Taken Bride (The Secret Bride 3)

She looks toward Holly to make sure she’s doing the right thing by allowing him to touch her even more than he already has.

“Go ahead,” Holly says for her.

Violet cringes in pain when he touches her, but Isaac seems happy as he nods. “Nothing looks broken. Just bruised, which will still hurt like a son of a bitch.”

Ember stands from her crouched position and walks over to me. She doesn’t say a word but rests her forehead against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer to the fire.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she says quietly to me. “I don’t know what Holly and I would have done without you and Isaac.” She tilts her head up at me. “But we can’t leave. I know you want to. But with Violet hurt… and the reason she jumped was… it’s my fault for her fall.”

“No,” Violet calls out, hissing when she moves too quickly, overhearing what Ember is saying. “Don’t you blame yourself. Please don’t. I don’t know what got into me. It’s just that sometimes I’m so sad. So… it feels like blackness covers me. Like a thick tar. I can’t see hope. I can’t see good. But this is not your fault, Ember. It’s not. Please, please don’t think that. I was stupid. Reckless. And God gave me a second chance that I will not take lightly.”

“Why did you do it?” Holly asks, new tears falling from her eyes. “Why?”

“The thought of leaving was too much for me. I didn’t want to go. But I didn’t want to stay.”

I notice Isaac look up at her and scowl, but he doesn’t say a word.

“I feel lost in the woods with no trail,” she adds.

“Well, right now, you don’t have to worry about anything but healing. You’ll have to stay off this leg for a while. No chores. No firewood gathering, and absolutely no hiking down the mountain,” Isaac interrupts, still frowning.

Ember looks at me, and I nod in understanding.

We may be here a while.

But at the same time… we have to leave before Scarecrow and Richard return. We have a time limit, and my gut tells me we’re running out of that time. Those men won’t stay gone for long.

Isaac stands up, warms his hands by the fire, and says, “I’ll be heading home. But if you need anything—”

“Please don’t go,” Violet says as Holly wraps a quilt around her shoulders. “It’s snowing outside and getting dark. I can’t live with myself if someone gets hurt because of my actions. Please stay with us. We don’t have much, but we can make up a bed. Please.”

“Yes, stay,” Holly adds. “I don’t know where your home is, but since we’ve never seen it gathering wood or foraging for food, I know it has to be far enough away that walking in the snow and at night isn’t safe. So please. I’ll start supper too. Stay.”

Isaac looks at me, and I simply shrug. “Women have spoken. As you can see, I’m not going anywhere either. I think we’re stuck here for at least the night.”

For the first time, I see Isaac smirk as he nods. “You may need my help lifting Violet,” he says, not saying yes but not saying no.

“Then it’s decided,” Holly announces, turning her attention to making supper.

Violet reaches out for Isaac’s hand again. “Thank you, Isaac. I’m so happy to have you in my life. If it weren’t for you—twice—I wouldn’t have one.”

He squats next to her and with his free hand swipes her hair away from her face. “Never again, little one. Do you understand? Never again.”

She nods and swallows hard. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why….” She begins to cry, and Isaac pulls her into his chest. “I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to stay. I don’t want this life anymore. I don’t know what to do.”

“Shh,” he says. “Everything’s going to be okay. Just rest right now. Rest.”

I watch Ember walk over to Holly and take her into her arms. Holly breaks down and begins crying into Ember’s shoulder. And for the first time since arriving, I really see why Ember has been so torn about leaving. She truly loves these women. They truly are her family. And after what happened, after doing everything within my power to save her family and the tiny and broken woman lying on the floor… I can actually picture them as my family too.

Ember walks over to me eventually when Holly returned her attention to the supper preparation. I don’t know if it’s because everything was so bad, so awful, and so dark, but when Ember reaches for my hand and holds it tightly, I get an odd sense of warmth and comfort. Almost a sense of home. A glimmer of light shines through the black. At least for now. Right this second.