Saving Briar

“You need to get out here.” Torin heard Oaklyn’s voice through the door as he turned the water off and stood dripping in the shower for a long moment before reaching for a towel.

“I’m almost done.” He raised his voice loud enough that she would be able to hear him over the sound of the bathroom fan.

“She’s here.” Torin froze when he heard the words. There was no doubt in his mind who the “she” that Oaklyn had mentioned was. She wouldn’t give him false hope if none existed. The only explanation was that Briar was in the suite.

Determined not to wait a moment longer than he had to to see her, Torin wrapped the thick white towel around his waist and opened the door leading out of the bathroom. Oaklyn was still standing nearby and she raised an eyebrow before tilting her head in the direction of the bedroom. His eyes went immediately to the closed door.

“She’s waiting for you.” A hint of a smile curved the corners of Oaklyn’s lips upwards. .

Without giving a thought to what he was wearing, or really what he wasn’t wearing, Torin turned to the door and after a quick knock, let himself into the room.

Briar was even more gorgeous in real life, standing before him, than she had been in his memories.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in a gorgeous white gown, her hair falling in gentle waves around her shoulders. For a long moment Torin stood perfectly still, half afraid to move, a part of him afraid that at any moment he would find out that all of this was just a dream and that she was still somewhere nearby, but impossibly out of reach.

“Torin,” she pushed herself off the bed, rising to her feet the moment that she saw him.

Torin drew in a deep breath, taking a step forward, when, for the first time since he’d come into the room, he caught her scent.

Briar was wearing perfume, something lovely and light, but that wasn’t what had the beast within him nearly bursting free in excitement, as Torin froze in place, his eyes wide as the realization of what was happening washed over him. It was the best scent in the entire world, as if the room was filled with the best parts of spring and summer, a unique fragrance of flowers and wind, that was entirely her own.

He saw Briar’s dark brown eyes widen, and he knew that she was feeling the exact same thing, that she’d realized what was happening, and how while it was both amazing and nearly impossible, it was also true.

“Mate.” He whispered the word, his voice nearly breaking as he fell to his knees in front of her, a dozen different thoughts battling in his mind. He wanted to beg her to forgive him for the way he had acted back at his home, for turning her away and then letting her go without even saying goodbye. He wanted to reassure her that no matter what happened, she never had to be afraid for her safety again, at least not as long as he walked the Earth. He would do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy, for all the days of this life.

But most of all he wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how the passion and emotion that he felt carving it’s way through his very soul, was all the more powerful because he knew now just how precious it really was.

“Torin.” She choked out his name as she came towards him, lowering herself down into his arms as tears began to stream down her cheeks. “How? I didn’t think it was possible-” Her voice trailed off as she breathed in his scent and then nuzzled her face into the spot where his broad, muscular shoulders met his neck.

“Shhh, shhh, shhh. I don’t know how. But that Goddess of yours must have thought that we both deserved a second chance.”

Briar clung to him even more tightly, and he wrapped his thick arms around her, holding her against his chest.

Finally, after a long moment had passed, although not long enough for either of them, Briar lifted her head and pulled back so that she could look up at Torin’s face.

“You’re sure? This is what you want? Before-”

“I was a fool. I didn’t think I could keep you safe. But I’ve since realized that that was just an excuse, so that I could close myself off to the possibility of experiencing the pain that I felt before, when I lost my mate. It didn’t work all that well though, because even without opening myself up to you, I still felt like I’d lost everything when you left that night. I knew by the next day that I’d made the mistake of a lifetime. Even not knowing yet that you would be my mate, you were all I could think of, day and night. I was terrified that something would happen to you because I hadn’t been man enough to open myself up to the possibility of love. I’m sorry, Briar. I’m so sorry. I’ll never turn away from you again.”

Briar seemed content with his answer, her face softening further as she gazed up at him, her eyes bright with all the love and hope that the newly established mate bond had brought with it.

“Good. Because if you do you’ll be sleeping out in the snow for a month before I let you come back in again.” Her tone was teasing, but she surprised Torin by getting to her feet, her eyebrows rising as an amused smile teased the edges of her full lips when her gaze swept over him for a second time.

“Nice towel.” Torin glanced down at her words, only then remembering that he had walked straight into the room without getting dressed. And the towel did absolutely nothing to disguise the way that his body stood at attention, constantly, when she was anywhere near him.

“I heard that you were here and came straight in. I guess it’s a good thing I already had this towel wrapped around my waist, or there’s a chance I might have come streaking out of the bathroom in my hurry to make sure that you were alright. And you are alright aren’t you? Are you still bound by the contract?”

As he spoke, Torin walked across the room to the closet, thankful that his suitcase was inside it. He pulled out a pair of boxers and jeans and turned his back to Briar, giving her a quick warning to turn away if she felt the need, while he got dressed. Casting a glance over his shoulder he saw that her eyes were on him, and she was smiling more widely now, as she perched on the edge of the bed.

“Briar?” He didn’t mind that she was checking him out, and that she clearly appreciated what she saw, but he needed to know what was happening with her contract with the Dragon-shifters. Was she still bound by it? Because if she was, that was going to be a major problem.

“Sorry.” She grinned up at him and laughed as he rolled his eyes before coming to sit beside her, still not wearing a shirt. “Maybe I should take my top off and then you can see how easy it is to hold an intelligent conversation with your newly discovered mate while they’re prancing around half naked.”

“Prancing?” He laughed, loving how Briar’s cheeks flushed at the sound. She was clearly just as affected by him as he was by her. “I’m not sure I’ve ever pranced a day in my life.”

“I’m free. Or almost free. I don’t know how. But Mr. Rose is willing to break the contract. I have to stay here until that happens, but Caelan said that once it’s done I’ll be able to go. He’s the one who brought me down here.”

“And he’s a dragon shifter?” It was clear that Torin was suspicious of everyone who worked for Mr. Rose and she supposed he had an excellent reason to be. If her trip to Las Vegas had taught her anything, it was that the motives of the people who worked for Hudson Rose were more than comfortable bending the truth, or even outright lying, to convince people to do what they wanted.

“He is. But he’s very protective of me.” Torin raised an eyebrow, trying to push down the jealousy that he felt at her words. He knew that he should be thankful that someone had been looking out for Briar while they had been apart. Especially because he knew that it was almost entirely his fault that she had left in the first place. “He didn’t want me to work here. Even though Hudson is his cousin and every time he discouraged me from signing the contract he was going against his cousin’s wishes.

“I’m glad there was someone who was here for you when I wasn’t.”

“The thing is, I’m really worried about Harlow. I think she’s my sister. And I’m afraid she may have sacrificed herself to buy my freedom. I can’t leave Vegas until I know that she’s safe. Will you help me, Torin?”