I know it's been nearly 5 years since the last update, but I missed you all and I missed this story.
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*Rush*
The hills were red.
It wasn't the settling night or the burning of the distant torches that painted them that way. It was Rush's vision, tainted with his mother's influence. His hands were burning like fire, the ground torn to rubble beneath his rough claws. Blood spurted from his mouth and his throat felt like it was ripped open. But he couldn't stop roaring in agony, in rage. For a long while, he was just that fucking slave, that fucking dog. Her dog.
You're only a dog.
Her deranged grin gleamed in his eyes. That was all he could see, how she would tell him her sins. How she would make him sin at her feet. Then she would sharpen her claws, only to condemn him, channel in all her hatred for the son that should never have been born. She wouldn't look away from his eyes, because she saw herself in him. She called him unworthy, because she was unworthy in his father's eyes. She was unworthy to be his wife. She was unworthy to rule with him. She was unworthy to bear his sons.
Blood kept pooling around him. All around his shackled hands and feet, the redness grew. The stench of blood and sex and release suffocated him. The slave's broken cries rang in the distance, because he wanted to end his life, but his mother wouldn't let him. She wanted him alive so she could keep breaking him.
The slave was left in his despair, without hope. Each new day was received with dread. And each night? He wanted to become invisible, praying his mother and her men did not see him. He prayed he would be spared another night. He kept praying to be saved so he could finally breathe the fresh air of a sinless world instead of the world he was forced to sin.
Then his salvation came. He'd been large and powerful, dark and murderous as he set his dark eyes on the pleasure slave. The Death Alpha, he'd called himself. He was from the Darklands, and at first Rush had thought this male wanted him to sate his own sick pleasures. At the thought, fresh chills of terror shot up his spine. The slave didn't think he'd survive this male. Something about his hard, cruel gaze had been almost sadistic, unforgivable.
But Maddox wanted nothing but to set Rush free.
For decades, Rush could not be without Maddox. He'd been a mess. His mind had been taken over by insanity. The centuries worth of torture and abuse had finally settled in, and the first few years, Rush would have panic attacks. He would relive his past over and over again. The only solace he found was the Death Alpha.
Rush hadn't trusted Maddox at first. He wouldn't receive his help. He'd pushed him away, rejecting his presence. All he did in his chamber was sit in the corner alone, barely clothed, and shivering. He wouldn't even let the maids come in. They'd been females. They reminded him of his mother. After the first few bursts of fright, Maddox came in and pulled his face against his neck.
"You have finally succumbed to your lusts, have you not, Death Alpha?" Rush had hissed against Maddox.
"Shut up," Maddox growled. "What I'm about to do right now is irreversible. But this is the only way to save you, so I must."
"What—" But the Death Alpha gave him no chance to retort, as a blast of dark energy racked through the both of them. Rush screamed in agony as his heart froze. Maddox had pierced both of their hearts, letting each other's blood join and seep back into their bodies. It almost felt as something tore through him, ravaging everything disgusting, tearing down his past and nightmares. Their hearts pumped desperately against each other, one clearing away sins while the other clung for redemption.
Against him, Maddox had been breathing harshly, sounds of pure agony escaping his throat. But he never let Rush go. He held him tight against him, forcing their hearts to recognize each other as their blood kept swirling together in an endless dance of raw power and something so intimate that it was jarring.
"Don't fear me," Maddox had kept repeating, his rough voice oddly like a solace amidst the soul-wrenching pain. One of his big hands remained on the back of Rush's head, guiding him to his neck where his scent had been the strongest. He wanted to calm him down, reassure him that they would survive this...that he was not a threat to Rush.
Rush's heart started to beat again. His blood thawed. His claws detached from deep within Maddox's flesh. He suddenly felt so weak that he nearly toppled over. But then a surge of deadly energy gripped him again, and his soul felt as if all the cracks had been slammed back together. His pulse suddenly shot up, awareness streaming through his blood as he recognized another soul sitting right next to his in the darkness.
Brother, it whispered.
"Brother," Rush rasped, his throat raw from screaming in pain and terror. The air had been dead silent, only their breathing giving away the fact that they both were still alive. He slowly pulled away from the big male and looked into his black eyes. Recognition flashed through them at the surge of connection they felt, the bond that could never be broken between them.
This male would be his protector. The keeper of his soul. The one who would understand him, because everything Rush would feel, he would feel, too.
Rush would never be alone again.
