Blood Vow (Black Dagger Legacy #2)(127)

The male went over and stood in the spot. “I was looking at all of you, and I thought … that is a family. Right there. That is … what I wished for my sister but knew she wasn’t going to get with that male of hers. It was what I’d hoped to bring to Bitty’s life—but she already has it, see. With you guys. She told me about how you took her in. What you’ve been teaching her about movies and cars and life. How good Mary is with her. How Mary took care of my sister at that place for the battered females. How you two stayed with her during her procedure for her bones—and about your beast. And by the way, wow, is all I can say about that.” Ruhn shook his head. “She talked non-stop about the two of you. She loves you like you’re her blood. And my stuff with my sister? That’s not enough to justify breaking up a family. It just isn’t.”

Rhage just stood where he was and blinked like an idiot. “So …”

“I’ll sign whatever you want. You know, to make it legal.” The male put his palms up. “And honest, I don’t have to move in or anything. I don’t want to impose. That’s her idea—but I would like … I don’t know, if you could see your way clear, to letting me see her maybe once every couple of years—”

Rhage was not aware of moving. But the next thing he knew, he was throwing a bone-crusher around the guy, holding that fucking uncle so tight, the muscles in his shoulders and arms popped hard.

“You will come and you will live at the mansion.” He shoved the guy back and then had to catch Ruhn as he tottered on his work boots. “And we’ll find a job for you. And you will stay with us. And that is the way it is going to be.”

Ruhn seemed nonplussed. “Ah …”

Vishous spoke up. “Wrath has to approve this. The security check’s done, but the King is going to need to weigh in on it.”

“It’ll be fine.” Rhage jacked up his leathers. “It’s gonna be great—”

Ruhn rubbed his forehead like it hurt. “Wait, I’m grateful and all. But why would you do this? I’m nothing to you. I’m a nobody.”

“Bullshit,” Rhage said. “You’re family.”





FORTY-NINE


Well, that was fun, Axe thought as he finally got off the bus with Novo, Boone, Paradise, and Craeg. The meeting had gone on forever, new procedures being put in place for them entering the field downtown, new weapons being fitted for and ordered, reviews of defensive practices drilled into their heads until he’d wanted to scream.

But at least the Brothers weren’t stepping back from having the trainees engage with the enemy. Not at all.

The good news? Now he got to rush home to Elise.

After a quick goodbye over his shoulder, Axe went ghost and then materialized on his front lawn. Smelling the burning fire and sensing her presence, he smiled.

It was amazing how much someone could bring to your life. Fill you out on the inside. Make you feel stronger and more peaceful at the same time.

He climbed the front steps, knocked on the door, and was so ready to have her answer it …

When nothing happened, he frowned. Knocked again. Then took out a set of keys he hadn’t though he’d need to use. Opening the way up, he—

The first thing he noticed was that Elise wasn’t sitting in front of the fireplace, on the blankets where they made love.

She was on the sofa, almost out of reach of the heat.

The second thing he tweaked to was … that she had the cloak he wore to The Keys in her lap.

Axe closed the door slowly.

As she looked over at him, she met his eyes calmly. But her face was shut down, no emotion showing at all, no life in her eyes or her expression.

“What’s up,” he said, keeping his voice level.

Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the door. In his head, a litany of She’s leaving you, she knows, she’s leaving you, she knows … you’re going to be just like your father … started up, a bad chorus that was off-key, off-tempo, and the kind of thing that was going to make him mental.

“So I found this,” she said, running her hands over the black folds. “And I found what’s in it. The mask … and the key.”

Boom, boom, boom, boom—

For a split second, he looked over his shoulder, thinking that that sound must be someone beating on the kitchen door to get into the cottage.

Nope. It was his heart.

“I, ah, I’ve been sitting here, thinking, for hours.” She scratched the base of her nose. “Running through things to say to you in my head. Questions to ask you—like how could you possibly stand in front of me at Allishon’s and pretend you didn’t know what I’d found there. How could you lie to me—”

She stopped as her voice got higher and more urgent, and seemed to re-collect herself.

“So I went to Peyton’s, right after I found your key … found that you’d lied to me.”

“Great,” he muttered. He could only imagine how the guy had enjoyed fucking him up the ass with all kinds of—

“He wouldn’t go into it with me. He didn’t really say anything. And I respect him for staying out of this. I shouldn’t have put him in that position in the first place. But I didn’t know where else to go, and sometimes, when people are emotional, they don’t make the best choices.”