Silver lined Brynleigh’s eyes, and she held a hand over her mouth. This was… it was… Unexpected. Generous. Considerate. She’d felt so horrible about leaving her friend in Moonwater Prison, especially after everything that had happened.
“Thank you, Ryker.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Thank you so much.”
She couldn’t seem to think of any other words that would adequately convey the depth of her appreciation, but she’d show him later just how much this unexpected gesture meant to her.
Would this man never cease to surprise her?
He untangled their fingers and gently pushed her inside.
“Go ahead, catch up. I’ll make some dinner and warm up some blood for you.”
Ryker was so gods-damned considerate.
And he was hers.
Forever.
CHAPTER 41
He’d Chosen Well
Three months later
Snow fell leisurely from the midnight, star-speckled sky, dancing towards the ground. Ryker inhaled deeply, the crisp air infiltrating his lungs. The Northern Region was always cold, but it was even more frigid than normal after the winter they’d just had.
It didn’t bother him at all. No amount of cold could chase the warmth that had taken up residency in his heart since the Reunion.
Ryker hadn’t known that happiness could be so consuming or that it could completely alter every aspect of one’s life. Everything he did was made easier with Brynleigh by his side. She made him a better man; each day was better than the last.
“It’s beautiful,” she murmured from beside him.
Marlowe barked as if emphasizing her point. The dog sat patiently at Ryker’s feet, waiting to be allowed to run around.
The fae wiggled his fingers in his gloves, the cold permeating every layer he wore. It was true that the Northern Region was especially stunning in the winter, not that there were many seasonal differences this far north.
In the land once known as Eleyta, winter reigned ten months out of the year. Snow-capped mountains speared the skies. Evergreen treeswearing white coats rose all around them. The Black Sea was in front of them, stretching as far as the eye could see. A massive hunting lodge was at their backs, and the vacation rental was exactly as pictured.
It was perfect.
Ryker looked to his left. Brynleigh was staring at the mountains, and Ryker unabashedly studied his beautiful wife. Her cheeks were tinged in pink, and golden tendrils escaped her braid. A black scarf and mittens only added to her vampiric beauty, accentuating her pale skin and goddess-touched features. Cast in the moon’s silver light, she had an ethereal air that drew him to her.
“You are,” he murmured.
He still couldn’t believe she was his. From the first moment he’d seen her in the infirmary, he’d known they were meant to be.
It took a second for his words to settle, but he saw the moment they did because a shy smile spread across Brynleigh’s face as she looked up at him.
“You’re not so bad yourself, Captain.”
Chuckling, he kissed her. He’d never get enough of this. Of her.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
She beamed. “More than I ever thought possible.”
“Me too.” Ryker wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. If someone had told himthiswould be where they ended up in those horrible days after their wedding, he never would’ve believed them.
And yet, they were on their second-chance honeymoon, waiting for their friends, and ready for whatever life would throw at them next. Even Tertia seemed to be slowly softening towards Brynleigh after the vampire had saved her son’s life. Cyrus was healing, and River had finished Maturing a month ago.