She had never feared for her safety in her own home, however Rhys was terrifying the way he moved toward her with menacing intent, and Broni began praying.
* * *
Fate blocked the stairway.
“Leave them!”
“Move,” Destiny demanded.
Fate placed a detaining hand on Valentine’s chest while using her body to block Destiny.
“Broni has to learn to handle Rhys without our help.”
“She will be able to handle him quite easily when I am through with him,” Valentine threatened grimly.
“The bastard is going to fry,” Destiny promised.
“I am her mother and know better than you exactly what will take place in that bedroom, but interference at this time will only delay the inevitable confrontation that will take place between the two.”
Broni’s aunt and father struggled to regain control, both wanting to give aid to Broni’s request. However, Fate would allow no interference, and anyone who would dare go against her, never fared well. Fate new they had to leave them alone; their future depended on it.
“I really loathe that man, Fate,” Destiny acquiesced in defeat.
“There is someone that Destiny dislikes more than me?”
Rocque’s voice distracted Valentine from pushing past Fate.
Destiny instantly turned her unspent anger on Rocque. “I said MAN, but if we were talking mutts, you would rank right up there.”
Rocque gave her a saturnine smile. “Fate has asked for my help in locating Zerina, and your attitude will not gain my aid.”
“I thought he is supposed to be in dog form?” Destiny questioned Fate.
“Mother gave Rocque permission to speak to me. He helped Cara when she was human, and I was hopeful that he may be helpful in finding Zerina.”
“I will do what I can. Zerina will be my highest priority.”
Destiny’s eyes narrowed. “Lay one hand on my niece, and I will personally neuter you.”
“I grow tired of your insults and threats, Destiny.”
While Fate merely watched Rocque move closer to Destiny, Valentine moved to stand by her, placing himself between the two. Rocque’s lips curled in amusement at the protective move.
”Do not worry, Valentine; Destiny is well aware of my intentions toward her.”
Destiny took a step back, immediately surrounded by Fate and Valentine. “I am thankful that what you want holds no power in this realm. Like my sister, I have no desire to be dominated by an arrogant male whose ego has been inflated by the sluts you have bedded.”
“I am quite sure my ego cannot be matched by Achilles. Is pretty boy keeping you satisfied?”
“At least he walks on two legs,” Destiny goaded.
“Odin may enjoy pursuing your sister through eternity, watching while she marries another, but I will not suffer the same outcome. I intend to have you as my wife, one way or another.” Rocque stated his intentions with a determination that had Fate smothering a smile, knowing how her sister would react.
Fate looked over her shoulder at Destiny’s angry face.
“Make your move.” Destiny stepped between Fate and Valentine, well able to fight this battle on her own.
Rocque’s indolent attitude disappeared in an instant, his royal lineage becoming apparent. “Very well,” Rocque snarled. “Go near Achilles again, and I will tell Mother exactly who your future mate is. You will be wedded and bedded before anyone can interfere.” His threat rang true. “But don’t worry, Destiny, I will let you run a little longer. After all, I am a wolf; I enjoy the chase.”
Fate tried to silently convey a warning to her headstrong sister. Destiny mistakenly believed the future was her playground and she could out maneuver Rocque. However, she failed to take into account that he was an experienced predator, biding his time for the best time to strike. She would try to aid her sister as long as she could, but Fate could not keep the feeling away that maybe, this time, Rocque was one step ahead of them both. Odin and Rocque were friends; if he aided Rocque, then he would have an advantage over them.
The only futures withheld from Fate and her sister were their own. Therefore, for now, it was to their best advantage not to antagonize the two men. Let them waste their time on the chase. When they no longer needed their help, Fate had a plan in place so neither man would achieve their goal of possessing them.
Fate had confidence her plans would work because who knew better than her what the future held?
Chapter 15
Broni quickly realized her family wasn’t coming to her aid when she was backed against the heavy door with Rhys’s hand at her throat.
“Were you there when my family was murdered?”
“I am only called when I am meant to change the outcome. Your family was not meant to be saved. It was their time, Rhys. I am so sorry.” Tears and compassion in her face tightened his grip on her throat.
“I do not want your pity.” Rhys forced himself to release Broni.
Before he could turn away, Broni confessed, knowing he would inevitably find out if he gained powers. “I was there.”
Rhys’s fury returned, but before he could grab her again, Broni moved quickly away from his reach.
“I knew how much you loved your family, and I did not want them to be alone. I was there, but I couldn’t change their fate. I calmed their fears, though. They felt no pain, Rhys. No fear. They just went to sleep.”
“You could do all that, but you wouldn’t save them? You fucking bitch!” Agony distorted his features, bringing back painful memories for Broni of her own death in another lifetime by men who had the same look of vengeance.
“I could not.” Broni put out her hands, pleading for his return to reason. “It would have meant my own death. Mother would have been angry. Even her friendship with my mother would not have allowed such a transgression to have been forgiven.”
“Better you than them!” Rhys yelled, beyond reason, and Broni’s head snapped back as if she’d been slapped. “My wife and children are worth a hundred sluts like you.”
