LUCAS
I paced in the library, waiting for someone to come give me word about what my fate would be. I could run, but if the High Council wanted my head, they’d find me. They could find anyone if they tried. The Stockholm clan and my family all had met me at the property line, Astrid’s father taking her from me as soon as he spotted us. Now she was dead to the world, being given blood intravenously in hopes the massive claw marks across her chest would heal before she woke. If the injury Briar had dealt me in the woods had taken nights to heal, this would take weeks. “You let her go up against shifters?” My father’s cold and calculated tone spoke of apathetic disappointment. “I know you don’t want to marry the girl, but that was low even for you.”
“She went against my orders. She’s reckless and impetuous.”
“If that’s not the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”
I shrugged and poured myself a glass of bottled blood mixed with wine. “We’d kill each other before we had the chance to give you grandchildren.”
He laughed. “Oh, Lucas, you won’t have the chance no matter what now. Even if Stockholm owes you a life debt.”
A shiver of fear crawled up my spine. “Why?”
“Because the accords have been broken. You killed one of theirs.”
“In defense of one of ours.”
I dragged a hand through my hair as he tutted. “Don’t you see? It’ll be too late for that defense by the time Astrid wakes. The council has sent a representative. He’ll be here any moment.”
“How did they know?”
“They were already aware of the incident at the ball. This was the final straw. Something had to be done.” He fished a folded piece of thick parchment with a broken red wax seal from his pocket. “This arrived via messenger at midnight.”
“From the council?”
“Yes. Apparently, we’re a bit of a problem for the vampire council as well as the higher-ups. Good thing I have you, isn’t it? My reckless, inconstant bastard who defies me at every turn. You’ll make a perfect scapegoat.”
I should have known, though part of me had. He’d use me to get what he wanted, damn the consequences. “When will they arrive?”
The air shifted in the room, making my ears pop and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My father stared over my shoulder, a flicker of unease in his eyes. I turned my head to follow his gaze and found a tall, blond man with a face I swore I’d seen before. He wore a black fitted suit, shoes shined and gleaming.
“You could have at least used the front door,” my father said, not willing to be challenged in his own home.
The man rolled his eyes and sighed. “I will not be made to stand outside waiting on you. I have far too many things to be tending to this night. Elias Blackthorne, a grievance has been filed on you and yours. The unprovoked attack and murder of Maxim Goodeve, of Pack Dumond. I am here to see justice is served.”
My father shoved me forward. “It was him. He killed the shifter; I gave no order.”
I didn’t know what this man before me was, but he radiated power. “Father, I was defending Astrid.”
“You went against my orders and attacked our neighbors. I’m sorry, Lucas, I can’t save you.”
The man’s brow furrowed. “Enough of this. Lucas, did you kill Maxim?”
Taking a slow breath, I nodded. “I did. After he broke the neck of a visiting vampire.”
“But you knew that would not result in permanent death.”
“Yes. However, I believed he would have taken it there if I hadn’t intervened.”
He reached out and touched my forehead. His palm vibrated with power. “I can see that. However, there is nothing to be done about Maxim’s death. You have admitted your guilt; therefore, payment for the crime must be made.”
My father stood by, silently waiting for this man to end my life.
“This is what I get for helping someone. Chivalry is not worth the price.”
The man smirked. “Chivalry is a notion best left to idealists?”
“Yes.”
“And what of love?”
“Love is worth dying for.”
He leaned close and stared into my eyes. His were a swirling platinum that startled me. “I sense your mating mark. You’ve been up to something, vampire.” I felt my father’s rage build behind me. A low growl filled the room. But the man before me watched me with curiosity in his expression, as though I were a puzzle he was piecing together. “And your humanity is more powerful than your vampiric nature. Curious. Usually, the vampire wins out.”
“Weakness,” my father spat.
Bright light filled the room, and a rush of air had me stepping backward as the man unfurled glowing white wings. It hit me at that moment. He was the angel. The one who performed the marriage rite in my dream, who brought Briar and me closer together than ever. His eyes found mine, and he shook his head before he turned his gaze on my father. “Do not underestimate the power of a human heart. They are my Father’s creation, favored above all else. It is why the fallen had to create your kind. They couldn’t break the humans.”