The Death Alpha's gaze shifted from his face to the rest of his bare body. He was checking for injuries or signs of distress. When he found none, he looked at Rush again, and took one of his bony hands in his. Pressing it over his powerful chest, he forced Rush to feel his beating heart that mimicked Rush's own.
Rush trembled against the Alpha male, relief blooming in his soul. His vision began to blur, but he could still make out the faint, slow smile spreading over the Death Alpha's face. Even though he was bleeding from Rush's onslaught of rage, he would never hurt him. "Brother," Maddox agreed.
A thousand years passed since then, and they still remained brothers.
And brothers never gave up on each other.
The scent of death and blood drilled into his nostrils as Rush finally came back to reality. It was the smell of the Death Pack and the Night Pack, a reminder that Rush and Maddox were linked by their souls for all of eternity.
"I wish you didn't have to see me like this," Rush rasped out, his throat burning from vomiting out blood and anguish. He was on his knees, with Maddox firmly locking his arm around his torso before Rush could erupt into a violent mess of fur and claws. If Rush had shifted in his haze of insanity, he would have done a lot of damage—to the wrong people. The last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone in his pack.
"I've seen you worse," Maddox's voice rumbled. He sounded angry on his behalf, and it touched him. "And I'll never abandon you. It's just cruel that you have to suffer for her sins."
"I'm not over it, Maddox," Rush said, and something close to panic started to grip his heart, making his chest constrict. "I don't think I'll ever be over it. I can still feel her inside of me. I can still feel every last thing her men did to me." Rush started to shake, his body growing colder and colder as helplessness surged inside of him. How was he going to protect his pack and Aletha when he couldn't even protect himself? "I thought it was getting better, but it's gotten worse. I will never get better. God, I will never get better! I will never..." His voice broke off as a sob racked over his body, tearing through his lips. "I will never get better."
"Don't say shit like that," growled his brother by soul. "You fought every day of your life. You live because you fight. Don't stop fighting now. You and I? We never stop fighting."
"It won't stop," said Rush, shaking his head. "Why can't you fucking see that as long as she's alive and reigns over Castira, she will never stop? What the hell can I do when there's nothing to be done!"
"Kill her," Maddox said, his voice dark and imposing as he pulled Rush against his chest. "You fight that rancid bitch until you find her soul. And once you do...it's over. All of your torture, all of her games, they will be over. Yeah, the memories won't, but you won't have to relive them again. You try to move on with what you have left of yourself."
"And if I don't have anymore of me to move on?"
Maddox was silent for a long time, just letting their hearts beat steadily in sync with each other's. It was a reminder he would always be there, always next to Rush, always at his level, never abandoning him again to his mother or the despair she wrought inside of him. "There's a lot of you that's left untouched," Maddox finally said, his voice soft. "She thinks she has all of you at her disposal, but really, she doesn't. She can't reach the most important part of you. Know what that is?" He tapped on his chest. "Your soul. That's mine. I've guarded for the past millennia, and I'll guard it forevermore as your soulkeeper. Nothing in this realm can tarnish your soul."
"There are times I believe she's gotten to my soul," Rush said. "Not all of it, mind you. Just a taste of it. That's what keeps her coming back for more. Today, when I saw what she was doing to Aletha, I snapped. I saw an old hatred in her eyes when she looked at her, and I wanted more than anything else to kill her then and there. I couldn't let her bring more harm to my Luna...so I did what my mother forbade—I drank her blood."
"Why'd you do it when it gives her power over you?"
"Because I wanted her memories."
Maddox froze behind him. Then an evil bark of laughter erupted from him. "You sly son of a bitch."
Rush found himself grinning as his tense muscles finally relaxed. "She will be vulnerable eventually. She'll have to give something away when her thoughts drift. That's why she forbids anyone from taking her blood."
"But she will be highly alert for these next few days until her blood has no effect on you," Maddox said. "You have to work fast."
Rush nodded, wiping at his face. "I know." Then he looked over at Maddox. "I might need you...a lot."
The Death Alpha's gaze narrowed. "If she decides to put her vile memories in your blood, you don't have to worry about what just happened now. I will tear her throat into pieces with my fucking teeth. No one harms you." Then with a lower voice, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, the haze is gone," Rush said. When the onslaught of his mother's influence came, it gripped him with intense despair and the will to die. It played with his emotions, twisting them into something that encompassed all of his insecurities. And she kept feeding him those, bringing him over the edge until his mind broke from the insanity and haze of agony playing repeatedly in his mind. It was weakness, and now that Rush broke away from the madness, fresh wrath burned in his blood. "She took many lives this way. It's how she subdues her victims—by playing with their worst fears."
