Darkest Risings (28 page)

“He
has skills. I agree he could prove useful.” Aldin hated to admit that, but it
was the truth. “He also saved Aiston’s life. I’m not saying I trust him. I
guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

At
this point in the game, they couldn’t afford to burn any bridges.

“Shit’s
going down soon. We need to form a rock solid plan. We can’t afford to lose
anyone. We are seriously outnumbered, and if what Grady said about Trinidad
holding back his more skilled fighters is true, we are seriously fucked.” The
way Malachi said Trinidad’s name had the ability to raise the hair on the back
of Satan’s neck.

“I
need to try for another vision,” Ragnor muttered.

“Everyone
take some time to relax, clear your minds, and come up with some ideas. We’ll
meet again to devise a plan in twelve hours. After that, there won’t be much
time for anything but scouting, and perfecting our strategy to take this
bastard down once and for all.” That didn’t give Aldin long to make things
right with Wilhemina, but he was determined to do his best.

“I
agree.” Aiston stood. “I know exactly how I will spend that time. With my
woman.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down before exiting.

“
Ashe.”

“Yeah.”

“We meet again in twelve hours.
Relax and spend some time with Ebony and Marcus.”

“Take care of your business as well,
brother.”

Aldin
didn’t miss the meaning behind Ashe’s words. Anyone going into this with their
eyes open knew coming out alive was uncertain. What he really meant was get
your shit in order because it may be your last opportunity to do so.
        

“Since
I have no woman willing to spend time with me, I guess I’m hitting the gym and
spending some serious time with the PS3.” Uriah exited.

Aldin
waited until Malachi, Conrad, Dominic, and Ragnor left before following and
flipping off the switch beside the door, casting the room in darkness.

“What
did you see?” Marilena asked Ragnor as he leaned heavily on the table in the
corner of Marilena’s room.

“It’s
not good, Marilena.” His chest ached when he saw the tears glisten in her eyes.

For
more years than he could count, he’d longed for those eyes to look upon him
with the passion they’d once held. He’d been a fool for letting her run away from
him. He’d not be that fool again. She was his whether she liked it or not, and
she would stay by his side from this moment on no matter how long or short that
time might be.

“Tell
me. Don’t spare me. Not after everything I’ve done.”

He
wouldn’t spare her except for one tiny detail. The detail that included his
death. “I am unable to see the outcome of the battle to take place at the
warehouse. Who wins? I do not know. I’m only guessing, but I think the final
outcome now lies in Uriah’s and Lindsey’s hands. Although I’m not sure of
Wilhemina’s and Aldin’s future either. I cannot perform the
virtus ritus
until Lindsey and Wilhemina
have accepted Uriah and Aldin as their life mates.”

“You
could, but won’t.”

“If I
perform the
virtus ritus
, and even
one of them—Uriah or Aldin—is not tied to his
viata amant
, it will be as good as dealing a death sentence. Since
I am also unable to see the outcome of the final battle, I will take that as
meaning we still have a chance at victory. Even though we could conclude that
it rests entirely upon our sons coming into their true blood powers, that may
not be the case.”

“But
if you don’t perform it, it will mean a death sentence for all of them.”

“See,
my dear. That is what got you in trouble to begin with.”

“What
is that?”

“Jumping
to conclusions with minimal information.”

While
he saw his own death and could make the assumption that the weakness brought on
by performing the virtus ritus could be a direct contributing factor to his
demise, it was purely speculation on his part. He wasn’t aware of anything that
was capable of killing him unless he was in such a state of weakness, but he
did not know who and what Trinidad was either. There were too many unknown
factors to consider, too many uncertainties that kept him from seeing a clear
picture of what caused his own death.

He
prayed that he was right about being killed during his weakened state from
performing the ritual. That scenario hinted that things would work out for all
of his sons so they could come into their powers.

“No
one can say or do anything that will make me suffer more than I already
have…am. I made mistakes, but I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of my
children. And yet, I did. Not only is Estril dead, my only daughter gone
forever, but my sons will never look at me the same again. And there remains
the very real possibility of losing one or all of them to the uprising.”

Ragnor
sighed in resignation.

“What
else aren’t you telling me?” Marilena demanded.

“During
the first battle, we will lose one of the hunters. I do not know which one, but
it will happen.”

“Are
you saying it could be one of our sons?”

He
nodded.

“No!”
She clenched her fists. “No!”

If
the situation were not so dire, he’d revel in her fury. She was most beautiful
when she was angry or caught up in the throes of passion. How he ached for her.
How he needed her to touch him, to soothe the turmoil that broiled his insides
to the point that he thought he might be cooked alive.

“Marilena,
did you stop loving me?”

“Wh-what?”
She frowned.

“During
the years we were apart, the years after you left, did you stop loving me?”

“Ragnor,
this is not the time to discuss this,” she said quietly.

He
went to her and gently gripped her by the shoulders. “This may be the only time
we have to discuss this. What lies ahead is uncertain.”

She
turned her back to him and started to sob softly. “You are my
viata amant
, Ragnor. You have always
been—will always be—a part of me. Every day I spent away from you was painful.
No other man has ever touched me. I couldn’t bear it.”

“That
is one thing I know, Marilena. I allowed you much, but being with another man,
I would not.” He pulled her back against his chest. “Why could you not have
returned to me? You cannot imagine how I suffered.”

