“Don’t worry. Tell me about my Liv,” I urge.
The room slowly empties as the people leave us alone and Sylvi tells me all about Liv, about her life on their island and I listen intently, happily. Hearing about Liv and the love that she shares with her husband is everything that I could have ever hoped for.
By the time we’re finished talking, I have a sense of peace that washes over me about being so far away from Liv. She’s happy, just like Sybilla and me now. This was truly meant to be, the fates aligned or however that goes. The gods had a plan for us and here we are, fulfilling some prophecy, and living the best lives we could ever imagine.
Colt comes in and announces dinner. Sylvi dips her chin and walks out of the room, not looking back.
“Have you heard all you need about your sister?”
Smiling, I look up at him as I stand to my feet. Closing the distance between us, I lift my hand and cup his cheek.
“She’s happy and having a baby soon,” I whisper.
He dips his chin, his lips brushing mine. “Good. Perhaps we’ll travel after the child arrives so that we can see him?”
“I would love that,” I breathe.
His lips press harder against mine and I sigh, leaning in closer to him. His tongue slides inside of my mouth and I moan as he tastes me, consumes me, and owns me. This man. This man that I have fallen completely and totally in love with.
I don’t know how or when it happened, but it has and I’ve fallen in love with my husband without even realizing it. I knew I was falling, but I’ve fallen. I’m there and there is no turning back now. I can’t leave, not even if I wanted to—I don’t want to.
This is home now.
I’ll miss my parents, the modern conveniences of my previous life, but I would never trade what I have with Colton James, not for anything in the entire world—mine or his.
Bride of the Soldier
A Prophecy of Sisters Short Story
Prologue
JEREMIAH
Birdie watches me… incessantly. She is worse than my mother ever was when I was sick. We are headed home, back to Silverridge, thank the gods. I don’t think that I can handle any more special treatment from her. She’s far too sweet for me to be angry with, but I am on the edge.
Following behind them, I stay back slightly, wondering what awaits me in the future. I know that I will happily be a part of Birdie’s guard until I am no longer needed. As a soldier, this is a high honor, but I can’t help but think about what else could possibly await me in life.
“Do you think that we’ll be in Silverridge for long?” Samuel asks me.
I grunt, knowing how protective Colton is, and why, I have a feeling that we will be in Silverridge until the end of our watch, however long that will be.
We continue to ride in silence until a roar from the lions in the distance sounds. I know that they’ve spotted us and are acknowledging their master. I wonder what it would be like to be Colton. He’s not only in control, he’s powerful, and he has the love of a woman like Birdie. Love that is created and harvested by the gods.
It doesn’t take much longer for us to arrive at Silverridge, but instead of heading straight to the house, Birdie and Colton make their way toward town. They stop in front of the Blue Bird Theatre, Colton giving us a wave, a silent signal that we’re supposed to wait outside.
The four of us face the entrance, ready to pull our six-shooters out of their holsters and protect our leader and his wife at any given moment. We don’t get the opportunity, a few moments later Colton and Birdie appear none the worse for wear.
“Let’s go home,” Colton grunts.
He picks Birdie up and places her on his horse before he mounts it after her. In silence, neither of them telling us what they’ve done, we make our way toward home—or what is now my home for the foreseeable future.
Standing guard just a few feet away, I watch as Martha and Birdie drink sweet tea. Something darkens the sky. A big dark cloud, but then the sky gets bigger and darker and that cloud, is not a cloud because a dragon lands in front of me.
I rush the beast, my gun drawn, but then I freeze when I see the goddess sitting astride the animal. She is beautiful. Her blonde hair, her big blue eyes, her pale creamy skin. She’s like no woman I have ever seen before.
SYLVI
Quest moves quickly through the sky, his gigantic wings flapping as he makes his way toward the desert land of Devilrise. I have never been this far before, I have never been out of Wolfjour Ail before to be utterly honest.
I’m surprised that Aaric allowed me to even go on this mission, probably only because Quest is my guide and protector. No man or beast would dare to challenge a dragon. Not anywhere on this earth.
Quest begins to dip down closer to the red desert and I close my eyes, inhaling the scent of the new world around me. It smells like a mixture between dirt and freedom. I can not only smell, but I can even feel the freedom as it flows throughout my entire body.
We land soon. Quest announces in my head. I practically squeal in delight, then I decide that I need to be serious. I am here as an ambassador for Aaric and Liv, I am not here on vacation. Clearing my throat, I wipe the smile from my face and press my lips together.
Quest sinks farther down before he glides and then finally lands in front of a house. It’s nothing like the homes we have, but it’s big and obviously the leader of the country’s home, the exact man that I’m looking for.
When Quest lands, I watch as a group of men run toward me, their weapons drawn and pointed directly at me. Arching a brow, I don’t say a single word, at least not yet.
Slowly, I slide down from Quest, patting his back a few times before I make my way toward the handsome stranger in the center whose weapon is unwavering as he watches me.
“I am Sylvi, sister to King Aaric, the Sea King. I come with his permission to speak to Birdie and her husband, the ruler of the frontier,” I call out.
