Page 92 of Rule

“Yes,” Bran said. “You are our family now,Evelyn.”

Her smile wavered as she put an arm aroundeach of us. “I love you for saying that and trust me, I want to be a part ofthis family more than anything, but a person doesn’t always get what they want.I’m not meant for you.”

It was getting hard to breathe again, andthere was a strange growing lump in my throat that I could not swallow past.

Evelyn stared at Bran and then at me. “Promiseme that you’ll move on and find someone else after I leave with the king.”

“No,” Bran snapped.

“We will not,” I said.

“You have to,” she insisted. “Find a nice womanto be a good mom to Bella and a good wife to the two of you. Okay?”

“No,” I said.

“Never,” Bran said.

Her tears were giving way to frustration,but neither Bran nor I would budge. She glanced out the window. “You said thestorm will end in another few days?”

“Most likely,” Bran said.

She took a deep breath and kissed both ofus again. “Then we’re going to make the most of the time we have left. No tearsor anger. Just love. All right?”

Bran nodded and I rested my foreheadagainst hers. “Just love, sadora.”

* * *

Bran

I stared at the ceiling, listening to Evelyn’ssoft breathing and Court’s snoring. My stomach was in knots and I had a headache.

The storm was over.

It had ended around three this morning.The sudden quietness had woken me, and I’d lain in the dark, foolishly hopingthat the wind and the snow would begin again. The weight I’d carried since Danahad torn apart our family had finally disappeared after Court and I forgaveeach other, but it had been replaced with an infinitely heavier one.

A weight I could barely carry day in andday out.

Evelyn had asked for only happiness andlove this past week, and both Court and I had done our best to give her that.But every day, the weight of losing her grew, until I’d woken to the quiet.

Now, that weight threatened to pin me tothe ground, to destroy every last shred of happiness within me. They wouldcome for our Evelyn, and we would never see her again. We would never touchher soft skin, hear her voice, or smell her sweet scent. She would mate withthe king and bear his children, and Court and I would spend the rest of ourdays in love with a woman we could never have.

I sat up and slid out of the bed withoutlooking at Evie or Court. I could not change what was about to happen, no matterhow much I wished I could.

The storm was over.

I dressed quietly and left the bedroom.When I stuck my head into Bella’s room, she was awake and sitting up in bed,staring at a picture book.

“Hi, Papa!”

“Hello, meena.”

She climbed out of bed and skipped over tome. I picked her up and kissed her soft cheek before taking her to the bathroom.Once she was finished, we went to the kitchen and Bella made a little squeal ofdelight when she saw the sunshine pouring in through the window.

“Papa, light!”

“Yes, meena,” I said as I set her in herchair at the table.

She lifted her hand to the beams of light,her smile widening. “Pretty.”

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