Authors: Sarah Brocious
“I don’t matter,” Jonathan teased lightly from behind her.
She gave him an apologetic smile.
Thanatos straightened slightly from his slumped position and drew in a deep breath of chilly air. It helped to sober him more. His immortal body would soon burn off the effects of the alcohol. To stay drunk he would need to keep drinking. He had tried to get Nolan drunk on several occasions but the damn healer sobered so quickly it wasn’t even fun.
“Why did you need to see me?”
Thanatos wet his lips and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Tomorrow you will belong to him. I know I pretty much messed things up by walking away that night. I could have handled it differently. I didn’t have to lose the both of you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and shook his head. “Nolan hates me now.”
Raina bit her lip and shook her head.
“I would steer clear,” Jonathan said softly. “His thoughts of you are pretty dark.”
Raina looked over her shoulder and gave him a surprised look. “Why hadn’t you told me?”
Jonathan shrugged. “His thoughts of Thanatos are dark but you can’t dim his thoughts of you. You are not the one in danger Rain. Nolan is good and he will try his best to do what is right…but if Thanatos were to come around now…”
“He means I shouldn’t crash your wedding if I value my life.” His green eyes flitted to Jonathan. “But we both know I don’t value my life at the moment, do I Jonathan?”
Raina frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“It’s true.” He lifted one shoulder. He shifted away from the truck, still a little wobbly. “Richard could show up now and suck the very life out of me and I would not care.” He neared Raina and looked down on her tenderly.
Raina blinked up at him. “Don’t say things like that.”
“I wish that I had deserved you Raina. I wish I had been the immortal Nolan became…someone worthy of you. He is too. I want to hate him…I want to be the one who wants to destroy him. But that’s not me anymore. You changed that in me. The old Thanatos would want to survive this. In this new man I feel weak.”
Raina felt tears again. He was forever reducing her to tears. It wasn’t fair the words he was using on her. “You aren’t weak,” she said softly.
He smiled down on her. “Not right now maybe. Not with you right here. My mind is clearing my thoughts are coming together. My brain works better around you,” he said softly. “Just like Nolan’s healing…my persuasion…my gifts are stronger around you.” He tipped her face.
“Don’t kiss me,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I just want to see you with these immortal eyes.”
Raina shook her head. “Why such finality in that statement?”
“Maybe it is final.”
Tears escaped. “Stop being so cryptic. Tell me what you are planning.”
“Suicide?”
Raina sucked in a breath and beat a fist in his chest. “That’s not even a funny thing to tease about! Besides, immortals can’t commit suicide.”
He captured the fist against his chest and raised it to his lips. “I love you, beautiful.”
“Then you tell me what you are about?”
“I told you already. I just wanted to see you with these immortal eyes before tomorrow. Your wedding…you’ll be another’s. I won’t be able to look at you the same…or at all.” He stepped away. You know…the suicide and all.”
She growled and wanted to kick him. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will.” He moved to his truck and started to get in.
“You are not driving in your state!” she shouted. She looked frantically to Jonathan, who seemed surprisingly calm. “Tell him!” She saw the warm brown eyes lock with the greens for an instant.
“Let him go Raina. He has stopped drinking. The alcohol is working out of his system rapidly. He should be fine soon.”
She frowned at her friend. “Tell me what he is thinking,” she demanded.
Jonathan shook his head. “They are not my thoughts to share.”
Thanatos grinned at Jonathan.
“Who are you meeting?” Raina yelled at him.
Thanatos sighed. “None of your business, beautiful!”
“You boast this is the last time I will see you! For someone who claims to be my friend you are being a bastard! So either you are my friend or you are a liar and you do not love me!” Her blue eyes flashed angrily.
The green flashed just as vividly. He marched over to her and grabbed her arms. “I love you dammit. I will prove I love you…you will see Raina and you will never doubt my love!” He shook her. “You do not understand the sacrifice I am making!”
She blinked in shock.
“I’m done…it’s over for me…I have lost. But you will know I love you because of my sacrifice.”
“Suicide?”
“I am meeting with Maxim…Immortal Slayer.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“Don’t do it.” She trembled. “Please don’t Thanatos, don’t. Losing you will not prove to me your love!”
“I can’t be without you Raina.”
“Talk to Nolan…” She was sobbing now and her phone was going off. “Please…please, he’s calling me now…please talk to him…you can’t….”
Thanatos held her up. He crushed her close in a hug. “You will marry the love of your life tomorrow and it will be epic Raina.”
She buried her face against his chest. “Don’t do this.” She shook all over. “Tomorrow will be a tragedy. You will be stealing this from me! I will not be thinking of my wedding day…I will be thinking of the loss of my friend! This is not fair! This is not right! And for you to ask Maxim….” She pushed away.
Thanatos frowned.
“This is selfish and it’s wrong,” she cried. “Why would you do this to me tonight?”
“I wasn’t going to tell you!”
She snorted a laugh through her tears. “So this was to be my wedding gift? Arabella was right! I should have listened to her warning! I can’t believe this!”
Thanatos lowered his head. “I am sorry Raina.”
Raina turned to Jonathan.
“I told you to let him go,” he whispered softly. He had not wanted her to hear the truth either.
“Let’s go,” she sobbed and hurried to the passenger side. Her phone was buzzing again. She slammed the door and slapped on her belt before picking it up.
“Raina,” Nolan whispered. There was no shouting, no anger.
She sobbed into the phone.
“Come home Aelan,” he said softly. There were no questions asked.
