Black Light: Branded

by Parker, Kay Elle

  The sound and smell of her flesh burning under the white-hot brand, the shock of the pain…

  She'd passed out for a minute or two. When she jerked back to consciousness, Finn had already been putting the finishing touches on her bandage. The man hadn't even broken a sweat. And the burn...sweet mother of Mary, the burn was salvation. A thousand cuts of the blade combined into one glorious ride on the forbidden high.

  “Darlin, I'm starting to think I should get you to a doctor.”

  Jolted out of the memory, Ava blinked up at him. He really was the most handsome man. More so with that scruff of beard he'd decided to start growing. She was partial to the mountain man look, especially when he pulled it off so well. The fates had been a bitch to Ava most of her life, but damn, they were making amends now. “I'm fine, honestly. Just thinking back to Christmas, and the awesome gift I got from someone special.” She managed to get her feet under her to stand. “Santa was incredibly generous, you know.”

  Finn growled, bending slightly to grab her ass and lift her. Her legs hooked around his waist and pleasure radiated from the hand gripping her right buttock possessively. Whenever he touched the healed wound, it felt as though their connection deepened exponentially. “Oh really? Remind me again what that fat sonofabitch stuffed down the chimney for my little dove.”

  She leaned forward, catching his bottom lip between her teeth. “Well, my wardrobe magically doubled in size. That was appreciated. I think he must have had some difficulty dragging my new horse down the chimney, seeing as she was all tucked up and comfy in her stall on Christmas morning. And then there was my favorite present.”

  “Do tell, little minx. I'm intrigued.”

  Her love for him grew day by day. Every second that passed, her heart expanded a fraction more. “Belonging. Wearing the mark of my Dom, my lover, my love. He knew what I desperately wanted, and he delivered. The jolly genius deserves a medal.”

  “I can think of something he'd rather have,” Finn murmured, tightening his hold on her butt. His beard scraped lightly across her cheek as he nuzzled at her ear. “But we have a celebration to get to if you're feeling up to it. Fancy a ride, darlin'?”

  Ava grinned, knowing there'd be more to celebrate than a year of therapy before the night was over. “Always.”

  * * *

  Finn

  They rode side by side away from the house, following the trail of solar lights he'd spent the afternoon setting out. He didn't plan to be back before dark, and he wasn't going to lead Ava home in the dead of night without a visible guide, no matter how well he knew the land. He'd checked the weather forecast a dozen times already, satisfied the shitty winter they'd struggled through wasn't going to pick tonight to come back with a vengeance.

  Finn wanted his little dove's anniversary to be special.

  She'd worked so fucking hard to get to this point. Sat for hours at his computer researching self-mutilation disorder and talking to Madeline. Bleeding her secrets dry in an effort to reach where she was now. Happy, freer, physically able to cope with the stressors in her life without yearning for a sharp object.

  It hadn't been easy standing to one side and letting her deal with the shit alone. He'd been beside her the whole way, supportive and immovable, but her recovery was—and continued to be—forged from her own willpower and inner strength. There'd been days when he'd been tempted to tell her to stop ripping herself to pieces. Days when the sight of her red-rimmed swollen eyes were the undoing of him. Moments when he'd been so close to utilizing the advice Nathaniel had given him on knife play.

  But he hadn't given up on her, and she had prevailed.

  Now there was a secret she was hiding from him. He'd ferret it out eventually, but right now he wasn't too concerned. It didn't appear to be the kind of secret that made her irritable or desolate—even though she'd been bitchy for a few weeks, she didn’t wallow in it. Overall, she laughed more. She smiled, and the world lit up around her from the joy in her eyes. The haunted air she carried was almost gone, a fleeting remnant passing over her face every now and again.

  The effort with which she'd thrown herself into the ranch was phenomenal. For a city girl with no experience in ranching, she astounded him with how well she fitted completely into his world. From making good, solid observations to chipping in with the hard graft, Ava had stamped herself onto the land, the cattle, him. The improvements they'd made, the huge reduction in the number of head they ran, were taking effect. The ranch had taken a considerable loss of profit, but they were slowly inching it back.

  Thomas's betrayal still stung, but in one respect, Finn considered it a blessing in disguise. The thieving fucker was serving his time in prison, along with several of his partners in crime, but it had shown Finn where he needed to patch the holes in his business and make it stronger. Ava's calm head and rational thinking had turned a disaster into potential.

  He glanced over at her, smiling when he saw her tilting her head back to the warm breeze. There weren't words to describe what he felt when he saw her this way, like a goddess rising from murky depths to shimmer in the light.

  They shared a companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

  The loss of Kinx had shaken Ava. For weeks, she hadn't wanted to ride, plagued by guilt at the thought of mounting another horse. Horses were a rancher's best friend, a tool that became so much more. They listened, they offered comfort and moments of joy. A good horse was worth its weight in gold, and he hadn't been able to bear watching her grieve for the little mare when nothing could have been done to save her.

