Page 134 of Wrapped in Their Arms

“Passed?”Noellefrowned.“MadredeDios,you mean shedied?”

He nodded slowly.

“Just last week, in her sleep.Shepassed very peacefully, according to her granddaughter.Soyou see…”Hepinched the bridge of his nose, blinking again.“There’sno point in going anymore.Andno way thatBurnandIcan ever form aTwin-Bondtogether—even if he was talking to me.Whichhe’s not, and probably never will again.He’salready moved out of our suite,” he added bitterly.

“Oh,Bright…”

Noelle reached for his hand, holding it tightly.Shefelt helpless…hopeless.Shehad really thought the three of them belonged together.Despiteeverything—her age, her trauma, their broken pasts—they’d made her believe in something again.Inlove…in family…in fate.

But now it was all unraveling.

But she wouldn’t give up.Shecouldn’t.

“I’ll come with you,” she said again, more firmly.“Assoon asIget out of here.We’llgo knock on his door together and demand that he talk to us so we can straighten this thing out.There’sno way a few drunken blow jobs should ruin your life together,” she declared, chin up.

Bright let out a rough laugh that was more than a half-sob.

“I don’t know…” he muttered.“Thething aboutBurnis that he can forgive others, but he can’t forgive himself.Ithink he still blames himself for his family’s death—even though we both know it wasn’t his fault.”

Noelle nodded slowly, rememberingBurn’sstory.Thepain in his voice…the hollow in his chest that no amount of kindness could seem to fill.

There was a hard core inside theDarkTwin, she thought.Somethingbitter and cold and unforgiving—but it was turned inward, not out.Hewore his pain like armor, and it had kept him alive… but also alone.

“It would take a miracle to get through to him,”Brightsaid bleakly.

“AChristmasMiracle,”Noellesaid, trying to inject a bit of hope.

“Yes, aChristmasMiracle.I’llsee you later, my lady,” he said softly.Heleaned down to hug her, brushing a kiss over her cheek with aching tenderness.

Then he left, shoulders still slumped, andNoellewatched him go, her heart aching for both him andBurn.

AChristmasMiracle—that’s what all three of them needed.

If only she could find one.

73

NOELLE

It had taken nearly a week in theMedCenterforNoelleto finally feel like herself again.

During that time, she’d learned two important facts—one,CommanderSylvan—the ice-eyedBloodKindredwith the lab coat and bedside manner of a saint—wasn’tjusta doctor.Hewas also the head of theKindredHighCouncil.Andtwo—being aVIPpatient of saidHighCouncilleader had both perks and drawbacks.

The perk: she got a private room in the elite-level wing of theMedCenter, with pale lavender lighting and plush amenities that looked more like a boutique hotel suite than a hospital.

The drawback:Sylvanwas extremely thorough.

“I don’t care what they told you on theSkowship,” he said gently, but firmly.“Nectaritisis a real medical condition—and the levels of hormonal imbalance we’re seeing in your system are concerning.We’regoing to treat this properly.”

And he had.Withinjections, nutrient infusions, hormonal stabilizers, and soothing sonic therapies that targeted her entire endocrine system.Noellehad undergone tests she didn’t even have names for, and at one point, a nurse had wheeled in something that looked suspiciously like a chrome-plated tanning bed and asked her to lie down inside it.

But it had worked.

Slowly—blessedly—her body had started to feel like her own again.

The relentless pressure in her breasts had eased, and the nectar had finally stopped flowing.Thethrobbing ache between her legs, which had made it nearly impossible to think clearly, had subsided.Sheno longer woke up drenched in sweat and desire, panting for hands that weren’t there.

It wassucha relief.