After several minutes had passed, Brynleigh’s breathing slowed. She lifted her chin and sniffled. “I couldn’t stop her.”
Worry creased his brows. “Stop who?”
Brynleigh drew in another shuddering breath and laced her hand through his.
“Jelisette,” she whispered, the word painfully quiet.
In the silence of their bedroom—because there was no doubt in his mind, this bedroom was theirs after last night—it was like she shouted her Maker’s name.
He tensed despite his efforts to stay calm.
Of fucking course, this had something to do with Brynleigh’s insane Maker.
It took everything he had not to growl as he asked, “What did she do?”
“She… oh, gods.” Another shuddering sob ripped through his vampire, and fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. “She chased me through a forest, staked me, and killed me. I mean… I thought…”
Ryker couldn’t take it anymore. Witnessing his wife’s suffering was like watching someone rip his heart to shreds in front of him.
Keeping one arm wrapped around her, he put the other beneath her chin and tilted it up. “It was a nightmare.”
Brynleigh nodded. “I know, but…”
He brushed his lips over her cheeks, kissing away her salty tears. “But what?”
“But it felt so fucking real.” She rubbed her chest, drawing in deep breaths. “I thought that was it for us, Ryker. I really did. She was so angry.”
“I hate her,” he said vehemently.
He hated her more than anyone else in the entire world.
“Me too.”
They sat in silence for several minutes before those eyes that he loved so dearly rose to meet his.
“Do you know what my last thought was before she staked me?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“You.” Brynleigh brushed her fingers down his cheek. “I was sorry that we didn’t get more time. That hurt more than anything else. More than the stake she drove into my heart. More than the fear and pain of death. The knowledge that we had just found each other again and now were being torn apart was agonizing.”
Ryker’s heart broke at the pain in her voice.“I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Long minutes passed.
“Me too. It was a nightmare, but the fear… I can’t lose you again, Ry.” The vulnerability in her words shot straight to his heart. “I love you, and I need you like I need blood. When I first fell in love with you, I was frightened. I didn’t understand what was happening. But now… now I know I was finding the other half of my soul.”
Ryker’s chest warmed. He’d never known love like this existed. He’d experienced familial love, but that was incomparable to the way he felt about Brynleigh. Even when the divide between them had felt insurmountable, his need for her remained.
“I love you, too,” he murmured.
Her eyes locked onto his, and his breath caught in his throat.
Ryker wasn’t sure who moved first, only that they both did. He bent his head, and she raised her chin. A heartbeat later, their mouths fused in a burning embrace. She shifted, clasping his arms, and he swept his tongue across her mouth.
Gods, he wanted her again.
“Don’t ever leave me,” Brynleigh gasped against his lips.