And he found he no longer wanted to reject her. Was it true what they said? Did he deserve forgiveness and love?
He stepped forward quickly, into her embrace, his arms wrapping around her tightly, his hug lifting her feet off the floor. He buried his face into her hair and breathed deeply of her. The scent of strawberries filled his senses.
“You are more than enough,” he whispered against her ear. “More than I shall ever deserve. But I swear to you I will strive every day to make you feel loved beyond reason. You will ever be a treasure in my eyes and I will never take your worth for granted.”
“What woman could ask for anything more?” she asked him fiercely. “Now take me upstairs and make love to me properly to make up for this foolishness.”
“Yes, madam,” he said with a smile before he kissed her lips, then bent and hauled her up over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She yelped in surprise, but the feel of his hand intimately on her backside quelled any complaints she might have had. As he walked, Viève took in the group of people they were leaving behind. She waved to them and mouthed the words “thank you.”
Leo nodded to her. He had a great deal of respect for the openhearted little Wraith who was brave enough to turn her back on her entire species to stand up for what she believed in. She may not have seemed strong when she first got there, but he realized now she had a lot more strength within her than she had been given credit for. Now, in a place where that strength would be nurtured, she promised to do great and wonderful things.
Leo felt a sense of closure settling over him as well. That wasn’t to say he would never dream of the horrors he had suffered again, but he realized he was going to sleep easier tonight, and it would be all her doing.
Viève allowed Kamen to carry her to their rooms without so much as a word. When he closed the door behind them, he slid her down his body until she was on her feet. But he did not allow her to put even the slightest millimeter of space between them.
“If I didn’t know any better I would say you planned all of this,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice. There was emotion in his tone. He was moved by what the others had given him. What she had given him. For he knew none of it would have been possible without her.
He tipped her chin up and bent to kiss her lips softly.
“I love you,” he said simply.
“I knew that all along. I just wanted you to admit it. And I wanted you to be willing to accept my love in return.”
“I still am not worthy, but I will do my best to learn how to deserve you.”
“I do not love unworthy people. I will not tolerate you saying otherwise.”
“Yes, my little dove,” he said softly. “You are correct. Forgive me.”
“Make me forgive you,” she challenged him.
“Ah. So now I am to work for your forgiveness?”
“Mmhmm,” she said, a twinkle in her eye.
He smiled for her and kissed the side of her neck. “I wonder how I will ever manage to do that,” he said, his teeth catching her dainty little earlobe and giving it a tug.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” she said invitingly.
“I’m sure I will,” he said right before swooping in and catching her up in a searing kiss.
He made love to her. It wasn’t the blistering, rampant passion they had so often shared with each other. It was gentle and soft and needy, and he realized how starved he was for someone to love him. It had been like that from the beginning. It had been what had allowed her to sweep into his arms and turn his world upside down. He had taken her against all his better judgment, and was now grateful that he had. He would never have earned a place of true acceptance in this house without her.
He would never have known what love truly was without her. She had loved him unconditionally from the very beginning. She had a heart the size of a continent and as he made love to her he told her he was lucky to have found a place in it.
He touched every inch of her skin, treasuring every soft caress. Then, once he had stirred her with his touch, his mouth followed. He sucked on every finger and every toe. He nipped at her behind her knees, inside her elbows, at the small of her back. He was determined that by the time they were through she would feel that every inch of herself had been thoroughly loved.
And she did.
But she was not satisfied simply lying there being catered to. She wanted to make certain he knew he was loved as well so she matched him kiss for kiss, touch for touch. He chuckled at her determination to mirror him. Oh, how she made him laugh. Made him feel light. Took a world of burdens from his shoulders so damn easily. He would never forget the things he had done wrong, always reminding himself never to take that path again, but it would be easy to remember as long as she was with him.
When they came together it brought the heat back into their coupling. There would always be this burning heat, he realized. There was no changing that, no straying from it. He would always make love to her as if it were the very last time, because he never knew when the last time might be. But now that there was less threat hanging over them, he hoped they were safe from the threat of being separated. She was as long-lived as he was, so they had many years ahead of them…together. And the idea of moving through this world with her made it so much easier to bear. There had been a time when he had despised his every day, hated the torment of living life over and over with no end in sight. But now he found he feared losing this life before he was ready. He could not leave her. For selfish reasons and for unselfish ones. He would not leave her to navigate the world unprotected. He would not leave her so soon after finding her.
And in a hundred years, it would still be too soon.
“Are we children, to feel so much love in so little time? Isn’t it the young who are reckless in such ways?” he asked her when they were cuddled up close afterward, the sweat from their rigorous lovemaking cooling on their bodies.
“Don’t do that. Don’t give it less value just because we know so easily.”
“No. Never. I will never give this less value again. I swear to you.”
