Page 21 of Bound By Love
Sweat glistened along the lean muscles of her arms and adhered her hair to the back of her neck. The fire made it warm in the doorway; it had to be stifling where she stood.
He’d brought her some water and blood an hour ago, but she needed a bed. It was still too early to attempt to pull her away from her forge; he’d learned that lesson over the passing weeks.
“She is, but like you, she doesn’t listen to reason,” he said.
Brie chuckled. “You don’t listen to reason either.”
“I’m older and stronger than both of you.”
“You have eighteen years on me, not centuries, and you’re not stronger.”
“I’m wiser.”
“Bullshit.”
Saber couldn’t stop himself from laughing. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he liked his sister.
When she was a child, he loved her deeply, and she loved him. He’d never stopped loving her, even if he would have preferred it if he had. Their family had been so close, so happy, until that awful day when the humans tore it all apart.
That kind of love didn’t die because the object of it did. Or, in Brie’s case, didn’t.
So many times, they’d sat before the fire, telling stories, playing games, and singing songs. His mother and father had incredible voices that filled their home with love and warmth.
Even after he moved out and started battling the more sinister urges that intensified when a purebred, male vampire reached maturity, he always felt comforted by home—his mother’s touch, his father’s laughter, and Brie’s giggles as she flung herself into his arms.
“Do you blame me for their deaths?” Brie asked.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
The question startled him.She couldn’t read minds, he was sure of it, but her thoughts must have traveled the same path as his, and now here they were.
Until now, they’d only talked about mundane things. And they’d never mention the past. Now, with that single question, she’d turned it into a guillotine hanging over their heads.
“No,” he said honestly. “Not once.”
“The humans came because ofme. They killed her because ofmeand tried to kill me because they believed I was a witch.”
And she’d gone on to do something to help ensure the survival of the human race. She’d never turned on them and slaughtered them like she so easily could have, but he did. The stark differences between them widened the gulf that, despite his best intentions not to let it happen, had been closing over the past week.
“And that makes ittheirfault,” he said in a tone far more clipped than he’d intended.
“They did it because of my gift… or curse… or whatever it is.”
“What do you think it is?”
“Many times over the years, I’ve considered it a curse. Often, I was sure the weight of it would destroy me, especially when I stood by while others died and did nothing to intervene. But it also led me to the stones, my good friends Cabo and Zina, and also Asher. Now, it’s also led me back to you. How could something that does such wonderful things be a curse?”
“It could be both. You must have the bad to have the good that comes with it.”
“True.”
“Because of your gift, you’ve always borne more responsibility than one should have to, especially a child so young. But you’re strong enough to handle its weight. You’ve proven that by still being here after all these years, continuing to fight, and bringing the stones together. Itisa curse, but it’s also a blessing, and something selected you to bear it because you can.”
Saber looked away when tears bloomed in his sister’s eyes, and she ducked her head. He focused on Caro, who was pretending to study the blade, but her attention was on them.
“I’ve seen Asher’s death too,” Brie whispered.
The admission jerked his attention away from Caro and back to his sister. If Asher died, he would lose her all over again.
