Page 44 of Seared Fates
“Your hand!” I cry out.
“Fuck my hand,” he bites out, throwing the thing into the hallway. Just before he slams the door shut, we both see a bloody handprint on the door.
Was this Emma’s doing?
Vidar slams the door with such force I’m surprised it doesn’t crack.
“That fuckingtröllkona!” Vidar growls, carrying me over to my bed. “I’ve got you now, I’m right here.”
He sits on the mattress, keeping me close and rubbing the space between my shoulder blades. Our hearts beat to the same pounding rhythm; every breath that leaves him, I inhale.
“I don’t wanna be scared anymore, Vidar,” I beg into his shoulder. “I just want it all to stop.”
“I am going to deal with this.” His voice in my ear is hard as a hammer coming down on an anvil. “I will burn this fucking city to the ground and dig Emma from the ashes if I have to, Kai. Anything—everything—to keep you safe.”
Maybe I’m pathetic, or maybe all the pride I told myself I had vanished the second I saw what lay on my pillow. But right now, all I want is to hand my problems over to Vidar, cover my ears and close my eyes, and just let him sort my life out.
For a long time, he simply holds me, and I wish more than anything that he wanted me the way I want him.
“You're soaking wet.” Gently, like I’m more fragile than spun glass, Vidar pulls my face up and carefully strokes my braids away. “Let’s get you out of these clothes and into something warm, my little prince.”
“I can do that myself,” I say, leaning into his hand and making no effort to move. “Will you clean up the mess in the kitchen?”
Vidar brushes his lips across my forehead. “Whatever you need.”
I stay in his lap, and he doesn’t stop rubbing my back. Now the fear has passed, all that remains is exhaustion.
Vidar helps me stand like he’s afraid I’m about to collapse—and honestly, maybe I am. My legs wobble like a newborn deer’s as I grab fresh clothes from the cupboard and slip into the bathroom. I don’t close the door and can hear Vidar cleaning up the mess. When I come back out, the kitchen floor is dry, and I’m dressed in what I normally wear to bed—boxer briefs and an old band tee.
“Will you stay tonight? Please…” I mumble, fighting to keep my eyes open.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Then he tugs me towards the bed. “C’mon, get inside. You need rest, and I’ll be here the whole time. I don’t need sleep, I’ll stay up all night.”
“Vidar, I can’t…I can’t get in that bed alone.” I feel weak asking, but better to be weak and finding comfort than pretending to be strong and getting nothing.
Without words, he kicks off his shoes and slips under the covers, his large frame taking up most of the space. Then Vidar wraps an arm around my middle and tugs me forward, until I’m lying on his chest, my head nestled on his shoulder.
“Nothing can hurt you, little prince,” Vidar whispers, the vibration of his low, rumbling voice lulling me into an exhausted sleep as he wraps us in my blanket. “I am your shield against thisworld, and I will fight even gods I never believed in to keep you safe.”
His words wash over me, his hands rubbing the place between my shoulders, and somehow I fall into a dreamless sleep as he whispers more promises into my ear.
Chapter eighteen
Vidar
Over my long years, I’ve had many titles, all of them coming with burdens I take pride in. What’s the point of my broad shoulders if not to carry duties that lesser men couldn't? And with each new role came with people I swore to protect.
Now, Kai.
I should be ashamed that if stacked against my other roles—Chieftain, Husband, Father, Vampire Family Head—Soulmate outweighs them all.
The village I ruled is long gone, as is my wife. My sons are still strong in their own right, as are my offspring. Yet Kai is fragile. He is not weak by any means, which is how I know when—not if—I make him into a vampire, he’ll survive the transformation. Yet he’s guarded, and when I promised to be his shield against the world, I meant it. So, when—not if—he lowers those walls for me, I’ll be the protection he needs to do so without prying eyes.
My little prince shifts in his sleep, face tucked into the crook of my neck, and his arms wrap loosely around my middle. When he’s suitably comfortable, a satisfied sigh leaves him, and my heart nearly bursts with pride and…something else. Somethingthat begs me to draw him tighter into my chest, even if we’re nearly as close as two people could be. After everything that happened to Kai yesterday, it proves that while Kai is mine to watch over, he is also mine to lose if I’m not careful.
He’s also mine to—
Kai shifts, rubbing up against me, and I have to hold back a groan as blood rushes down to fill my semi-hard cock so quickly that black spots swim in my vision. Swallowing back a growl, I grit my teeth to force down my sudden throbbing erection.