Page 20 of His Angel

“Luna!” I drop to my knees, voice pitching high as she barrels into me, her warm, wriggly body slamming against my chest.

I wrap my arms around her, burying my face in her soft fur, breathing in that familiar doggy smell—earth and love and home. She’s my heart, my slobbery, sad-eyed shadow, and the sight of her here, tail wagging like a metronome on speed, cracks something open in me.

“Oh, baby girl, I missed you so much,” I croon, scratching behind her ears as she licks my chin, her whines pure joy.

Isaia chuckles, crouching beside us, his hand brushing Luna’s back. “Figured you’d lose it without her. Had my guys grab her when we pulled you out. She’s been napping in the guest room, drooling all over my shit.”

I glance up at him, still petting Luna, her warmth grounding me. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you, baby girl. Even slobber duty.”

“Can I take her for a walk?”

“Go ahead. Beach is yours. Just don’t trip over a guard. They’re not as charming as me.”

I narrow my eyes at him as Luna and I walk off the deck. With every step, I feel his gaze on me, hot, searing, burning my flesh. But I also feel some weight lifted off my shoulders, lighter, somehow.

The sun’s high, baking the shore, and the guards are specks, distant but constant, rifles glinting. The jungle hums behind the house, thick and green, no paths cutting through. It’s paradise, sure, but it’s cut off, controlled, a fortress disguised as a getaway.

The sand’s hot under my feet, and I head for the water. Waves lap at my toes, and Luna waddles through the water, splashing, barking, wagging her tail like we just found the Garden of Eden.

There are no words to describe the joy she brings me, the unconditional love, the unfaltering loyalty. To me, she’s the most powerful creature in the world. After the shittiest day, she gets the tension drained out of me within two minutes of rubbing and cuddling her. Having her here is the best gift Isaia could have gotten me.

“Come on, girl,” I say as we make our way along the beach. It’s soothing, listening to the crashing waves while watching the pure joy on Luna’s face. But Isaia’s words echo.The Paladinos don’t forget.

We’re safe for now, but this island’s no vacation. It’s a chessboard, and I’m the queen he’s guarding…or the pawn he’s playing.

Chapter6

ISAIA

She’s a fucking vision down there. Bare feet kicking sand, that pink sundress catching the wind, Luna walking beside her like some droopy-eared sidekick.

The sun’s high, painting her skin gold, and I can’t peel my eyes off her—haven’t since I first tracked her steps through that park, her mismatched gaze snaring me from a shadow I didn’t leave for hours.

I’ve memorized every curve of her laugh lines, every sway of her hips, counted her breaths while she slept when she didn’t know I was there. Now she’s mine, and I’m still hooked, eyes glued to her like a junkie chasing a fix.

Everly’s laughing, a sound that slices through the waves, and it twists something in my chest, sharp and deep. Watching her mourn him, shed tears for him, it fucked me up in ways I can’t put into words. It was the worst goddamn feeling, seeing her fall apart over losing him—not because I’m the one responsible.

Because she’s mine. She cries for me alone. No one else.

The hardest part was letting her be. I wanted to storm into that bedroom and shake the grief out of her, demand she pull her shit together because that motherfucker doesn’t deserve her tears. By some miracle, I managed to keep my shit together long enough for her to feel whatever it was she needed to feel.

But that’s over now.

Whatever he was to her is in the past, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I’m her present, her future, and her goddamn afterlife.

This might’ve started as an obsession—tailing her through Chicago streets, watching her house in the middle of night, observing her while she waited tables—but now it’s more. I love her, and I told her that, carved it into her soul with every touch.

I’m not my brothers, all of them bullshitting themselves, thinking they could outrun the burn for their women. I’m not that stupid. Everything I feel for her hits too hard, too real. Ignoring it’s like spitting on a fire that’s already eating me alive. So I embrace it, claim it, fucking own it like I own her—every breath, every glance, every step she takes on this beach I’ve memorized from stalking her shadow.

Just thinking about it excites me, paints my skin with anticipation. Not gonna lie, stalking her, watching her while she had no clue made me feel more alive than I ever had before.

People don’t wear masks when they think they’re alone. There’s no need to hide when there’s no one else around. And that’s what thrills me, makes her feel more mine because I see her in a way no one ever has before. Not even Anthony.

The Everly I watch from the shadows is all mine.

Luna splashes into the surf, ears flapping, slobber flying, and Everly’s right there, crouching to rub her belly, grinning like the world isn’t out for our blood.

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