Page 137 of Blood Fist

And then Brune found his gland again, breath hot and ticklish against them until his lips parted and his teeth sunk into Ridan’s skin. Fangs, meant for just this purpose, broke through his skin. The pain was sharp, dragging Ridan down from his high.

It hurt. It seared like he was being burned. His body revolted, jerking against Brune’s tight hold. His heart thundered against his chest, faster and faster until it felt like it was about to burst from his chest.

Then he felt it.

Under all of that, it was soft. Subtle. A quiet echo that built until it wasn’t so quiet anymore. A sigh of relief. Like all the parts of himself that had been missing, finally slotted into place. His soul torn apart only to stitch back together in the way it was always meant to be. Everything before had been temporary, a holdover until he foundthis.Until he found Brune.

His mate.

Peace settled over him, soothing like a warm blanket. Ridan purred; head tilted to the side, with Brune’s teeth buried in his neck. His eyes fluttered closed as they clung to each other, letting their minds get used to what their bodies, their instincts, always knew.

Breath evening out, Ridan finally opened his eyes. When his vision cleared, he saw a swath of stars sprinkled across an indigo sky. They were the same stars that had borne witness to everything that had come before. All the moments that lead to this. Had the stars—whatever they were—known all along? Were they the silent knowing? Watching things that had been predicted for eons finally unfold below them?

He kind of wanted to thank them for keeping the secret. Ridan would never have believed them had they told.

Brune stirred, working his jaw free. When he lifted his head, Ridan’s blood dribbled from his lips. It smelled like copper.

They didn’t speak. Maybe because they were too tired, or maybe because no words could convey what they were feeling. It didn’t matter. They understood anyway.

Eventually, he bit him back. It wasn’t as necessary. Alphas didn’t need to wear their omega’s bite, but Brune wanted it as much as Ridan did. The rush wasn’t the same, but it didn’t have to be.

They kissed the blood from each other’s lips and when Brune’s knot deflated; they did it again. And when they had exhausted their bodies, Ridan curled up against Brune and they watched the stars fade from the sky.

A new day would dawn. A battle would be waged. Lives would be lost. But that was for tomorrow.

For tonight, they had each other and the stars.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

LEGACY OF THE STONE BLADE

It was well past dawn, and still the clearing was silent. No one spoke, afraid that if they broke their sentinel that it would shatter these last moments of peace. Every single person hiding in the thicket of trees knew that peace was fake. It was a sweet illusion. But knowing what it was and acknowledging it were two different things.

Brune breathed in and let the frozen air prick his lungs. So cold it burned, and yet he was sweating. His shirt clung to his clammy skin as his eyes strained for any kind of movement in the far tree line.

The clearing between them was large enough to make seeing the trees on the opposing side difficult. Bare except for a few large chunks of granite that had fallen from higher in the mountain, it was an unimpressive swath of land.

Which was why they’d chosen it.

A long line of dried hay had been scattered across the field. It blended well with the dead grass, impressively so considering they’d put it down with nothing but the light of the moon to guide them. It would beimperceptible save for the absence of dew that glittered in the early morning light.

Beside him, Osmond shifted on his feet. His arms were crossed, blue eyes narrowed as he scanned the clearing. Above them, the trees rustled with archers shaking their limbs loose. They needed to stay warm. How they maintained their balance was a mystery to Brune.

Hand dropping to his hammer, he checked it was there for the fourth time that morning. Nervous energy made his fingers shake. He felt like they might rattle right off his hand. It was so hard to sit here, knowing that Ridan wasn’t with them.

Kaldonea had shown up on the horizon two days ago. The first soldiers were spotted at the break of day and hadn’t stopped coming. Brune hadn’t even known there were that many people in the entire city. With every passing moment, it became clear that Kaldonea’s numbers had already decided the fate of this fight.

Panic curdled the Clansmen’s resolve. They knew they couldn’t face Kaldonea on equal footing.

“So we don’t,” Ridan had said, a savage grin slashing across his face.

All their planning had led them to this moment. This could very well be their last sunrise, and yet Brune had barely given it a second glance. He didn’t appreciate the way the dark bled into light, or how the swirls of pink and orange faded into a blue sky.

No, his gaze was fixated on the still trees across the clearing.

Ridan knew the mountain itself would be their greatest aid. Kaldonea did not. Hell, most of those soldiers were probably like Brune, never having seen a proper tree. Let alone a mountain of them. Whichmeant they needed to lure Kaldonea to a battlefield of their choosing.

With that in mind, Ridan took a handful of warriors down the mountain. His idea was to get Krait to chase them, bring Kaldonea to the Clansmen. Brune had tried to talk Ridan out of going. It was dangerous. Which was exactly why Ridan would never ask anyone to go in his stead.