“You’re an angel,” I said, awe in my voice.
“Archangel. You may call me Gabriel.”
“His punishment, Gabriel—” my father started, but Gabriel set his blazing focus on Elias.
“Do not address me, Blackthorne. You may be king here, but I am seated in the highest choir of angels.”
Gabriel held out a hand, and my father fell to his knees, anguish in his eyes. I didn’t stop him.
“Now, to your sentence.” He focused on me again and placed a palm on my shoulder. “You will no longer bear the mark of your mate. You will forever be banished from this place.”
“Where?” I didn’t want him to remove the mating mark Briar had given me. If I wasn’t going to be able to see her again, I at least needed to have something to remember her by.
“London should serve. You will do your duty and rid the streets of demons alongside the others in my service.”
“You want me to be your lackey?”
“Would you rather be a pile of ash on the floor in this library?”
I swallowed. “No. I…” If I accepted this offer, I would never see Briar again. Never taste her sweetness, hold her close, hear her say my name. “Allow me to say goodbye to her?” I asked.
Gabriel nodded, closing his eyes and sending a pulse of power through me. The place Briar had marked me burned like fire before disappearing as though it was never there.
“She comes,” he whispered. “I will return to transport you to London at sunrise.”
Then with the same shift in the air pressure, he was gone, and my father knelt, anger rolling off him in waves.
“You are in love with her,” he growled.
“I am.”
“You never planned to destroy them.”
“I did everything you told me. I made her love me, made her trust me. I took her blood and seduced her away from her family.”
“And still you failed in your duty. He was lenient with you because of your human side. When she comes to our door, bring her to me. I will take her mind and warp it so severely she’ll have no choice but to do my bidding. The shifters die tonight.”
I nodded, but I had no intention of doing as he asked. I’d intercept her, take her away from this, and the two of us would run. Gabriel would find me, I had no doubt, but I had to get her to safety because if my father was left to his own devices, he’d find her and ruin her as soon as I was gone.
Father walked to the door, hand on the knob. He let out a vicious laugh and opened the door. “Briar, darling, so lovely to see you.”
Briar stood at the doorway, limbs trembling, heart racing. How had I not heard her pulse?
My father left the two of us alone, and I immediately moved to bring her into my arms, but she shoved me. Hard. Then she did it again.
“You…you lied.”
“No, Briar.”
“I just heard your conversation. You planned this all. Seduced me. Made me love you. Took my blood. Fucked me.” Her fury crackled between us. “You took my mating mark.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it, Lucas. Because from where I’m standing, it looks as though you played me for a fool, and I walked right into your trap.”
“No.”
“What happened to your mark? I felt it break. It’s gone, isn’t it? Was that part of your plan too? Kill my family, break my heart, leave me in the carnage?”
I didn’t know how to explain it all to her. “It was an accident.”
Violet eyes locked on mine, and my heart shattered at the pain and distrust in them. “What was?”
“Falling in love with you.”
Her lower lip trembled. “It wasn’t an accident. It was a cruel twist of fate. You planned to ruin me. Congratulations, you succeeded. I should kill you right now, but I’m not the one who can deal your justice. The High Council will do that.”
“They already did.”
She frowned. “Then why are you alive?”
“I’m banished. You’ll never see me again after tonight.”
“Good,” she whispered through the tears she was trying to hide.
“I was supposed to ruin you, but I wasn’t supposed to ruin myself as well.”
She reared back and stared at me. Then her small but powerful fist connected with my jaw in an uppercut so forceful it knocked me on my ass. “Fuck you, Lucas Blackthorne. Tell your father it’ll be a cold day in Hell before he touches me. I vow I’ll do everything in my power to burn your family to the ground as long as my heart is beating.”
“Briar,” I said, getting to my feet.
“Don’t you dare touch me. You killed my cousin, ruined my life, broke me. If you touch me, I’ll drive a stake through your heart at my first opportunity.”
Gone was the woman who let me hold her until the rays of morning light threatened my very life. She was truly broken. Hardened and dead inside. I’d done exactly what I was supposed to do. I ruined her.
