Chapter 4
“I’m very sorry to bother you, Mr. Kinkaid, but I was wondering…” She trailed off, as if unsure how to proceed.
Gavin waited a moment to see if she would continue, then prodded her. “What were you wondering, Marigold?”
Her eyes flashed with a hint of surprise when he used her first name. She looked so delicate on the outside, but there was definitely a spark of spirit on the inside. He liked that.
“I think you’ve heard of my family, haven’t you?” She edged around the topic, apparently feeling him out. Gavin was willing to play that game. At least for a little while.
“Yes, Miss Rollins. I am well acquainted with your family’s legacy. We even have some relatives in common, though they do not necessarily acknowledge their Rollins ancestry.”
She seemed shocked by his words, then pleased.
“I didn’t know that, but it makes me glad that I followed my instincts to come to you.
I may be a Rollins in name, but I’m actually more of a prisoner.
At least, I was up until about five days ago.
I confess, I’ve lost track of time a little bit since my escape.
Were you…uh…at the estate when the circle was broken? ”
She was talking her way around the attack on the demon-summoning circle in the backyard of that estate, which was wise of her if she wasn’t really sure about him. One did not just talk openly to total strangers about magical happenings.
“Yes, ma’am, I was. I can’t say I’m sorry at the results, though I’m sure it was hard on your family.” If she was just trying to find out if he was a valid target for her wrath, then he wasn’t going to hide his involvement. Better that she attack him than any of the other Kinkaids.
“Actually, that was the only reason I was able to escape. My aunt fled with me and locked me away at her house, but she forgot to set the wards, and I was able to get out while there was nobody there except her and me. I’ve been on my own for the past few days, trying to figure out where to go next and what to do.
Unfortunately, I’m not very experienced with the outside world, though of course I’ve heard my family discuss the Kinkaids from time to time.
I was hoping that old saying about the enemy of my enemy being my friend might somehow hold true.
” Exhaustion shone around her features, and he couldn’t deny that her story sounded plausible.
He’d reserve judgment, but for now, he was willing to listen to the tale she was spinning.
“Are you saying the Rollins family is your enemy? When you are a Rollins?” Gavin wanted to know.
She shrugged, the small movement of her shoulders looking almost defeated. “Well, they’ve never been my friends. That’s for sure.”
“So, what is it that you want from me? Or the Kinkaids in general?” Gavin demanded in a soft voice. He tended to believe her, though that might prove foolish in time. Still, something about her seemed honest and open.
“I just want to get away. I want to get away from the Rollins dynasty and their base of power. They’ve been looking for me, and if they get me again, I know I’ll never escape.
They were going to use me up at the circle.
I knew it. I heard Jeremiah talking. They were going to use me up starting their war, and I wouldn’t have walked away from that.
” Her deep-set eyes were haunted, but Gavin was having a hard time believing that even the Rollinses would kill one of their own in such a way.
Surely, blood was thicker than water, even for them.
“I’m not sure I can help you,” Gavin said, testing her to see what she’d do. He never expected the tears that sprang to her eyes or the way she jumped up out of the chair.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time,” she said on a shaky breath as she turned for the door, swaying on her feet.
Gavin practically leapt around his desk to catch her. She really was going to swoon.
She tried to fight, uselessly, as he gathered her into his arms.
“Let me go,” she whispered, her strength mostly giving out as he supported her weight.
“I can’t,” he answered honestly, the words coming from somewhere down deep that he didn’t fully understand. He sensed her utter defeat as her last bit of resistance drained away, and she went limp in his arms. “I’ve got you, Goldie. It’s going to be okay.”
Nothing was okay. Marigold despaired. She’d chosen the wrong path.
Coming to the Kinkaids had only gotten her into worse trouble.
Instead of being imprisoned by her family, she was probably going to face some even worse fate at the hands of these shapeshifters.
Dear Goddess, let them not toy with her before they killed her.
Let them make it quick and as painless as possible.
On the bright side, they would probably leave her soul intact so it could move on to the next realm.
Her family wouldn’t have allowed that. They would have truly destroyed her, sucking her power and then her soul dry.
There would have been nothing left. At least with the shifters, they would probably just kill her, and her soul would have another chance in a better place.
That’s what her parents had taught her, though she wasn’t sure if their souls were left intact when the Rollins dynasty had turned on them.
She’d been too young to really know how to identify such things, though she’d seen enough in the years since that she could recognize it when her disgusting relatives did things like that.
She’d seen it happen to captives and enemies alike.
Anyone who could fuel their dark magic and, even worse, their blood magic.
She was so tired. Tired and hungry and weak. She couldn’t find it within herself to fight anymore, even as the big man held her immobile in his strong arms.
It had been so long since she’d been so close to another person. Not since she’d been made an orphan by her own extended family. Nobody hugged her. Not since her parents had died. And she didn’t remember her father being so big, physically, as this stranger.
Gavin. His name was Gavin Kinkaid, she’d learned from the receptionist. He was in charge here, and even though she didn’t know his true role within the Kinkaid Clan, it had to be something important if he was in charge of a building this large.
She’d been trusting to the Divine to guide her path, but maybe she’d been too naive. She didn’t have a lot of experience in the wider world. She didn’t know how to act or react to regular people, or shifters, for that matter.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, not really understanding what she had to be sorry for.
“Hush, now,” the man said, lifting her easily in his arms and taking her over to the side of the big office, where there was a couch she hadn’t noticed before.
A couch with a low coffee table in front of it and some easy chairs placed on either side.
He sat with her still in his arms, and he didn’t let go of her when his pocket started beeping.
He reached into the pocket with one hand and retrieved his cell phone, answering it as he met her gaze. He listened for a moment, then spoke.
