Questions filled his head. Who is she? And how soon can I grab her?
The blood heated in his veins, burning hotter and hotter. Boiling! Sweat beaded on his brow. His heart thudded with more force. Enough to crack a rib. Or perhaps the pangs erupted because of another reason? How was he to know anything about anything right now? He’d never felt a sensation quite like this.
The female sauntered closer, soon to be within his reach. Every fiber of his being stood at attention and shouted, MINE! My mate.
Mate? His? A partner? The one led by fate to enrich his life.
He readjusted his vow. It would be Brochan, his brother and this female to the end. The three of them. He’d never thought to possess a mine. But her… I will possess. Woe to anyone who thinks to take her from me!
He braced, ready to pounce. To seize his prize. The need to touch her proved nigh irresistible. Here, now, he could admit the truth. Deep down, he’d wanted a mine more than he’d ever wanted anything.
Did she feel a similar pull? She must. The way she was looking at him…as if she’d never glimpsed a more glorious sight.
His chest puffed with pride. He wasn’t a handsome male. A fact he’d never lamented until now. But no matter. In battle, he fought with ruthless precision. What’s more, he kept himself strong, packing his body with strength. No one would defend her better than Brochan.
As she entered his orbit, the sweetest scent hit his nostrils. His head fogged. For a moment, he couldn’t move—he could only inhale for more.
Her lips curved into a soft smile just before she strolled past him. He balled his hands into fists. He didn’t understand what just happened. Surely she felt something for him. He couldn’t be alone in this too. The feeling was far too power— What was she doing?
He sucked in a breath. She seemed to home in on…McCadden? The lad observed her with the most intense desire he’d ever displayed.
No. This couldn’t be transpiring.
But it was.
Shock nailed Brochan in place as the two sized each other up. Horror followed, inundating him. His woman and his brother…a couple? No. Fate would not be so cruel.
He crumpled into his seat, the abrupt motion ripping feathers from his wings. Golden down floated around him as he watched McCadden smile…watched as hours ticked past and she roused laugh after laugh from the lad.
From there, the two rarely parted. In less than a week, she won his brother’s stalwart declaration of love.
Brochan observed the blossoming love match from the shadows, always in the shadows, aching, cursing his lust for the female. Her name was Viola the Incomparable, and she was a goddess of the Afterlife. She treated a pet devil-dog like an infant and complimented herself regularly, constantly drawing a smile to Brochan’s lips as much as McCadden’s.
Cease yearning for her? Impossible. Resist her, however? Yes. Always. How could he do any less? She alone had prompted his brother’s recovery.
Today, Brochan kept his distance from the couple. He kept his distance from everyone, his temper at an all-time high. He paced the confines of his home, a cloud in Nevaeh, the uppermost sky realm where he kept everything just the way he liked it: minimal, his only furnishings a bed and a desk. McCadden and Viola were currently on a special date. To consummate their relationship? Brochan’s stomach twisted.
A loud boom. A heavy thump. He straightened, on instinct extending an arm. A sword of fire appeared in his grip. The front door? He flashed there. McCadden! His brother crawled inside the home, blood smeared across his face and wetting his once-white robe. And his wings…
They’d begun to wither.
Dread surged. Withering wings meant only one thing… A mortal death loomed.
Not him! Brochan lifted the lad as gently as possible and carried him to the bed. Someone would suffer for this! Today. “What happened? What of Viola?” Panic struck, quickly consuming him. “Where is she?” Was she hurt? Did she still live?
The moisture in his mouth dried. Not her!
McCadden averted his gaze, tears sliding down his cheeks. “She did this, brother. She took my immortality. Fed it to her pet and left me to die.”
That…no. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t condemn Brochan’s only family to death. She wouldn’t force him to punish a female he only longed to protect. “Are you certain?” He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “Perhaps you misremember what—”
“I misremember nothing!” McCadden spat the words before rolling to his side. The necrosis continued to spread through his wings, white and gold feathers blackening. “She never cared about me. She used me.”
Righteous fury pulsed from his brother, illuminating the sincerity of every word. Reality settled in, replacing his shock. The goddess had done this. The mate of Brochan’s dreams had dared.