Chapter 77
NORTH CAROLINA
Kaydon lay on the bed, Bryson’s back on his chest and Seth was curled next to them.
“Dri, that was—” Kaydon struggled to find the words. “One of the best orgasms I’ve ever had. Without a doubt.”
“I second that,” Seth mumbled.
Adria gave a small bow, while leaning down to put some antiseptic on Seth’s mark. He tensed in Kaydon’s arms but relaxed almost immediately.
Kaydon’s mark was next. He shifted his body so he could see the small ‘A’ carved into his thigh. Kaydon estimated that it would last a month or so.
The cold gauze pad stung at first, contact but then a cooling sensation quickly replaced any pain.
“Do you know how to make them deeper?” Kaydon asked.
Adria raised an eyebrow. “Why, big boy, looking for something more permanent?”
Kaydon could feel the heat rising in his face. “Maybe.”
He shrugged. “Is it so hard to believe that we would want a mark from you that lasts?”
Adria’s gaze snapped to his, her eyes assessing. After a long moment she said, “Yes I could scar you, but isn’t it more fun to replace them when they fade.”
Bryson shifted next to him. “But what if we want something that doesn’t fade?”
Kaydon couldn’t help but grin. Bryson sounded drunk. When he hit subspace, he hit it hard.
Adria gave him a smile. “Okay, handsome, sober up and we can talk about it.”
“Maybe we could just get your brand,” Seth said.
“No,” Adria said quickly.
“Why?” Kaydon asked.
She gave them a stern glare. “Where would you two even put it?”
Kaydon pressed right into the four swords over his heart. “Right here, so everyone knows who I belong to.”
“You need a brand for that?” she asked.
Bryson flopped his body to the side of Kaydon.
“We want to be bound to you in every way we can,” Seth said, and Kaydon found himself nodding.
She paled.
“You don’t know how you will feel in a few years,” she whispered.
“My therapist says that if you live in fear of the worst, you won’t be able to experience the best,” Seth said.
“Hey! My therapist said something similar,” Bryson said.
The two of them looked at Kaydon. “What me and my therapist talk about is none of your business,” Kaydon said with a huge grin on his face. “But if it helps Dri brand us, then yes, my therapist said the same thing.”
The color was starting to return to her face, and she hadn’t run yet. Kaydon reached out and wrapped his free hand around her waist, pulling her into their little pile.
“A brand is so much more permanent than traditional marriage. In a regular marriage you can file for divorce.”
“Good, I want it to be more permanent,” Bryson said.
“Me too,” Seth said.
“Me three,” Kaydon said, brushing her hair off her shoulder and kissing her neck.
“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” she said.
“No,” the three of them said in unison.
“I’ll think about it,” Adria said.
The three of them fell into an easy silence. Kaydon loved the way they all felt in his arms. He started his life as Luca’s Right Hand. And then he became Bryson’s, and Kaydon didn’t think he would ever want anything more.
But after meeting Seth and Adria, he realized he did want more. Wanted to be more than a protector. He wanted a family.
And now here they were.
Ever since the pool, he hadn’t had the urge to hurt himself. His therapist said that a near-death experience can change people, but Kaydon knew the truth.
Those pools resurrected them. Washed them clean and gave the four of them a fresh start. Things weren’t easy, and they had to work on them every day. Bryson still safe-worded when Regan weaseled into his mind, but even that was becoming less and less frequent. And Seth had even visited his mom.
When Kaydon was born, his road had been chosen for him, and he never questioned it. But now, for the first time in his life, in all their lives, they were getting to choose their own road.