“After
you, the most powerful vampyre in existence, the Vampyre King, was selfless
enough to allow me to leave, how could I come back and admit that I’d been
weak?”

“Marilena,
what you did was foolish. What you did was a colossal mistake, but you were
never weak. You were willing to give up your happiness, willing to risk their
love to try to save our children. I admired you for your strength. The only
thing I did not admire was your lack of trust in me.”

She
turned to him, tears streaming down her cheeks, and reached up to cup his jaw
in her small hand.

“You
cannot imagine the regret I feel for driving the only person who loved me above
all others, who I loved above all others, away.”

“You
never drove me away. I’ve always been right here waiting for you. I’m still
right here waiting for you.”

She
let out an anguished cry. “How could you possibly want me after everything I’ve
done?”

“Because
you are the other half of my soul. Without you, my life is dark and cold.”

“Do
you think you could ever forgive me? Truly forgive me for the things I’ve done?
For all of it?”

Ragnor
smiled at her. “I’ve never pretended to condone your actions, Marilena. But I
do understand them. There is nothing to forgive. You were a mother doing what
she thought best for her children. How could I hold that against you? You, the
woman I love more than anything, more than my own life, trying to protect our
children like a fierce lioness even when the odds were stacked against you. My
question to you now is, do you finally believe me when I tell you that I have
no control over the prophecy? I cannot stop it?”

“Yes.
I wanted to believe you could stop it and save our children so badly that I let
the fear cloud my judgment. I’m sorry I doubted you. I know you will do
everything in your power to protect our babies.”

“They
are hardly babies, Marilena. They are strong men. Good men. Men any parent
would be proud to call his or her own.”

“Yes.
They are.”

“Let’s
put this all behind us, shall we?”

“But
how? Uriah will never forgive me, and Aldin, and—”

He
placed his index finger over her lips. “Shh. I said let’s put it behind
us
.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks
with his thumb.

“I
want that more than anything,” she said with hope shining in her eyes.

Ragnor’s
heart—the heart that had laid dormant since the day she’d left—came to life. He
leaned down and took her lips in a gentle, exploratory kiss. The coldness,
bitterness, and discord that had resided in him for what seemed like forever
dissolved as one touch from her brought him instant peace.

He
picked her up and walked toward the bed where he laid her on her back and
leaned over her. “Know that once we do this, I will never allow you to leave me
again. If you should ever run away from me again, I will tear this earth apart,
heaven and hell too if I must, to bring you back to me.”

“I’m
tired of running, my love.” She raised her arms and opened them to welcome him
home.

“Be
warned, my beautiful, Marilena. Once you accept me, I will no longer stand back
and allow you to do whatever you please when you please. From this day forward,
we make all substantial decisions together. Do you understand?”

“Yes.
Yes. Now come to me, darling.”

He
sank into her waiting arms without hesitation, determined not to waste one
moment he had left with her.

* * * *

Conrad
opened the shower door and stepped under the spray next to Dominic.

“I
was wondering if you were coming,” Dominic said while lathering his chest with
soap.

“I
plan on
coming
.” Conrad replied
before slowly perusing Dominic’s wet, toned body.

Dominic
had the most breathtaking golden-colored eyes. They’d been attracted to one
another for years, but had never given in to that attraction until they’d both
finally grown tired of pretending otherwise a few months ago.

Conrad
had been with women as well, as had Dominic. Both were quite the ladies’ men,
but neither had been attracted to another man until they’d met one another. For
Conrad, it had been an instant attraction that had taken him by surprise, an
attraction that he’d tried his best to fight. Dominic had fought it as well,
but only for Conrad’s sake. None of that mattered now, though. It was all in
the past, and this was now.

Conrad
reached for a washrag, wet it, and squeezed some soap onto it. He rubbed the
cloth over Dominic’s smooth, wide back in slow circles. Dominic groaned when
Conrad dropped the rag to the shower floor and began massaging his shoulders.
He worked the tense muscles until they unknotted and soon Dominic’s head fell
back against his shoulder, exposing the muscular column of his throat.

Conrad
licked his lips then bent to trail his tongue along the exposed skin. His cock
jumped in anticipation and Dominic reached behind him to tunnel his fingers
through Conrad’s hair. Conrad groaned when the motion brought him up tight
against Dominic’s back.

He
was in love with Dominic, and couldn’t wait for the shit with the drifters to
be done with so they could start their lives together. Conrad flexed his hips,
and Dominic grunted as the entire length of his cock rubbed slowly against his
ass.

Conrad
gave Dominic a gentle shove and guided his hands palm down high on the shower
wall. He stepped up behind him closing the distance between them, and wrapped
his arms around him from behind. He ran his fingers over his chest before
leaning in to kiss his neck again.

“Do
it, Conrad,” Dominic grunted.

“You
know I love you, right?”

“Yeah,”
Dominic answered. “Ditto.”

Conrad
smiled before opening his mouth wide and sinking his fangs into the side of
Dominic’s neck. Shit was going to get heavy in a few hours, and they both
needed this time with one another. When they were together, nothing else
mattered. It was only the two of them and no one else. When they were together,
reality gave way to a world of need, pleasure, and fulfillment.

* * * *

“Who
the fuck are you?”

When
Grady came from the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around his hips, to find a
tall, gorgeous, blonde creature standing in front of him, he nearly tripped
over his own tongue. She was holding a sword up in front of her in a fight
stance. She was glorious.