Page 61 of Ruined By a Devil

“Jade.” Air suddenly feels my lungs when I get my hands on her.

But she is halfway trapped in the floorwell, panting hard as she’s fighting with each atom in her body to set herself free. Her olive skin is marked by red scratches and dark engine grease. The wedding dress is shredded at her ribs and soaked in dirt. But when her eyes hit mine, the look in them is full of anger.

“You’re safe now,” I reach deep into the wreck, catch her under the arms, and pull her out into the open air.

Her feet hit the ground and she winces, but she stays upright. I haul her straight against my chest, wrapping one arm around her waist and locking my hand into the back of her neck. My thumb sweeps over her, down her arms, across her side, checking every inch for deep wounds, her hot breath on my neck grounding me.

“I’m fine,” she chokes out, her small hands grabbing the lapels of my coat, pulling herself closer. “Malachi, I’m fine. I took out the driver, but then this motherfucker showed up and I was trapped…”

“You were great, Jade,” I draw back just enough to lock her face between my hands. The blood on her skin, even just the small cuts, makes me want to hunt down every man working for Nolan and make them bleed.

“Nolan just signed his own death sentence,” I say, pressing my lips on her forehead. “Every single man carrying his name is going to die.”

My men fan out across the ditch, weapons up, sweeping the area, but I ignore them. They are great at their job, I don’t need to babysit them. My focus stays pinned on Jade’s face, the realization that I almost lost her today hitting me harder than I dare to admit.

“The public wedding is off,” I say, wrapping my hand around her elbow to lead her toward my car. “We’ll start clearing the chapel now.”

“Mal, I…”

“No,” I shake my head. “The church is compromised, the guests are sitting targets, and I’m not putting you in the middle of another hit. You’re going back into safety.”

Jade stops dead. She yanks her arm out of my grip so fast the silk of her dress rustles. “You mean back to prison?”

“You know it’s for your own good.”

“No,” she says.

“It’s not a request, Jade,” I turn back, staring down at her. “You were almost taken by Nolan’s men. Look at you, you’re shaking.”

“I’m shaking because I’m pissed off!” She snaps the words right into my face, closing what little space remains between us, dark fire I’ve never seen before, burning behind her eyes, making me realize how much wilder she is than I had assumed.

“Jade—”

“You think I’m going to run into a locked bedroom and hide behind a few guards, just because Nolan tried a pathetic, cheap ambush on the highway?” She asks, her voice sharp enough to cut glass.

I take one slow step toward her, my shadow completely swallowing her. “I am keeping you breathing, Jade,” I say, my voice low. “And you know that this isn't a game. You don't need to prove a damn thing to me, or to anyone else. If you want my name for protection, you'll have it, plus the entire weight of my family behind you. But we need to keep you safe.”

“Don't you dare stand there and pretend you know why I’m here,” she lifts her hand, plants her index finger hard against the center of my chest, and pushes directly against my sternum. “I don't need a golden cage, Malachi. And I am sure as hell not letting Nolan decide whom I walk down the aisle to.”

I look down at her face. Her jaw is dirty and there is a thin scratch bleeding near her temple. The ripped fabric at her shoulder is exposing bare skin marked by the force of the crash. And beneath all of it, there is a wall of pure, unyielding defiance that no weapon in this city could ever break.

I reach my hands out and I cup her face gently between my palms, my fingers brushing over the soft curve of her jaw, carefully avoiding the small cuts on her skin. My thumbs sweep across her cheeks, wiping away the dark smudge of engine grease and dirt, leaving only the warmth of her blood against my skin.

Jade blinks, her breath hitching slightly at the sudden warmth of my touch. The rigid tension in her shoulders softens just a little, but enough to bring a small smile to my face, her gaze remaining locked on mine.

“Look at me,” I say, my voice softer than I expected it to come out.

She stays still without saying a word, her hands resting against my chest, her fingers clutching to my dark suit jacket as if she’s scared that if she lets go, I’m going to disappear.

“You almost went through a windshield minutes ago,” I say, my thumb tracing the line of her lower lip. “I saw that wreck, Jade. I saw him trying to drag you out of the window. The church is wide open and it would be a terrible mistake to go there now. My men are scrambled, your father’s men are compromised, and the guests inside that sanctuary are sitting targets. I am not putting you in the sights of another sniper or another stolen car.”

“Then we clear the perimeter,” she whispers, her voice losing its harsh edge. “We post double the guards on the doors, but we don't escape.”

“Jade—”

“No, listen to me,” She interrupts, her palm smoothing flat over my chest, right over the heavy, thumping rhythm of my heart. “If we run back to the house today, Nolan wins this round. He becomes the one who dictates the terms by making us hide. Every step we take backward tells him he has the power to stop us.”

She tilts her head up, pressing her cheek slightly into the palm of my hand.