And maybe Rush would have succumbed to his nightmares if Maddox hadn't gotten him out in time. Maybe he would have finally destroyed his own pack. Maybe...he would have murdered his last mate in cold blood.
The thought made ice spear through his heart. Aletha...with her burning red hair and warm, beautiful eyes. They'd been in tears when she saw him. She'd felt his pain, his nightmares, the vileness running through his blood. She'd been frightened, scared for him, angry for him. How could he endanger such a female?
"Maddox," Rush suddenly began, his throat hurting. "When I went with you to the Darklands for the first time, I knew even if you did betray me, anything was better than Castira. So I put my faith in you and went. You've given me everything...more than what a slave like me deserved."
"You weren't a slave by choice," Maddox countered. "You're a male of worth. Your mother and those pureblood cocksuckers took nothing away from you. Not your worth or your soul."
"I'm glad they didn't," Rush admitted. "Or we may not have met."
"No, we would have."
"How are you so sure?"
"Night and Death never separate. It never happened for eons, and I wouldn't be the first to destroy that tie."
Rush nodded, deep in thought. They always said that one couldn't live without their mate. But to Rush...he wouldn't be alive without his soulkeeper either. "Say," he suddenly began. "If Aletha were to have young and if that young happens to be female...would your boy be her mate?"
His brother by soul shrugged. "I don't see why not. But that's nature's call, not ours."
"I'm putting that bet right now, it'll happen," Rush declared, casting Maddox a wide grin. "And when it does, my love, I'll be waiting for your reaction when I finally get to tell you that I told you so. Ah, what a fine day that will be. A day full of my victory over you."
Maddox smacked him on the head. "A victory huh? Then quit dreaming and get your dick working. How the hell are you even going to have young when you haven't even mated your mate?"
"How the fuck do you know I haven't mated her?"
Black eyes stared at him. "Intuition."
"Sometimes I believe you are insane, Maddox."
"You are not wrong. My head has been damaged for a long time. And after once losing Bella, I don't think the damage can be repaired."
That sobered Rush immediately. "Tell me one thing, did you treat her well when you first brought her to the Darklands? I'm not talking about Death in your head, I'm talking about you."
A sudden burst of cold memories invaded his head. It belonged to Maddox. A flash of dark blue eyes, a soft smile...a pregnant stomach with his hands straining to feel his son. There was laughter in the distance, words of love and sounds of pleasure. Then there were red roses, fading away. There was dark black hair that belonged to none other than Maddox's first mate, and the locks swirled like they were embedded in water. Remember me, her voice went. Never forget about me, his voice went. Then there was lightning. There were claws around a slender neck, a growl from her lips, a threat by a harrowing voice. Just a taste....then there was blood and daggers and red eyes. There were nightmares and screams. Then a dead body of a beautiful female being dropped into the icy depths of a growling black river.
"She angered me with her defiance when we first met. But I never wanted to hurt her," Maddox told him. "She'd been the one I wanted for centuries. She was my other half. She still is." He pressed his fist to his heart. "She has my heart. I never treated her less than she deserved. Only, it tore me apart seeing that I still destroyed her in the end."
"You didn't mean any of it," Rush pointed out tensely.
Maddox shook his head. "Sometimes I wish I never made the pact. I wish I hadn't taken her from you. She was rightfully yours. With me, she suffered so much."
That darkened Rush's mood. "Don't you ever think about it. She is strong with you. With me? I wouldn't have offered her all her deepest desires. I wouldn't have fulfilled what she wants. She's an Alpha female, Maddox. I might be an Alpha myself, but the way her soul compliments you, it would never have happened with me." Rush grinned wryly. "I think she would have sucked my soul dry by now. I can't keep up with her. She's so fucking intense. And incredible. One can only admire her from a distance, because they know they can't have her."
"Or the way she puts it, she belongs to no one," Maddox grumbled. "But apparently, she believes I belong to her."
"Admit it, you like it that way."
Maddox shrugged. "I'm just glad to have my female back, with her memories intact."
"And your son."
That softened Maddox's expression. "And my son."
"Who will be my son by law."
