Jaded Jewels (The Coveted Saga 2)

"Don't be this selfish, Aria. Don't destroy your family because you're hurting. Die with some dignity." He laughed as his dangerous grin spread. "When I kill you, for instance."

I didn't know whether to smile at that or not. I just nodded as I stood to walk away, regretting the explanation I would have to give my family later. But a whoosh of air left my lips when I was suddenly thrown over a shoulder, and being raced away with immortal speed.

A little startled and disoriented, it took me a few seconds investigate my newest attacker. But it wasn't an attacker. Between the glimpse I had of the sandy blonde hair and the close look I had of the tattoo on his arm, I could tell it was McKee.

Even though I was being hauled through the woods fast enough to steal my breath, I relaxed. Trees crashed and a black smoke crept toward us as Lokan raced behind us, gaining on us with each second. That smoke would kill McKee.

"Bodyguard!" I called, sighing in relief as he slowed down.

He smirked as he turned to walk away, shaking his head. I went from being over a shoulder to placed in the front of a familiar car within a matter of seconds. McKee was behind the wheel within the next breath, jerking the car on the road before the engine even had a second to register being cranked.

I smiled at his haste, and spoke reassuringly. "McKee, he won't chase us."

"You don't know that. He may be right behind us. He'll kill you, Aria. What the hell are you doing out here?"

He was focused on the road, but. His little red mustang made me think of the red wrapping paper.

"Thank you for my gift," I said, smiling as I veered the conversation.

His confused expression was comical, but instead of going back into panic mode, he murmured, "You're welcome."

He checked the rearview mirror as I clicked my seatbelt on, making sure to draw it tight. He relaxed, but he was still driving like a bat out of hell.

"Now tell me what you were doing out here," he repeats, his tone softer this time.

I really didn't want to talk about it. But at least this would be good practice for telling my family later on.

"I had a bit of a breakdown," I said through a weary sigh, ignoring the tears pricking my eyes. The next part would be the hardest to get out without falling apart. "Tallis met his soul mate—his real soul mate, apparently. I needed to get away."

Nope. I was too chicken to tell just how crazy I had gone. But I was holding back the tears. If I fell apart in front of McKee... I didn't want to risk it.

I could have sworn I saw McKee smile. That shouldn't have surprised me, though.

The smile faded very quickly into a stern, angry look before he scolded, "That's no reason to risk your life, Aria!"

Ah, crap. I wasn't about to tell him that I begged for someone to kill me.

I was distracted by the unfamiliar scenery we kept passing by now, and I really wanted a subject change. "Where are we?"

He smiled faintly, and his breathing changed as he calmed down again.

"I thought, maybe, if you didn't mind, we could go and talk. I know a safe, quiet place. I could really use a friend, and it looks like you could use one, too," he murmured softly while turning down a different road, one that seemed as secluded as the Verdans' road.

"Yeah, I could. I'm sure I could be a good listener, too." I smiled at him as I put my hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry about what Taryn tried to do to you," he said, catching me off guard.

I had no idea how to broach that.

"I'm sorry you lost your sister," I said lamely, regretting how socially awkward I was when he winced.

But no one wrote a book on how to say "your crazy sister tried to kill me, so my empathic best friend used the sins from an evil soul sucker to kill her." So I sat there quietly instead of making the situation worse, and he studied the road ahead.

For a long while, neither of us said anything. Despite my best attempts, nothing I thought of to say would have made the air less tense, so I gave up.

"You had to defend yourself," he said at last, putting me out of my misery. "I wish I had been there to protect you."

His eyes were soft and in pain, and his voice was strained with guilt and regret. I hated how hard this must have all been on him. I also hated not knowing where we were going, but I trusted him.