“Not sure if that information helped us or made the thought of catching her worse.” I voiced my thoughts and saw Maddox’s hardened jaw twitch.
“We’ll catch her.”
I instinctively wrapped my arms around him. We’d been a balm when fear struck our hearts growing up. We could soothe each other again.
“I’m with you,” I whispered against his chest, knowing he needed to hear the words as much as I wanted to say them.
We stood in the middle of the gym, comforting each other until others descended and we decided to get something to eat. The restaurant was pretty full, but we managed to grab a pizza on our way out. I figured we would head home, but Maddox drove the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” I looked around, waiting to see if I could figure out his destination by my knowledge of the area.
“I’m not going to let her hang over us and distract me from my mission.” His voice sounded mischievous instead of angry.
“What mission?” My heart fluttered, anticipating where he was going with this. He smirked, knowing I knew what he would say but decided to play with me.
“Mission . . . Dandelion.”
Dandelion. If the words he admitted right before he claimed me in the garden were true, then he wished for me like I wished for him. He wanted to make sure I stayed his.
“You know I’m yours, right?” I reached over and patted his powerful thigh sweetly.
“You’re almost there. You haven’t let all your walls down yet. I’ve still got pillaging and plundering to do to win your heart forever.”
I laughed, completely unable to keep a straight face.
“You’re such a fierce Viking warrior. How can I resist?” I teased through my fit of giggles.
“I’m pretty sure you called me a Viking god last night while I ravaged your pussy.” He grinned. I did call him that, and I wanted to do it again.
Maddox pulled the truck into Seahill’s famous Agape Botanical Gardens. I loved coming here and made monthly donations to help with conservation. Phillip Griffin bought the private gardens years ago and opened it up, free to the public. People from all over the world could enjoy the beautiful landscapes and flowers.
“I love Agape,” I squealed and hopped out of the truck. Maddox grabbed the pizza and asked where I wanted to eat. We bypassed the greeter holding a map to the park for us toward my favorite spot. I knew this place by memory. While many people loved the cherry trees this time of year and the koi ponds, I loved the little bench underneath the weeping white birch tree. There was a little pond where turtles liked to swim in and names of lovers carved into the bench. I’d sat on the bench many times, dreaming up stories for all of the couples engraved in the wood. Lots of songs came out of this spot, too.
“You know what Agape means, right?” Maddox opened the box for me to pick which slice I wanted first.
“I do. It’s the highest form of love. Selfless and unconditional.” I took a bite of my pizza and watched the little fish swim around. Silence filled the space between us. I enjoyed our time in one of my favorite places instead of dissecting his motives for bringing me here.
“Hazel, I . . .” He opened his mouth, then closed it, and the box of pizza dropped to the ground as he suddenly stood.
“Oh my God.” I followed his gaze and my heart twisted from the sight.
Someone had lit the beautiful garden I loved on fire.
Chapter Thirty
Maddox
I threw my hand out, ripping the air away from the spreading fires without hurting the civilians. I scanned the gardens, looking for the firestarter and saw a black-haired man dressed in punk attire grinned and waved in our direction. He wasn’t running away like everyone else.
“Hazel.” I called out to her as she touched the ground to use her gifts to ease the burns on the plants.
She looked at me, then in the direction of the man. The ground shook. Roots tore through the ground and wrapped around the waving man, holding him hostage. I held out my hand for her to take, then used the wind to carry us over to where he stood.
Air fled from him like a bubble, and all the fire he created died with every gasp he made. Couldn’t make fire if he couldn’t breathe.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Hazel asked, and I begrudgingly allowed him enough air to speak.
“Tick tock, fuckers. The Collector wanted me to check in on you. Make sure you’re enjoying your time before the week ends.” He spoke through clenched teeth as the roots constricted him like a snake. “Ow fuck!” he cursed and I smiled at his pain.
