Chapter 11
The late afternoon light slanted golden through the sheer curtains, warming the polished floors. After two hours of staring at files and computer screens, Marigold felt restless. Gavin had gone back to the office, muttering about intel updates, and she decided to wander.
The apartment was large and open, far bigger than any suite she’d ever been given before. She trailed her fingers along the smooth back of the sofa, past the dining table where they’d shared lunch, toward the tall glass doors that led to the balcony.
Curiosity pulled her closer, but as soon as she neared the doors, a chill rippled across her skin. She froze. The sunlight looked the same, but the air seemed wrong. Heavy. Watching.
She hugged her arms around herself. A faint nausea curled in her stomach, and her breath hitched. Something cold and vile pressed against her spirit, like invisible hands scraping at her.
Her hand lifted to her necklace instinctively. The golden pendant was hot against her chest. Too hot. She gasped and reached to grasp it, only to cry out as pain lanced through her fingers. It burned hot, and she gasped.
“Gavin!” The word tore from her throat before she could stop it.
He was there in a heartbeat, the door to the office banging open as he charged into the living room. His eyes glowed molten gold.
“What is it?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
“When I neared the balcony doors, I felt something,” she managed, trembling. “I think they’re looking for me. I can feel them. Someone’s scrying. The talisman got really hot and almost burned my fingers.”
Gavin didn’t waste another second. He hauled her gently but firmly away from the balcony doors, guiding her toward the center of the apartment.
The farther they went, the less pressure clawed at her skin.
By the time he sat her down on the couch, the nausea had faded, replaced by a bone-deep shiver.
She clutched the pendant again, tentatively. It was still warm but no longer scalding. Her breath came in ragged bursts.
Gavin crouched in front of her, his hands braced on her knees, his eyes fierce.
“Listen to me, Goldie. You’re safe here.
Every Clan property is warded. They are strong wards laid by allies we trust. Nothing can breach them, not scrying, not spells, not anything.
Whatever they tried, it can’t reach you.
The talisman probably reacted because it felt the attempt, but we can call Claudia and ask. ”
Tears blurred her vision. “They must be using everything they have. It takes a lot of power to scry this far. They’re pulling out all the stops to find me.”
“And hopefully burning themselves out doing it,” Gavin growled.
Her strength gave out then. She slumped forward, collapsing against his chest. His arms came around her instantly, solid and sure, the rumble of his lion vibrating through his body and into hers.
She allowed herself cry with relief. Wrapped in Gavin’s strong embrace, she finally believed she wasn’t alone in this fight anymore.
The smell of greasy hamburgers and salty fries filled the penthouse a while later, and Marigold couldn’t help smiling. Gavin had given her a choice about what he ordered for them, and she was enjoying the small taste of freedom to choose things for herself.
She also hadn’t wanted to sit at the table.
Every meal with her family was stuffy and formal, with multiple courses and stiff conversation among the others.
She was never spoken to unless it was a request to pass the salt or some other trivial matter.
She just had to be quiet and eat with perfectly correct manners, as befitted a Rollins, then disappear until her next command performance.
For once, she wanted to eat in front of the television.
She’d seen people do that in sitcoms, but she’d never done it herself, except on the rare occasions she was excused from a family meal because she was too ill or hurt to be seen.
Those meals, served alone in her room, weren’t enjoyable. Most of the time, she could barely eat.
She wanted to banish those horrible memories and start building good ones.
Sharing a casual meal with Gavin was a good place to start.
He turned on the giant TV and flipped through the channels until he found a game.
He let it play in the background, keeping the sound low, which she appreciated.
She had never learned the rules of most sports and never watched them unless it was some sort of special occasion like the Olympics.
Professional team sports were a mystery to her, but she knew this was something normal.
Something regular people did. She wanted that.
She wanted to do things that the rest of the population enjoyed and learn if she might like it too.
As a result, she sat cross-legged on the couch with a paper basket balanced in her lap, grease soaking through the wrapper as she bit into the first fast food burger she’d eaten in years.
The taste exploded across her tongue—savory beef, melted cheese, the tang of pickles—and she had to stifle a groan of delight.
“Good?” Gavin asked from beside her, one arm draped along the back of the couch, his own burger already half gone.
“Better than good.” She took another bite, then added with her mouth half full, “I think this might be my favorite food ever.”
His chuckle was low and warm, and it sent a strange shiver down her spine.
But as the fries dwindled and the easy silence stretched, the weight of her troubles pressed in again. She wiped her fingers on a napkin and forced herself to meet his eyes.
“You need to be careful. About me being here. If they’re already scrying, it’s only a matter of time before they try something else.”
“You’re right,” Gavin said, no hesitation in his tone. “But you’re safe as long as you stay in this building. The wards are strong. Stronger than anything the Rollinses can throw together on short notice.”
She toyed with her straw, swirling the ice in her drink. “You really believe that?”
“I know it.” His gaze was steady, unwavering. “Claudia and I have been texting back and forth since this afternoon. She’s already digging into the magical signature of that scrying attempt. She’ll report back tomorrow, or sooner if she finds anything urgent.”
Marigold let out a slow breath, some of the tension easing. “So, I just stay inside?”
“For now.” He leaned closer, his arm brushing her shoulder, his voice dropping to that reassuring growl that always made her listen. “I won’t let them touch you, Goldie. Not here. Not ever, if I have my way.”
Her throat tightened, but she nodded, clutching the last of her fries as if they could anchor her.
She’d been hungry before. Hungry for food, for safety, for freedom.
But sitting here beside him, the warmth of the meal still in her belly, she realized she’d been starving for something else too.
For someone to stand beside her. And Gavin Kinkaid seemed to do that without hesitation.