BRIAR
Lucas Blackthorne betrayed me. He stole everything good about my life and made it his, then he walked away with my heart in his teeth and my family’s blood on his hands. I should have killed him. Staked him then and there with the weapon I’d smuggled into Blackthorne Manor in my garter. But I hadn’t had the nerve. Even with my mating mark gone, I still loved the bastard. I couldn’t live with the guilt of killing him, not after I pledged to love him until my heart stopped. Mark or not, that was a vow I’d made in all sincerity. I couldn’t just turn it off. Even a month after he left, I was dreaming of him, catching his scent on the breeze, running in the woods and hoping he’d appear. Damn the vampire.
Soft knocking on my door brought my attention from my wallowing to the real world around me. I was where I belonged. With my pack, my family. They knew all along. They tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen. I was too wrapped up in him. Lucas. The Trojan Horse.
“Briar, you have to come eat something. You’re wasting away up here like a princess locked in a tower, and it simply isn’t the truth.”
My mother sat next to me on the chaise and stroked my hair. “He’s gone, Mother. It’s all my fault.”
“Oh, dear one, it’s not. That terrible vampire came after him because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m only glad we were able to keep you out of his clutches. You know, Nik has been standing sentry at your door night and day.”
I knew. It was why I had to climb the trellis if I wanted to go for a run. Nik. Ever faithful, ever constant. He was loyal and strong, brave and persistent. He would make a good mate. He wouldn’t be my fated mate. I’d already met and been destroyed by the man who was supposed to be my destiny. “He’s a good man.”
She petted me as though I were a doll. “Yes, he is. He’ll still have you. He’s told your father. He doesn’t care that you were with that vampire. He knows you were manipulated.”
“I—” I stopped myself. I wanted to tell her I wasn’t manipulated into anything with Lucas, but part of me wondered. Had he used his influence on me? His father had said he planned to do that very thing to make me commit unspeakable acts. Was that why I thought Lucas and I had such a strong connection? “I don’t think I’m ready yet, Mother. I still feel him in my head. I need to break this pull he has on me.”
“That will leave with time. He’s gone. He can’t return. The High Council banished him, and if he returns, he’s risking his life.”
I nodded, a pang in my chest where my heart should have been. He wouldn’t return for me. He didn’t really love me at all. I was a project for him, a task. A way for him to gain status in his family.
“I just…I need time. I’m not saying no. But I need things to move slowly. Everything that happened, it was all a rush. I’m not willing to do that again. Nik can court me. Show me he truly wants this. Then we can be mated.”
She smiled and let out a small noise of excitement. “Your father will be so pleased.”
“I’m not doing this to please him.” But wasn’t I? I’d rather go through my whole life without another mating. But I was the pack alpha’s daughter. That meant more. That meant I had to continue our bloodline, bring the family a sense of security, grow our pack.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “I let you down. I let him get into my head and let all of you down.”
“So make up for it now. This gesture will show him you’re loyal to us, to the pack.”
I nodded. They would always be there for me. Nik would always be there. I couldn’t let my misplaced love for Lucas ruin that. I nodded.
“I know you said you needed time, but we have a month until the next full moon. Will that be long enough? We should plan your mating ceremony, and you know it has more meaning under the power of a full moon. When the two of you can bond as humans and wolves together.
My chest tightened with worry. “That’s not very long.”
“Why delay the inevitable? The two of you are promised; love will come later.”
I fought the unease in my heart and took slow breaths to calm my racing pulse. “One month. If Nik agrees, that will be fine.”
“I’m certain he will. This is the right choice, Briar. I promise.”
She held my hand and squeezed tightly. Was I making a mistake, taking my fate out of my own hands and putting it in Nik’s? Or, was this the fate I couldn’t escape? The one Gwen had spoken of that night at The Starlight Room?
“I’ll go tell your father. Please join us for dinner tonight? We can celebrate the good news. Nik—”
“I want to tell Nik. Some things should be handled between mates, Mother. This is one of them.”
She nodded and stood. “I am very proud of you. This choice wasn’t easy, I know. You’ve always gone your own way, but you’re showing true leadership here by doing what’s best for the pack. Just as I did when I accepted your father’s offer.”
“I didn’t know your marriage was arranged.”
“Darling, they always are. Letting my alpha choose who I’d mate with was the best decision of my life. Your father and I have been a beautiful team since the first day.”
