Born Claimed (Broken Angel 2)

ized he was speaking out of hope, not reality. “Why do you talk like a child?” she asked.

Vash ran toward her, nearly lunging when he had the chance. His hands had turned into claws, nails drawing blood against his own palm. He carried daggers in his eyes, fierce enough to kill everyone in sight. He pinned her against the wall, forcing his chin against her cheek. Slowly, he let the words drop.

“Do not tell me how to behave,” he said with scorn. “When I found you, you were hooked up to tubes. You have been locked away most of your life. My pack has lost everything for your freedom. Some respect might be in order.”

“Vash.” Lucas scowled and pulled back against his shoulder, but the pack leader hit him over the head and watched as he fell to the concrete, lightly bleeding from his skull.

“My brother, my mother, and my whole world has died before my eyes,” Vash said, tears now visibly resting against the sides of his eyes. He gritted his teeth and let out an exhausted cry of pain before letting himself go with sudden weakness.

His body succumbed to the weight of his thoughts, shoulders hunched in defeat. The anger was short lived and pathetic. Even he had to know that, for it was revealed in the tone of the next words he spoke. “The worst revelation of all is knowing that everything, all of what we have lost, is my doing, the fault of my blood. The sins of my fathers. You are right. I am a petulant child. I wasn’t taught to be anything else.”

Rae wasn’t afraid of his outburst. Part of her wished he had continued with the tirade, smashing her to bits, waking her from this tireless nightmare. If only it was a dream…

“Are you done?” she asked.

Vash nodded and exhaled. Yes, he was done with his juvenile displays of foolish passion. It didn’t make him a better leader, but it did give Rae the option to lead them instead. She took the opportunity and knelt next to him, massaging her fingers into his hair.

“Good,” she said, sternly. “Then, shut the fuck up and act like men.”

She was no longer the little, innocent dove they’d found in Cassian’s laboratory. She had changed into something far more complex and interesting than her former self. Though she hadn’t held her children close to her body since the traumatic birthing, she was a mother. She was ready to accept that responsibility.

Rae made sure the rest of her tears had dried from her face. She focused on her breathing until her heart stopped pounding so sorely. Finally, she could think. “About a week ago, Ruby took me to a forest. I had never seen such a place before. The green was impeccably natural. I don’t think I realized it at the time, but it was a life-changing experience,” she said. “Ruby shot a blackbird. It was the first truly innocent creature I witnessed die, and it felt… eternal.”

“Who are you becoming? Are you like them now?” Vash asked with contempt lingering in his voice.

“I am your queen, wife, as well as the mother of your three darling children,” she said. And then, she placed her palm across his face. Sweetly, she ran her thumb across the faint outline of his tears, drying him adequately. “I know life is painful. I know it is full of mystery and traumatic events that lead us to more misery, but there is beauty within it all. Even when there isn’t, we have to stick together.”

Vash nodded, piercing deeply into her eyes. They hadn’t connected in so long. None of them had, really. There hadn’t been any time. If anything, Killian’s sudden disappearance was a wakeup call to slow down. Things didn’t need to be solved in a day. The mending of their hearts was more important than anything else.

“I can’t bear to lose you again,” he said. “He was practically my brother, and he was the strongest man I knew.”

“I am the strongest woman in the world. If he is still alive, I will find him,” she said.

Above all, she hoped she didn’t sound arrogant. All she was trying to do was stay strong for them, but she knew how it looked when women took control of the reins.

Lucas walked slowly toward the two with Virgil by his side. “You can’t expect to put every piece together by yourself.”

“It’s her story,” Vash said. “It’s hers. Not ours. I understand that now.”

Appearing disgruntled, Virgil walked ahead of them and let out a short scoff when he reached the door. Without warning, he pounded three times and waited. Before it opened, he turned and said, “You’re both wrong. It’s no one’s story,” he said. “And that’s why I’ve made it a habit of staying out of harm’s way.”

The handle of the knob turned, and Rae felt her muscles tighten with sudden worry. She turned and grabbed ahold of Vash, saying, “Wait. We need to turn back!”

The door opened, and the rush of wind came out of the entrance, the smell of sweat and much, much worse. Severin walked through the door, and Virgil bowed like a loyal rat. “Sir,” he said. “The prisoners and the queen… here they are. I have done good for you and Ruby.”

“You came. I can’t believe you actually came here,” Severin said.

The look of soreness suggested Virgil might cry, but no tears came out. His face was dry, and the lines of age seemed even more pronounced than before. All of the hope Rae stored inside her breast dried in an instant.

“No,” she muttered, eyes fixed on the old preacher. She closed her eyes and prayed—she prayed a god would come down and crush them both. “You hoary bastard, no!”

“Where is the other one? He is the most important,” Severin said. He walked forward, confidently taking Rae’s hair and dragging her closer to him. She fought back, but every scratch she gave him was of no consequence to him. He merely stepped on her ankle, forcing her to submit.

“He is… missing,” Virgil said.

“Why do you need him?” Rae asked.

Severin shoved Rae’s head toward the concrete, letting her go at the moment of impact. The blow knocked her nearly unconscious.