Burning Dawn

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

THANE KEPT ELIN on the island for a week. His home sat right on the beach, with glass walls peering into the sunrise. There was very little furniture, but what was there was luxurious. His favorite piece was the massive bed with the wispy canopy falling over the sides. When the material was parted, there was a direct ocean view.

All Sent Ones kept multiple homes all over the world, because they never knew where they would be stationed. He even had an underground residence, a place he used to fly the lovers he knew he would be particularly rough with, so nobody could hear their screams.

Time to sell it. That part of his life was over.

He’d kept in contact with his boys and knew everyone was safe. Mourning Chanel’s passing, but safe. He’d pampered Elin in every way he knew how to. He’d made love to her. Gently. Hard. Looong. Quick. He’d stayed in her bed all night and tried to remain awake, unwilling to risk a nightmare, but she had caught on and seduced him into a coma of pleasure. Nary a nightmare to be had.

He’d fed her by hand. He’d tried to tempt her to swim with him, but she’d claimed to have an ironclad deal with the sharks. She stayed out of the water, and they didn’t bite her.

Today, he thought, I make Elin smile.

He missed her smiles. And he could help her with her guilt.

As sunlight streamed into the room, he scooped her from the bed. She was warm, soft and naked.

“Hey,” she said groggily, blinking rapidly. She had spent more time sleeping than anything else, and it was time to force her to play.

He shouldered his way past the glass doors. Sand squished between his toes as he walked. Balmy air caressed his bare skin.

“Hey, someone is going to see us,” she said, fully awake now. “Take me in, before I pop a serious cap in your arse.”

He loved the way her accent thickened with her emotions. “We’re the only two people on the island. No one will see us.” He continued his march toward the water.

“I don’t care. Whatever you’re planning, I’m out.” She began to squirm against his grip. “Let me go. Right this second, Thane Downfall!”

“Oh, I’ll let you go. Don’t worry.” Cool water lapped at his feet.

“Thane! Remember my deal with the sharks!”

“They wouldn’t dare sue you for breach of contract. Not while I’m around.” When the water reached the middle of his thighs, he gave her a quick squeeze and kissed her temple. “I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, yes?”

She relaxed against him. “Yes. Of course.”

“Good.” He gave her a wicked grin—and tossed her in.

She screamed and flailed. On impact, water splashed. She sank like a stone. Then, a few seconds later, she came up sputtering. “You wretch!”

Adorable female. Wet hair clung to her face and neck. Droplets slithered down her cheeks.

“Payback is going to hurt, Mr. Never Getting Laid Again,” she gritted, swimming toward him. “That’s your new last name, by the way.”

He dived underwater and to the left before she could get a handle on him. But she followed him, and when he came up for air she was behind him, her hands on his shoulders, shoving him back down.

As he broke the surface a second time, he latched on to her wrists and yanked her around until her breasts were smashed against his chest. She exhaled sharply. And so did he, the beauty of her striking him as forcefully as a fist. The sun paid her nothing but tribute, turning her skin a lovely gold, showing hints of red in her dark hair.

A grin lifted the corners of her lips...only to fall a second later.

“Chanel is in your heart,” he said. “Just like Bay. Moving on doesn’t mean you love them any less, or that you didn’t love them enough, and it isn’t something that should plague you with guilt. Be stronger than your emotions, kulta. Don’t let them define you.”

She frowned. “Love is an emotion. There’s nothing stronger.”

“Love is more than an emotion. It’s a choice. Feeling love is one thing. Showing love is quite another.”

“And in this case, the way to show love is...what?”

“Give. Always give, I’m learning. Time. Patience. Mercy. In this case, give Bay and Chanel what they would have wanted for you. Happiness.”

Her lashes fused together for several seconds, but when she opened them, her expression sparkled in a way he hadn’t seen all week. Pretty color stained her cheeks, and he almost shouted with relief.

“You’re right,” she said on a wispy catch of breath.

“I believe we’ve had this conversation before. I’m always right.”

She rolled her eyes. “Correction. You’re always right...when you agree with me.”

His lips twitched at the corners as he pulled her closer. She wrapped her legs around his waist, putting their bodies in the perfect position for penetration. Desire hardened his shaft.

Leaning down, lips hovering just over his, she whispered, “Are you getting naughty ideas, Mr. Probably Getting Laid Again?”

“Many.”

“Well, then...too bad.” She pushed away from him, severing contact.

He opened his mouth to protest...until he saw her smile. He’d done it. He’d made her smile, just as he’d hoped. And it was far more beautiful than he remembered, nearly unmanning him.

