing, he says. I could use some help with a new job. Billy asks if they’ll go out tonight. Mr. X shakes his head. Tonight, we’re going to have to initiate you, son. Then you can go hunting.
That afternoon, Beth wakes up in Wrath’s arms to find him staring down at her with a grave face. What’s wrong, she asks. He kisses her softly. He tells her he loves her. He wants to be her protector. Her warrior. He wants to be with her for the rest of their lives. She wraps her arms around him and tells him that’s exactly what she has in mind. He grins and says that they will have the ceremony as soon as the sun falls. We’re getting married, she asks. He nods and tells her he’ll have Tohrment’s shellan Wellsie bring a dress for her. Beth tells him she loves him and they make love.
That night, the brothers assemble at the mansion. Beth meets Wellsie, a gorgeous red head, and likes her immediately. Marissa shows up and Beth is amused at how Hard Ass seems to have a bad case of love at first sight for the delicate blonde. Wrath decides to have the ceremony down in his chamber and the men work to clear the room of furniture. Beth and Wellsie help Fritz get the food ready and Beth marvels at how natural everything feels to her. She feels as though she belongs with these people, even if their ways are a little strange. She’s carrying a roast beef out to the dining room table when she sees Fritz pouring a big bag of Morton’s salt into a silver dish. She’s about to ask him what it’s for when Wellsie says it’s time to get changed. The men are ready downstairs.
Beth changes into a long white dress and follows Wellsie down the stairs into the earth. When she walks into the chamber, she sees Wrath dressed in a black satin robe and pants. The men are lined up in a row, wearing similar clothes with nasty looking daggers hanging off jeweled belts. Butch and Marissa are also there as is Fritz, the butler. Wrath smiles at her from behind his sunglasses. Tohrment approaches her. We’re going to do as much of this in English as we can so you’ll understand. She nods. He calls Wrath forward and addresses her. This male asks that you accept him as your hellren, Tohrment says. Would you have him as your own if he is worthy? Yes, she says, smiling at Wrath. Tohrment addresses Wrath. This female will consider you’re proposal. Will you prove yourself for her? I will, Wrath says. Will you sacrifice yourself for her? I will, Wrath repeats. Will you defend her against those who would hurt her? I will, Wrath repeats. Tohrment steps back, smiling. Wrath takes her into his arms and kisses her. Beth wraps her arms around him and feels as if she’s come home.
But then Wrath steps back. He undoes the sash of his robe and takes it off, revealing his bare torso. Wellsie comes up behind Beth and holds her hand. It’s going to be okay, Wellsie whispers. Just breathe with me and don’t worry. Beth looks around in alarm as Wrath removes his sunglasses and kneels in front of his men. Fritz brings forward a small table with a pitcher and the silver bowl she saw him filling upstairs.
Tohrment stands before Wrath. What is the name of your shellan? She is called Elizabeth, Wrath says. Tohrment unsheathes his dagger and bends over Wrath’s bare back. Beth gasps and lunges forward but Wellsie holds her in place. You’re marrying a warrior, Wellsie whispers. This is how they do things. But it’s wrong, Beth exclaims. I don’t want him to- Wellsie cuts her off. Let him have his honor in front of his brothers, she says urgently. He’s giving his body to you. It’s yours now. Beth struggles, repeating that he doesn’t need to do this to prove himself to her. But this is who he is, Wellsie says. Do you love him? Yes, Beth says, closing her eyes. Then you have to accept his ways, Wellsie replies.
One by one, Wrath’s men step forward and ask him the same question before unsheat
hing their dagger and bending over his back. When they are finished, Tohrment takes the bowl of salt and pours it into the pitcher. He rinses Wrath’s back off and then dries his skin with a pristine white cloth. Tohrment takes the cloth, rolls it up, and puts it into an ornate box. He stands over Wrath. Rise, my lord, he commands. Wrath stands up and Beth sees a pattern on his back, running across his shoulders. Tohrment gives Wrath the box and says, take this to your shellan as a symbol of your strength and your bravery, so she will know that you are worthy of her and that your body is now hers to command.