“But do you love him?”
“Love is complicated. It’s not as simple as yes or no. I love who he is. What he does for his pack. I love many things about him.”
That left me with a hole in my stomach. That wasn’t how I felt about Lucas. With Lucas, my love burned so brightly I thought it might blind us both.
“I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes, Briar. Don’t disappoint me.”
Swallowing back the disquiet in my chest, I nodded.
“And do freshen up before you come down. You look a bit ragged.”
Then she closed the door behind her, and I was left alone with the gravity of the decision I’d just made.
I chose a black lace frock for the evening. With my hair twisted into a chignon at the base of my skull, long onyx necklaces draped down nearly to my waist, and crimson lips, I looked the part of a brazen creature who’d given in to her temptation. If Nik was going to be my mate, he’d need to see me for who I was.
His eyes widened, nostrils flared as every part of him stiffened. I knew now what arousal looked like on a man. Nik wanted me still. I didn’t have the heart to tell him this would be a joining in name and duty only.
“Briar,” he said, reaching for my hand at the base of the stairs. “You are a vision of loveliness.”
“Don’t flatter me, Nik. I’ve decided to accept your proposal of mating. We will have the ceremony at the next full moon if that suits you.”
His mouth opened, then closed, and he frowned at me. “But you were so fiercely against it.”
“You were right about everything. Lucas was using me for his own devices. I should have listened to you from the beginning.”
He gripped my hand tightly and brought it to his lips, “I will be the mate you deserve. I swear to you.”
“Thank you.” He was right. He would be exactly what I deserved. Someone who was loyal but didn’t truly love me. Someone who sparked nothing but the barest friendly feelings. I would never have passion with Nik. But I didn’t think I could have it with anyone ever again.
We sat together, Nik next to me, as our servants brought out dish after dish, wine for all of us. It was strange to be seated at the table with our guests, which included my aunt and uncle who were here to bury their son, and two heads of neighboring packs. I had missed a great deal while grieving Lucas’ betrayal.
“My wife tells me we have a happy occasion to celebrate amidst all of the turmoil we’ve endured over the past months.” My father stood, holding his glass aloft. “Briar has agreed to a mating with our most trusted pack member, Niklas. We will have a ceremony and celebration on the next full moon.”
The guests all made murmurs of congratulations, but they were half-hearted. They didn’t know my connection to the attack from the Blackthornes, but tensions were high.
“This is all well and good, but what are we going to do about the vampire scum that took my boy?” my uncle asked, slamming his fist on the table and shaking the dishes.
“The offense has been dealt with by the High Council. Lucas Blackthorne was banished.” My mother offered this as though it frustrated her to have to say it again.
“He should have been punished with death.”
“Lucas attacked only after Maxim threatened the life of his companion. Apparently, she was the vampire he’d been promised to. Their marriage was imminent.” Nik’s pointed gaze found mine, and I swore he dug his claws into my aching heart. He’d been holding on to that, ready to use it whenever he needed it. Another point against Lucas.
“That doesn’t make his actions any less reprehensible,” my aunt argued.
“No, I’m not saying it does. But it does give the council reason to lessen the punishment.”
My aunt’s mouth tightened into a harsh slash. “You wouldn’t be saying that if it was your child he brutalized and left without a heart.”
“He did do that. He did it to Briar. She’s been walking around a shell of herself because of his actions.” My mother surprised me by coming to the defense of Lucas’ choices. “I’d see him dead if he returned to these lands, but I won’t go against the council’s decision.”
Standing too quickly, I pushed my chair backward with such force it toppled and startled everyone in the room. “I have lost my appetite. Please excuse me.”
I couldn’t stay there any longer. My heart ached from the weight of everything I was still working through. Conflicting emotions tore at me. I hated Lucas for putting this into motion, for making me aware of everything I could feel and then destroying it all.
Nik followed me silently all the way to my room before finally speaking. “Don’t give him power over you. Don’t let him make you feel less deserving of happiness. He is the villain in your story, but you are the heroine.”
“And I suppose you’re my hero?”
“If you want me to be.”
I stared hard at him. “I don’t need a hero, Nik. I am my own hero.”