Page 108 of Beauty

Bron stiffens in my arms. “He didn’t mean that. He valuesyou.”

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

Bron turns her face up to me. “You said I didn’t listen, butI think you’re the one who missed something here. Didn’t you see what he didfor you? Didn’t you feel why he did it?”

I shake my head as though I can sharpen my memory by gettingrid of the cobwebs polluting my brain. All of our memories are there now. Mineand Lach’s and Bron’s memories are shuffling through my head like a wildmixed-up stew that was stirred and now bubbles. Lach ran into the burningbuilding. Lach was horribly burned—by my body—and yet he picked me up again.

And I am dead. Dead. Dead.

“He won’t listen.” Lach turns away. “And it’s not about thisbullshit. He felt what it’s like to really be me for the first time and hedoesn’t want anything to do with it. Well, guess what, brother, get used to it.We’re bonded, fully, and now you have a piece of my darkness inside you.”

I don’t know what exactly is fueling me. I know deep down Ineed to take a moment, but that word keeps riding me. Dead. Dead. Dead. I won’thave children. They’ll all be Lachlan’s. Bron will turn away because she can’twant a dead body in her bed. Lach set himself up to win everything. “And youhave what you always wanted, brother. You have a tiny piece of light toilluminate that wasteland you call a soul.”

There’s a sharp crack and a flare of pain. It takes me amoment to realize where it came from. Bron. Bron hauled off and smacked meright across the face. Smacked me hard enough that my flesh aches.

“Don’t you dare talk about him like that, you idiot. Howcould you? After everything he did for you, you could say that to him?” Hereyes are bright with tears as she looks up at me.

I feel sick. What am I doing?

Lach, my brother, my other half, my protector, turns away.

I hold my hand to my cheek, a horrible wave of guiltcrashing over me. “Lach.”

“Don’t,” Lach insists. “There’s nothing to say. I alwaysknew it would be this way. Don’t you think I knew you were the better part ofus? It’s why I couldn’t let you go. But you aren’t dead. I gave you some of mylife or my soul. I don’t know how it worked. I just know I pulled every ounceof power I could and I focused it on you. Maybe you weren’t dead. Your powerwas still flaring. I only know that I focused everything I had on saving you.And I’ve done worse things, brother. Things you don’t know about. Things youand Duffy won’t ever forgive me for. But I did it because I love you both. Idon’t know how to live without you. But I’ll figure it out. I’ll see Bronwynhome, and then I’m going to leave. There’s no place for me here.”

Lach stalks off. Shame rolls through me. Now all thememories are surfacing. How sick I was. How long I laid in an odd fugue state,somewhere between living and dead, and how my brother never left my side.

How could I say those things to him?

Bron gets out of bed, her every movement a brisk and angrytestament to her emotional state. “I don’t know that I will ever forgive youfor that.”

“Bron, I’m sorry.” The words sound stupid. Idiotic. Futile.

“You know how he feels and you still say such things to him?He was trying to save you because he thought he was worthless without you. Hethought he was a dumb animal without your half of his soul.” She pulls my shirtover her head. “I have to find him.”

I get to my feet. So much went wrong. It should have been abeautiful thing, our true bond. It should have been followed with morelovemaking and the taking of her sweet blood. But it feels as if everything isashes and I’m the reason.

And I forgot what I learned about Bron.

I saw her. I saw what a sweet child she was. Loved andcoddled and slightly marginalized because her brothers were so much moreimportant. I felt her overwhelming will to live, and not simply because it wasan animal instinct, but because she wasn’t finished. She hadn’t done what sheneeded to do.

She needs to make a difference. She needs to matter in sometangible way, in some way past her soft body and sweet looks.

Bronwyn Finn McIver needs to fight.

I sit down on the bed, my head in my hands and my heartaching in my chest. I messed everything up because I refused to listen to thetwo people who matter most in my world.

Lachlan needs to protect his heart, and he wrongly thinks itresides in my soul. Bronwyn needs to matter and I locked her away so she cannever be what she needs to be.

I fucked up.

And there is only one way to make it right. I have to talkto my brother, and I have to convince him that Bron’s fight is our fight.

If she wants a battle, then we will be right by her side. Iwon’t lock her away. The things I love most about her are her fierce heart andthe love she is capable of. If I lock her away, some beautiful piece of herwill die, and I can’t be the one who does that to her.

There’s a loud crack. I freeze in place because I heard itbefore. The sound of an eddy wind charging in.

I take off running because it looks like the battle hasfound us.