“Good,” she said, turning her head to kiss him. “I love you. I will love you a hundred years from now. It won’t always be the same love; it will grow and mature and become something deep and steady, but I will still love you.”
“Deep and steady?” He hummed. “I hope that doesn’t mean you think we will not want to make love as often, because I do not want a deep and steady love if that is the case.”
She laughed at him and he chuckled.
“Don’t worry, we have no fears of that. I have not had sex for over fifty years. I have a lot of making up to do for the next fifty…and then some. And one day…maybe we will speak of having children. Not now,” she said quickly when she saw the expression on his face. “I’m not ready either. But one day I would like to have a child. A pretty, perfect, half-breed child.”
“I think…I think I would like that. One day. To see a baby with its mother’s fair skin and maybe its father’s strong countenance.”
“It may look more Wraith than I do,” she thought with a moment of worry. Then she put that worry aside. “Regardless, I will love it. I will not do as my mother did. My child will be raised with love. And a father. A whole and loving family.”
“I wonder that your mother did not abort you,” he said gingerly. “If you were such a disgrace to her. She had to know what her life would be like.”
“Wraiths cannot have abortions. It kills the mother to kill the child.”
“Ah. That makes more sense now. She was preserving her own life, rather than yours. Our child will never be an accident. We will plan very carefully when to bring it into the world. But it is a more peaceful world right now. More peaceful than I’ve known in a long time. I would not be afraid to bring a child into this world. But if there is one thing I have learned in my many generations, it’s that peace never lasts. As long as there are people on this earth, peace will never last. Someone somewhe
re will take offense to someone somewhere else and then peace will be destroyed.”
“Such a cynical view of the world. I am going to have to rid you of that problem.”
He smiled at her. “Please do,” he invited her.
She kissed him again and began to do just that.
Epilogue
Bella looked down at the page in front of her and finished her inscription with a flourish.
“What are you up to?” her husband asked as he set their son down on the floor, letting him run wild.
“I am writing a prophecy,” she said proudly.
“A prophecy?”
“Well, I am a prognosticator. Why shouldn’t I write a prophecy of my own? My power allows me to see into the future. Maybe what I am compelled to write is something that will come true.”
“I’m not sure it works like that,” he said with a chuckle.
“Says who? Where do all these prophecies come from anyway? I say it’s people like me who write them.”
“All right then. What is your prophecy?” he asked, reaching for the piece of paper. She snatched it back from him.
“No. You’ll just make fun of me.”
He gave her a wounded look. “When have I ever made fun of you?”
“Well, there was that time when—”
“I meant about something that was important to you.”
She had to acquiesce. “Never. You’ve always taken seriously anything I take seriously. And I do take this seriously.”
“I can see that. So let me see your prophecy.”
She handed him the paper and he read it. A smile grew on his face. He put down the pad and pulled her into a hard embrace, giving her a heady kiss.
“Now there is a prophecy meant to come true. And I have a prophecy for you.”
“Oh?” she said, already knowing where this was going.
“I prophesize that you will be making mad passionate love to your husband after the children go to bed today.”
“Well, what do you know! I had the same prophecy!”
“And what is your prognostication as far as Dax’s daughter is concerned? Any thoughts there?”
“I predict that she will be greatly loved and that her power, whatever it may be, will be handled with loving wisdom and the strength of many nations to guide her.”
“Say, you’re pretty good at this prognostication thing.”
She laughed as he swung her up into his arms and kissed her.
“Do you really think so?”
“Well, let’s just say…I have great hopes that your fortune telling is accurate.”
“So do I,” she said with a sigh. “So do I.”
“And so it will come to pass, from this day forward, that the Nightwalkers will grow and flourish and live in peace. They will come to understand one another, they will come to love one another. A new era will be born, new generations will thrive, and all things will be possible.”
—Bella’s Prophecy
To my sister Laraine,
You’re always there for me. No matter what.
I’m a very, very lucky sister.
BY JACQUELYN FRANK
The Immortal Brothers
Cursed by Fire
Cursed by Ice
The World of Nightwalkers
Forbidden
Forever
Forsaken
Forged
Nightwalker (eBook)
Three Worlds
Seduce Me in Dreams
Seduce Me in Flames
PHOTO: © SHERYL MANN/FLYING DOGS PHOTOGRAPHY
JACQUELYN FRANK is the New York Times bestselling author of the Immortal Brothers series (Cursed by Fire, Cursed by Ice), the World of Nightwalkers series (Forbidden, Forever, Forsaken, and Forged), the Three Worlds series (Seduce Me in Dreams and Seduce Me in Flames), the Nightwalkers series (Adam, Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah), the Shadowdwellers novels (Ecstasy, Rapture, and Pleasure), and the Gatherers novels (Hunting Julian and Stealing Katherine). She lives in North Carolina and has been writing romantic fiction ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen.
jacquelynfrank.com
@JacquelynFrank
The Editor’s Corner
It’s time to go back to school and feed your reader with these fabulous Loveswept romances….