“If you want me,” she said, her voice low and husky, “you’re going to have to pay the ginormous toll.”

“Charging fees now?”

“Absolutely. You’ve met me, right? I likes me some money.”

He waved his hand with regal authority. “I’m listening. You may continue.”

She swam a circle around him, as though marking her territory...or she was a predator who’d just spotted the tastiest of prey. “Tell me about the Sent Ones,” she said. “I know so little about your kind.”

“Your price is information?” he asked, incredulous.

“Exactly.”

He feigned disappointment, even as he rejoiced. The more she wanted to know, the more she cared. “You know about angels, I’m sure. Well, Sent Ones and angels are very much alike.”

“And you can both fall?”

“Yes. Though, when a Sent One falls, he loses his immortality. When an angel falls, he becomes the epitome of evil.”

“Like the demons we fought?”

“No. Demons were living in your world long before humans. Long before dinosaurs, even. The fallen angels came much later. And I doubt you’ve ever encountered one before. Many are now chained deep in the earth’s core.”

Clearly intrigued, she said, “So the demons... They consider the world their home turf?”

“Yes. And humans their toys.”

“And you Sent Ones are supposed to...what?”

“Police them. Hunt them. Kill them.”

“And the angels...”

“Do the same, but they are servants of the Most High, meant to assist us.”

“That’s cool. If cool is the new word for white-hot.”

“Why, Ms. Vale,” he said, and tsked. He was the one to circle her this time. “Does power excite you?”

“Maybe a little,” she admitted, pinching two of her fingers together. “What other differences are there?”

“While angels are created beings, Sent Ones are born.”

“So you have parents?”

“I had parents.”

“You mean...”

He nodded. “My mother was killed by demons, and afterward, my father wasted away.”

A tinge of sadness returned to her eyes. “I’m sorry. How old were you when this happened?”

“Six.”

“Just a baby. What happened to you?”

“I had already been sent to train as a warrior. My life wasn’t disrupted at all.” Not in the physical sense. He’d hardly known his parents, but still he’d mourned their loss. “My life didn’t change until a hundred years ago, when I was locked in a demon prison.”

“Xerxes said you’ve won all battles but one.” She said this hesitantly, as if she expected him to shy away from the topic. “Was he referring to your time in the dungeon?”

She was his woman. He would share everything with her, even his past. And he would trust her to like him—please, love me—anyway. He fingered the ring of scars at his neck. “No. Even though we were tortured, I consider the experience a win, as we eventually killed our captors. What he refers to is a battle I lost...against myself. Bjorn, Xerxes and I had just escaped imprisonment, and I wanted to feel something physical. I...slit my own throat. Xerxes and Bjorn used the Water of Life to heal me. I was angry, so I slit my throat a second time. They were out of Water, and had to doctor me back to health. Every day of my recovery, I saw anguish in their eyes and it affected me. They’d suffered enough. I asked the Most High to leave the scars around my neck as a reminder that I wasn’t alone, that others relied on me, and He granted my request.”

“Oh, Thane.”

He continued. If he stopped, he might never start again. “The dungeon changed us.”

“How did you end up there?”

“I was captured when I was sent on a mission. They chained me in a cell and later brought in Bjorn and Xerxes. Things were done to them...horrible things they survived only because they are immortal. But me...me the demons left alone, and I never understood why until much later.”

“Why?” she asked softly.

“They were feeding off my guilt, fury and hopelessness.”

Her eyes widened. “Though you try to hide it, you feel more deeply than the average person. That explains so much.”

He dunked under the water for a moment, cooling his face. “I was forced to watch, desperate to help the males but unable. I wanted so badly to hurt the demons and, barring that, wanted so badly for the demons to hurt me in their stead.”

Her hand fluttered over her heart, as if she sought to dampen a sudden pain. “How did you escape?”

“I struggled so forcefully against my bonds, I broke both of the wrist and ankle cuffs. I also broke my wrists and ankles, and dislocated both my shoulders, but I somehow found the strength to unhook Bjorn from overhead and yank Xerxes from the wall. By the time the demons returned to us, we had healed. We were able to fight.”

“Oh, Thane. What you endured... I’m so sorry.”

He reached out, brushed away one of her tears. “No sadness or sorrow. Not for me. The experience broke me, yes. But the pieces were eventually welded back together, making me stronger than I would have been otherwise. And now I have Xerxes and Bjorn. Something beautiful from something dark.”

“Beauty from ashes,” she said, the words she’d given him once before. She propelled into his chest, splashing water into his mouth as she enfolded him in her arms. “But, Thane?”

