Chapter 78
NORTH CAROLINA
Bryson stood in the hallway, Kaydon, and Seth right beside him. Before them loomed the mahogany double doors that led to Adria’s father’s office. Now fully hers, Bryson hadn’t recognized it. It seemed that Adria had poured herself into redecorating while they were gone.
She had saved the desk, though. And the four of them had taken turns smashing it in the backyard and burning the pieces.
The door opened, and Eric stepped out. He was wearing a black blazer and dress pants. “We’re ready for you,” he said.
Bryson took a deep breath. He could feel Kaydon and Seth vibrating behind him. Those two had done this before. Bryson didn’t know if that was better—or worse.
He moved into the space, his breath catching as he did. Inside, the office bloomed with red peonies and chamomile—the Winters and Federov family flowers. She also had black roses and pine sprigs, Seth and Kaydon’s favorite.
The fireplace’s light mingled with the orange sunlight cascading into the room.
Adria’s new furniture accented the space and created an inviting atmosphere, and rather than a boy’s den, this space had a functional but inviting feel.
It was light and full of life, just like Adria.
Elena and Sota were standing in the room, beside Cahill and Helen. Eric moved to the fire, placing a metal rod into the flame.
Bryson looked around, but he didn’t see Adria.
As if on cue, she came around the corner.
Her body seemed to float along the floor, in her half-white half-black over-the-shoulder dress.
Bryson’s heart skipped, remembering her in the all-white Elie Saab gown she wore on their wedding day. She was radiant. The three of them stood at the end of the aisle, in their burgundy suits, Seth crying, Kaydon standing rod straight and Bryson trying to concentrate on breathing.
She was a vision that day, but today.
Today she was fire.
The sun was setting, filling the horizon with a bright orange. It was as if the whole world was burning around them, and Adria stood in the center of it all. Their light in the darkness.
She glided over to the three of them, her face a mask of perfection.
She placed a finger under Seth’s chin, tilting him to gaze into her eyes, before planting a kiss on his lips. Silently she moved to Kaydon, who wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into an embrace as the two of them kissed.
When she stood in front of Bryson, he gave her a smirk. “Here we are, gorgeous.”
She met his energy. “Here we are, handsome. Why am I not surprised that you three got your way?”
He feigned hurt, and she gave him a wink before leaning in to kiss him. Her lips grazed his before her mouth opened and Bryson tasted her. Sucking on her bottom lip, Bryson pulled it into his mouth, giving it a soft bite, before letting her go.
She just stared at him. Those green eyes reaching in deeper than anyone ever had. “You ready for this?”
“For you, always,” he said without hesitation.
Kaydon unbuttoned and removed his shirt first. Kneeling in front of the firelight, Bryson couldn’t tear his eyes away from his broad frame, taking up the space.
Adria approached him, and Kaydon clasped his hands behind his back.
“Kaydon Baciu, this brand is permanent. It marks a lifelong commitment. If you choose to proceed, the Triune will bear witness to your acceptance. Are you of sound mind—and acting of your own free will?”
Kaydon’s voice was deep when he answered. “I am.”
Bryson remembered when Kaydon had taken his brand. At the time, Kaydon was meant to be Luca’s Right Hand.
It had been Luca and their father standing near the fire, and there was little to no ceremony.
“This brand means more to me than a commitment,” Adria said, and Bryson didn’t miss the fact that her voice shook. “There are very few people that I allow into my life. This brand is a symbol not only of our connection but of the depths of our bonds.”
She took in a breath. “If the pools are a symbol of rebirth, then the brand is a symbol of certainty. It’s the solid ground beneath our feet when the world is falling apart.
It’s the knowledge that no matter what, we have each other’s back.
No other pact can or will ever equal what a brand means within the Nine.
Or to me. More than a lifelong commitment, it’s a family. We are family.”
Eric pulled the hot iron out of the fire and handed it to Adria. Elena moved and gave Kaydon a belt to bite down on. Adria pulled back on the iron.
“I love you,” she said as the iron pressed into Kaydon’s skin.
The sound Kaydon made, despite his obvious attempts to stifle his scream, caused a sweat to break out on Bryson’s skin.