A woman rushes forward. She has dark hair piled on her head and her blue eyes widen as she focuses on me. She stares at me in amazement, her lips parted before she speaks.
“I am Birdie, you know Liv?” she squeals.
This is Liv’s sister. She looks nothing like Liv, and I realize that the prophecy must be real. This is not pretend, it is not fake, this is real and these women have been sent here by the gods themselves.
“I do. I am her sister-in-law. I must speak to you and your husband.”
Flicking my eyes toward the sexy stranger with his weapon pointed straight at me, I try not to smile in his direction. He’s beautiful. I had the affection of a beautiful man once, and it did not work out in my favor. Shaking my head, I shift my gaze back to Birdie.
I watch as another handsome man appears. He has longer hair, green eyes, and stands directly beside Birdie.
“You would like to speak to us?” he asks.
My lips twitch into a small smile and I nod. “I would. It concerns the prophecy and the future,” I explain.
The handsome stranger with his weapon pointed at me takes a step forward, he wraps his hand around my elbow and jerks me toward him. I pull my arm away from him, but his grip is too firm. Without a word, he practically drags me toward the house, and I let him.
I let him because I want to know more about him.
Chapter One
SYLVI
Jeremiah watches me. I should go home, but there is something keeping me here and I know that it’s him. The way that he makes me feel when he watches me, I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt it before in my life and that makes me feel guilty.
I should not want him. I should not desire him, but I do. Shifting my gaze from Birdie, I look over her shoulder and my eyes connect with his. My cheeks heat as his eyes meet mine. He’s so handsome, beautifully rugged.
“He is single,” Birdie whispers.
Jerking my head, I shift my gaze from Jeremiah to her. “What?” I ask, looking down to my lap.
“Jeremiah, he isn’t m
arried, he’s single.”
I think about the last man that I had in my life who wasn’t married, the man that I wanted to marry. My heart aches at the thought of him, at the loss of him, but I cannot bring him back and I know that he is celebrating with the warriors and gods right now, not worried over me, he is in a kingdom of the likes that I cannot even imagine.
“I am the sister to a king. My brother will choose my husband.”
Birdie presses her lips together and shakes her head once. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
With a snort, I lift my gaze to meet hers. “It does not matter. I attempted a love match once and it did not work out in my favor. My brother will choose for me a man that he sees fit to marry me, at a time that is of his choosing.”
Birdie leans back, her palm pressing against her belly as her eyes search mine. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, her gaze searching my own for far too long. Like her sister, Liv, she sees far too much.
“It seems as though you have loved and lost and you’re ready to give up. That makes me sad, because I have a feeling that Liv would fight for you. She wouldn’t just allow your brother to give you to anyone, not unless it was a man of your choosing.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I hate that she is right, but I refuse to admit it at the same time, at least not yet.
“It is our custom.”
Birdie snorts, arching a brow. “Liv would not care, not when it comes to someone that she loves and she does, right? She loves you.”
Reaching forward, I take Birdie’s hand in mine and give her a gentle squeeze. “She does,” I whisper. “And I love her just as if she were my own blood sister.”
Birdie is quiet for a moment, then she looks back over her shoulder toward Jeremiah before she brings her gaze back to meet my own.
“Then if that is the man that you wish to get to know better, I suggest you do it and quickly. You don’t want your brother to pick someone for you while you’re playing around here. Not if you can choose your own man, Liv will back you up and therefore, I do too.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Birdie shakes her head a few times. Then, I watch as she slowly stands to her feet and begins to make her way back toward the house.
It’s an unusually cloudy day, so we are enjoying being outside as I’ve heard the sun is quite damaging when it is out in full force.
Birdie makes her way toward the house, stopping next to Jeremiah. I watch as his head tips down to look at her. He nods his head a few times and I wonder what she has said to him, hopefully it hasn’t been anything completely embarrassing.
JEREMIAH
Birdie leaves me alone with the gorgeous creature, telling me that I should show her around the grounds. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to show her. We have dirt, cactus, and trees. There isn’t much else.
Then there’s the simple fact that I don’t think that I can talk to her. She’s too beautiful, too unique. Clearing my throat, I force myself to take a few steps toward her. She’s sitting on top of a blanket, a small basket set next to her that contained her and Birdie’s snacks for the afternoon.
“Your land is barren,” she announces as I sink down next to her.
“It is and it is not,” I explain.
She hums, but doesn’t say anything else, so I attempt to explain to her that our land while it looks like a barren wasteland, it has animals, plants, and life aplenty.
“You make it sound majestic. Though, I wish that you could see Wolfjour Ail. We have all the seasons, ice and snow, warmth that hits you in your bones. It is majestic.”
Her accented voice is what is majestic. I’ve never heard anything quite like it and she has me completely mesmerized.
Reaching out, I extend my finger and touch her bare shoulder. She doesn’t flinch away from me, my brows furrow as I watch her head turn and her gaze find mine. She licks her lips, her eyes searching my own.
