Lover Unleashed - J. R. Ward [174]
Payne blinked. And then felt her mouth drop open. “What . . . what did you say?”
“I’ve known Wrath for a lot of years. And technically, according to the Old Laws, I’m the head of our little happy family down here. I’ll go to him and tell him that I approve of this . . . match and that I think you should be able to see the bas—guy. Man. Manello.” He cleared his throat. “Wrath is very security-conscious, but with the mhis around the compound . . . Manello couldn’t find us if he wanted to. Besides, it’s hypocritical to deny you what other Brothers have done from time to time. Fuck it, Darius had a kid with a human woman—and Wrath’s now married to that young. Matter of fact—if you had tried to separate our king from his Beth when he’d met her? He’d have killed anyone who even made the suggestion. Rhage’s Mary? Same diff. And it should . . . be likewise for you. I’ll even talk to Mahmen, if I have to.”
Payne put her palm up to her pounding heart. “I . . . don’t understand why you would . . . do this?”
He glanced over his shoulder, staring at the human she loved. “You’re my sister. And he’s what you want.” He shrugged. “And . . . well, I fell in love with a human. I fell in love with my Jane within an hour of meeting her—and . . . yeah. I’ve got nothing without her. If what you feel for Manello is even half what I have for my shellan, your life is never going to be complete without him—”
Payne tackled her brother in an embrace. Nearly knocked him right off his feet. “Oh . . . brother mine . . . !”
His arms came around her and held her. “I’m sorry I was such an asshole.”
“You were . . .” She searched for another word. “Yes, you were such an asshole.”
He laughed, the sound rumbling up through his chest. “See? We can agree on something.”
As she held on to him, she said, “Thank you . . . thank you . . .”
After a moment, he pulled back. “Let me talk to Wrath first before you go to Manello, okay? I want to work it all out beforehand—and yes, I’m going home right now. Jane’s doing rounds and the Brotherhood is off tonight, so I should get right in with the king.” There was a pause. “I only want one thing from you in return.”
“What. Anything. Name it.”
“If you’re going to hang around until dawn, go inside. It’s fucking freezing as shit out here, true.” He stepped back. “Go on . . . go hang with your . . . male. . . .” He rubbed his eyes and she had a feeling he was remembering what he’d walked in on when she’d been in the shower with her healer. “I’ll come back . . . ah, call. . . . Do you have a phone? Here, take my—Fuck, I don’t have it.”
“It is okay, brother mine. I shall return at dawn.”
“Good, yeah—I should know by then.”
She stared at him. “I love you.”
Now he smiled. Broadly, and without reserve. Reaching out, he brushed her face. “I love you, too, sis. Now get in there and get warm.”
“I shall.” She jumped up and kissed him on the cheek. “I shall!”
With a wave, she dematerialized through the glass.
Oh, how the interior felt hot in comparison to the terrace . . . or perhaps it was the rush of joy that had spread throughout her. Whatever it was, she did a spin on one foot and then went over to the bed.
Manuel was not just aslumber, but passed out—she did not care, though. Climbing onto the bed, she put an arm around him—and instantly, he groaned and turned to her, pulling her close, holding her. As their bodies melded together, and his erection pushed into her hip, her eyes shot to the terrace.
No reason to force their luck with Vishous—but alas, he was gone.
Grinning in the dark, she got comfortable and stroked her male’s shoulder. This was all going to work out, and the key was the overwhelming logic that Vishous had detailed. In fact, the argument was so dispositive, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it herself.
Wrath might not like it; however, he was going to agree because facts were facts—and he was a fair ruler who had proven time and again that he was not a slave to the old ways.
As she settled in, she knew there