War Bringer (35 page)

That was a good vow. He nodded at her, then set the iron to his skin and counted one…two…three…four. The pain was intense. His skin sizzled beneath the hot metal. He set the iron beside the fire, then focused on his breathing, dissipating the pain as he repeated her vow silently to himself, forever connecting its meaning with its symbol on his skin.
 

He took up the second iron, then looked at her. Tears were running down her face. “Your heart vow, now.”
 

Her blue eyes caught his. “I vow to celebrate our similarities and differences with equal reverence.”

He pressed the second iron just to the left of the first, counting the slow seconds. He lifted the iron away and repeated her vow to himself.

The marks were small. Not quite an inch each. He smiled as he looked at red welts that were rising. They would fit nicely under the wrist cuffs he’d had made. He’d lived thirty-four years, and only now did he feel he was becoming a man.

“Your mind’s vow, now.”

Fiona bit her lip then slowly said, “I vow to give your needs and opinions equal consideration whenever I make a life decision.”

He nodded. Her vows were strong. He was proud of the mate she was becoming. The third iron went to the left of the second one. Again he took a deep breath, then repeated her intention.
 

“And now, your spirit’s vow to me.”

Her face was dangerously pale. She wept as she said, “I vow to participate in the lifelong transformation we’ll make from being two separate individuals to a couple with one footprint.”

Kelan placed the last brand on his left arm. He took a long breath then released it as he repeated her last vow. The shadows of the cave enhanced the reflection of the flames on her worried face. “You honor me well, Fiona.”

She sniffled and nodded. “Are you all right?”

He smiled at her. “I’m better than all right. I’m becoming whole.”

He set her irons to the side of the fire then removed the one representing his body. He looked at her. “I vow to provide the nourishment your body and your mind need to thrive.” He set the first brand on his right arm.

“Say my body’s vow back to me, Fiona. Look at the mark on my arm as you say it.”

Her gaze dropped to his wrist. “You vow to provide the nourishment my mind and body need to thrive.”

He nodded and smiled. “I do.” He took the next iron out of the fire and held it above his right wrist, next to the first mark. “From my heart, I vow to practice patience and self-control when confronted with challenging situations in our union.”

He set the second brand. When he looked up, Fiona was holding her hands over her mouth. “Breathe, Fiona. Like this.” He held her gaze as he took a long, slow pull of air. She did the same. “Repeat my heart’s vow.”

“You vow to practice patience and self-control when we face challenging situations.”

He smiled. “I do.” He held her gaze as he set the third iron. “From my mind, I vow to keep silence, action, and leadership in the proper balance in our interactions.” He pressed the iron in the next place on his arm.

Fiona nodded, then breathed with him again. “From your mind, you vow to balance silence, action, and leadership in our interactions.”

“The last one now, from my spirit. I vow to nurture and encourage you and our children.” He set the final mark on his skin. When it was finished, Fiona repeated his vow as tears streamed down her face. “You honor me well, Kelan.”

He smiled at her. “It’s done.” He rested his forearms on his thighs. His skin was red and angry.

“Is the pain terrible?”

“It’s incredible, Fiona.” He looked at his arms, then held his wrists for her to see. “Look at the marks that show us as one.”

Fiona cupped her hands beneath his. “My heart will never be the same.”

“Nor mine.” He stood. “I’m going to close the ceremony now. I’ll tell our ancestors of our claiming and thank the four directions for their protection.”

He went to the opening of the cave. Holding up his arms with his wrists held out facing the world, he did just that, using the words of his Lakota ancestors in a singsongy chant that rumbled from his heart.

When he was finished, he looked at Fiona standing beside him. Tears spilled down his cheeks because his spirit was too full to contain them. Holding his arms out to the side, he leaned over and kissed her. “I love you.”

She smiled against his mouth. “I love you.”

“Will you get the salve and bandages from my bag? We’ll cover these up and let them heal.”

She fetched those two things, then they sat beside the fire. She dipped her fingers into a sweet smelling cream. “What is this?”

“It’s a blend my mother uses for burns. It contains mock orange, aloe, coconut oil, and some other things.”

Fiona took his right arm and gently smoothed the cream over his burns. When she’d wrapped his forearm, she smiled up at him. “I feel just like Bear Paw Woman.”

“How so?”

“Tending the wounds of a fierce animal.”

Kelan grinned. “I’m fierce?”

“Terrifying.”

He smiled as she repeated her ministrations on his other arm.

“Will you wear your cuffs now?”

“Tomorrow, when we go back to the house. There’s something else in the bag that I need you to get.”

Fiona frowned. “What is it?”

“Your birthday present.”

She opened the bag and dug around, then lifted out a small jewelry box. She gave him a curious look, then unwrapped it. Lifting the lid, she took out a pair of silver earrings made from two dimes.

“Those dimes were minted the same year you were born. They’re twenty-one years old. It’s a small gift, but I had it made specifically to honor this birthday.”

Fiona shut her eyes and squeezed the earrings in her hand. “I love them.”

“I know you said you wanted to skip this year—”

Her eyes shot open, and she looked at him. “I don’t anymore. You’ve made this an extraordinary one already. I want to remember everything about it.” She put the earrings on, then leaned forward and kissed him as she said, “Thank you for my gift.”

He spread his fingers in her hair and brought her close for another kiss. “I love you, Mahasani.”

Chapter
 
Thirty-One

Wynn parked out front of her grandmother’s current nursing home. She’d arranged everything for her move and made certain it would happen with the least disruption possible. She hadn’t expected to be able to be here when she started her new job just days ago, but when she told Mandy what was happening, her new boss made certain she took the day off.

There wasn’t anything she could do for her grandmother during the move, other than hold her hand before they took her and be there when they settled her in her new room. Still, she felt certain her presence would make her grandmother feel better about the change.
 

