"Beth was terrified of losing her," he continued quietly. "It was the first thing she asked about when she understood what was happening, that she needed to be Turned if she were to survive. But she chose to live anyway." Pride and pain mingled in his chest at the memory of her courage.
The weight of that choice—her trust in him, her willingness to risk everything for a future together—settled over him. Looking around the table at his supernatural family, Tyr realized there was no point in hiding what everyone already suspected.
"Beth is my Chosen," he announced, his voice carrying both pride and tenderness. The words felt right, natural, as if he'd been waiting his entire immortal existence to speak them.
Jacinth's delighted gasp broke the momentary silence. Katerina's golden eyes lit up with genuine joy, while Joe and Jake exchanged knowing grins. Even Aleksei's usually stoic expression softened slightly.
Tobi beamed at his twin from across the table. "I already told her she'd be family," he said, practically bouncing in his seat. "Though you might have mentioned the whole Chosen thing before she was bleeding out in a parking lot, brother."
Tyr shot his twin a mock glare, though he couldn't maintain it in the face of his own happiness. "I was planning to court her properly," he admitted. "Take her to dinner, maybe dancing." His voice softened. "Show her she deserves to be cherished."
"Well," Jacinth said, her brown eyes twinkling, "you'll have eternity to make it up to her now."
Tyr glanced at the lightening sky through the inn's windows, his heightened senses already detecting the approaching dawn. Every vampire in the room shifted restlessly, their bodies responding to the primal urge to seek shelter from the sun.
Aleksei rose from his chair with fluid grace. "We're done here. Everyone knows their assignments." He looked around the table one final time. "The wolves will handle daytime patrols. Vampires, to your sanctuaries."
Tyr didn't wait for further dismissal. He burst through the inn's front door at vampire speed, the pre-dawn air cool against his face as he raced on his motorcycle, Tobi at his side, towardthe warehouse. His entire being focused on returning to Beth's side.
The security door barely had time to register his palm print before he yanked it open. He took the stairs three at a time, his enhanced hearing already picking up Beth's steady heartbeat from his apartment above.
Liam looked up as Tyr entered the bedroom, his hazel eyes tired but alert. The veterinarian's injured shoulder had been properly bandaged, though spots of red showed through the white gauze.
"She's resting more comfortably now," Liam said softly, gesturing to the IV stand beside the bed. "I wasn't sure if standard pain medication would work, given the transformation to vampire, but I set up a morphine drip anyway. It seems to be helping - she's finally sleeping."
Tyr's chest tightened as he gazed at Beth's peaceful face. The grey pallor had faded somewhat, replaced by the marble-like complexion of a vampire in transition.
Tyr's gaze shifted to Naomi, who sat vigil at her twin's bedside. Her pale blonde hair - so like Beth's - hung in disheveled waves around her tear-stained face. Despite her obvious distress, she managed to summon a tremulous smile as she looked up at him.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice rough from crying. "For saving her life." Her fingers tightened protectively around Beth's limp hand. "When Liam called to tell me..." She drew in a shaky breath. "I thought I'd lost her. After everything we've been through, after finally finding our real family..." Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
Tyr's chest tightened at the raw emotion in her voice. The bond between the twins was powerful - he could sense it even now, a subtle thread of energy connecting their spirits. Just as hecould sense Beth's clouded leopard spirit still flickering within her transforming body.
"I couldn't let her die," he said simply, his voice rough with his own barely contained emotions. The memory of Beth's blood pooling on the asphalt, her life slipping away with each heartbeat, still haunted him. "She means too much to me."
Naomi's blue-grey eyes - identical to Beth's - studied his face intently. Whatever she saw there made her nod, acceptance and understanding softening her features. "You'll take care of her?"
"Always," Tyr promised, the word carrying all the weight of his centuries of existence. "She's my Chosen."
Tyr staggered back a step as Naomi launched herself at him, her slender arms wrapping around his waist in a fierce hug. Her tears soaked into his clean black t-shirt as she pressed her face against his chest, her shoulders shaking with a mixture of sobs and laughter.
For a moment, Tyr froze, unused to such spontaneous displays of affection. But then he carefully returned the embrace, mindful of his vampire strength as he patted her back awkwardly. The scent of her tears carried notes of both joy and relief, and her clouded leopard spirit - so similar to Beth's - radiated happiness.
"Welcome to the family," Naomi mumbled against his shirt, her voice muffled but sincere.
Liam's warm chuckle drew Tyr's attention. The veterinarian leaned against the wall, his uninjured arm crossed over his chest as he watched them with obvious amusement.
"Congratulations," Liam said, his hazel eyes twinkling despite his obvious exhaustion. "Though I have to say, I never imagined having a vampire for a brother-in-law."
Tyr felt the first tendrils of lethargy creeping through his limbs as pre-dawn light began filtering through the warehousewindows. His muscles grew heavy, the pull of the day sleep tugging at his consciousness.
"You need to leave now," he told Liam and Naomi, his voice already thick with approaching torpor. "The sun's rising."
He guided them downstairs, each step requiring more effort as dawn approached. At the security door, Naomi hugged him once more before following Liam out to their car.
Tyr barely made it back up to his apartment before the sun's influence really hit. He stumbled to the bed where Beth lay peaceful in her morphine-induced sleep. With the last of his strength, he settled beside her on the bed, carefully arranging his body so he wouldn't jostle her healing wound. Beth's fingers found his even in sleep, twining together as if seeking comfort.
The lethargy of day sleep crashed over him like a wave as the sun crested the horizon. His last conscious thought was of Beth's hand in his as darkness claimed them both.
