Page 80 of All's Fair in Love and Magic

“They won’t get to you. I’m here,” Liam said firmly. “My magic will keep you alive, and you’ll rebuild your own version of the wards.”

“You don’t know that.” I squeezed my eyes shut, leaning against the couch cushions. “I don’t know if they’ll even really let her go.”

“I can ask Harv or Rafael to meet the witches. They’re both strong and have connections. If the witches killed either of them, there would be massive consequences.”

“I can’t risk someone else’s life to save mine, Liam. They have mates. Friends. Families.”

“And you have me.” Liam’s voice was low, but there was no room to disagree. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Our mate bond may have started in a strange way, but it was real. We had each other, no matter what else happened.

“I’ll meet them at the edge of the wards,” Liam finally said. There was no question that he didn’t like the idea. Hell, maybe he even hated it.

“You don’t have to do that,” I said quietly.

“Clove, you’re mine. That makes her family. I’ll get a security team to protect you. We can stay on the phone while you takedown the wards and they free your mother. As soon as I have her, I’ll fly her into the resort. I can get to you faster than any of the witches could.”

I bit my lip. “I don’t know.”

Liam took my face in his hands. “We’re going to make it through this.”

“You can’t know that.”

Instead of arguing, Liam kissed me hard and fast.

If we were going with his plan, which was our only real option, we needed to get moving. Immediately.

“Don’t kill them unless you have to,” I warned Liam, standing up.

There was no time to change, so I’d be breaking the resort open in my pajamas.

Yay.

At least I wasn’t sweating anymore.

“I won’t. You’d better watch your back. If anything happens to you…” The way his eyes darkened as he trailed off told me there would be carnage.

Or ash, at least.

I nodded.

On that subject, there was no point in trying to change his mind. If the other witches hurt me, they would burn.

Everything else might too.

Liam made a quick call to the security team. The Villin brothers were sleeping, so whoever was in charge of their overnight team answered, and promised to have protection meet me at the anchor in ten minutes.

It wouldn’t take me that long to get there, but I needed to wait until Liam met up with the witches before doing anything permanent anyway.

My heartbeat picked up as Liam threw his phone and his shorts in a bag. I knew he would abandon both after my mom was safe, so he could get to me as fast as possible. Until then, he needed a way to stay in contact.

He gave me one more hard, fast kiss before warning, “Keep your phone on, and don’t leave the bungalow until you hear from me.”

I nodded.

“It might be too early, but I love you, Clove. Be careful.” After a final kiss, he disappeared out the door.

My heart was officially pounding.

Love was… a lot.

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