in the woods with nothing else to do. He would go out, drink enough to restore his energy, and come home to her.
Glancing at the time, Braden was surprised it was evening already. He hoped to find Liz and bring her over to see his mother. The others would be able to tell they bonded, but not Brigid. With Lachlan gone, the magic that bound them and made her immortal was gone too. Other than his goofy grin and Liz’s blushed cheeks each time he pulled her close, his mother wouldn’t be able to sense they were any different. He wanted to tell her himself. It would mean a lot to her that he found his fate-partner while she was still alive. Maybe even have a damphyr ceremony that honored his family’s past and their future.
He still recalled how amazing it was when he saw Lexie for the first time after she and Torin bonded. Although she looked exactly the same, the power that made their family special, emanated off her in the same way it did Endellion, Aileen, and Fianna. How it once did off Brigid. Calling it awe inspiring was an understatement. Knowing Liz now held that same power was humbling.
How could I have feared she wanted Riley?
His brother’s looks may have been more of a match for Liz, but Braden knew now that was the only thing Riley had over him. If Liz wasn’t a fan of his wardrobe, she could dress him any way she wanted. The idea sounded entertaining anyway. Clothing aside, there was one thing he was sure of, Liz loved him. When she grasped his hands and exchanged the pledge binding their souls, every single feeling she had for him swept through him like a sun going super nova. Incredibly powerful, he would carry the moment with him always. The sunburst tattoo on his shoulder would now stand for her – her burning intensity and the brightness she brought to his life.
Liz cared about Riley, like he did, but she didn’t want him in the same way. It was relief. The hesitancy she had been expressing before now was something else. Although they grew up in different worlds, her life was still a hard one. Rejection was her fear and for good reason.
How could her father have turned his back on her?
Stepping outside, Braden swallowed dryly. It would be difficult meeting that man one day and not showing him the same lack of courtesy he showed his daughter. Never again would Liz’s father be allowed to hurt her, Braden knew he would see to that.
“One flesh – made for each other,” he whispered. “Let no man come between us.”
The sky had already darkened. Closing the door behind him, he noticed Liz’s Chevy was gone. Torin mentioned the vigil being held in Courtney’s memory at the school. The girl made it a point to trouble others, but she never bothered him. Although she had a thing for Torin and acted out a few of Teagan’s fantasies, for the most part, Courtney spent her time bothering Brooke and her friends.
The night they found her body in the back field, Braden couldn’t help but grieve for the girl. Maybe she wasn’t the nicest member of Erris’s young community, but she had promise. It was difficult to say who she would have become if given time to mature. Although he knew that as damphyr, he would see a lot of humans come and go, it still struck him how sad it was for a teenager to die without having really lived first.
The elders did their best to bury her and Catherine Barry, the animal control officer, properly just south of Chamberlain Lake. There were dense parts of the forest untraveled by humans where the two could be put to rest without discovery. Alec killed them so viciously. Although Hollywood liked lumping vampires and werewolves together with subtle differences, the two were definitely different species. The pack mentality of the pricolici was nothing like the nest he discovered in Vancouver or like his coven here in Erris. It would be impossible for any of them to coexist.
Striding across the driveway, he was just about to check in on Ruby, when a familiar scent halted his steps. Tilting his head to the side, alarm heaved through him, causing both his eyes and teeth to shift. Carried on the breeze, a papery thin mildew tinted the air. It was subtle, almost unrecognizable, but he knew the smells of home and