Page 82 of The Reckoning
Slowly, carefully, they ease out of my tender flesh, drawing whimpers from my throat at the loss. For some strange reason, I’m afraid they’ll both disappear, but they don’t go far. Arson gathers me into his arms, cradling me against his chest as he lowers us to the moss-covered ground while Aries stretches out beside us, one large hand splaying possessively over my hip.
I’m not sure how long we simply lie there, our racing hearts gradually slowing, and our breathing evening out. The air is heavy with the musk of sex and sweat, the earthy scent of the forest floor beneath us. In the distance, a bird trills out a sweet song, the melody at odds with the primal act we’ve just engaged in.
As the haze of lust slowly dissipates, reality starts to creep back in. Uncertainty churns in my gut, the magnitude of what we’ve just done hitting me full force. This changes everything. There’s no going back from this, no pretending it never happened.
I tense in Arson’s arms, my mind racing with all the implications, all the potential fallout. What if this ruins everything? What if it makes things awkward and strained between us?
As if sensing my spiraling thoughts, Arson tightens his hold on me, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Stop overthinking,” he murmurs, his deep voice rumbling through me. “Just feel.”
Aries’s hand strokes soothingly along my side, his calloused palm rough against my oversensitive skin. “This is right,” he sayssoftly, conviction ringing in every word. “This is how it’s meant to be. The three of us, together.”
I want to believe them. Want to let myself sink into this moment, this feeling of absolute rightness. But the doubts persist, nibbling at the edges of my mind like hungry mice.
“But what if…what if it doesn’t work?” I whisper, giving voice to my fears. “What if we can’t make this…whatever this is…last?”
Arson’s fingers catch my chin, tipping my face up to meet his intense gaze. “We will,” he says firmly, his eyes blazing with determination. “We’ll fight for this, for us. No matter what it takes.”
“We’re not letting you go,” Aries adds, his arm tightening around my waist. “Not now, not ever. You’re a part of us, Lilian. The piece we didn’t even know was missing until we found you.”
Tears prick at the backs of my eyes, my heart swelling with a hope I hardly dare to acknowledge. I want to trust in their conviction, in the strength of what we’ve forged between us. But a lifetime of disappointment is hard to shake off, the scars of abandonment still raw and aching.
“I’m scared,” I admit in a small voice, the words catching in my throat. “I don’t know how to do this, how to be what you need me to be.”
“You already are,” Arson assures me, his thumb stroking tenderly over my cheekbone. “Just by being you, by letting us love you. That’s all we need, Lil. All we’ll ever need.”
“We’re scared too,” his brother confesses, vulnerability roughening his deep baritone. “This is new territory for all of us. But we’re in this together, figuring it out as we go. And I know, down to my bones, that it will be worth it. What we have, what we feel for you…it’s real. It’s everything.”
Their words wash over me, soothing the jagged edges of my fears, my doubts. I want to believe them, want to trust in the strength of this bond we’ve forged through fire and fate. Andlooking into their eyes, seeing the depth of emotion shining there, the unwavering certainty…I feel something slot into place inside me. A puzzle piece I didn’t even know was missing until it settled into its rightful spot.
“Okay,” I whisper, a shaky smile tugging at my lips. “Okay. Let’s do this. Let’s…let’s be together. All in.”
Their answering smiles are blinding, joy and relief and love shining through like sunbeams cutting through clouds. Arson dips his head, capturing my mouth in a kiss that steals my breath and pours his very soul into me. Aries’s lips find my shoulder, pressing reverent kisses to the skin as if in worship.
We lay there entwined, savoring the closeness, the rightness of our bodies pressed together. The forest seems to hum with approval around us, the ancient trees standing sentinel over this moment of perfect communion.
Slowly, reluctantly, we untangle ourselves and rise on shaky legs. My muscles ache in places I didn’t know could ache, a delicious reminder of all that transpired. Arson’s hands skim over my body as if reassuring himself I’m real and this wasn’t just some fevered dream. Aries watches us with a soft smile, his eyes reflecting the same incredulous wonder I feel bubbling up in my chest.
We help each other dress, fingers lingering on exposed skin, unwilling to let go of this cocoon of intimacy we’ve spun. There’s a new undercurrent between us now, a pulsing awareness that feels as vital as the blood in our veins. The brothers share a look over my head, some silent communication passing between them before they each take one of my hands in theirs.
“Let’s go home,” Arson says quietly, the word laden with unspoken meaning.
Home. The idea of it sends a thrill down my spine. But where is home? Not the Mill House, so close. Definitely not the warehouse that represents Aries’s trauma and Arson’s revenge.
As if reading my thoughts, Aries speaks up. “We don’t have anywhere to go yet, but we’ll find a place to start over, to build something new. Together.”
The image forms in my mind—a cozy log cabin nestled among towering pines, smoke curling from the chimney, wildflowers blooming in the clearing. A sanctuary, a haven. A home.
“That sounds perfect,” I breathe, emotion clogging my throat. “What about a cabin in the woods? Away from all of this. I wish we could go now.”
We all lapse into silence, dreaming hopefully for a moment. We have a fight ahead, and I’m not naive enough to think it’s not going to impact us all.
But for now, this is all I want. All I’ve ever wanted and needed. Wherever they are is home. And I’ll follow them. Just as soon as the rest of our issues are dealt with. Richard. My mother. Arson’s captivity. We’ll be free of it all.
TWENTY-FOUR
ARIES
Iwake before dawn, my body still aching from yesterday’s fight with Arson and what followed with Lilian in the forest. The Mill House is silent except for their breathing—my brother’s deep and even, Lilian’s soft and delicate between us. We’d stumbled back here after dark, exhausted but unwilling to separate. The three of us tangled together in my bed, a temporary sanctuary.
