house in darkness. Alayna had retrea

moonlight filtered through the ivy covered windows, casting long shadows

e floorboards. A jagged flash of

turned ragged as the sound of the

old Augustine knelt on the marble floor, his back bleeding from the vicious strikes

ck SUV and dumped at a cheap summer

f a cabin, shivering violently with a high fever, his body covered in mud a

ellow umbrella b

ty, only a fierce, clear kindness. She dug into her pocket and s

something sweet makes the pain go aw

il it melted into his palms. It was t

esent. Cold sweat coated his neck. He dragged a hand

rned and silently slipped out of the front door, stepping into the violent downpour under the guise of checking

pull out a heavy, encrypted satellite pho

assistant's voice came through, cr

y digital trace of the name Cruz Clayton. He demanded a flawless, backdated military file showing h

way back to the townhouse, loc

scream ripped th

d, shaking the chand

the phone and sprinted up the st

oom door open. The wood s

were pulled to her chest, her hands gripping her hair. She was

attack, blending the trauma of her mother's suicide dur

ees beside her. He rea

hand, tearing through the skin and drawing bright red blood

ame to overpower her thrashing limbs. He wrapped his thick arms around

ears, physically blocking out the sound of the thunder. He tu

vibrating rumble against her skull. "You are safe. I

terror. But the heat radiating from his chest and the st

him, her fingers curling into the fabric o

g against his skin. Cruz tightened his hol

s. His legs went completely numb, but he did not move a single

laid her on the mattress. He pu

etlamp illuminated the tear tracks on her cheeks. He reac

a kiss so light it was barely a breath. His chest ached with a

down the side of the bed and sat on the floor

nding guard in the dark