Page 13 of Dark Horizon New Dawn

Everyone assumed that finding one's fated mate was a cure-all and that happily ever after was guaranteed, but it wasn't. Brundar loved Callie with all the good that had managed to survive the devastation of his trauma, but most of him still needed to stay deadened most of the time, or he would become overwhelmed by rage.

He still had hordes of demons to deal with.

Most people tried to run away from their tormented pasts, but Brundar had discovered a long time ago that there was nowhere to run. The demons were with him wherever he went. They were there when he woke up, and they were still there when he got to bed at night, keeping him awake until his eyes burned with fatigue and he could no longer hold his eyelids up.

Thankfully, when he finally drifted into sleep, he enjoyed a few hours of peace. Since Callie had entered his life, he no longer suffered from nightmares, so the few hours of shuteye he managed were a reprieve.

Love might not cure all, but for him, it cured some.

Stepping out of the shower, he dried off with practiced, efficient moves, combed out the knots from his ass-long hair, and padded to the closet.

There was still plenty of time until the wedding, so there was no point in getting into his tux, but he pulled out the garment bag and unzipped it, nonetheless.

Perhaps he needed reassurance that it was actually happening.

Callie was his miracle, and his gratitude to the universe for sending her to him was the only good thing he had to say to it, or the Fates, or whatever other sadistic power was in charge.

Sometimes, he mused that perhaps this world was nothing more than a computer game played by an alien sociopathic child.

There was too much suffering and misery in the world for him to believe that the powers that be up there were any more interested in the well-being of people than the politicians down on earth.

When the doorbell rang, he rehung the garment bag, pulled on a pair of workout pants, and padded to the living room to open the door without bothering to take a look at the screen to see who it was.

Only his big brother would come to bother him on the evening of his wedding.

"Come in." He threw the door open.

Anandur arched a brow. "That's a surprise. I expected you to slam the door in my face like you usually do."

"I don't do that anymore."

Anandur chuckled. "That's because Callie is around, and you know it will upset her."

"Usually, you also show up with Wonder, and I don't want to be rude to her." He walked over to the bar and poured himself a shot of whiskey. "What do you want?"

Anandur rubbed the back of his neck. "I came to convince you to attend a little get-together. We will not call it a bachelor party, and I promise not to goof around or even tell jokes. All we will do is smoke good cigars, drink premium whiskey, and share battle stories. You will like that, right?"

For a moment, Brundar was tempted, but he knew he wouldn't be able to handle so much social interaction in one day.

"Sorry, but I can't." He took in a deep breath. "I need this time alone before the wedding."

Anandur shook his head. "What are you going to do here by yourself until then?"

"Watch television."

"Right. You never do that."

That was true. The movies and sitcoms were either too saccharine and made a mockery of real life, or too violent, which was more reflective of how things really were, but he hated the glorifying of killing. There was nothing glorious about it, although he had to concede that heroism was real, and some people went above and beyond the call of duty to save their friends or protect the innocent. He liked to watch those kinds of movies, but there weren't many of them.

"Perhaps I'll take a nap." Brundar walked over to the door and opened it. "When and where am I meeting my groomsmen?"

"We will come here to get you. Be ready by eight-thirty. We need to be in formation precisely at nine."

"I'll be ready."

9

CALLIE

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