Tribulation Road: A Red Hot Treats Story (6 page)

Thirty
minutes later, they were all packed into a crowded town hall. The empty spaces
were a reminder of all they’d lost. They went over the list once more, taking a
roll call. The elephant in the room was large and pink. Jaegar glanced at Brigh.

Her
face looked drawn and her jaw ticked beneath the mocha-colored skin he adored. Her
large doe eyes had darkened to black. One very important member of the Howell
family was missing. “Everyone take your cup and raise it to your lips. On
three, we all drink. One, two, three.” She threw back her cup and drank.

He
did the same.

“If
you had a hand in this betrayal, speak now.” The silence that fell over them
was resounding. “I think we have our answer. If you want to leave Noble, now is
the time. I need only the most dedicated. We have to rebuild our numbers. Start
from the ground up and hunt down the bastards who had the balls to come in and
destroy what we’ve worked so hard to build. This will never happen again. We
will be better, faster, and stronger. I will work you until you want to punch
me in the face, and you will be better for it. I aim to take over where my
father left off. Don’t think me at the forefront means a kinder Noble.”

A
murmur of voices rose like a wave. Still, no one seemed to have anything to
confess.

“All
of you have consumed the serum. Stand now if you betrayed us!” she called out.

Silence
reigned and this told her that whoever did the deed wasn’t present. She gazed
over the crowd and made a note of just who among the living of the Noble was
missing. “I know things are dark right now, but that’s when Noble rises to the
occasion every time.” She paused. “When it’s darkest.”

“And
how do you propose we replenish our numbers, girl? Noble isn’t into taking in
strays,” George asked, his round face red with anger.

“We
aren’t the last of our kind. I aim to seek out those who’ve been raised under
false pretenses. The ones time forgot. We have power gifted to us. The Howells,
Freemans, Suttons, and the Newtons were blessed by the divine. We’ve been holed
up in our little town for far too long. It’s time to expand, to grow, to seek. Without
growth, we will die.”

Whispers
sounded. What she proposed went against the way of things.

“She’s
right,” Jaegar said, stepping up behind her. “I left because I wanted to see what
was out there. Life here is stifling. That’s why we’re losing so many. We
train, we teach, and we never cut the cord. It’s a slap in the face, given how
much we place on their shoulders.”

“We’re
supposed to listen to him now?” Jeff gestured toward him.

“You
will as long as you’re under my command. We wed on Samhain and take up the
leadership. Tomorrow will be a day of mourning. But right now, we raise the
wards. All of us together, united.” She walked down the main row with her head
held high and her white dress flowing around her feet. Black curls tumbled down
her back. Her confident stride made it seem as if she walked on air. The
contrast of white against her brown skin and her regal bearing proclaimed her
the queen she would now be. “Come with me now. This is the first step of taking
back everything they’ve stolen.” She paused at the end of the aisle, turned to
him, and held out her hand.

Their
fingers interlocked and the knot in his chest loosened. Eventually, they would
find their way back to the place they’d been before.

~*  
*   *   *~

Exhausted,
they stumbled into her house. The quaint two-bedroom apartment was a mix of
vintage and country. He took in the familiar quirks. The grey couch had taken
them months to find. The hanging aqua-colored lights. Memories of love and
laughter surrounded him, wrapping him in their unwavering embrace. In the midst
of all the grief, he held tight to the invisible rays of sunshine.

“What
are you thinking?” she asked, toeing off her flats.

“There
are a lot of good memories in this place.”

“Yeah.”
She smiled. Her lower lip quivered.

“And
we’ll make more,” he promised, moving forward to gingerly wrap her in his arms.
She rested her head against his chest and he sent a silent prayer to whoever
was listening.

“Make
me forget, Jaegar. Remind me of why I’m here dying inside, but moving forward
and ready to fight. ‘Cause, right now, all I see is the darkness surrounding us
and pain—I want to feel something other than emptiness.”

He
stepped back and cupped her face. “I’ll do anything you want me to, Bri. Let me
take care of you.” He brushed her lips. Sparks came to life between them. He
moaned, tracing her lips with the tip of his tongue. “Still just as sweet as I
remember.” She parted her lips and sighed and he took advantage, slipping his
tongue into her mouth. Ripe like fresh fruit, refreshing and irresistible. He
ran his hands down her sides, massaging her hips as he deepened the kiss.

She
tilted her head and twined her tongue with his. He moaned. She pressed her
pelvis against his and his cock swelled.

No
woman had interested him since her. He’d tried the one-night-stand and ended up
with an embarrassingly limp dick that never got past the blow job stage. It’d
never been about leaving their relationship, just the environment they existed
in.

She
ran her fingers through his hair and gripped at the longer strands. The tension
sent tingles down his spine. He took his time rediscovering every inch of her
mouth. Lost in the flood of emotions, he got drunk on her. She was a high he
could never grow tired of.

They
surfaced for air and he peppered kisses down along her soft neck. She tilted
her head to give him better access and he sucked on her special spot. She
whimpered and gripped his shirt. His dick ached and his heart threatened to
overflow. He’d never thought he’d experience this again.

“More,”
she whispered.

“Not
here.” He pulled away and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom
they’d shared. He set her down on the bed like the precious gift she was. “You’re
so beautiful, Bri.” He grabbed the hem of her dress and worked the gown up
along her body, drinking in the sight of her. She’d filled out since they
parted. The muscle looked good on her. He tossed the material behind him and
his breath caught at the beauty of her high, firm breasts in the frilly pink
bra. His girl had a hard-on for lingerie. It was a secret he loved knowing,
that underneath her hard exterior there was a sexy, feminine woman. Her sweet,
dusky nipples beckoned. He sucked one into his mouth. She arched her back. He
hummed while massaging her other breast.

