Authors: Sarah Brocious
She shivered.
“I won’t be able to heal you.”
Raina swallowed. “Well, she can’t kill me,” she answered back. “I will just heal slower.”
He cringed and squeezed her in his arms. He hated the thought of her hurting for one second longer than was necessary. He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent. “I will be more vulnerable to her too.”
She froze.
“Mentally…not physically Aelan,” he assured her. “The only one who has made me vulnerable physically is you!” He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
“I don’t like the thought of you being vulnerable,” Raina sighed. “But I do like the thought of you happy. This chance makes you happy…doesn’t it?”
He sighed. “What’s making me happy right now is the knowledge that I will be your husband in a few days. You will be mine finally, Aelan…in every way.” He lifted her up against his chest and grinned.
“What is that grin for?” Raina grinned back.
“You are going to have to be gentle with me. It’s been a long wait for me and though I have always been a man of patience…patience wears thin lately.”
She tilted her head.
“I don’t understand what you mean.” She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling and got a smack on the backside. She yelped.
His mouth tipped up in another grin. “I will need a little guidance.”
Raina smiled back at the devious twinkle in his eyes. “No pressure, right?” She blushed at the prospect of being his first. Lord did it get better than that? This beautiful man was untouched and he was going to be all hers! Now she was nervous as hell! She sighed and just looked at him for a moment.
“Second thoughts?” His voice rolled over her warmly.
“And thirds and fourths and fifths please,” she flirted, kissing him under his jaw. “Always thoughts of you Nolan. Do you know what its like to be so obsessed with one person you can’t go one minute without them coming to mind?”
Nolan grinned. “I have a bit of an idea.”
She rolled her eyes. “No comparison!”
He frowned. “No…we are not comparing notes.”
“Well let’s weigh the facts then! You are immortal, devastatingly beautiful…strong…smart ...rich…and a virgin? You win on biggest prize! Hands down!” She pouted. “I won’t complain mind you…but don’t try to tell me otherwise!”
Frowny face in place, he ignored her. “I don’t have enough hours in a day to list all the qualities I love about you Aelan…but they are far better than those few things…”
“I have more,” she growled. “So much more I could say about you! Those are just the highlights!”
He laid his head back on the couch and laughed softly. “This isn’t a competition! My point is; No matter how wonderful you think I am…I think you are just as amazing. I don’t care what you’ve been through before because it is all new for us now Raina. We are making a whole new start. There is no past with us…there is only our future now. Do you understand that?”
She bit her lip and blinked back her tears. “Okay.”
He leaned down and kissed her lips. He sighed at the very contact and then groaned when they were interrupted.
“Mae is bringing coffee and cake in,” Emily announced as she walked in…hand in hand with Bradley. She looked proud of her interruption. ”Melinda and Michael said they will be over soon and your parents are returning from shopping Raina! Peal yourself off your handsome man and look like a lady. We gave you a few minutes…”
Raina sighed and started straightening away from his ample chest, only to get tugged back into his arms.
“My house, my rules,” Nolan teased. “Besides, they will be a bit. I will hear them arrive and we will make ourselves proper. Our cuddling doesn’t offend you does it?”
Emily smiled and sat down, shaking her head.
Bradley rolled his eyes. “Were we this clingy?”
“Were?” Raina scoffed. She couldn’t help the giggle and Emily couldn’t help but join her with one of her own.
“It’s only going to get worse,” Nolan teased. “After the wedding!”
Bradley groaned and wrapped an arm around his wife. He gave her a teasing wink.
“I am so excited for you guys! I just can’t wait! It’s going to be perfect!” Emily sighed.
Raina frowned. “But for one thing.”
Nolan squeezed her. “What’s not going to be perfect? Tell me now and I will make it happen for you,” he promised.
Raina worried her lip. “Thanatos,” she said softly. She didn’t have to say more. They would all know what she meant by that one spoke name.
Emily nodded and looked down at her hands. “I really wish he had decided otherwise. I don’t know the details. I know that’s between you guys…but you are right! It will not be exactly perfect without him there.”
Nolan cleared his throat and sat up, gently putting Raina from him. He ran a hand through his hair and rolled his shoulders with discomfort.
She gave him a surprised look.
“I…I thought I heard your parents car,” he stuttered.
Blonde brows rose. Raina thought of the day Thanatos had marched in on them. He had held and kissed her until the last moment…and this was with the advance of an angry…fast immortal…not a meandering mom and dad. Something was bothering Nolan.
He reached for his phone, and then frowned.
“Nolan?”
“I have to make a call,” he sighed. “I will be back in a moment.” He got to his feet and walked stiffly from the room.
Raina exchanged a worried glance with Emily.
“I just talked to your mom. They are still at the mall,” Emily said softly. “He didn’t hear them.”
Raina frowned and looked after Nolan. “He has a lot on his mind,” she said softly in defense. She was relieved when Mae walked in with a tray and a big distraction. She would ask Nolan later what that was all about.
Melinda and Michael arrived in a flurry of hugs and kisses apologizing for being late. Melinda was giving Michael the glare. “Someone had a last minute meeting that he couldn’t reschedule.” This was said with a bite of sarcasm.
