“Wh-what are you doing?” Alana demanded now. “Bjorn, don’t do this. You’ll kill me, but you’ll also kill yourself.”
“You are not doing this,” Fox barked, latching on to his wrist. “Don’t do this. Please don’t do this!”
I must. No other way. “Tell me where your soldiers are,” he demanded of Alana.
“They are on their way here,” she told him, and laughed, gleeful. “Your whore will be the first to die!”
A foul taste inundated his tongue. A lie. She’d told a lie. His eyes widened. “They are not coming to your rescue, which means, they are imprisoned or dead.” Nothing else would keep her minions away. Unless… “You sold them. You sold them to Lucifer to…what? Buy a ticket to Hell. No. Buy Fox’s abduction and murder.”
Her gaze skidded elsewhere, anywhere but him, and he knew. She had. She had sold her minions to hurt Fox. Done with her, he raised the sword higher and struck, the fiery blade whooshing through Alana’s neck, removing her head.
Now, Fox would live.
As Alana’s body went lax, Bjorn’s world went dark. The last thought to blast through his mind before he dropped face-first to the ground: Worth it.
* * * *
With a scream, Fox threw herself at Bjorn’s body to feel for a pulse. It was there, but unbearably weak and concerningly slow.
Thane and Xerxes came rushing through the portal. Crouching around their friend, they exuded panic, horror, and fury.
Thane pressed what looked to be an empty vial at Bjorn’s mouth, explaining, “We purchased a single drop of Water of Life from a Sent One named Axel. It cost us the Downfall, but saving Bjorn is worth any price. The drop will buy Bjorn a few minutes…maybe.”
“Then I have less than a few minutes to save him,” Fox said, doing her best to stay calm. She just, she had to save him. “He needs a new bond. I volunteer. But I need him to awaken and pledge his eternal loyalty to me.” His safety wouldn’t be guaranteed—the bond might kill her instead of save him, thereby killing him, too—but he would for sure die if they didn’t try.
She patted his cheek. When he failed to rouse, she slapped him with every bit of her might…
He fluttered open his eyes, and their gazes met. Yes! His irises were glazed over, and he couldn’t focus, but he had awoken and that was all that mattered.
“Hey, baby,” she said softly, caressing his jaw. “Alana is dead, and you’re dying.” No reason to hide the truth. “We must forge a bond between us. You’ll be saved—”
“No.” He thrashed his head, and she reared back, stunned and hurt, the wound soul-deep, even though a part of her had suspected the rejection.
“T-then I’ll find you someone else. Just tell me who you want, and I’ll portal to her,” she rushed out. She would rather he live without her than die. “Remember, timing is critical.”
No, no, no, the demon chanted. He prowled through her mind, his claws sinking deeper into her brain, drawing blood. A Sent One and a demon-possessed assassin? Bjorn will never forgive you for bonding him to evil.
Oh, crap. She hadn’t thought about what would happen if Bjorn bonded to a demon-possessed woman. Yes, she hoped to remove the fiend. But…what if he grew to resent her for the link?
“Do not want…any other woman…I want you…but if… we… bond…and I die…you die, too.” He spoke between panting breaths. “I would rather…die than cause…you harm.”
Melting. This. This was love. Any lingering hurts faded, new tears streaming down her cheeks. “We won’t die, baby.” Ticktock, ticktock. Those few minutes were running out fast. “Trust me this time.” She took his hand and squeezed, then lifted his arm to flatten his palm against her tear-stained cheek. “Trust me,” she repeated. “I know you’ll have a bond to someone who is demon-possessed, but we’ll find a way to make it work. And I’ve been thinking. Maybe, once I’m bound to you, Distrust can be removed from me—no, never mind. Then I would need to draw from your immortality to survive, and I won’t use you as Alana did.” Frustration mounted.
“Want you…to draw from me…want to provide…for you.”
Melting faster. The man who hated risks was considering her offer? Another example of his love for me! “I want you to know that I forgive you for doubting me. We’re still learning each other. I also want you to know I’m going to be changing my entire business model. I’d like to become the official Gatekeeper for the Sent Ones…and take the occasional job killing demons.” She’d loved aiding Bjorn and his army, and looked forward to doing it again and again.
“But I won’t…risk you,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken.
Fox wilted. Unlike Alana, she wouldn’t, couldn’t force this bond on him. He had to say the words willingly. But she didn’t want to pressure him in any way. So, how was she supposed to proceed?
“You love this woman, and she loves you.” Thane’s deep voice rang out, more bite than bark. “She wants to save you. Therefore, you will let her.”
“You will do this, Bjorn,” Xerxes commanded. “Or I will follow you to the hereafter, leaving Thane and Elin heartbroken.”
In that moment, Fox forgave the pair for their horrendous treatment of her. They’d always had Bjorn’s best interests at heart, and she could not fault them for it.
Would that stop her from forever tormenting them about the whipping? Not even a little.
Bjorn opened his mouth to respond, but the words got lost amid a wheezing cough. A death wheeze. His eyelids slid closed, and his head lolled to the side.
I’m losing him. Fox didn’t give Bjorn a chance to decline again. Panicked, she slapped his cheek until he opened his eyes once again. “Your friends have spoken. You are doing this, Bjorn.” Then, she sliced the center of her palm, blood welling. “I pledge my life and my future to you, Bjorn the One True Dread.”
To her astonishment, and delight, he did not hesitate. “I pledge…my life…and my future…to you…Fox the Executioner.” He was still panting, his volume lowering more and more.
Since he didn’t have the strength to cut his own palm, Xerxes made the cut for him. Fox twined her fingers with Bjorn’s to mix their blood, then placed their bleeding hands over his mouth, ensuring the blood dripped down his throat. She did the same for herself, swallowing the metallic drops.
It wasn’t the prettiest or most elegant of ceremonies, but it was quick and unadorned. Her preference. “Is something more supposed to happen?” she asked the boys. Having never bonded before—
“Just wait,” Thane said. “As soon as the blood hits—”
Bowing her back, she threw back he
r head and screamed. The pain! She felt every wound that littered Bjorn’s body, and oh, how had he survived this? She thrashed. Too much, too much.
The demon quieted, as if he’d been muzzled. Had he been muzzled?
Her thoughts dimmed, darkness creeping through her mind. She thought someone swept her into his strong arms and carried her away…thought that same someone laid her upon a soft bed. By then, the pain had begun to recede. She became more aware of her surroundings. Thane had carried her, and Xerxes had carried Bjorn, who now lay beside her. His essence filled her mind and her heart. No, all of him filled all of her. She was no longer Fox. She was Fox and Bjorn. She felt his great love for her, and oh, it was pure, precious, and all-consuming.
“His heartbeat grows stronger by the second,” Xerxes said, his relief palpable.
“Hers, too,” Thane replied.
“They will both recover, and all will be well.”
They laughed, making her smile. Fox blinked open her eyes. The cabin Bjorn had built. The master bedroom to be exact, the only door closed. There was no sign of Thane and Xerxes. But, but…they were just here.
Bjorn lay at her side, as she’d suspected, and he too blinked open his eyes. As soon as their gazes met, they launched at each other, hugging, kissing, crying.
“I’m so sorry, vixen. I’m so sorry. I hurt you—”
“I expected too much too fast, and I should have—”
“No, no, you did nothing wrong. But I did. I doubted you when you needed me most.”
“Why don’t we blame Alana for all our problems, hmm?” She curled into him, clinging to this man she adored. “I love you, Bjorn.”
“I love you, too, vixen. So much.” He caressed his fingertips down the ridges of her spine. “Always and forever.”
“Always and forever,” she echoed, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since their blow up.