“Complicated seems like a good word for a lot of things.”
Phelan shivered as Jacqueline’s lips brushed his jaw. Complicated indeed. Every time she was near, every time she kissed him good-night or good-morning, he had to remind himself that he didn’t have to run this time, didn’t have to push her away. She knew what he was and the way he was and didn’t care—or maybe she loved him in spite of it, or because of it.
“You should’ve stayed in bed,” she murmured. “If you don’t stop pushing so hard, you’ll just get caught in the same vicious cycle that Thom finally shook free of.”
He leaned against her for a moment, one arm snaking around her waist and drawing her tight against the side that was still tender, even weeks later. “I had to trust Matt’s instincts on this one. There was trouble brewing and the last thing any of us want or need is to see Thordin torn limb from limb.”
Jacqueline peered up at him, brushing a few loose wisps of hair back from her face. “You don’t actually think that’s what would have happened without your intervention, do you?”
“I wish I didn’t.” He smiled wryly and shook his head. “Tensions were thick enough to smear on your toast by the time I got there. She still loves him, but she’s angry enough right about now that she’d kill him if he pushed her too far.”
“Well, I hope he’s not up by the fire right now.”
“You and me both.” Phelan followed his lover’s anxious gaze toward the fire, where Sif had seated herself with her back to them, facing the flames.
“What made her so angry?”
“He died,” Phelan said simply. Jacqueline shivered.
“You’re not allowed to do that,” she said.
He grinned. “That’s what you guys keep telling me, anyway.” The expression faded a moment later and he exhaled a sigh. “They’ll have to talk, though, before she leaves here. They’ve got to. She has to tell him—and he’s got to tell her.”
“Tell each other what?”
Phelan leaned against her a little more heavily, weariness suddenly crashing over him like waves over breakers. “Everything, Jac. They’ve got to tell each other everything.”
oh dang it,, now I have to wait to see what those two have to tell each other.
Good addition. This story is dramatic. Has love, hate, death, birth, killer fantasy beings, real people doing battle with super strength “beings” Even sounds like they have winters like I do.
Thanks for the new post.
All caught up again, and damn I hate reaching the end of the current updates! 🙂
Erin this is a beautiful story, and I hope you continue to give us its pages for a long time to come – thank you!
Thanks! Some days it gets hard, but most of the time…well. Most of the time they want to tell me their story as much as y’all want to read it!