“You’re touching me,” she breathes.
“I am,” I say with a nod.
“I like it,” she confesses.
Leaning forward, I touch my lips to hers. Her breath hitches. I expect her to lean away from me, but she doesn’t, instead she shifts forward. I growl when she lifts her hand and cups my cheek. I don’t deepen the kiss, too afraid that I will lose control and be unable to stop myself from taking liberties that are not mine to take.
Breaking the kiss, I press my forehead against hers and breathe, panting, in an attempt to catch my breath. “Sylvi,” I rasp.
“Jeremiah,” she exhales. “We mustn’t.”
“I’m afraid our bodies have already made the decision for us.”
“Me too.”
Chapter Two
JEREMIAH
I watch Sylvi from across the room. She’s sitting in the library with Birdie and Martha. Martha who was once just the woman who cared for the estate is now an essential figure in the house. Though she still sees to her duties, a few more servants have been hired to help her out.
The three women sit and eat a tray of fruit, cheese, and crackers as they chat amongst themselves. I don’t listen to their words, too enamored by Sylvi’s beauty to hear a single word. Licking my dry lips, I try not to rush toward her and scoop her up in my arms, carry her away to my room, and show her just how she affects me.
“She’s beautiful,” a deep voice rumbles.
My entire body jerks and I shift my head to the side, my eyes widening when I realize that Colton has walked into the room and I didn’t even hear him. He’s looking in my direction, a smirk plastered on his lips as he watches me.
“She is,” I agree.
“She’s a princess,” he murmurs.
I don’t respond to him. I know this. My body and heart do not recognize it, but my head knows that she is an untouchable princess. As much as I want her to be free to choose me, I know that it is not possible, no matter how badly we both desire it.
“You cannot defile her or compromise her, not in my home.”
My body jerks, my eyes lift to his and I snap my brows together. “You think me so dishonorable that I would do that to her, to her future?”
“I think you’re falling for her and I am a man, I know what I would do to be able to keep a woman that I was falling for. I know what I have done.”
He doesn’t say anything else, in fact, he walks away from me, leaving me alone to make his way toward his wife. I watch as he holds out his hand, and gives her a smile. She slips her palm in his and a stab of jealousy fills me.
Colton has everything that he wants in life and I am stuck here just watching.
A few moments later, Colton takes Birdie from the room, Martha leaves shortly after and Sylvi and I are left completely alone.
Typically, being alone with a Lady isn’t acceptable, even with the door open. However, we’re in private company inside of this house and nobody would dare tell a soul, as long as I didn’t compromise her in any way.
“This is torture,” she finally says after long moments of awkward silence.
“It is,” I agree.
We’re quiet again and I turn my back to her to look out at the desertscape ahead of me. The sun is beginning to set, a clear sign of the end of another day. One day closer to Sylvi leaving here and going back home, one day closer to her walking away from me forever.
SYLVI
I stare at his back as he watches the setting sun out of the library’s window. I should stand and walk out of this room, leave him alone and preserve my innocence. If my brother knew that I was alone with him this way he would be livid.
Though, maybe Aaric wouldn’t care too overly much. He didn’t have a problem with me choosing who I wanted to wed the last time. Just because that didn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that this will not.
“If you could,” I begin. Jeremiah turns around, his gaze finding mine immediately.
“If I could?” he asks when I don’t continue right away.
Clearing my throat, I stand to my feet. I wonder what he think
s of my clothes. The women here dress nothing like me, their waists are tied tightly in binding corsets, they don’t have fur on their clothes or draping fabrics the way that I do.
Shaking my head, I shake out the thoughts filling it and focus on the conversation ahead of me. “If you could be with me, not just for a night of pleasure, but for life, would you?” I daringly ask.
Jeremiah’s eyes widen and he presses his lips together, rolling them a few times before he gathers his thoughts and decides to speak. His gaze finds mine and my entire body freezes at its intensity as he watches me.
“If I could, I would grab you, wed you, and ride off into that sunset behind me. I would marry you, fill you with babies, and spend my entire life just trying to make you happy.”
My breath hitches from his words. These are not smooth words to try and take my virtue, these are intense and real, these are vows.
Inhaling deeply through my nose, I take a step toward him, then another, until I’ve closed the distance between us. Lifting my hands, I place them on his chest and tip my head back so that I can continue to look directly into his pretty eyes.
“I think I would like that, Jeremiah. Except, we could never just ride into the sunset, you would have to come to Wolfjour Ail. I am my brother’s second and take his place as the leader when he leaves on raids.”
“A woman?” he asks.
My lips turn up into a smile. “I thank Liv for that and I will forever and always be in her debt as she is the one who suggested it.”
“You have no other brothers?” he asks.
Laughing softly, I shake my head once. “I do have brothers, one is Aaric, one is no longer with us, the other living a quiet life on a farm with his wife and family. This is my duty, to help Aaric and to be an ambassador for his country when he is away. He can trust me and he knows that I would not do anything that he would not approve of in his absence.”
Bride of the Frontier (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 3) Page 32
