Page 88 of Destined to Fight

Fabian shook his head again.

“Fabian, I get that your job is to protect her, but what if your protection holds her back from something greater? What are your senses telling you? If you are simply acting as Kelly’s Guardian, but you don’t have any sense of dread that comes along with your premonition, then maybe you should let this one go. This decision should be up to the two of them,” Asta said, making Kelly want to hug her.

“I am not the one who brought it all up to begin with,” Fabian added, a touch defensive.

Kelly leaned forward and rested her head in her hands, feeling done with the entire situation. Hell, she felt done with life in general.

Kade threw a burst of power, making her jerk upright again.

Kade stood in the center of the room, his fists clenched. The muscles of his jaw worked as he ground his teeth, and the veins of his forehead were clearly visible. If ever Kelly had seen a man who’d lost his patience, it was Kade in that moment.

“All of ye, get the fuck out. Get the fuck out of the room, and if ye cannae mind yer own business, get the fuck out of the house.”

He didn’t move.

Kelly moved to stand, and he held his hand up to her. “Not ye, lass, ye stay with me.”

Everyone else stood quietly and left the living room. Fabian didn’t even stop to warn Kade not to hurt her, which spoke volumes about Kade’s mood.

When the others left, Kade finally sat, facing her. “Ye ken that when I offered to help ye, I had no idea what the future would bring, but I sure as fuck didnae see any of this coming.”

His words tore at her heart. “You mean you wouldn’t have helped me if you’d known?”

He ran his hand through his hair. “Ah, lass, I’d help ye a thousand times again and again. I’d just do it differently.”

“Aren’t you too old for regrets and hindsight?”

“Life never stops teaching lessons, no matter how old ye are.”

“Where does that leave us then, Kade? What are we doing? We hardly know each other, and it’s been what, two weeks? I’ve been plunged into this world, and none of you even know what to think of me. Then there’s this whole thing between us that no one understands. What are we supposed to do?”

“We take chances, lass. Those regrets and hindsight have taught me that. Ginna and Asta are right. There is more to be discovered between us. If we dinnae take chances, we will never ken what could have been.”

He didn’t sound nervous at all.

“What if we don’t like what we find?”

“Then we let that go and find a new path.”

Kelly looked at him—really looked at him. His gray eyes held the promise to protect her, and he bled confidence. His hair was a mess after he’d run his hand through it numerous times over the day. He wore a plain gray t-shirt that probably cost at least a hundred dollars, but it was worth every penny for the way it brought out the color in his eyes. The shirt was just tight enough that the muscles in his shoulders, arms, and chest were accented, but not so fitted that he looked like a preppy asshole. Somehow, the sweatpants he had on just added to the relaxed yet confident look. How a man could make sweatpants look sexy, she had no idea, but he did.

The man in front of her held a promise of something great. He was safety, strength, truth, power, love, perseverance, and so much more, all in one package. The night they met flashed in her mind, and Kelly remembered the first time she felt that Kade would keep her safe. She’d never doubted it since.

“Let’s try it, then. I know you won’t hurt me.”

“Ye have more confidence in my willpower than I do.”

She shrugged, done talking. “No matter what everyone says, I’m not comfortable doing this down here. Come to my room, or we can go to yours. I don’t want an audience.”

“Why don’t we go to mine? Fabian won’t be across the hall waiting to stop me from killing ye.”

Kelly nodded, and Kade stood, grabbing her hand. He led the way to his room.

When they entered, curiosity got the best of her, and Kelly gazed around. Everything was a shade of gray, from the walls to the linens, the curtains, and the decor. The floor was dark wood, the furniture just slightly lighter. Everything in the room was dark and simple, yet beautiful. The shades were drawn so no light entered the room, just the way Kelly liked it. She much preferred the feel of night to the brightness of the day.

He closed the door behind them and sat her down on the bed.

She laughed nervously. “You know, I’ve imagined you biting me, and it was much more romantic than this.”

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