"Who will be..." Maddox glared up at Rush's smirking face. "Shut the fuck up."
Rush busted out laughing. "One day, you will see, love, that I'm right. But for now...you're in luck. I'm taking it slow with Aletha so don't expect young in the near future."
"He says he's taking it slow," Maddox said, watching him suspiciously. "What, she refused you?"
Rush scoffed. "No female or male to my knowledge has ever refused me."
"I have."
"Oh shut up! Every time I flirt with you, it's to piss you off. Now, if I meant it, surely you wouldn't deny me. I am, after all, the most important male in your life."
Maddox snickered. "Back off. My son holds that place now."
"After a millennia together, this is how you return my love? You unfaithful bastard!"
"When you have young of your own, I'll be far from your mind, Rush."
Rush shook his head. "You'll always be in my mind, and I'm not flirting this time."
Maddox slapped his back. "I know you're not. Now let's go. You need to start devising ways to mate her, not keep her sexually frustrated."
"I don't think she's sexually frustrated," Rush said, rising to his feet. "Yet." But then his mind flashed back to the way she craved his blood yesterday. How her mouth had felt against his neck, soft and hungry, hot and thirsty. He almost nearly mated her right then, but knew he needed to give his female his life source so she could replenish herself. She was a newborn vampire now, and they were the most vulnerable yet the most dangerous. They were known to destroy reigns in their awakening if they were left unguarded.
But had he let them succumb to their desires...would she have let him inside her?
He could imagine it. She would be beneath him, their lips locked together as he devoured her moans. Her blood-red hair would be a sharp contrast to the white of the pillows and sheets. Her body would be warm and supple, curvy from being nurtured instead of neglected. Her liquid brown eyes would be staring at him, pleading him as her nails dug into his shoulders, drawing him closer to her core as his hands parted her thighs open...
Beside him, the evil bastard started to chuckle darkly. "You want her," he said. "You're easy to read. Others find you confusing as shit, but I know you. You're afraid she'll be terrified if you do mate her. Rest assured, that won't happen."
Rush glared at him, still feeling the blood throbbing around his hips from thoughts of claiming only one female that had been on his mind too much as of late. "And how does your smartass know that?"
"Intuition, dumbass. I would have thought with your reputation, you'd catch on. But apparently you're far too daft. Should have expected it, when you fuck, you just fuck."
"What else am I supposed to do when I fuck besides fucking?"
"Stealing her heart. You call it seducing."
Stealing her heart? As, make her fall in love with him? Rush almost froze, suddenly realizing he wasn't his most romantic self since he'd brought Aletha to his pack. He'd been cruel, murderous, possessive, and lost in his mind. What if those darker moments with him froze her heart? She'd already been betrayed by her lover once. What if she couldn't trust Rush to make her heart beat again? Suddenly, the thought made his head hurt. Was he already losing his mate?
"Maddox, it's not as easy as it sounds. She's not like other females. Aletha is..." Rush couldn't find the right word for her, because she was so many things. She'd been heinous and feisty in the beginning, but soon when they got past their differences, she was the most precious thing he had in his life. She was understanding and intelligent, and a badass in her own right. She never backed down. She stood her ground, even when she feared for her life. He'd been close to losing her far too many times, he realized. "She's many things to me. She deserves all the time in the world to accept me. And it's only up to her to have me in her bed. Not mine. I give her the reins on this one."
Because she'd been abused for so long. Because her autonomy had been lost not too long ago. Rush had two centuries of it, but that had been over a thousand years ago. He had time to heal. He had Maddox. He had his pack. Aletha had no one until now. It was all new to her still, and her trust? It was the most fragile. He wouldn't jeopardize it by taking away her will again.
"I can't believe it," Maddox said, shaking his head. "You've finally given up your promiscuous ways."
"Why does that sound like a praise from you?"
"It is? Didn't even notice." He clapped Rush on the back before shifting into his large black wolf.
"Maddox!"
Rushika. There was a smile in his brother's voice.
*
The Moon casted a feral glow in his lands when Rush finally stopped releasing the vile energy from his bones. Everything looked almost black and white now. There was no color to his lands.
As he shifted back, a wave of exhaustion hit him hard. He almost considered slumbering, but then the thought of a bed, of him sleeping on it, laying defenseless against the world, and it made him nauseous. He could not sleep. He would never close his eyes again so long as his mother was still alive and hunting after his mate.
His mate.
