The Knight (Stolen Duet 2)

“Excuse us,” I quickly said when he moved closer. I grabbed Anna’s arm and moved around the island. There was no way I was letting him get close.

I wondered if he was another one of Alexander’s heirs as I handed Caylen to Anna and moved to the pantry. When I turned with a box of cereal and formula in hand, he was gone. Anna shrugged when I sent a puzzled glance her way, so I busied myself feeding my baby.

It was late in the night when I crossed paths with Angel. I had put Caylen down for the night minutes before he had entered the bedroom. There was wariness in his gaze when our eyes met. I was sitting crossed legged in the middle of his bed, the movie I’d been watching forgotten.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey.” I pretended to refocus on the movie.

I could see him in my peripheral shoving his hands in the front pocket of the black jeans he’d changed into. “What are the chances of me convincing you to take a walk with me without coercion or force?” If I didn’t still feel so goddamn raw from this afternoon, I would have laughed. Instead, I unfolded my legs and slipped into my shoes.

“Let’s go,” I said, my voice deceivingly chipper.

I followed him outside, and I ignored how romantic it seemed when he led me through the gardens. The silence was comfortable even though I could tell something was keeping him on edge. The longer we walked, the deeper the tension became. We eventually came to the edge of the garden, and I followed him down a cobbled path. There was a forest of trees ahead where the path disappeared. We headed forward, and my nervousness grew. Still, I kept following him despite the warning bells. The forest bed was blanketed in red leaves. The wind blew, rustling the leaves and making my body shiver. I was overwhelmed by how far the estate’s land stretched when we eventually reached the edge of the forest. He came to a stop. I could feel him watching me, but I was too busy staring at the stone wall that’s seen better days but still looked intimidating.

“What is it?”

“That,” he gestured lazily, “is just a wall. On the other side is our private cemetery.”

“Why are we here?” I could hear the shakiness in my voice and swallowed as if that would steady it.

He looked away, and I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “In exchange for the book, the senator wants you and Caylen.”

I stumbled backward, but it didn’t matter because he followed.

“You son of a bitch.”

“Just listen to me. Please.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Because I’m trying to save your life.”

“You’re trying to save your precious book.”

“I can do both but not without your help.” He kept advancing.

“Stay away from me.” I wondered if I could lose him in the trees if I ran.

“There’s nowhere for you to go. If you run, I’ll catch you, and we’ll just lose time.”

“You already made the deal, didn’t you?”

“Yes.” It sounded painful for him to admit. I even found pleasure in his pain. This was what he did to me. He made every feeling in my bones and in my blood irrational. He was still coming, however, and I knew I could never outrun him. Because I wasn’t paying attention, I hadn’t noticed the stone before it sent me reeling. He moved quicker, and one minute, I was falling and the next, I was safe in his arms. Except I wasn’t safe. Being this close to Angel was more painful than a broken ankle, so I pushed to free myself.

“Let go of me,” I growled when he tightened his arms.

“You won’t listen unless I force you, so this is me making you listen. I don’t want to hurt you. Not even close.”

“Then what is this? Why are we here? You’re going to give us to that—”

“Stop,” he roared before I could finish. My chin was in his grip, and I didn’t think it was possible, but he tugged me closer. “He won’t touch you. He won’t touch Caylen. I’ll die before I let that happen.” His gaze, his voice, his entire being was overrun with emotion. “Will you listen to me?” he pleaded when I said nothing.

“Do I have a choice?”

“Neither of us do.”

“If something happens to my baby, I’ll kill you.” I didn’t recognize myself as I spoke my vow.

He lifted my hand and kissed it. “I believe you, baby.” He kept a hold on my hand as he led me back to the wall. It seemed out of place even in the backyard of a home as grand as the estate. Some of the wall even looked in dire need of repair. Angel let go of my hand to remove a key from his pocket and to unlock the iron gates. They looked incredibly heavy and creaked when he pushed them open.