  The pretty buckskin mare he'd brought over from the west station could never replace Kinx, but she'd gone a long way to healing the wound. Ava called her Phoenix and he approved.

  No matter how many times we burst into flames, we can always rise from the ashes.

  Ava was a phoenix, not yet at her stunning prime, but shaking off the ashes and growing new feathers with every obstacle she overcame. If she crashed and burned, she would rise again—he would make sure of it. There wasn't any other option, not when she was the fabric of his world, the thread holding it together.

  It didn't take long to reach the ridge he'd chosen to celebrate her success.

  Pulling Ranger to a halt, Finn dismounted and dropped the grounding rein, moving quickly to Ava's side. She looked stunned, which was good. He'd hoped to wow her a little. “It's nothing fancy, little dove. I'd thought about doing this a hundred different ways, but this...I figured just you and me and the sky would be enough.”

  Her lips curved. “I don't need the sky, Finn. This is wonderful.”

  Her dismount was just as smooth as his. She gave the mare a pat and let the grounding rein fall, then slipped her hand into his. He loved that feeling. The moment her fingers were engulfed in the safety of his, the culmination of what they were had the power to drain the tension from his body. Her trust in him was absolute; it was a gift that couldn't be demanded or stolen, forced or coerced.

  He led her to the edge of the cliff and stared out across the ranch spread before them. From up here, the cattle were like toys, wandering in herds across the pastures. Something a child could pick up and play with, positioning them how and where they liked. The yard was buzzing with activity, yet standing here, it was surreal. His entire world standing beside him while they looked down at the life he'd built. That they would continue to build.

  “You know, if you're going to throw me off the edge for the insurance money, you might want to marry me first. I hear there's a better payout for spouses.” Ava peeked up at him with mischief in her eyes. The blue glinting with impish delight.

  Finn laughed and tugged her away from danger. “Little doves have wings, Ava. They soar, they don't fall.”

  “I did. Before you, every day was another plummet into the dark. The voices wrapped around my legs and hauled me further and further into the black hole. There was no way out, nothing to hold onto, nothing to cling to.” She squeezed his hand tightly. “Then th
ere was you. Reaching down into the darkness and taking hold of my hand. Just like this,” she said, holding their joined hands aloft. “Keeping hold of me no matter what, even when I slipped and fell again.”

  Finn kissed her fingers. “Stupid men let the best thing in their life slip away, Ava. I'm far from stupid.”

  “It would've been easy for you to walk away over the last twelve months. I haven't been the most stable person to live with, I know that. Therapy is harder than I imagined, and I wasn't expecting it to be a walk in the park. Bartholomew has been the bane of my existence since I can remember. He hasn't exactly instilled a glowing recommendation in me for having a family of my own. Growing up without a mom, I never thought I'd make a good mother.” She inhaled deeply, then turned to him with a serious expression he rarely saw on her face. “Do you still want a family with me, Finn? After all the shit the past year has churned up, whatever's left to deal with in the months to come, is that something you want from me?”

  He fought the urge to rub his chest above his heart. The ache was deep and strong. As far as he was concerned, they were already family. Ava wore his collar, and his brand was etched into her skin as permanently as it was on his heart. He'd known her reservations about having children for a while now, had resigned himself to not experiencing fatherhood. Her mental health was his priority above all other things, so he wouldn't complain.

  When the smoke cleared, he didn't care what happened as long as she was still his woman.

  “I would love to create a life with you, Ava. I don't mean this,” he clarified with a flick of his wrist toward what lay beyond the ridge. “That's our life, our future. Creating something from the land, nurturing nature, is our lot in life. We do it well. But creating a baby with you, watching a child we made together grow...it's a dream of mine. I won't deny it, but I'm not going to risk our future by insisting it come true.”

  She surprised him by smiling. He'd been waiting for a crestfallen expression, some indication that his dream was distasteful. Her worry over being a good mother was unfounded, but until she realized she had the potential to be the best she allowed herself to be, they couldn't move forward.

  In a fast change of topic that left him a little dizzy, Ava dragged him over to the blanket he'd laid out and the cooler he'd left only a little while earlier, hoping the bears wouldn't get curious and raid the contents. “What do we have in here? Oh, cheese,” she exclaimed as she tossed the lid open and rooted through the cold box. “Roast beef, yummy. You know how to spoil a girl, Sir.”

  Puzzled, he let go of her hand when she tugged on it. “Only the best for my darlin'.”

  She crouched down, sitting on her haunches as she rummaged further. “So many tasty treats. Oh, and my favorite wine,” she announced, standing upright with the bottle in her hands. She offered it to him, that mischief making a reappearance. “You know, it's a real shame.”

  Yeah, she definitely had him confused now. “The wine's a shame?”