She looked at her watch. The move was planned for ten a.m. She had forty-five minutes yet, plenty of time to visit with Grams and help her understand what was happening.
 

Wynn waved to the nurses at the main desk. They looked at her in an odd way. She figured days like this were always a little awkward, when a family moved a resident to a different facility. The crew here was kind—she knew they’d miss her grandmother.
 

When she got to her room, it was empty. A man was mopping the floor.
Oh, God.
Had Grams passed? She covered her mouth, blocking a sob, and spun on her heel. One of the nurses who cared for her grandmother was there. “Where is she?” Wynn asked.

“She was moved a half-hour ago.”

“They took her already?” She looked at her watch again, wondering if she’d gotten the times mixed up. Oh, but what a relief that she was fine, just already on her way to her new home. Wynn dragged in a big breath. “I thought that wasn’t supposed to happen until ten.”

“We thought so too.” The nurse looked perturbed. “And I guess you changed your mind about where you wanted her moved to. It’s risky moving a stroke victim to a private residence. I wish you had consulted with us about that. We could have helped ensure you were prepared for her intense needs.”

“What are you talking about?”

The nurse handed her a clipboard. Wynn saw her signature on a change order, canceling her previous move request and changing the new address to one she didn’t recognize.
 

“When did you get this?”

“This morning, when her care team came for her.”

“I didn’t do this change request.”

“You signed it.”

Wynn shook her head. She didn’t have the time to argue. She had to go find her grandmother. “I’d like a copy of this, please.”

The nurse pulled out a copy from the clipboard.

Wynn snatched it and hurried back to her car. The address was for a house in one of the upscale neighborhoods about twenty minutes away. It was a private residence, still in Cheyenne. How could a mix-up like this have happened? Did the ambulance crew mistake her grandmother for someone else? Was someone else’s matriarch on the way to the other nursing home?

Wynn pulled up in front of a stately neo-Tudor mansion. She hurried up the long, tiered front walkway, then rang the doorbell several times.
 

A woman in a nurse’s outfit opened the door. “Ms. Ratcliff?”

“Yes. Is my grandmother here? I think there’s been some terrible mistake.”

“She is. Let me take you to her.”

The woman turned down a long hall to a bedroom. It looked, in every way, just like a room in a nursing home, with all the requisite equipment for a stroke patient. Her heart monitor had a steady beep.
 

Wynn pushed her hair behind her ears and hurried to the bed where her grandmother lay so peacefully. She grabbed her hand, relieved at its warmth, and was careful not to jostle her IV feed. “Grams, what happened? How did you get here?” she asked, knowing her elder couldn’t answer.
 

A movement on the other side of the bed caught her attention. A man stood up from a chair and pushed the bed curtain back to the wall. “Hello, Ms. Ratcliff.”

Wynn frowned at him, trying to remember if she’d ever met him. “Who are you?”

“I am Jafaar Majid.”

“Why is my grandmother here?”

He looked down at Grams’ peaceful face. “It is a difficult thing, is it not, to see one’s beloved so vulnerable.”

Wynn straightened. “I asked why she’s here.”

“She is—how do you say—leverage. You have something we want. And now we have something you want. The scales are balanced.”

“Are you saying you kidnapped my grandmother?”

“Indeed.”

Cold terror clamped Wynn’s heart. “I’m calling the police.” She scrabbled around in her purse for her phone. When she lifted it out, a woman was standing next to Gram’s IV, holding a needle to it. What were they doing?

“What’s that?”

“Nothing. Only a bubble. Sad that a little air, something so vital to us, could kill your grandmother.”

“Why are you threatening her?”

“I told you. You have something we want. And yes, you can call the police, but before they can get here, your precious elder will be dead.”

“What do you want?”

“It is my understanding you’ve taken a new job, working for a delightful family a little ways up the road. In fact, you now live with them.” The mask of affability he’d worn fell away. “They are enemies of mine. I need you to listen to their plans, let me know what they are up to.”

“I don’t have access to that. I work with their son. I have no idea what they’re doing.”

“Make it your business.” He waved a hand around the room. “As you see, we’ve taken the utmost care to provide your grandmother with everything she might need as she recovers her faculties from the stroke.” His eyes met hers. “But we also have everything we need to make her life a living hell. Fail us, and we will introduce terrible pain that she cannot fight. Help us, and we will assist her recovery process. Go to the authorities, or to your employer, and your sweet grandmother will be killed.”

Wynn could barely breathe. This lunatic would kill her grandmother before Wynn could get any help to her. She looked at Grams, and noticed her eyes were blinking rapidly. Was she silently screaming for Wynn to help her? How could she do anything but that?
 

“What kind of info are you looking for?” she asked.

Mr. Majid smiled. “I knew we could come to terms.”

Other Books by Elaine Levine:

~Red Team Series~

(This series must be read in order)

1
The Edge of Courage
(2012)

2
Shattered Valor
(2012)

3
Honor Unraveled
(2013)

3.5
Kit & Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
(2014)

4
Twisted Mercy
(2014)

4.5
Ty & Eden: A Red Team Wedding Novella
(2015)

5
Assassin’s Promise
(2015)

6 War Bringer (2016)

~ Men of Defiance Series ~

(This series may be read in any order)

1
Rachel and the Hired Gun
(2009)

2
Audrey and the Maverick
(2010)

3
Leah and the Bounty Hunter
(2011)

4
Logan’s Outlaw
(2012)

5
Agnes and the Renegade
(2013)

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at
[email protected]

Published by Elaine Levine

Copyright © 2016 Elaine Levine

Last Updated: April 27, 2016

Cover art by Killion Group, Inc.

Cover image featuring Ken Davila © Luis Rafael Photos