He glanced over and saw that Seth had squeezed his eyes shut.
The smell of burned flesh surrounded the room, and Eric helped Kaydon to the side. He was awake, but Bryson could tell he was barely conscious.
Please do not faint.
Seth started to move, but Bryson put out a hand. Tangling his fingers into Seth’s, Bryson gave his hand a squeeze before letting him go.
Seth’s branding ceremony was different. Bryson remembered it well. Bryson had sat right next to him, running his hands through his hair, and Kaydon had given him the brand, as his father couldn’t be bothered to be a part of that one.
Adria whispered something to Seth, and Bryson watched as Seth nodded.
She gave a similar speech as with Kaydon.
“The broken parts of ourselves are made whole by the choices we make,” Adria finished.
The belt was presented to Seth, and the brand handed to Adria.
Bryson’s heart squeezed as Seth’s entire body tensed when the hot iron touched his skin. Bryson’s hands flexed at his sides, wanting to run his fingers through Seth’s hair.
But in an instant, Adria was there, whispering words of encouragement to Seth, as he sagged in front of her.
When Seth was helped onto the couch next to Kaydon, Bryson felt all eyes on him.
It wasn’t uncommon to pass out during a branding ceremony, but Bryson silently prayed that he wouldn’t. It wasn’t pride. He just wanted to remember the moment fully.
“Bryson Winters, this brand is permanent. It marks a lifelong commitment. If you choose to proceed, the Triune will bear witness to your acceptance. Are you of sound mind—and acting of your own free will?”
Bryson’s body trembled, but when he looked into her eyes, he felt himself still. He would walk through fire for this woman. He would walk through the depths of hell for all of them.
And he had.
Had a gun pressed into his head, threw himself into the pool, almost drowned. All for them.
They were his family.
Technically, this brand wouldn’t change anything. Because the way he felt burned all around him.
It would just be a physical marker of what was already there.
He clasped his hands behind his back, feeling exposed. On his left chest was a tattoo of three silhouetted eagles. Adria and he had spoken about putting his brand a little higher so it didn’t cover the tattoo that symbolized him, Kaydon and Seth.
But that meant the brand would touch his collarbone and would be particularly painful.
His breathing increased as she cleaned the spot that would be his new mark.
“Are you ready to be mine, mind, body, and soul?” she asked.
“I already am,” he said.
Elena gave him the belt to bite down, and the leather was soft and warm in his mouth. He was never meant to wear a brand.
Winters didn’t get brands, they gave them.
His father would roll over in his grave.
Good.
Adria’s hand moved, the red-hot iron moving closer. He felt the heat of the metal before the pain racked through him. Searing, white-hot agony that moved through his body at record speed. His muscles locked. His jaw clamped on the leather, and he tasted his own saliva mixing with the belt.
Pain rippled through him; time seemed to stop. The pain seemed fleeting and forever at the same time. It was completely consuming, and his eyes scrunched shut.
The world broke apart around him.
And all he saw in his mind was Seth, Kaydon, and her.
For a second, he was completely broken by them.
And then—
It was gone.
Left was an intense throb, and when he opened his eyes, Adria was there. Her lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Bryson willed himself to stay with her. To stay with them, and slowly the room came back together around him.
The pain throbbed in his chest, but he was awake.
The belt was removed from his mouth, and strong hands guided him to the couch. Kaydon’s shoulder rubbed against his.
A cold cleaning cloth was dabbed on his chest and he watched plastic wrap being placed on Kaydon and Seth’s marks. The idea was to starve the wound of oxygen and slow the healing process. They didn’t want it to heal, they wanted it to scar.
When Adria tried to cover his mark, he grabbed her wrist. “I want to see it.”
She seemed like she wanted to argue, but instead, she just nodded.
His legs felt unsteady as he got up. He moved slowly, feeling lightheaded. At the corner of the room, was a mirror.
When he glanced into it, Adria was right behind him. Her eyes watching, no doubt waiting for him to fall over.
“I’m okay,” he said, bringing his eyes to the mirror.
There she was, just over his shoulder and on his chest. Bryson saw three eagles flying just above his heart, and above that, were two wings.
Adria’s wings.