Page 149 of A Curse On Black Lake
“Killian!” I scream.
Wyatt stumbles back into the wall, catching himself, and throws his fist at Killian.
Killian grunts, but absorbs the blow, hardly moving.
Before Killian can respond accordingly, Jasper Redding and Parker Hoyt pull them apart
Wyatt growls and swings again. “I should arrest you for that.”
Killian lunges for him, but Deputy Redding holds fast.
Wyatt rubs his jaw as if he’s trying to decide if they’re going to come to blows, and wreck my house.
Killian jerks out of Redding’s grasp and points his finger into Wyatt’s chest. “Touch her again, and you will have a reason to take me to prison. Got it?”
Wyatt nods stiffly, and Killian grabs my bag off the floor and marches me out of the house, his hand at the small of my back, gently pushing me forward.
We round the corner to the front, and I think more people from town have shown up. They’re watching with rapt attention, like a TV show. Killian moves his hand to my shoulder and guides me from the crowd back to the truck. “I’m sorry, little witch, but I don’t want to see another man’s hands on you —ever.”
Heart racing for two different reasons, I keep my mouth shut because I’m not sure how to respond to either feeling. But a tiny, maybe a little shameful part of me wants to say; I’m glad he did what he did because Killian is the only one who can touch me how he pleases.
He opens the passenger side for me and carefully hands the bag to me before he closes the door. I sink into the seat as the adrenaline washes away and the reality of what happened on my land drowns it.
We’re silent on the way back to the ranch, and the moment Killian turns onto the gravel drive I burst into tears. And I really let it out. This is not a silent cry as tears fall down my face. I wail. Holding onto the bag of soap and the Death Flower left by a killer and stalker.
Tears cloud my vision, and everything in front of me is a blur. The truck stops, and I scream into the windshield, and the Spirits wail with me, filling my ears. Arms come around me, lifting me out of the truck. I bury my nose in his neck as he carries me into the house and up the stairs.
I faintly recognize the soft bed beneath me. Killian takes the bag from my hands, and I curl into myself, crying into the comforter.
Killian grabs my ankles, takes off my boots then lays behind me, curling his large body around me.
“Let it out, darlin’ I’m right here. I’ll be here to pick you up,” he says in my ear.
I stutter for breath, trying to breath through my snotty nose, but the tears refuse to stop.
“You’re safe. I won’t let him get near you,” he whispers.
Killian keeps whispering in my ear until the sun is long down and my face feels dry and cracked from the tears, but he never lets go.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It wasn’t that stupid fight,” I mumble and take a deep breath.
“Hazel was in my store. She was with Jane.”
“I remember, but I wasn’t about to tell Wyatt. Especially because I was the one that practically kicked her out,” Killian says.
I turn around his arms so we’re nose to nose, he tucks a piece of hair behind my ear, searching my eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for all of it,” he says.
His eyes flash, and I can see the unadulterated rage behind them.
“There was no way you would’ve known it’s the same person,” I rasp.
His lip twitches. “I should’ve picked up on it,” he says. “He killed that woman and made her look like you. I failed you. I’m sorry,” he says.
“You haven’t failed me, Killian. How can we fight an enemy we can’t see?” I ask him.