Broni stiffened, facing Rhys proudly. “I am aware of your feelings for me, but what I was going to say, if you’d let me finish, was that even if I had saved them from Shelton, Mother would not have been thwarted. They would still have died within hours, if not a few days. There is no cheating death. They still would have died, just without the comfort I was able to provide.”
Rhys’s hands tore at his hair as he turned away, moving to sit on the bed where he buried his face in his hands. “I cannot live without them.”
Broni hurt for him. She went to him, falling to her knees in front of him and wanting to give comfort without being sure if he would accept it from her. Uncertain, she laid her hands on him.
“It has been five years, and the pain just gets worse. I miss my children’s laughter and hugs. I miss my wife’s voice, even the perfume she wore. I miss lying beside her at night, holding her while she slept.”
“I could help with that,” Broni suggested tentatively. “I know it is not me that you want, but you would at least not be alone.”
Rhys looked at her with disgust. “You could never replace Deena.” He took her hands and removed them from his thighs.
Broni blushed. “I did not mean that I could ever replace her, Rhys. I would merely comfort you so that the nights would not be so unbearable.”
“Why would you care?” His sharp lawyer mind finally started clicking into place. “Why would you be at my home when my family was murdered? If, as you say, it was not meant for you to interfere, what purpose did you have for even being there? Do you often go where it is not for you to change the outcome?”
Broni rose stiffly to her feet, but didn’t move away. “No.”
“Then why the exception? You said you knew how much I loved them. Had you been watching us?”
“Yes.” Broni blushed, not meeting his eyes.
“How closely did you watch us?”
Broni shrugge
d. “Some. Immortals like me become bored through the centuries; sometimes we watch certain mortals.”
“We were your fucking entertainment?”
“No! It wasn’t like that, Rhys.”
“Then how was it?”
“Your soul is very old. I met you centuries ago when you were a warrior, and I was meant to save you from death. As the centuries passed, I was sent several times for you.” Broni gave a wry smile. “You needed saving a lot, and you were a favorite of the Gods who protected you. It became a habit of mine to check on you periodically, knowing your penchant for trouble. But the last couple of lifetimes you changed; became more educated, more refined. You had never fallen in love before. I was curious about the woman, and how you would adapt to a tamer family life.” This time, Broni told him a half-truth.
“What did you find out from your snooping?”
“That you had no choice other than to fall in love with your wife. She was as beautiful on the inside as her appearance on the outside. She was kind. Deena gentled your restless soul. You loved her and the children she bore you with the same dedication that made you such a fine warrior.”
Rhys sat quietly while she talked, memories flooding his mind of the short time he had been given with his family.
“You didn’t answer my question. How closely did you watch us?”
Broni couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Did you watch us at home, at the dinner table, or when we played with the children before we put them to bed? Did you watch when I took Deena to our bed? Watch while we made love?”
Broni’s silence confirmed her guilt.
Rhys suddenly stood up, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her close. “Did you watch me fuck my wife?” Each of his words were gritted out between clenched teeth.
“Yes.” Broni tried to break from his tight hold but was unable to do so.
In vain, she tried to explain. “Rhys, listen to me. I was surprised at your gentleness it was… it…”
“Is that why you offered to comfort me through the nights because you liked what you saw? Did it get you wet?”
Frantically, Broni shook her head, still wanting to explain, but it was too late. Rhys’s hands were sliding down her thighs until they grasped her gown and tugged it upwards, completely removing it, and then she was standing before him naked.
“I think I will take you up on your offer. You’re not a bad lay, and I could use a few hours sleep after you wear me out,” he said crudely.
“Wait, Rhys. You don’t understand. Let me explain…”
Rhys took a step back. “Shut up. I don’t want to talk about my family any more with you. I just want to fuck you and then get some sleep. Can you help me with that? Have you changed your mind?”
Defeated, Broni gave up trying to explain, knowing he wasn’t ready to listen yet, if he ever would be. “No. I haven’t changed my mind,” Broni admitted. She would take whatever time she could get with him.
Surprise flickered across his face before his expression turned harsh. “Then climb on the bed.” Correctly interpreting her concerned look at his angry expression, he said, “Don’t worry; I won’t hurt you. I am just going to let you comfort me until your tight pussy wears me out.”
Hearing his harsh words, Broni braced herself for Rhys to handle her roughly, yet her stiff body was gentled by a hand tracing her quivering belly and trembling breasts. Broni began to realize that behind his harsh statements, his pain was more than he could handle, forcing him to strike out with hurtful words. Even in his tortured mind and heart, however, he was unable to physically hurt her. Instead, he used crude painful words to keep a distance between them. It allowed him to take her without the guilt eroding.
His hands lifted her thighs, placing them over his shoulders, and his mouth went between her thighs. His tongue wasn’t gentle as he sought to raise her desire as quickly as he could.