“It’s all right. Bring in the cart, and then, you can go have lunch yourself, Amelia.
I’ll entertain our guest while you fill Sam in on the day’s happenings.
” He ended the call and put the phone away again.
“My assistant is bringing us something to eat. You’ll feel better once you have some food in you,” he said, his voice ringing with kindness she hadn’t expected.
“But I’m a Rollins,” she whispered, not sure why she was objecting.
“So are my cousins, but I don’t hold that against them,” Gavin said, smiling. “Their mother was your Aunt Lilly, though they lost her when they were in their teens, I believe.”
“I was young when my parents died,” she admitted, feeling faint at his closeness.
Or maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t eaten in three days.
The meager supplies she’d taken with her had given out after the second day, and she didn’t have any money to buy anything.
“And nobody ever talked about Lilly where I could hear. I knew of her, but not what happened to her. Did the family kill her for leaving?”
“I’m not sure, to be honest. She and her mate died together when their sons were half-grown. The eldest took responsibility for the younger boys, and they lived apart from the Clan until recently. One of them is still here in Houston. You could ask him, if you like,” Gavin offered.
Did that mean he wasn’t going to kill her? She didn’t know how to take his words or read his expression. She didn’t have a lot of experience with people other than those in her family, and mostly, she just knew when to steer clear of them, and how to act when that was impossible.
A soft knock at the doorway precluded her from answering, and the young woman who had let her into the office reappeared, rolling a cart laden with food.
Marigold’s stomach growled loudly, and she cringed in mortification, but Gavin didn’t say anything.
He didn’t let her go either. He just waved the young woman closer and told her to leave the cart beside him, at the end of the coffee table, within easy reach.
“I’ll just go talk to Sam now,” the young woman said as she parked the cart and drew back.
“Do that. I’ve got this under control. Tell him I’ll call him as soon as I finish here,” Gavin told her. She gave him a worried look then withdrew, closing the office door behind her.
Marigold didn’t like the way he’d talked of finishing with her.
Did that mean he was going to kill her after all?
But then, why had he ordered food? Surely, he couldn’t eat all that himself, though she’d heard shifters ate like animals.
Maybe he could put away two huge trays of sandwiches by himself.
Or maybe he really was going to feed her. Stomach growling in time with her embarrassment, Marigold salivated at the thought of biting into just one of those huge sandwiches. They looked so good.
“Let’s get you some food,” Gavin murmured, reaching for the rolling cart and drawing it a tad closer.
He didn’t let her go but kept one arm around her while he lifted one of the heavy platters and put it in front of her on the coffee table. He went back for two plates and napkins, handing one of each to her.
“I hope there’s something you like here. If not, I can probably order something else. Please, help yourself,” he said politely, waiting for her to pick a sandwich from the available selection.
She tried to move slowly but couldn’t quite help herself when she spied a turkey and Swiss cheese on sourdough. It was thick with meat and cheese and cut in half from corner to corner, arranged, like the others on the tray, to display the innards of the sandwich.
Marigold’s fingers trembled as she lifted the sandwich. She tried to hide it, but she was sure Gavin noticed. He seemed to notice everything about her.
“Easy,” he murmured, his deep voice a low rumble that made something flutter in her chest. “Take your time. No one’s rushing you.”
She nodded quickly and took a cautious bite. The flavor exploded on her tongue. This simple sandwich was so different from the cold precision of Rollinses’ gourmet meals. A groan slipped out before she could stop it. Her eyes widened, but Gavin only chuckled softly.
“That good, huh?” His smile warmed his strong features.
Heat crept into her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t apologize for enjoying food.” He leaned back slightly, still keeping one steadying arm behind her, as if he didn’t trust her to remain upright without him. “You look like you haven’t had a real meal in days.”
Her lashes lowered. She didn’t want to admit the truth, but the way he spoke without judgment, only quiet concern, drew her out. “It’s only been a few days. I took what I could carry when I left my aunt’s house, but it ran out, and I don’t have any money to buy more.”
Gavin kept his voice calm. “That ends now. You’ll eat here. You’re safe with us.”
Safe. The word wrapped around her like a blanket she didn’t trust yet, but longed for.
She glanced up and caught his gaze. Gold flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Not quite human. Not quite tame. This fleeting glimpse of his inner beast should have scared her, but instead, it made her pulse quicken.
She took another bite, slower this time, and he watched her with an intensity that should have been unnerving. Instead, it felt sort of…grounding. Like he was willing her strength back into her body.
“You don’t have to look at me like that,” she whispered, half-flustered, half-curious.
“How am I looking at you?” he asked, his lips curving in something that wasn’t quite a smile but wasn’t threatening either.
“Like I matter,” she said before she could stop herself. Her throat closed as the words escaped, and she looked down quickly, ashamed.
Silence stretched between them. Then Gavin reached out, slow and deliberate, and tipped her chin up with a finger. His touch was gentle, but there was no mistaking the command behind it.
“You do matter, Goldie,” he said, using that nickname again, softer this time. “To me. More than you know.”
Her heart stuttered. She wanted to believe him. She wanted it so badly it almost hurt. But she had lived too long under lies and manipulation to surrender easily.
“You don’t even know me,” she whispered.
“Not yet,” he agreed, his thumb brushing her jaw before he drew his hand back. “But I want to.”
The simple honesty in his tone stole her breath.
For the first time in years, Marigold felt the faintest spark of something other than fear or despair.
She felt the possibility of belonging, of being seen.
And sitting in Gavin Kinkaid’s office, with a sandwich in her hand and his gaze steady on her, she dared to think that maybe her instincts had finally led her to exactly the right place.