Chapter Eight
Hazel
Frustrated, I grabbed the breakfast contents and stormed outside to my porch swing. The spring air nipped at my skin, but I refused to go inside and potentially see him again while I grabbed a sweater. I savored the scent of orange mixing with the bitter taste of the black tea as it warmed my insides with every sip.
I tried using my body again to make him uncomfortable by walking around nearly naked most of the day. He did not flinch or divert his gaze to the door, like I’d planned. In the end, he made me weary from his continuous watching and the heated sensations of lust burning inside me when I saw him being the opposite of distressed. The man was Maddie for Pete’s sake. We had a past, we found each other as homeless kids, and on my sixteenth birthday he left me alone. I’d released those feelings for him years ago, letting them die in the past where they belonged.
The gangly teen who was my friend had grown into a man with a massive body, rippling large muscles, and a hardened face with striking blue eyes that could melt panties right off. Thank goodness I rarely wore such things. His sex appeal captured my attention, but his presence rattled me the most.
He took up so much space, his confidence radiated from him, whispering his dominance that drew an alpha woman such as myself closer. An act I would never let happen again. Break my heart once? Shame on you. Break my heart twice? I’ll turn your dick into a daisy vase.
Yesterday, I thought it would be smart to drive into town and do an impromptu show at one of the bars. Maddie would see how crazy my family life could be. I loved it, but it took a toll on many. Bodyguards got paid, most of them a lot, but sometimes the money wasn’t enough to put up with the chaos.
Nope, the show went off without a hitch and this morning tea sat patiently waiting for me.
“I cannot take it anymore! What is it going to take for you to leave? Haven’t you had enough?” I threw my hands up in the air, my frustration aimed at the man sitting calmly with his coffee and tablet before me.
“It’s been amusing.” The right corner of his lips tilted upward and my palms itched. If I lost control now, Maddie would find out about my powers. Fear gripped me in a way I’d long forgotten. If he knew, he could tell the label and expose me, my life, and everything I know would be ruined. A sharp sting bit into my palm, and without another word, I fled the kitchen. I hadn’t turned into a woman of thorns since that horrible birthday. I assumed my body grew a natural defense when fear tugged at me. True fear.
I walked out of the house and into the garden, enjoying the dirt beneath my bare toes and the scents of the fresh lavender and morning dew. I had to relax before I did something stupid.
“Hazel, what’s wrong?” A strong hand wrapped around mine, and I jumped.
“I’m fine, I just needed some air before I strangled you.” Not one hundred percent a lie, he did annoy me that much.
“Liar. Tell me what happened.” I glared a bitch face at him. He remained still and waited like an unmovable mountain sitting on my couch.
“I’m fine.” My emotions rose, and while I felt the prick of the thorn vanish, flowers began to blossom as if by magic behind him.
“Hazel,” he growled, like he had some right to my thoughts. But he didn’t. He had no right to anything pertaining to me.
“You have no right coming into my life like you did.” The words were finally out with no regrets. He hurt me in a way I never got over, despite trying many times.
“I’m not going anywhere this time.” He didn’t release me and took a step closer. My body froze, and the same fear from all those years ago gripped me tight. His hands held tightly to my arms and his breath caressed my cheeks. I wasn’t there in my garden with Maddie anymore, but back in the woods with Jarrod and his friends.
“No!” I screamed, terror seized my lungs and muscles.
“Hazel!” I heard Maddie’s voice but he wasn’t there in the woods. He had left me alone in the woods with them.
“Hazel, you’re right here, I’ve got you.” Arms wrapped around me and I thrashed, sending out my power to remove those arms from my body and my mind.
“I’m sorry, Hazel.”
My panic ripped the air from my lungs, making it hard to breathe. I gasped, and suddenly my vision cleared. I collapsed onto the dew-covered ground in my garden, my fingers at my throat.
Maddie was wrapped around my porch, vines strangling his body against the railings like a thousand snakes squeezing him.
His focus was on me, and my vision blurred.
As I began to flirt the line of consciousness, my vines lost their grip and Maddie broke free. Instantly, the air returned to my lungs, and I coughed violently. Some subconscious part of me knew it wasn’t my panic that stole the air from my lungs and kept it hostage. I pushed the thought deep into the recesses of my mind, unable to comprehend what it would mean if that power came from the only other person around. Maddie.
“I need some water,” I gasped, and before I knew it my body was hoisted into two strong arms and carried inside.
This time the terror didn’t consume me. The threat of suffocation dried up the panic for now. I’d thought I’d discussed all this with a therapist and gotten over it. Apparently, Maddie’s entrance back into my life dredged up more than I wanted.
He set me on the couch and was back in less than a minute with a large glass of water.
“I’m sorry,” I croaked, and he squatted down onto his heels to become eye level with me.
