Bakra Bride by N. J. Walters Page B

realized that he meant every word he was saying. His eyes burned as he glanced at her before returning his attention to his brother. If Jarmon had been well, she’d be trying to deal with the attentions of all four brothers. She wiped the beads of sweat off her brow. While she wanted their brother well, she wasn’t sorry that she didn’t have to worry about all four of them at once. She was having enough problems dealing with Bador and Zaren.
    Garrik had stopped talking while her thoughts had been racing and he looked at her expectantly. Shifting higher on the bed, she cupped Jarmon’s face between her hands. Following her instincts, she bent down and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Jarmon,” she said in a firm tone of voice. “It is time for you to come back now. Your family needs you.”
    He gave no indication that he’d even heard her. His pale face was still, but she was almost positive that she’d felt him move ever so slightly, as if trying to pull away from her. Well, too bad. She wasn’t about to let him go. He meant too much to Zaren, Bador and Garrik.
    A thought occurred to her and she used what little knowledge she had of their world to try and prod some response from him. “What will happen to your future bride if you do not get well? What will happen to Garrik if you give up? He will not be able to claim her on his own.”
    Zaren and Bador both had a huge sense of responsibility to each other and those around them. Jane was counting on the fact that the younger brothers were no different. She suspected that the others were coddling Jarmon, but what he really needed was to be needed. He needed a purpose to live.
    “What will happen to your brother?” she prodded ruthlessly. “Or don’t you care about him?” She heard Garrik suck in his breath at her cruel words, but she ignored him. “Maybe you’re too selfish to care about the woman who might be your future bride. Maybe you don’t care if some other man claims her.”
    He struck with the intensity and speed of a rattlesnake. His hand shot forward, grabbing hers in an unbreakable grip. “I care.” The words were slightly garbled and his breathing was hard, but he had spoken. His eyes were open and burning with anger. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
    Jane could feel the tears on her cheeks as she leaned over him. “I know you do,” she whispered as she brushed his scarred face with a kiss. “Someone just needed to remind you.”
    A ghost of a smile played around the edges of his lips, momentarily smoothing out the lines of strain that bracketed his mouth. “Pretty,” he said, squeezing her hand before releasing it, as if suddenly exhausted.
    Garrik fell to his knees on the other side of the bed, laid his head on his brother’s chest and wept. It took him several tries, but Jarmon finally managed to raise his ravaged hand high enough to rest it on his brother’s back His eyes were damp and bleak as he stared down at his brother’s bowed head.
    Jane knew that his life would not be an easy one, but there was no going back now. He had made the turn towards life again and all that it entailed.
    Silently pushing off the bed, she stood and shuffled towards the door. Although she’d momentarily forgotten her own aches and pains, they were still there. Bent over like an old lady, she placed her hands on her back and tried to straighten as she made her way, one painstaking step at a time, towards the door. Both brothers seemed to have forgotten her presence and for that she was glad.
    Easing the door open, she slipped out into the hallway. Emotions swamped her. She couldn’t believe she’d had the nerve to do what she’d just done. She was just glad that it had turned out for the best—the alternative would have been devastating. Leaning against the cool stone wall, she felt her body sliding towards the floor as her legs finally buckled out from under her.
    Her bottom never touched the ground. Strong arms grasped her, pulling her