In Laura Marie Altom’s scorching new novel, The Escort, a broken heart pushes a rugged loner to the breaking point—until a not-so-innocent affair changes everything. New York Times bestselling author Kathy Clark keeps the heat on with Deep Night, as two adrenaline junkies find themselves fighting unexpected passion—and unspeakable terror. New York Times bestselling author Missy Johnson’s Code of Honor asks a burning question: What happens when love is undeniable—and taboo? And USA Today bestselling author Lauren Layne’s Blurred Lines delivers a sexy take on the timeless question: Can a guy and a girl really be “just friends”?
Sidney Halston’s scorching new MMA romance Laid Out, proves there are no holds barred when it comes to seduction. In A Fashionable Indulgence, the first novel of an explosive new series from K. J. Charles, a young gentleman and his elegant mentor fight for love in a world of wealth, power, and manipulation. Then meet Megan Crane’s Deacons of Bourbon Street, bad-boy bikers who are hell on wheels—and heaven between the sheets in Make You Burn. New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank returns with Nightwalker, a pulse-pounding installment in the Nightwalker series. And perfect for Highlander fans, My Highland Bride is where Southern sass meets Highland heat in Maeve Greyson’s scintillating new Highland Hearts romance.
New in Flirt is Just a Little Kiss, the next novel of Renita Pizzitola’s Crush series. Felicity knows that “Summer Boys” are only good for one thing. But what if hooking up with the right guy could lead to a fresh start?
There you have it—until next month, when September is the month to fall in love all over again, with Loveswept.
Happy Romance!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
Read on for a sneak peek of the next book in Jacquelyn Frank’s Immortal Brothers series
Bound by Sin
By the time Jaykun awoke, the battle was over.
And dusk was approaching.
He sat up sharply and pain lanced through him, taking his breath away. Still, he was much better off than he had been. And he had felt much worse before. Much worse.
Garreth and Dethan were both missing from the tent. Tonkin was sitting close by, however. No doubt keeping an eye on him.
“Where are my brothers?” he asked with a groan as he threw his legs over the side of the cot. Tonkin hastened to his feet and reached to help him, but Jaykun fended him off with a raised hand.
“They are helping bring the wounded off the field.”
“And the battle?”
“Won. All that’s left now is the city walls to breach. But I don’t imagine it will be much of a fight since they sent most of their men into the field.”
“Wise rulers would have held at least some for defending the walls. But in the face of an army as massive as ours, they would have been much better served to open their gates and let us in peacefully. Now there is death on their doorstep and women without husbands and sons. Even some daughters.”
“People think fighting for their way of life is more important than their lives themselves.”
Jaykun straightened to his full height, although it took some doing. His whole body ached, and his chest throbbed painfully. But his heart was beating, and the bleeding had stopped. It was all an improvement over hours earlier.
“Sor, where are you going?” Tonkin asked hesitantly. He knew that questioning Jaykun wasn’t a wise idea, but the brothers had told him to keep Jaykun down as long as possible.
“It is almost dusk. I have business elsewhere.”
Tonkin nodded. He had been around the brothers long enough to know what came with dusk. He stepped back and let Jaykun pass.
Jaykun walk
ed out of the tent and into the camp.
The whole of it was active, but it was a weary sort of activity—men coming back from battle, tired and bloodied and some deeply wounded. But their day would not end until darkness forced it upon them. They were good men, dedicated soldiers. Jaykun was completely committed to them, as they were committed to him.
He didn’t have time to find his brothers, and there was no reason for him to. They would know where he had gone.
He walked through the camp as quickly as his abused body allowed. He had chosen a spot when they encamped four days earlier. He had gone there every dusk…and would go there every dusk following.
The spot was along a not—too—distant beach. Far enough away from the battlefield and the encampment to ensure he would not be seen. The beach was littered with seals, their large, sleek bodies sprawled out in the late—day sun, catching the last of its light on their shiny fur. Natural jetties bracketed the sheltered cove and they too were full of seals. There were even some morari to be found, their bodies just as sleek, though on a much larger and bewhiskered scale, ivory tusks long and jutting out from beneath their lips.
Jaykun had found a cove—a cave, really—not too far down this beach and he headed right for it. The floor of the shale cave was submerged and that was fine. It didn’t matter. He waded to the rear of the shallow cave and slowly disrobed, placing all of his clothing on a shale outcropping. Once he was fully nude, he sat down in the water. Upon being seated, the water came up to the bottom of his ribs and lapped there quietly.
From here he watched the sinking sun in the west. When the first touch of dusk came, he began to feel it. Sometimes he thought this was the worst of it…when he went from feeling fully normal to…
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