Jonathan got in the car and his phone was going off. He answered as he pulled out. “She is physically safe Nolan,” he assured. “But…we all have something to talk about when we get home.”
Nolan was at the bottom of the massive set of stairs leading to the front door when they arrived. He was without a coat as usual just his pajama bottoms and a tee. He opened the passenger side door and bent in to assess his Aelan. He brushed the tears from her cheeks and undid her belt. “Come here baby,” he whispered, lifting her easily in his arms.
“You know when you are mortal you will have to remind yourself to put on a coat,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms about his neck and burying her face into him. She was spent.
“You have much to teach me,” he mumbled into her hair and squeezed her as he carried her up the stairs.
The warmth on the inside made her cold fingers tingle. He set her gently down and removed her coat.
Jonathan entered behind.
Nolan put an arm around Raina and tossed her coat on a chair by the door.
“You are very calm,” Jonathan observed. “At total odds with your thoughts though. Why are you holding back Nolan?”
Nolan’s silver eyes flashed. “For her. What did he have to say?”
Jonathan closed the door. “Let’s go sit down first. Raina needs to sit.”
“Raina is fine,“ Raina answered for herself. “I can walk.” She took Nolan’s hand and led them to the sitting room. She then curled up in the corner of the couch. She couldn’t even cry right now. She just felt numb.
“He said he was meeting with Maxim…he had planned a suicide,” Jonathan said without sugarcoating.
“He sent for Raina to tell her this on the night before her wedding?” Nolan did not sit down. He stood now, looking very tense and very close to snapping.
Jonathan nodded.
“He’s playing dirty.”
Raina’s head snapped up. “What?”
“He’s not going to kill himself Raina. He is saying this to upset you enough to call off the wedding.”
Jonathan opened his mouth and then close it.
“He wants you to be so distraught you can’t even walk down the aisle.”
“He hadn’t planned on telling me,” Raina argued.
Jonathan bit back his words. He seemed to be struggling with what he should say.
Nolan pinned Jonathan with a glare. “The two of you have been close! How do I not know this is a plan?”
Jonathan seemed to plead with his eyes for Nolan to say no more.
Nolan tilted his head and seemed to get the picture.
“We have been friends a very long time Nolan…long before Thanatos and I! I am not going to hide something from you that will hurt you. I promise.” The brown eyes softened. “I don’t know if Raina should worry about his threat though. I have a feeling we will see him again.”
Raina’s eyes lit with relief. “Yes?”
Jonathan nodded.
She sighed. He wouldn’t share the exact thoughts but he had heard enough that he could give her that assurance.
Jonathan came over and knelt before Raina. He ignored Nolan’s growl and took her hands. “I may not always share the secrets Raina but I do have your best at heart. You have become my sister and anything I do that directly pertains to you will always be for your good. Do you believe that?”
She smiled and nodded.
“Then you will go to bed and sleep and be at peace. Tomorrow you marry a man who loves you more than all the men in your life combined.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead.
Nolan lifted a brow, but grinned at his friend, slapping his shoulder as he passed him. He moved to her and slipped his arms under her.
“What are you doing?”
“I am taking you to bed,” he chuckled.
Raina smiled. “Not until tomorrow night.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I know! I am carrying you to your bed now. No funny business. I promise you.” His eyes did not leave her face as he climbed.
“I don’t know if I can sleep,” she sighed. “You should just stay with me.”
“Do not tempt me,” he murmured.
“I like tempting you,” she pouted.
“You are very good at it,” he growled.
“You are good at it too,” she sighed. “Carrying me up the stairs is very romantic. Are you going to tuck me in as well?”
He chuckled. “If you would like.”
“I would.”
He opened her door at the top of the stair and walked into the darkness, skirting around a relieved Turk. “Go lay down,” he said to him gently and was obeyed right away. He found the bed easily. Holding her with one arm, he used the other to pull back the blankets. He sat her down on the edge of the bed and knelt down to take off her shoes and socks.
“I’m not sleeping clothed,” she muttered, liking the view of his downturned head over her feet.
He lifted his face to her. “I am not undressing you,” he grinned.
She tilted her head. “Give me your shirt and turn around,” she said softly. Her heart rate kicked up a notch.
Nolan’s brow rose. He got to his feet and met her challenge, flipping his shirt over his head and handing it to her.
Raina held the shirt and enjoyed the view.
“Temptress,” he muttered and turned his back giving her an equally exquisite view.
She hurried out of her jeans and shirt, even if she knew he would remain as he was until she said something. He would forever be the gentleman. The shirt was warm from his skin and smelled every bit as good as the man who had worn it! She slipped her legs under the blankets. “All done.”
He tossed a careful glance over his shoulder to be sure and then turned about. The side of his mouth hitched up in an adorable grin. “I like you in my clothes.”
“I plan on raiding your closet and drawers often,” she warned him. “I plan on wearing them!”
He pulled the covers up around her. He leaned down and brushed his mouth once and then twice…three times over hers before claiming her mouth gently. He pulled away slowly. “And I plan on keeping you out of them.”
She reached up just to touch the tempting shoulders that loomed over her. “What if I get cold?”
“I will keep you warm,” he promised, his voice deepened at her touch.
Raina’s breath caught, feeling the heat sizzle between them. “Stay in here tonight, Nolan. We will just sleep…”
“This close to the finish line and I will break all the rules,” he argued.
“I trust you.”
“And I want you too badly,” he growled.
She blushed, but felt warmth at his admission.
“You will sleep alone tonight, Aelan…as will I…after a cold shower.” He cleared his throat and kissed her forehead. “Now, go to sleep.”