  “No, Sir, I love the wine.” When he took the bottle by the neck, she snagged his free hand and smiled shyly at him, some of her bravado eking away when he frowned at her. “It's just a shame I won't be able to drink it for the next few months.” She pressed his hand against her belly, shaking just a little. “Congratulations, Daddy. Dreams do come true.”

  He lost the ability to breathe. For a long moment, his vision blurred, distorting the beautiful young woman in front of him. Beneath his hand, he felt the quiver of her muscles through the material keeping his skin from touching hers.

  Congratulations, Daddy.

  Those two little words whirled around his brain, faster and faster, until they whipped up a tornado of emotion so powerful it wiped his mind of everything but them. He heard the dull thump of the bottle hitting the blanket, then his knees followed suit. Disbelief, joy, terror, elation. They hit him as one unit. “I...are you serious?”

  She released his hand and threaded her fingers through his hair, kneading his scalp gently. “About as serious as my mood swings, Finn. I wouldn't lie to you, not when I know how much having children and creating a legacy means to you. I'm ninety-nine percent sure but I guess I have to see someone to confirm it. Are you okay with it? I mean, it might not be the right time—”

  His arms wrapped around her hips, holding her tightly as he pressed his face against her belly. His heart flopped around on the ground while he kissed above where his baby slept, not yet big enough to be aware of his presence. That didn't stop him from murmuring to it, saying hello. He wasn't ashamed of the wetness on his eyelashes. “This is the perfect time, Ava. Just perfect. God, I love you. I love you so fucking much.”

  Ava's voice was choked. “Don't cry, Finn. Don't cry otherwise you'll set me off, and that's just not pretty.”

  Laughing, feeling lighter than air, Finn pressed his lips to her belly. “You're gorgeous, no matter what you do, little dove.” He blew out a breath, letting go of her legs and shifting to rest on one knee at her feet. “I'd planned to do this later this evening, when it was dark and the stars were out. But I think, while our timing is perfect, I should do it now.”

  Ava took a step back when he reached into his pocket and fished out the small black box, her hand over her mouth and tears already falling when he snapped open the lid and showed her the ring he'd been hiding for months. “Oh my God, Finn.”

  “I had this made for you last year by the same guy who made your club collar. It's sturdier, obviously, as it needs to stand up to the rigors of ranch life, but I asked him to make it because I've known for a long time that there's no one else I want to spend the rest of my life with. You accepted my collar without question. My initials are branded permanently on your pretty ass, marking you as mine. We belong to each other, Ava. Will you do me the honor of marrying me, taking my name, and completing the circle?”

  She held out her hand without hesitation. “Did you think I'd say no? I love you, Finn. It was always going to be yes.”

  He didn't fumble taking the ring out of its velvet cushion. His hands didn't shake with nerves. There was nothing to be nervous about. The plaited band of silver slipped onto her finger with ease, sliding into place as though it had always been there. The same filigree pattern of her collar was etched into the top of the ring, around the sapphire in the center. “One celebration turned into three. Health, baby, and engagement to the strongest woman I know. Lucky me.”

  He stood, cupping her face in his hands. The tears were still falling but she was smiling, her eyes on the ring. “Our blood will run in this land, our children will tend it, and the legacy of what we are will live on. None of that would be possible without you.”

  She kissed him fiercely, his submissive taking charge. “God, you make me go all funny inside when you say the romantic stuff. Seeing as how there's going to be no alcohol in tonight's festivities, I say we celebrate the trifecta in a whole other way. Does Sir have an opinion?”

  He grinned. “Get those clothes off, little minx. I've got an urge to ravish my pregnant fiancée.”

  In ranching, a year was a long time. So much to do, animals to tend and crops to harvest. Land to maintain and hard decisions down every turn. Four seasons rolling into one another, a constant circle. Never had it had as much meaning as it did now.

  Life would never be boring with Ava. Come rain or shine, she would glow. Watching her strip for him, seeing the love in her eyes, was his greatest reward. Knowing she thrived when she'd come so close to crashing and burning, being witness to her triumphs, was the icing on the cake.

  Being branded by Ava was something he'd never regret.

  The End

  About the Author

  Kay Elle Parker lives in North Yorkshire with her pack of Border Collies. An avid reader and writer from a young age, the written word has always been the best escape from reality. Weaving those words for other people is Kay's happy place.

  Find me here:

  https://linktr.ee/KayElleParker

  Also by Kay Elle Parker


  Hangman's Haunt Series:

  Wild - Book 1

  Nocturnal - Book 2

  Eclipsed - Book 3

  Destined - Novella

  The Shadowcrown Duet:

  King Of Shadows - Book 1

  Queen Of Shadows - Book 2

  Club Avalon Series:

  Dance For Me - Book 1

  Standalones:

  Speechless

  Monsters & Guardians (Trigger Warning!)

  Anthologies:

  Black Light: Roulette War

  Red Riding Hood

  Loves Bites

  Black Collar Press

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  Black Light: Rescued by Livia Grant

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