The SUV stayed silent as we rolled down the long gravel driveaway to my three-bedroom home with a wraparound porch and abundant windows. My greenhouse and gardens would need some tending, but travel fatigue settled in as my comfy bed drew closer.
“Welcome home!”
I said my thanks and jumped out of the car. I breathed in the mixture of scents, which calmed and eased my mind. Lavender, gardenia, and peach flowers mingled with the cool breeze coming from the large mountain in the distance. I never wanted to live in the city. Nature was a part of me, but the drive to the metropolitan area was only about thirty-five minutes away.
I grabbed my purse and walked to the little wooden gate leading to my house, which was painted in bright colors and abstract flowers greeted me. My hippie home . . . the one place I could be my true self. I had no staff to hide my powers from. I cooked and cleaned when I stayed here and protected my property with my gifts.
Boots crunched behind me and I was quickly reminded that I would not be alone in my sanctuary anymore. My driver left, while my bodyguard carried my bags within his strong arms. Should have known he’d come here and take over everything, puff his chest and pound on it like an alpha male. I didn’t have time for men like that, and he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of my attitude.
I opened the door and took a look around at the space for signs of anything unusual, an unfortunate habit of living as a homeless girl and in the foster system where people stole your stuff or wanted to hurt you.
“Let me look around,” his gruff voice demanded from behind me. I whirled on him as my mouth opened to tell him who the boss was in this situation but he already started walking.
I could have chased him and hammered out this thing between us, but instead I strolled to the kitchen and made myself a cup of tea. The past few grueling weeks had finally caught up with me. I plopped down in my comfy window seat and stared at my growing garden while the herbs seeped.
“All clear.”
I didn’t acknowledge his words. I knew nobody was here before he’d announced it.
“Why are you here?” I’d thought about our reunion a lot in that first year without him. I didn’t know how it would happen. Maybe he’d come into the diner I worked at to pay for the room I rented my senior year, he’d order a cup of coffee, and tell me how sorry he was that he left me. Or maybe he’d come see one of my shows, with a sign that said he was back for good. Part of me hated that my heart seemed at war with itself and the rest of my body with his arrival.
“To protect you.”
My head shifted to his leaning form against the wood cabinets. He didn’t blend well in my home . . . my hippie to his ex-military bodyguard vibe. A meat and potato type of guy living with the vegetarian.
“Why are you really here, Maddie?” His unreadable face gave me no inclination as to whether he was telling the truth or not.
“To protect you,” he repeated, and I took a sip of my tea. There was so much tension between us.
There were two questions I’d been holding onto since the day he left and I swallowed them down with my lemongrass and chamomile tea. He didn’t deserve my questions, and I didn’t care about his answers right now. He’d left me unprotected before; he’d do it again. At least this time I wasn’t defenseless and could hold my own.
“You can sleep in one of the bedrooms until we figure out this arrangement. I’m going to bed.”
There wasn’t anything in his contract that I’d been pressured into signing about his accommodations. He would be near at all times, not in the same room or in my space. I set my tea down and thought about how quickly it would take for a contractor to build a little one-bedroom suite somewhere on the property . . . the very edge of the property.
“Still hardheaded.” He chuckled as I set my tea in the sink and stomped past him.
“I’ve just learned when to pick my battles. I’m not the same girl.” My anger quieted into exhaustion. I went to my bedroom and shut the door. My clothes came off one by one as I walked. My comforter was soft as I snuggled in and closed my eyes. I trusted my safety in this house with him near, but that didn’t mean I’d let my guard down.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’d deal with him and muster up the strength to resist burying him under my purple rose bush.
Chapter Four
Maddox
Brown eyes stared at me while his face turned blue from lack of oxygen. Gasping, he gripped his dry throat like he could claw air inside of him. My hands shook, and I tried to stop it but didn’t know how. Tears poured down my cheeks when nothing happened. The more I attempted to focus, the more he thrashed. Strong wind whirled around and whisked me away from the dying boy. I screamed for help, but nobody heard me over the sounds of the heavy gusts.
“Fuck.” I sat up from the lavender-scented bed in a panic. My hands ran through the tousled hair on my head harshly as if the pain would release the agonizing nightmare that plagued me nearly every night. I’d hoped being near her again would soothe the torment raging inside me like she used to, but truthfully I had no right to such a balm. Hazel hated me, and I saw the heartache in her eyes when she recognized me. I’d made a choice, the only one I could make, and it broke us both.
Still, I was here now. Despite the attack on her life that pissed me off to hell, it gave me the “in” I’d been searching for. She was one of the world’s top singers, and a hard person to get close to. I’d wanted to return for years but knew she wouldn’t see me. Her best friend and protector had left her without a word. I betrayed her, and I wouldn’t apologize for it. I’d done what I had to do. So when I’d seen the news of her attack, I walked into her label and told them what they were going to do. I cared for her; they cared for her. Then with a few minor displays of my power that could suffocate them where they sat, I was hired. I didn’t need the money, it wasn’t about that. I wanted a second chance with my Hazel, to protect her. I’d fucked up any chance of our old pact to be together the way I always wished for, but I’d be damned if I’d let someone hurt her now.
There’s been talk among the black market of a collector who wants special people . . . people with powers. I’d dug deep and found such rumors had merit. The thought of Hazel coming into her powers alone without me tortured my mind every damn day. I’d hoped she didn’t have any powers, but that was another reason I was here—to protect her from the Collector.
I inhaled and released a sigh. I’d been to war, killed people, and done many things I’m not proud of. But being here in this house that had Hazel weaved into every part of it rattled me. I lived on control, and everything about her home screamed freedom and chaos, from the bright colors to the plant life covering her home like a jungle. She’d loved nature when we were kids, and it appeared her love hadn’t changed.
Many things had changed, though. She was not the same girl. She had become a strong woman, who didn’t take shit from anyone and gave everything she could to help people in need. She championed justice in her music and fought in real life for those justices. I knew she was destined for greatness. Even apart I never stopped believing in her.
“I’m screwed.” I fell back against the bed, breathing in the lavender surrounding me.