“Sorry Raina, I really could not get out of it. Forgive me?” Raina noted Michael looked very uncomfortable. He kissed Raina’s cheek, but didn’t quite make eye contact.
Was he worried about touching her now because of what had happened? She knew Nolan had discussed the incident with his fellow healer. In fact, only the women in Raina’s life were not privy to the information about Thanatos. She didn’t want the girls to know. She was embarrassed enough about how Nolan had revealed it to his friends. It had been in a moment of pain…a moment of weakness. It had been said also in a warning of sorts. The whole situation had made him raw.
Michael squeezed her arm because she had gone quiet and not returned his hello.
She looked up at him in surprise. He was looking at her now. There was a flicker of concern in the hazels. “It’s okay, my parents haven’t even arrived! You are not too late!”
Her parents did arrive shortly after, boasting they had found the perfect gift for Raina. Christmas gift, not wedding! They were also shivering head to toe. Their bodies were not adjusted to Oregon weather. Hawaii was still in there blood. Mae brought hot coffee to warm them from the chill.
Nolan joined them a time later but he was very distant and spent most of his time at the door way, leaning against the door jam observing. He made no move to Raina but partook of the conversation when questions were aimed his way.
Raina watched him, wondering at the change. There was a big difference from the cuddling man on the sofa to the distant immortal at the door. She tried to catch his eye but he was doing a very good job keeping them from her. Her coffee grew cold as she made her attempts.
Mae was warming it up before she even had to ask.
The conversation mostly centered around the wedding but her parents did bring them up to speed on life in paradise. They had brought pictures and were generously sharing them.
Raina tried to enjoy but was distracted by a very brooding immortal.
“Raina where is your friend Thanatos? I was really looking forward to meeting him! You spoke so highly of him I felt like I already knew him.”
Raina blinked at her Mom’s unexpected question. They had been skirting around that subject but she knew it would eventually come up. “He…he will not be here. Something came up. I’m sorry, Mom. I know you wanted to meet him.” She ducked her head. “I wanted you to meet him too.”
“What happened? It must have been sudden!”
Raina’s mom turned to look to Nolan. “He was to be your best man I thought.”
Nolan’s silvers darkened to a slate grey. “Yes,” he murmured. He cleared his throat, shoved his hands in his pockets. “We had a falling out.”
She frowned. “I am sorry to hear that so close to the wedding. You must be devastated!”
Nolan gave a short nod. And said no more. The quiet grew awkward and he turned his gaze to the carpet.
Emily grabbed their attention by launching into one of her stories. She was quite good at distraction.
Raina rose to her feet and went to him.
Nolan tensed when she neared him.
She scowled at him gently and moved into his arms, which automatically went around her. That couldn’t be stopped. He was still tensed though.
Emily was jabbering in the background and still making an excellent distraction.
“Don’t hide from me,” Raina said softly. She looked right up into his eyes. “Why the shutdown, Mr. Gregor?”
He sighed. “I’m not myself.”
She nodded. “I noticed.”
He pulled her in tighter. “I’m more upset than I have been letting on about the whole issue. I’m still angry and I’m hurt. I want you to be angry too but you aren’t. You miss him,” he accused. His voice held a growl. “Miss him Raina! He made an advance on you and broke my trust…”
“Nolan, don’t,” she said softly.
“He would do it again. I know it,” he growled.
“How?” she bit back.
“Because if I were him I would do it too.” He squeezed her possessively.
“He can’t Nolan,” she sighed. “His contract says…”
“That contact is gone. I signed and released him from you,” Nolan growled.
Raina blinked up at him in shock. “You did?”
He gave a short nod.
“I was right. I asked him but he said…”
“He is bestowed to me…I can release him from a contract with a mortal…especially my mortal.”
She cocked her head at him. It was not a good time to throw the “my” around.
“You know what I mean.”
She felt his irritation rising. “Either way you knew how he felt. You knew there was that chance he would…”
“I trusted him.”
She sighed and ran her hands gently along his chest to soothe him. Nearly instantly he relaxed into her touch. “It was wrong but it was his reaction to the situation. Get over it Nolan.”
His mouth turned down and he barked a laugh of disbelief. “Get over it?” This he said none too softly, drawing the attention of their guests. He backed away from her and held his hands up.
Raina felt her stomach drop with fear at his reaction. Maybe she shouldn’t have said it that way! “I only mean…”
“Get over my best friend kissing you? Get over you missing him now…days before our wedding? Pining for him…saying our wedding won’t be perfect without him? I thought the only thing you required there was me.” His eyes darkened.
Raina closed her eyes. “I didn’t mean that…I just meant I wish he would be there! Not just for me but for you!” She didn’t care about their audience.
He reached into his pocket and held out his phone. “Maybe I should get over my last text. Go on…read it.” He held it out to her with his face straight and serious.
Raina took the phone, sliding the screen on and went to his most recent message. She read the text and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Nolan shook his head. He shoved his hands in his pockets again. “I apologize for the scene,” he addressed the others. “Please excuse me.”