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innocently mentioned Lin to, but maybe between him and Fran, they could downplay her presence.
All he needed was her ex-husband or one of his cronies arriving on the rez and overhearing
someone chatting about Lin.
With a quick wave, Kyle headed towards the elevator. He pushed the Up button and was assaulted
by a vision of Lin sitting huddled on her bed in her room with every light on.
Just as the doors slid open, the cell phone in his pocket rang. Knowing that he d lose the signal if he
went into the elevator, he stepped back and pulled it from his pocket. The number wasn t one he
recognized, but he answered it anyway.
Hello?
Kyle. Lin s voice whispered his name over the line.
I m already here, Lin. I was just about to get on the elevator, he soothed.
You were there.
Yes. Get dressed, baby. I m taking you home with me.
He heard her breathing speed up and realized she likely thought the worst. My grandfather is there
to act as chaperone, he said, hoping to quiet her fears.
It s just that . . . Her voice was tight with shame.
It s all right, Lin. I understand. We ll take it slow, but you re not safe here. I need to get you
somewhere I can protect you from him.
No one can protect me from him.
Despair lived in every word she spoke. It seemed she truly believed he couldn t protect her, but then
she hadn t known him for very long, so she wasn t aware of all of his gifts or just what he could do
to help her.
Get dressed. I m coming up now. I m going to hang up, Lin, but I ll be there in a minute.
Can t you stay on the phone?
No, honey. Once I get on the elevator, I ll lose the signal. I ll be there in a couple minutes. Don t
be afraid. Nothing s going to happen in a few minutes.
Kyle pressed the button to end the call and then hit the Up button again. This time he had to wait
for the elevator. When it finally arrived five minutes later, a young couple nearly fell out, the woman
giving him a smile of embarrassment as she pushed up the spaghetti strap on her dress and tried to
fix her hair, which had clearly had someone s hands in it.
Shaking his head, Kyle grinned and got on the elevator and pushed the button for Lin s floor.
Getting off the elevator, he strolled toward her door, and then just as he lifted his hand to knock,
the door opened.
I was watching for you.
Kyle nodded. Let s get your stuff packed. I don t think you ll be coming back here.
At his words, her eyes widened. I thought . . .
You thought you would come back here at some point?
Lin nodded, and he shook his head. Lin, this is not something we can afford to second-guess. Your
ex-husband is playing dirty and probably has been from the beginning. I don t trust him not to try to
get to you as soon as you go back to sleep. At my house, I can set up safeguards for you. Sort of like
a psychic house alarm. I ll know if he tries something before he can actually get to you.
I m scared. Kyle knew instinctively she d been fighting saying the words, that she had been
holding them inside.
Kyle stroked one finger down her cheek and said, I know. But we know what we re dealing with
now. From the look of him, he s been working with the darkness for a very long time, maybe even
most of his life. I ve only seen something like that one other time, and the woman was white. She d
been working with what they call black magic for most of her life. You have to get pretty high up to
attract something of that much power as an ally.
Kyle watched as Lin began putting what little clothing she had unpacked back in her suitcase before
she went into the bathroom to retrieve whatever toiletries and such she had there. She hadn t
responded to his comment, and he felt weird just standing there, so he walked over and sat in one of
the chairs next to the small table by the room s one window.
The clock next to the bed read one o clock, and he knew she couldn t have been asleep long before
she had been attacked. When he looked again, she was standing next to her bed staring at the open
suitcase and holding a small cosmetics bag in her hands.
Sighing, Kyle got up and reached to take the cosmetics bag from her and put it in the suitcase. Her
body jerked hard when his hands brushed hers, and her amber gaze shot to his, fear filling it before
her dazed eyes recognized him and she relaxed enough to let him take the cosmetics bag.
Kyle closed the suitcase, then looked at her and asked, Is that everything?
Yes. I just need my coat and purse.
As she went to get her coat, she turned and asked, You re sure you can keep him away?
He wasn t absolutely sure. They were dealing with some very high-level stuff here, but he was
relatively certain that he could at least protect her enough that she could get some sleep without
having her ex-husband stalking her in her dreams.
Yes. No sense in telling her I have my doubts. These sorts of things are never certain. All you can do is try and
hope for the best.
By the time his mind came back to the room again, she had zipped up her coat and had her bag on
her shoulder. She was just reaching for the handle of her suitcase when he said, I ll get it, Lin.
Thank you. She gave him a tremulous smile.
It s like most of the ground I gained with that kiss was wiped out by her ex attacking her in her dreams. He blew
out a breath and followed her to the door. He had known, despite the almost instant attraction and
affection he felt for her that was quickly turning into more on his end, that she would be hard to
reach. I d like to get my hands on that bastard and rip his balls off! How any man could do that to a woman is
beyond me.
They reached the elevator, and Lin pushed the button to call it. I don t think Grandfather knew
about the demon, Lin stated, her voice soft and melancholy.
He may not have. They can be very tricky. I think it thought to warn me away, and that was why it
revealed itself. It may not have felt threatened enough by your grandfather to reveal itself, or it could
have simply been toying with both of you.
The elevator doors slid open, and Kyle put a gentle hand on Lin s back to guide her inside.
All I wanted was for him to just go away, to leave me alone, she whispered.
Sliding his arm around her shoulder, Kyle pulled her close but kept the embrace loose so she could
break away if she wanted to. I know, sweetie, but he s not going to do that. We have to make him
go away. He dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head.
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