“It
feels so good, Jag. It’s been so long.”

He
bit down gently and she gasped. “Spread your legs for me, Bri. Let me back into
paradise.” She opened her legs and he ran his fingers over the damp seam of her
panties. “You’re so hot and wet. I can feel you through your panties. Can I
touch you?”

“Yes.”
Her voice shook. Her breathing increased.

He
slipped his fingers inside her panties and moaned. Her sticky heat gathered on
his fingers. “You’re so wet for me. I’m going to make you feel good.” He rubbed
the gathered moisture around her clit and she cried out. “That’s it, let go and
feel for me. Right now, you and I are the only things that matter.” He eased
his fingers into her entrance and her slick walls contracted. His eyes rolled
into the back of his head. “Did you save this for me, Bri?”

“Yes,”
she whispered.

“I
saved it for you too, baby.” He eased out and thrust inside her, circling her
walls, loosening her up. “I wrote you every day. I have boxes of letters I want
you to read.”

“Jag,”
she whimpered.

“I
want you to know how much I’ve always loved you. I need to earn your
forgiveness.” He hooked his fingers.

She
nearly bucked off the bed. “Jaegar.”

“That’s
right, baby. I’m the one making you feel like this.” He increased his speed and
she rocked in time with his motions. “Come for me. I want to see you come
undone.”

“Oh.”
Her moans made his dick throb in his pants. She was a wild thing, panting and fucking
his fingers with an uninhibited abandon that reminded him of their youth and
the days they spent locked away in the bedroom. Her body shook and her walls
clamped down around his fingers. She screamed his name as she thrust over the
edge. He continued to stroke her until she lay back on the bed, blissed out. He
removed his fingers and sucked them into his mouth, swallowing down her
essence. “Mmm, best taste in the world.”

He
hooked his thumbs into her panties and pulled them down along her legs,
admiring her neatly shaved pussy. He spread her legs. “So pretty and pink.” He
ran a fingertip down her slippery slit. “Is all this for me?”

She
lifted herself up on her forearms and arched a brow. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Damn
straight it is.” He stood, unbuckling his belt. “I don’t think we can do slow
this time.”

“I
don’t want slow. I want you to fuck me into oblivion. Be rough. We know I won’t
break.”

Her
come-hither, husky tone snapped his control. He stripped down like he was on
fire and knelt on the bed between her legs. She reached between him and gripped
his base, pumping swiftly.

He
grunted. “You keep that up and it’ll be over before it begins. When I come,
it’s going to be inside you.”

Her
eyes lit up. She bit her bottom lip.

“I
remember how much you like it when I feel your insides. Let’s see if we can
break our record tonight. Lay back.”

She
lay down. He gripped his base, nudging her entrance. He pushed inside. Her body
resisted before giving way. Her sheath wrapping around him was perfection. He
gritted his teeth, forcing himself to go slow. They came together and the slap
of skin on skin filled the room. The musk of their arousal scented the air.

“Harder,
Jag, please.”

He
gripped her hips and slammed home.

“Yes,
like that.”

“You
want it hard. I’ll give you hard.” He unleashed, pounding inside her as he
burrowed so deep into the joy they were creating, the events of earlier faded
to the background. She dug her nails into his biceps, snaking her legs around
his waist and digging her heels into his back. He relished the twinge of pain. “Mark
me, Bri.” He gritted his teeth to keep from exploding.

She
bit his shoulder and he thrust deeper. The headboard tapped against the wall.
Her body tensed. “I’m coming.”

“Do
it, baby, take me with you.”

She
flew over the edge, taking him with her.

He
offered up all he had to give and collapsed in her arms, resting his head on
her ample breasts.

“I
love you too, Jag. I always have, even when I didn’t want to,” she whispered,
stroking his hair.

Surrounded
by her scent, held in her arms, and accepted back into her heart—he was home.

EPILOGUE

B
righ knelt
beside Jaegar, holding his hands as they were officially named. Her cream-colored
lace dress spread out around her in a dreamy circle. She wished her parents
were there to see this.

“Rise
and greet your clan.”

They
stood together and turned to greet the smiling faces. This was what they
needed, a spot of happiness amongst the darkness. They still had many things
left to do. She forced a smile and waved. “Today, we begin a new journey
together. Tonight, we celebrate not only the wedding, but the lives of the
great men and women who gave everything for the cause. Drink and remember the
good times.”

A
chorus of cheers went up. It was their way, to push forward while remembering
those who came before them fondly. Doing anything else would break them.

Jag
wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his side as they made their way
into the crowd. This respite was for their people. Tomorrow, they would launch
headfirst into the search for more of their family line. Revenge would wait
until they were ready, and she knew the hunt had just begun.

Be
sure to check out the other gems in the Red Hot Treats series

Kissin'
Hell by Jodi Redford

There are
two certainties in life soul collector and hellhound Jericho Stryker knows too
well—Death never takes a holiday, and women are typically more trouble than
they’re worth. That goes double for his personal nemesis and regular pain in
his backside, Lola McKenna. Sure, the luscious little hellcat gets his blood
boiling in more ways than one, but some scratches are best left un-itched. That
determination is strained to the max when a botched soul acquisition job lands
him on the same case as Lola.

Fetching a
stubborn soul from a haunted bordello should be a piece of cake. Unfortunately
for Lola, she has to deal with Jericho horning in on her bounty. Attempting to
keep her cool 
and
 her wits around her sinfully sexy
adversary? Easier said than done. Especially when she finds herself locked
overnight with Jericho. Not strangling him before sunrise? A faint possibility.
Ignoring the lusty, depraved sexual fantasies he awakens in her? A snowball’s
chance in hell of happening. But worst of all is the very real possibility that
he could steal the one thing she most fears losing to him—her heart.