Wrath turns and crosses the room. Beth anxiously scans his face. He seems perfectly fine. In fact, he’s positively glowing with love, his pale, blind eyes sparkling. He drops to his knees, bows his head, and holds up the box. Will you take me as your own, he asks. Hands shaking, she accepts the box and is relieved when he stands up and puts his arms around her. She holds onto him tightly as the others break into cheers and applause. Can we not do that again, she whispers. He laughs and says she better brace herself if they have children.
The celebrations last throughout the night and Butch and Marissa spend time talking. As dawn approaches, they are upstairs in the house, looking around. Marissa turns and says she must go. She’s grown more relaxed with the human and she thinks he is very attractive. Butch approaches her slowly. He seems terribly serious. All night long she’s had the sense that he’s working hard to make her feel comfortable. The shift in him intrigues her. What’s the matter, she asks. I want to kiss you, he says in a low voice. She senses both his desire and his restraint. Anxious but not scared, she steps forward and feels his hands land softly on her shoulders. His lips are soft and gentle as they brush against hers. She closes her eyes and leans into him. A sound, something like a growl of satisfaction, rumbles through his chest. He deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding inside her mouth and stroking hers. His hands are warm on her waist, his heart a steady, surging beat against hers, his body stirring wildly but held firmly in check. He pulls back, eyes scanning her face as if he’s afraid he’s come on too strong. Was that alright, he asks softly. She smiles. It was beautiful, she says. A female couldn’t ask for a better first kiss. Butch’s eyes flare in surprise. Marissa puts her hands on his face. Let’s do it again, she says, drawing him down to her.
Beth and Wrath spending the following day sleeping after their furniture is put back in order. After the sun goes down that evening, Wrath and the brothers talk with Butch who tells them what he knows about the martial arts academy which isn’t much. The decision is made that the brothers will go out in a group, infiltrate the place, and go on the offensive. At Wrath’s request, Butch agrees to stay home with Beth and guard her. Wrath tells Beth that he’s just going out to take care of some business. He doesn’t want to worry her but she’s no fool. As the men arm themselves, she tries to keep Wrath home. What can be so important, she demands. It’s about your father’s death, he says. We need to find out who did it. Your father deserves to be avenged. Beth finally lets him go, feeling uneasy.
Out in the suburbs, Mr. X and Billy, who’s now known as Mr. R, leave Mr. X’s farmhouse. Mr. C doesn’t show because he’s been killed by another lesser in a fight over territory. Their plan is to stake out Darius’s house and wait for the legendary warrior vampire who’s taken up residence there to return at dawn. Mr. X has brought the net and the darts. He finds it ironic that the house of the warrior he blew up is where he’s going. He’d assumed that because the vampire who’d owned it had been killed, no other vampire would stay there because the place is hot. When they arrive, they scope out the mansion. They sense that the warrior vampires have left but there appears to be at least one female in there.
Inside, Marissa arrives and she and Butch sit with Beth. Beth feels like a third wheel and begs them to go upstairs. She’ll be fine. Butch thinks it over, and after checking the windows and doors and activating the security system, he allows as how he and Marissa will go into the living room across the hall. That’s as far as he’s willing to compromise. Beth curls up on the couch in the drawing room.
Mr. R trains his binoculars on the house and sees Beth. I’m going to really take that bitch down this time, he says to Mr. X. I want to beat her until she bleeds. Mr. X considers him thoughtfully and suggests a change in plan. How would you like to get her right now, he asks Mr. R.
Beth hears something hit the window. She goes over and looks out. There’s no one there. A moment later, an explosion racks the mansion. She’s thrown against the wall. As Butch runs into the room, two men come through the hole where the window used to be. One of them calmly shoots Butch. And the other is Billy Riddle.
Wrath and the brothers are battling with lessers inside the martial arts academy when he gets a terrible feeling in the center of the chest. He pulls out of the battle as soon as he can and flashes to the mansion. He finds chaos. Butch is down, the security system is going off, Marissa is hysterical, and Beth is gone.