The Goddess truly had to have been guiding her path when Marigold decided to take a chance on contacting the Kinkaids.
A short while later, the last of her fries were gone, and the empty paper basket crumpled on the coffee table beside Gavin’s. The muted glow of the big screen painted the room in soft light, the game flickering silently across the screen.
Marigold leaned back against the couch, full and warm in a way she couldn’t remember ever feeling.
Beside her, Gavin sprawled easily, his arm resting along the back of the sofa, his thigh brushing hers when either of them moved.
She told herself it was nothing, just a casual touch, but her heart wouldn’t slow, and every inch of her body was acutely aware of his nearness.
When she finally dared to glance at him, he was already watching her. The gold in his eyes glowed faintly, his beast close to the surface. Her breath caught.
“What?” she whispered.
Instead of answering, he leaned in. His mouth brushed hers, tentative, questioning. The kiss was gentle, almost too careful, until something inside her broke loose. She clutched at his shoulders, fingers digging into solid muscle, pulling him closer.
“More,” she breathed against his lips, surprising herself with the need in her voice. “Please, Gavin. I want…”
She couldn’t finish the words, but he understood. His growl was low, reverberating through her chest as he gathered her against him.
“Goldie,” he rasped, even as he kissed her deeper, fire and sweetness tangling together. “Goddess help me, this is happening so fast.”
“I don’t care.” Her hands fisted in his shirt, dragging him down until his weight pressed her into the cushions. For once, she wasn’t afraid of touch. She craved it. Needed it. Needed him. “I want this. I want you.”
Whatever restraint he’d been clinging to snapped. His mouth claimed hers, hot and demanding, his body shuddering as she opened to him. The world shrank to the heat of his kiss, the steady strength of his embrace, the golden fire in his eyes when he finally pulled back.
The air between them crackled, electric. For a heartbeat, he searched her face, as if trying to give her one last chance to change her mind. But she was certain. More certain than she’d ever been of anything.
“Say it,” he demanded, his voice rough velvet.
“Yes.” The word came out fierce, unshakable.
That was all it took. His mouth crushed back down on hers, claiming, demanding, yet careful even in his hunger. He eased her onto the couch cushions, bracing his weight so he didn’t squash her, his hands skimming down her sides in reverent strokes that made her shiver.
Everywhere he touched, fire bloomed under her skin. The heat of his body wrapped around her, banishing every chill. His kiss deepened, his tongue stroking hers, and she answered with a hunger that startled her but felt like freedom.
Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging until he groaned against her mouth. That sound, low, raw, and unguarded, sent another shock of desire spiraling through her. He responded instantly, his hands roaming more boldly, his breath harsh as if he was barely holding himself in check.
“Goldie,” he murmured against her throat, his voice shaking with restraint. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, arching against him. Her nails bit into his shoulders, pulling him closer. “Please, don’t ever stop.”
The plea broke the last of his control. He kissed her again, urgent and consuming, the kind of kiss that promised more.
It promised everything. The world beyond the walls of the penthouse faded.
There was no family, no fear, no past. Only his hands, his mouth, and his body pressed against hers as they tumbled deeper into the heat neither of them could deny.
When he finally lifted her in his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom, she clung to him without hesitation. For the first time in her life, surrender didn’t mean pain. It meant trust. It meant choosing him.
As the door closed softly behind them, Marigold knew she would never forget the way he made her feel cherished, desired, and utterly free.
Gavin held her as if she weighed nothing at all, the muscles in his arms straining against the sleeves of his shirt in a way that made her want to explore his body.
She’d never been so close to a man who wasn’t related to her in some way.
Her family had kept her under wraps in all ways.
She hadn’t been allowed to go to school or make friends her own age.
Her existence had been very solitary, except for interaction with her family members.
There were a lot of Rollins mages, and she knew all of them. Some were worse than others. It was the truly evil ones that she knew the best because they had held the power and had been allowed to use hers whenever they could justify their goals to the Patriarch.
Old Jeremiah had kept her as his private toy, doling out her services to whoever was in favor with him at any given moment.
She’d been passed around to the various Rollins houses over the years, staying a few weeks in one place, a few months in another, but always going back eventually to the Patriarch’s place for safekeeping.
She’d been removed from her family home after her parents were killed.
The proceeds went to the Patriarch, who was also her guardian under the law.
Jeremiah had been powerful both magically and politically.
The mortal authorities never questioned if she was all right.
Jeremiah put on a good show in the beginning of her tenure as his prisoner, and his stature in the community assured that nobody questioned what had become of her after that.
There might have been a little magic involved to make people look the other way. Or bribery. Her parents’ house and possessions had been sold, and the money should have been hers, but she supposed it was long gone to whatever Jeremiah had wanted to spend it on. The evil old bastard.
It took a moment to realize that Gavin had put her down on the bed and sat beside her, but hadn’t moved any closer. When she looked up, she found him watching her.
“Where did you go?” he asked gently.
“I’m sorry.” She blushed, realizing she’d killed the mood with her inner thoughts. She was no good at this. Why had she thought she could be normal? Especially with a man like Gavin Kinkaid?
He moved closer, his lips brushing hers lightly. He spoke the words against her skin. “Don’t be sorry. Just feel, Goldie. All there is, tonight, is you and me. We’re the only ones here. The only ones who matter right now. Are you still with me?”
He leaned back, breaking the touch of their lips so he could look into her eyes. She nodded, needing to swallow her nerves before she could speak.
“I’m with you,” she whispered.
His smile lit her insides. It was a wicked smile that promised all sorts of things that had been forbidden to her until now. Until this man. This miraculous, wonderful man who had given her the simple things she’d craved so much, and the complex things like his protection and care.
She wanted just one more thing from him tonight. She wanted to know what it was like to be his. Utterly and completely.