Suddenly, his drowsiness left him and his blood grew alive. His veins rushed with vigor, and the sudden need to see her, to breathe her in, left him shaking and unsteady. His muscles clenched, his teeth sharpening. He was thirsty. He wanted his mate's blood. He wanted to taste her sweetness all over again, flooding through his tongue like the richest wine. He wanted to hear her breaths catch from desire. He wanted to smell her scent grow stronger for him.
"Aletha," his voice came out, low and growling. His eyes were darting across his territory, only to be met with disappointment when he did not see the one he sought the most. He only saw his warriors fighting. He saw females strolling and whispering things. He saw males and females drinking blood. He saw weapons being sharpened, food being devoured, towers being built. But he did not see his mate.
"Alpha!" He heard Sirka's voice first before he felt her touch on his shoulder. "You alright?"
He glanced back at her and gave a nod. "Where's Aletha?"
Sirka frowned. "She's inside the castle—"
Rush started sprinting toward his castle.
"Wait! Is it fine for you to be so close to her after what just happened?"
"I'm fine," Rush growled back. "It's over for now. Right now, I have to find my mate or I will lose it."
There were no complaints after that. Rush entered the Night Castle and sure enough, Aletha's scent invaded his nostrils. Sweet like honey.
Breathing hard, he took a longer whiff of her. His heart was beating wildly against his chest, his muscles rigid. His claws were protruding, wanting to claim what was his. Slowly, he moved. His ears detected murmurs of the maids, their tones nervous from the recent turn of events. The guards recognized their Alpha's presence, and Rush felt their pulses quicken and fear and respect. Rush neared the stairs, where his mate's scent grew stronger. She must be in their room.
He didn't wait a moment longer. His limbs burned as his form swallowed the halls, seeking out his female. His hands found the knob of the door. One jerk, and he was slipping inside, a blast of heat and the smell of honey slamming through his essence. The door behind him slammed shut, and a small body on his bed jerked in alarm.
Then her gaze fell on him.
Rush could only stare at her, thinking how disheveled she looked, how frantic, and how fucking heartbreaking because she was waiting for his return.
I don't deserve you, he thought.
His mouth parted, but he didn't know if he'd called her name or not. He just knew that she was darting at him with full speed, nearly tackling him to the ground. Her hands were on his face, her wide brown eyes taking all of him in. "Where were you? How are you feeling? Did anything—"
"Aletha, I'm alright," he told her, but his voice was still feral. She flinched at his tone, and he touched one of her hands against his face, preventing her from recoiling. "I wanted to see you."
She paused, watching him for a long moment. Then she sighed. "I wanted to see you, too," she whispered. Her head pressed against his chest as she inhaled. "I wanted to see you so badly. I wanted to take your pain away, Rush. But you wouldn't let me, and I felt so helpless."
"Aletha," he said, pressing his mouth against her head. His arms wound around her, wanting to feel her body against his. "Love, I feared for your life."
"No," she suddenly growled, yanking herself free. "I feared for your life! I feared I was losing you. I feared that she finally succeeded in taking everything away from me!"
He watched her in stunned silence. When he finally found his voice, he realized she was very angry. Her body was shaking as it had in the Blood Tower. There were sparks of green on the tips of her fingers, and her eyes flashed red. Possessive wrath marred her serene face.
"She made you see your past, didn't she?" she said, her voice deadly yet calm. The calm before the storm hit. "She made you relive your past, all three centuries of it. I know because I've seen it, Rush." The red of her eyes left, and her body sagged with anguish. "I've seen all of it with you."
Secretly, he was dreading the day she knew of all his past. His blood was in her veins. His thoughts were hers. His memories, hers. He never wanted her to see more than she had the other day, but she'd seen all of the filthy, sinful slave he was. She'd seen him break over and over again, two centuries worth of rapes and tortures. She'd heard his desperate screams, felt how hollow he was as his will to live another day faded. She'd seen him try to take his life.
"Oh hell, Aletha," he said, bile rising up his throat. "You shouldn't have seen any of it. You shouldn't have..." He didn't think he could face her. For a strong moment, he was going to panic. His lungs collapsed and he was seeing double. His claws found the door, and he was going to bolt out, breaking into fur and fangs, but her voice kept him rooted in place.
"You're going to leave me again?"
The flames near his walls began flickering, and he shook his head. "I don't know what you think of me. I never wanted you to know, because I didn't want you to remember what you went through. And a fucking asshole side of me never wanted you to know because I was weak and helpless back then. I had no will. I was desperate to die, Aletha. I wanted no life!"
