Chapter 14
Fourteen
RONAN
I don’t recall falling asleep, nor do I recall starting a fire.
But when I wake up, a few embers are still glowing in the hearth.
The true heat isn’t coming from the fireplace, though.
It’s coming from Cheryl in my arms. My heart, my soul, my everything.
My arms are wrapped around her waist, and she’s tucked snugly against my chest. Here is where she belongs, and I can’t imagine any other reality for us.
There has always been a connection between us, and now it’s enhanced by the bond between sire and made vampire.
I thought I was destined to spend eternity alone, and I was resigned to it.
I loved Manu as a friend, and in a moment of weakness, I confused that with something more.
But with Cheryl, there’s always been a pull, a force that made everything brighter.
When I’m in her presence, the world fades away, because she’s the flame in the dark.
Everything about her draws me in—her scent, which reminds me of the beauty of winter and the passion of fire, the sharpness of her mind, her unwavering loyalty to her brother, and her bravery in the face of the most impossible situations.
My heart overflows with emotions too powerful to describe.
I pull her even tighter against my chest and kiss her shoulder.
“Hmm, what’s pressing against my butt?” she asks in a husky voice.
“My appreciation for your fine curves, darling.” I slide my hand down her stomach until I reach between her legs.
Cheryl pushes my hand away before I can play and sits up.
“What’s wrong?”
She looks over her shoulder. “Nothing is wrong. I just have to relieve myself.” Lithe as a cat, she jumps to her feet, then minces to the front door.
“You can’t go outside like that. It’s damn cold.”
“I’ll be quick.” She opens the door, and to my horror, sunlight streams through the opening.
“Cher, no!” I cry desperately, expecting her to turn to ashes before my eyes. The light doesn’t quite reach to where I am, but she’s completely in it.
She shuts the door again with a bang and turns around, wide-eyed. “For heaven’s sake. I didn’t know it was already morning.”
My heart is pounding so fast in my chest that I wouldn’t be surprised if it burst out. I get up and pull Cheryl to me and away from that damn door, hiding my face in the crook of her neck. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I didn’t sense it was already morning. It’s my fault.”
“I’m okay, Ronan.”
“You didn’t get burned at all?” I lean back to inspect her body—what I should have done first.
“No, I didn’t feel a thing.” Her forehead crinkles. “Maybe it didn’t work. Maybe you didn’t turn me into a vampire.”
I shake my head. “It did work. I am your sire—that I know without a shred of a doubt.”
“How do you know?”
“It’s… hard to explain. I feel you right here.” I press my hand against my chest. “I can sense your emotions.”
Her eyes widen. “You can’t read my mind, can you?”
“No, I don’t think so. But I can guess your thoughts by your mood.”
She steps back, hugging her middle. “I didn’t know that would happen. Do you have power over me too?”
I clench my jaw. I don’t like how this conversation is going. “In theory, yes. But I’d never impose my will on you. You have my word, Cher.”
She bites her lower lip, and that distracts me. I’m now thinking of how much I want to be the one doing that. Her gaze drops to my erection, and the change in her is immediate. She’s just as aroused as me. Her pulse quickens, but besides desire, I also sense mischief coming from her.
“Cher… what are you planning to do?”
She walks backward until she’s near the door. “Can’t you guess?”
“You’re not thinking of venturing outside, are you? We don’t know if it’s safe.”
“We won’t know for sure until I try. You’re not going to try to stop me, are you?” Her lips curl into a taunting smile.
Damn the female. She’s testing me.
My fear for her safety is becoming almost overbearing. The instinct to protect her at all costs is all I can think about, and that means the compulsion to use my powers on her to prevent her from going outside is getting stronger and stronger. I curl my hands into fists, clenching my jaw hard.
She opens the door once more, but slowly this time. My pulse quickens, and there’s a sudden knot in my stomach. “Cher, please.”
She remains mostly concealed from the light, letting only her arm get hit by the sun. I wait on pins and needles for her skin to start to burn.
“See, it’s perfectly safe.” She gives me a radiant smile that makes me hot despite the cold, and then she steps outside.
“Fuck!” I follow her, stopping short of getting fried by the sun.
A few steps outside the hut, she’s twirling around, playing in the fresh snow that must have fallen last night.
It’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever beheld in my life.
I’ve never seen Cheryl in broad daylight and never realized how bright her red hair is.
The long strands are like flames dancing around her alabaster skin.
Her cheeks are rosy from the cold, and her plumps lips are red and inviting.
But it’s not only her beauty that has me transfixed.
It’s the fire I sense burning inside her, full of life. God, I love this female.
“Okay, you’ve made your point. The sun won’t hurt you, but you can still get frostbite.”