Peering into her eyes caused the most exquisite ache. “Yes, Elin.”

“You also have me.”

ELIN TOTALLY GOT Thane’s need to hurt and be hurt now. His past had shaped him, and what he’d been denied had become what he desired most, somehow becoming entangled with the most passionate part of his life. Sex.

All of her insecurities and reservations about that part of his life died in that moment.

“If those urges ever return—” she said.

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that. So, as I was saying. If those urges ever return, come to me. Let’s talk about it. Let me be the one to satisfy you. I’m not afraid anymore,” she added when he opened his mouth to protest. “Not even a little.”

His features softened with adoration. “It isn’t just about your fear. It’s about my abhorrence of the idea of harming the one I’m meant to protect...of marring the woman I cherish most.”

She knew her smile was laced with every dream and secret fantasy she’d ever had. “I’m sure there are ways to do it that won’t truly harm me.”

His eyelids went heavy. “Yes. I can punish you the way you punish me.”

Her nipples puckered as she rubbed against him. “I’m looking forward to it. But right now, I’m more interested in giving you a severe tongue-lashing....”

THANE CLUTCHED ELIN to his chest. She’d given him a tongue-lashing all right...and like the warrior he was, he’d somehow found the strength to endure.

Wicked, wild woman. She pushed him to heights he’d never imagined possible.

The “punishment” session had taken place in bed hours ago, and they had yet to leave.

“I would like to discuss the future,” she said now, straddling his waist.

He nodded, encouraging her to continue.

“I told you I want to stay with you, and I meant it. But I don’t want to stay as your employee. I want to stay as your equal. And, yes, I know you’re stronger. I’m not foolish. I know you have wealth, and I come with nothing. But I want to be your woman, and—”

“I agree,” he rushed out. She was giving him the words he craved more than life. He would have promised the moon and stars.

She grinned. “You didn’t even hear the rest of what I had to say.”

“I don’t need to. I want you, now and always. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you.”

“Well, good, because it means exclusivity, open lines of communication, trust, girls’ night at the bar every other Friday, and sleeping with me every night. And for the record, ‘sleeping’ does not mean lying awake and holding me.”

“Elin—”

“No. You said you’d agree to anything, and this is what I’m asking. Let me help you with your nightmares. I’ve done a good job so far, right?”

“At the cost of your own rest.”

“Rest, shmest. If you’ll let me, I’ll scare your bad dreams away. I mean, really. Have you seen my new biceps? They are sick.”

If by “sick” she meant “on life support,” then yes. His woman was delicate, and there was nothing wrong with that—in fact, there was everything right with it. “Agreed.” Whatever she wanted, he would give her. Even that. Because she was right—being with her was helping tamp down the nightmares. He had never imagined such a thing possible, but there were many things he would have denied...until Elin had made the impossible possible. “But I will need a concession from you.”

Triumphant, she leaned down and nibbled on his earlobe. He almost lost track of his thoughts. Almost.

“I love you, Elin,” he admitted, tangling his hands in her hair. “I love you more than any man has ever loved a woman.”

Gasping, she jolted upright. Her eyes were wide with shock. “What did you say?”

“I love you.” She owned his heart. His soul. And he couldn’t regret their loss. They were safer than they’d ever been. “You had me from the start, when you bravely aided my escape from a common enemy. You became my brightest light. My sweetest hope. And now that you’ve addicted me to all that you are, I can’t give you up. I won’t give you up. We’re in this together from now on.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

He rolled her over, pinning her with his weight, and kissed the salty droplets away. “And now, the concession,” he continued. “When I find a way to make you fully immortal, and I will, you will do what’s necessary. Whatever it is.”

“But—”

“No buts.” He cupped her face, gave her a little shake. This was too important. “You will. I would rather die than lose you.” Over the past few days, his sense of doom had only grown. Now, when things were finally right between him and the woman holding his heart, it was making him desperate. “And, Elin? That’s exactly what will happen. If ever you leave me, whatever the reason, I won’t be able to move on. I don’t care what I’ve told you about overcoming your loss of Bay.”

“But I’ll want you to—”

“No,” he said again. “Without you, I have nothing. Without you, I want nothing.”

Overcome by the need to possess her, here, now, and always, he spread his burning hands over every inch of her. Staking his claim. Leaving his mark. “You are mine,” he said. “I won’t lose you.”

“I’m yours. And you’re mine. I won’t lose you, either,” she gasped, urging his head down for a kiss. “Not to anything.”

“Not ever,” he agreed.