Broni’s head turned on the pillow, unable to lose herself to the desire he was trying to raise. His tongue searched through the folds of her pussy, forcing her thoughts away from his hurtful words and to what he was doing to her body. Her hips thrust upwards involuntarily as his tongue surged inside her.
Broni groaned as Rhys feasted on her until her hands buried themselves in his hair as she came. As he rose up, his chest gleaming above her, Broni could see he was determined to remain aloof while they fucked.
His cock thrust inside of her with one smooth stroke, she was so wet.
“This is all I want from you. All I’ll ever want from you. Your greedy, tight pussy.”
Broni stiffened on the bed, his words dampening her desire, and her hands slapped at his shoulders as she tried to slide out from underneath him. Rhys’s cock slid out as he flipped her to her stomach, driving his cock back inside of her. Broni’s hands clenched the sheets.
“You’re angry because you want me,” she said, determined to give him a taste of his own medicine. Let’s see how his ego likes taking the kind of beating he likes dishing out.
“You like fucking me. You never let yourself go with Deena the way you do with me. Did you ever give it to her the way you give it to me? Or did she cry that you were doing her? Did she suck your cock and let you come in her mouth? Or did she just do it, pretending she liked it?”
“Shut up!” While Rhys was pounding inside of her, Broni managed to get to her knees so she could thrust back at him.
“You two made love twice a week, but you never fucked her, did you?”
His hands went to her hair, pulling her head back as he leaned over her. “She wasn’t a slut like you are.”
“But you wanted her to be, didn’t you? Just once, you wanted to hear her ask to be fucked, but she never did. She was too classy for that, wasn’t she? I don’t mind asking.”
She rose up farther, forcing him to lift up as she leaned back against him. Reaching behind her, she took his hands, bringing them forward until they circled her belly, placing his palms against her there.
“Can you feel your cock going so high inside me?” Sliding his hands downward, she placed his fingers at her opening where he was sliding back and forth. “Can you feel how wet I am? I don’t mind giving you what you need. Fuck me, Rhys,” she begged.
“Damn you.” Rhys took control again, leaning her forward then slamming his cock into her, not trying to be gentle. It was what Broni wanted because she knew, at that moment, his mind wasn’t buried with his wife, it was with her here in this bed. It was all he was capable of giving her, all he would be able to give her.
Her pussy clenched on his cock as her orgasm stormed through her body, and Broni heard his groan in her ear, feeling him reach his own climax.
When he fell to her side breathing hard, Broni reached out to stroke him, her hand jerking back before it made contact. Rhys rolled over, giving her his back, letting her know without words he was temporarily finished with her.
* * *
Broni lived up to her word. Every time he turned to her throughout the night, she opened her arms and body to his demands, giving her generous heart to provide a few hours of release from the nightmares that chased him into his dreams. After several rounds, she lay by his side sensing when he would have been driven awake by his nightmares again, and soothed him until his restless movements quieted and he was able to slip into a deeper sleep.
In the early dawn hours, she rose tiredly from his bed. Moving quietly, she slipped on her gown, leaving him sleeping soundly with the sheet bunched around his hips as he lay on his stomach.
Broni silently left the room. He only needed her during the night. The dawn of a new day with her there as he woke would only fill him with disgust, and she was in no mood to hear his words of scorn.
Broni went next door to her own room, forcing her tired body into the shower. Exhausted, she pulled on a clean gown. She next went to her bed, lying down, and watching the sun climb outside her window.
Her door quietly opened then the mattress sank under another’s weight, causing her b
ody to slide sideways into the warmth of the waiting arms of her mother. Burrowing herself deeper into her comforting embrace, she let the tears fall that she had been holding back.
“Do you want me to destroy him?” Her mother’s words drew a trembling smile to her lips.
“No.” A strangled laugh escaped Broni.
“Send him away?” Fate gave her another option she refused to consider.
Without hesitation, she answered her mother, “No.”
“Can I at least get Mother to fry his ass with a few lightning bolts?”
“That you can do.”
Chapter 16
Jericho was leaving the table when Rhys entered the room. As Rhys hesitated, Jericho spoke, “Sit down. I was about to go work off this breakfast, but I’ll join you for another cup of coffee.”
Rhys sat at the table across from the man. He hadn’t been intimidated in years, but Jericho would give any sane person a pause. His countenance never changed, not letting one get a feel for the mood he was in despite his friendly overture.
Breaking the silence, Rhys asked, “Where do you work out?”
“Fate fixed up a room upstairs with equipment. If I didn’t work out, I would weigh a ton with the food they provide.”
Rhys picked up a biscuit, liberally putting butter and jam on it before stacking his plate with bacon and eggs. “Mind if I join you, working out?”
Jericho laughed. “After the nap you’re going to need when you finish what’s on that plate?”
“No, after I finish the second one I’m going to make after this one.”
They dropped into a casual discussion on the work each did on Earth, discovering several interests they shared in common.
Going upstairs when Rhys finished eating, they worked out several hours together, each trying to one-up the other before coming to the conclusion that Rhys was sadly out of shape. He felt a stirring in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long time to actually care about his body.