She drops into a crouch and makes a snowball. I know her intentions, but I don’t move. She hurls the ball at me and hits me square in the chest. “Go back inside. I need to pee, and I can’t do it with you watching me.”
“Fine.” I shuffle back, then give my attention to the almost-extinguished fire.
Now that I’m stuck here until nightfall, I have to make sure we’re comfortable.
Solomon will be thrilled that not only did we invade his home but did all sorts of naughty things in here. I chuckle, imagining his reaction.
My amusement vanishes in the next moment when I pick up Cheryl’s distress.
I rush to the door and curse when I go out too far and get hit by a ray of light. My skin burns immediately. “Cheryl!” I yell.
A wolf snarls, freezing my blood. I recognize that sound, and it’s not coming from Cheryl. It’s Karl.
Son of a bitch.
CHERYL
I barely have time to pee before I pick up Karl’s scent. He’s approaching fast. I glance at the front door of Solomon’s hut. It’s still wide open. Karl has been intent on killing Ronan since… My stomach plummets through the earth. Since he caught Ronan with Manu.
I close my eyes for a second, fighting the angry tears that are already forming in my eyes.
I was so caught up in the moment last night and this morning that I conveniently forgot about Ronan’s and Manu’s actions.
Ronan is half the reason my brother is in so much pain, and I was more than happy to give that male my maidenhead last night.
Where is my loyalty? What kind of creature am I that I would do that to Karl?
I hurry to stand in front of the door so I can stop Karl from entering. I see his brown-and-gray fur zoom through the trees. He doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Hell, I won’t be able to stop him in my human form. I shift then, barely finishing the transition in time. “Karl, stop.”
He halts but doesn’t stand still. His hackles are raised, and his lips are peeled back, showing his fangs. “What did that motherfucker do to you?”
“He saved me. You have to stop, please.”
He snarls. “He’s inside the hut, isn’t he? Let me through, Cheryl.”
“Why? So you can kill him?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not going to change anything. It won’t erase his betrayal or hers .”
He snarls again, then switches his attention to a point over my shoulder. I don’t need to look to know Ronan is standing by the door.
Karl shuffles forward, ready to sprint, but I block him, snarling as well. “No, you won’t take your revenge on him. If you must kill someone, kill that bitch who ripped your heart out.”
Karl’s eyes glow yellow before he pounces on me. I knew my comment would incense him, and that was the intention— distraction . He pins me to the ground and clamps his teeth around my neck.
“Are you going to kill me now for speaking the truth?”
He doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t ease off me either.
“You tried everything you could to save my life. You went back to King Raphael’s domain even knowing it was dangerous to do so. I died last night, Karl.”
He whimpers and finally releases me. “I know. I felt it.”
I jump back onto my paws. “Ronan found me. He brought me back to life.”
Karl stares at me for several heartbeats before he finally speaks. “Did he… turn you?”
“Yes.”
“And you can walk in the sun still?”
“Obviously.”
He begins to pace in a jittery manner in front of me, looking at the hut from time to time. It’s killing Ronan to remain inside. I can feel his torment and apprehension swirling in my chest. I guess the connection between us goes both ways.
“Is that why you fucked him? Out of gratitude?”
Now it’s my turn to grimace. “That’s none of your business.”
I wait for him to yell back and say it is his damn business, because he’s the oldest and he’d be the alpha if we still had a pack.
“Cher… do you love him?”
Damn it. I wasn’t prepared for that question. I’d prefer it if he acted like an arrogant male. Shame washes over me. I look away, unable to withstand his probing stare.
“You do. That’s why you’re protecting him.”
“It doesn’t matter what I feel, Karl.”
“It does matter! He doesn’t deserve you. Like Manu doesn’t deserve me,” he adds, probably knowing that would have been my comeback.
“I know he doesn’t. But he did save me. He made sure you won’t lose me in a few decades. You won’t be alone.”
“Are you saying you’re not going to stay here with him?”
My heart lurches forward painfully. I didn’t have time to think that far ahead. Ronan never asked me to stay here either, but even if he had, I know what my answer would have been. It hasn’t changed.
“No, Karl. You’re the most important person in my life. My loyalty is to you, and it always will be.”
The aggression leaves his body, and for the first time, I understand now that he didn’t want to kill Ronan because of Manu. He wanted to kill Ronan because of me.
“Let’s go, then. I’m done with this place.”
He turns around and takes off. I spare a final glance at the hut. Ronan steps out, getting hit in part by the sun. It burns him, but he doesn’t seek cover. He wants me to see him. He must know what’s in my heart, and that this is the last time we’ll ever see each other.
My heart is breaking. I want to tell him that I love him despite everything. But if I shift now, I might not be able to leave. So I pivot and follow Karl to whatever end.