"I didn't either!" she cried. "Do you know how much I wanted to die when they enslaved me? I prayed to the Moon Goddess every day and night to take me away. But I don't want to die anymore." A soft brush against his hand. Her fingers wrapped around his fingers. "Do you still want to die?"
"...No," he answered truthfully. "Haven't desired it since I left Castira."
She squeezed his hand. "I should have been there for you. I'm your mate. I'm your..." He heard a sob break out of her lips. "...I'm your wife."
His chest squeezed painfully. She was his wife. He was her husband. By law, they were married. They wore each other's eternal mark, a symbol of what they were to each other. What they meant to each other. He found himself squeezing her hand in return, and this time the grip was painful. "Dear girl," he said, pulling her firmly against him. Although he couldn't see her, he felt her heart beating rapidly against his back. "You've already been there for me."
"Then why won't you show me the worst of it?"
"Because I don't want to give you my sins," he said. "And I don't want to accidentally hurt you, maybe even kill you."
"I can take it, Rush," she said without hesitation.
"You would say that, you have no regard for your fucking life," he growled, facing her with newfound anger. Like hell he would let her die so easily. If anything jeopardized her life, he would end it. And when he would jeopardize her life? He wouldn't dream of being anywhere near her. Did she realize that every time she said careless shit like that, how much it hurt? That she believed her life was that expendable? It fucking wasn't. She was priceless to him.
She glared up at him. "Don't bring that up right now," she warned. "This is about you, not me."
"Yeah, well sweetheart, you just made it all about you the moment you spoke of endangering yourself."
"I did not speak a word about endangering myself!"
"Do you realize what I can do when I lose control? I am not bluffing, Aletha. I can snap your neck in cold blood, and it's happened many times before. I felt that urge back there, and that is why I needed distance. Only Maddox knows how to handle me at my worst." He held her shoulders tightly, giving them a shake. "And you? You think you can just walk into danger and think it'll be fine? If you keep thinking like that, you will die!"
Her jaw clenched. "My life has been meaningless for a long time, but I did find meaning when I was saved. I thought I'd lost it again after Lucien betrayed me, but you gave it back to me. So don't you dare say I have no regard for my fucking life when all I want to do is take your pain away! Everything's worth it if it's you. You are worth so much to me..." Tears started streaming down her soft cheeks, and he felt like punching himself for being the reason behind those tears. He felt vile, and undeserving of her devotion. Just when he was about to let go of her, she grabbed his shirt, bunching her fists to hold him to her. "If I lose you, Rush, I will lose everything."
Even my will to live.
"No," he said thickly, yanking her to him. "No. Hush, female. Hush." He lifted her up, bringing her face to his neck. "You won't lose me. I'm sorry, Aletha, I'm sorry." He didn't know how much the pull affected her. He only thought of himself, how much he couldn't live without her. He never thought how frantic it made her. How she felt the same as him. "I can't lose you either. If you saw me mindless, I fear if I didn't kill you, I would have hurt you. I don't want you hurt. I'd hurt you before, and if I see you frightened of me again, Aletha, I will break. And no one can fix me back again."
"Then what can I do for you?" she asked, a desperate tinge to her voice. "I will give you everything. Tell me what to do." She faced him again, her eyes still wet. He hated the pain shining through them.
His arms tightened around her waist as his forehead brushed against hers. "Then stay home with me. When we're alone...never leave my side. Keep me strong, female, because you do."
"Then never let go of me," she whispered against his mouth. "I want you to be here with me. This is our home. This is where we belong. You can't leave me alone, because without you, there's no home for me. And when you are hurting," her voice shook. "I know the Death Alpha will be there for you --and that's fine, he's your brother by soul-- but know I am also here. I'll always be here for you. I'll hold you, and I'll take the pain away as much as I can, because I see you and I know you..." Suddenly, he didn't know whose tears it was against his cheeks. All he knew was that she was breaking his heart. "As your wife, I will be with you through the darkest night. I promised you this. I won't break it, so please, Rush...please never let me go."
His mouth was against hers the next moment. He took in her sobs, drank them in, wanting to take all the fear and hurt away. They couldn't linger on this anguish. They needed to live, and he intended to do that by giving her all the happiness he could. "Never," he whispered to his mate. "I will never let you go, my love."