Mr. X and Mr. R arrive at the farmhouse with Beth, having tied her hands and legs together. Mr. X is happy about the unexpected direction things have taken. Given that she’s a female, she offers certain new avenues for torture. Besides, the warrior will come after her. She’s obviously either his wife or his girlfriend or his sister. So it’s a win/win. Two for one. They take her inside.
Because Beth has fed from him, Wrath is able to sense where she is and he materializes in front of the farmhouse. Breaking through the door, he takes both lessers on in a ferocious fight. Beth works herself free of her holds, and with a physical strength she’s never had before, she attacks Billy Riddle. She slams him down and when Wrath throws a dagger at her, she stabs Billy and he disintegrates. Although Wrath prevails with Mr. X, Wrath is critically wounded. Beth rushes to his side. Using Wrath’s phone, she frantically calls Butch’s cell phone, hoping someone will answer it.
Marissa picks up. When she hears what’s happened to Wrath, Marissa, who’s already called upon her brother to help treat Butch’s wound, demands that Havers go to Wrath. As her brother refuses to meet her eyes, she has a terrible suspicion that he had something to do with the attack. Filled with rage, she confronts him and demands that he help Wrath. Havers, who’s been conflicted all along with his course of action, admits his culpability and flashes out to the farmhouse. It’s clear that Wrath is close to death and the only hope is for him to feed. Havers begins to role up his sleeve when Beth pushes him out of the way. Use your wrist, Havers tells her. Wrath eventually takes Beth’s blood and stabilizes enough for them to get into a car. They have to drive him because he’s unable to project himself. Darius’s place is too dangerous to stay in and dawn is coming. They decide to go Havers’s house. It takes both of them to carry Wrath down to the laboratory.
After a long day of anxious waiting, Wrath comes around. As Beth holds him and cries, he hates his life as a warrior for the first time. With Beth now being his wife, he doesn’t want her exposed to the violence. They hold each other until Havers comes into the lab with Marissa. Havers looks agonized and he admits to Wrath what he did. He volunteers to let Wrath take his revenge in a ritual that will result in Havers’s death. Wrath tells him, no. They’re even now, for what Wrath did to Marissa all those years.
When the brothers show up at Havers’s, Wrath and Beth accept an invitation to go to Tohrment and Wellsie’s while Wrath finishes recovering. Wrath is still too weak to dematerialize himself so Beth, Butch and Marissa decide to drive him west. As they get on the highway, Beth smiles at her vampire husband, thinking that she asked for an adventure. And boy did she ever get one.
Epilogue
A month later, at Tohrment and Wellsie’s ranch in Colorado, the brothers are in the war room getting ready to go out hunting. Wrath has taken up the role as leader of the brothers and he’s accepted his position as the Chief of his race. Vampires have started coming to him, asking him to resolve disputes and bless their children, traditional duties of the Chief that have been missing since the death of Wrath
’s father. Beth is adjusting to her role as the chief’s uta-shellan. Butch and Marissa are happy but struggling with the implications of his mortality.
As the brothers ready themselves to go out, Wrath frowns as he sees Beth strap on a dagger. What are you doing, he asks. I’m coming with you, she says. Why, he demands. To fight, she replies. Oh, no, you’re not, Wrath counters, because I forbid you from warring. Beth kicks up her chin. Excuse me? You forbid me, she says. As the two of them square off, the brothers quickly file out of the room.
On the other side of the door, the brothers listen to muffled, angry voices. So who do you think’s going to win this one, Tohrment asks. The brothers make their wagers. The door opens. Wrath walks out looking fierce, pulling his leather jacket on. A moment later, Beth appears, wearing two guns and a dagger. She’s smiling. As the brothers laugh, Wrath puts his arm around Beth and kisses her. None of you look too surprised, he says to his brothers. Yeah, Tohrment replies. We all bet on her.
Together, Wrath and Beth disappear into the night.
