Branded (The Branded Series) (30 page)

Anna cozied up
beside me and smiled. “Well, I
am
wondering one thing.”

“Just one
thing? I find that hard to believe,” I teased as I kissed her head softly.

“When you said
you were afraid of losing me and that's why we couldn't be together, what did
you really mean? It didn't have anything to do with the Wentworth incident, did
it?”

“Sort of,” I
explained. “You would've been a target as my girlfriend. Your life would've
always been in danger. I couldn't risk that. As much as I wanted you in my
life, Anna, it was the only way to protect you.” My mind wandered to Matthias
and his words of wisdom. His tragic lesson learned. “It killed me to let you
go,” I added with a lump in my throat.

“We don't need
to revisit that. Now that I know it was a legitimate fear, and that it doesn't
matter anymore, right?” She looked at me for approval.

“Well, it
certainly helps that you're gifted now too. At least now we can be together.
I'm sure there will always be danger lurking around the corner, but at least
you will now know why I will always be so protective of you.” I wrapped my arms
tighter around her, feeling a bit like a boa constrictor. I hated talking about
being apart from her. “You must have more questions.”

Anna leaned over
and poured us each a glass of wine. “To us,” she said as she held up her glass
and clinked it with mine. “May we always find happiness with each other and may
we always win.”

“Cheers to
that,” I laughed. We sipped our wine and made similar disgusted faces. Our
first taste of wine together, and by the look on Anna's face, it would be the
last. “I didn't think iced tea would have the same ring to it,” I confessed.

“No, it
probably wouldn't.” She laughed. “But it would’ve tasted better.” She set her
glass down and sat cross-legged in front of me. “So, what do I do next with
this miracle gift?” she asked enthusiastically, sitting cross-legged in front
of me.

“You'll be
assigned a trainer and you'll have to practise your gift and develop your other
strengths,” I informed her. I was so excited that Anna was finally one of us.
There were no more secrets; nothing to stand in our way.

“Why can't you
be my trainer?” she pouted.

“Because I
haven't the slightest clue how to make a miracle,” I laughed.

“But I don't want
to go through this without you,” Anna said as she plucked a blade of grass and
began chewing on it.

“Well then
I'll make sure you don't. I'll go to your sessions with you, if you want.” I
was sure Ms. Peters wouldn't object. After all, they were still trying to make
it up to me how they kept Anna’s gift from me.

“I just never
want to be away from you again,” Anna sighed as she laid across my lap and
wrapped her arms around my waist.

So this was
what true happiness felt like. I looked around at the blue sky, the trees rustling
in the wind, the butterflies taking flight, and the birds chirping away in the
trees. I carefully pulled Anna’s hair from her face and touched her cheek. Then
I whispered with all the confidence in the world, “I love you, Anna.”

She stopped breathing.
The long silence caused me to wonder what she was thinking. Then she finally
spoke, “You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that.”

I squeezed her
gently as my heart fluttered. “And you have no idea how long I've wanted to say
that,” I admitted.

“I love you
too, Jake. Always have.”

We cuddled in
silence for a long time, just enjoying the moments in each other's arms. I
wasn't sure how she felt, but I knew I wasn't in any rush to be anywhere else
but here. The sun was setting and a chill was creeping in.

“Are you
getting cold?” I asked as I pulled her in closer.

“Jake Rovert,
are you just trying to get closer to me?” Anna teased.

“Always,” I
confessed with a sly smile.

“Well, in that
case,” Anna said as she sat up and rested her back against my chest, “let's
keep each other warm.”

I wrapped the
blanket around the both of us and held her close, rubbing her arms to keep her
warm.

“Jake, will
you promise me something?” she asked, intermingling her fingers with mine.

“Anything,” I
promised. It didn't really matter what she wanted, I knew I would do anything
for her. Her wish was my command.

“Promise me
you'll never leave me again.” Her soft voice was delicate and broken.

My heart ached
for a moment as I thought about how much I had put her through.

“Anna, I
promise I will never leave you. And even if you want to leave me, you'll still
be stuck with me, because I'll follow you anywhere and everywhere. I will never
leave you stranded again. I promise.”

She slowly
turned and sat facing me on my lap. She wrapped her smooth, warm arms around my
neck and touched her nose to mine. I pressed my lips to hers and pulled her in
close, sharing a kiss that was so real and intense that I would never forget
it, for as long as I lived. She was my miracle. I was her healer.

We fell asleep
in each other’s arms, savouring our first taste of happily ever after, until a
familiar vision seeped into my pleasant dreams . . .

Something shook me
, deep down in
the core of my body. I woke up gasping for air and dripping with sweat,
realizing the terror was my vicious recurring nightmare. My legs still felt
heavy and they burned from my struggle to save the angel in the middle of the
field. The darkness, like every other time, had swallowed her whole. The angel,
my beloved Anna.

Here
is a sneak peek at the sequel to
Branded
:

Stranded

The need for
constant security
has Anna feeling suffocated and needing some space. In an effort to keep Anna happy
while still providing the protection that she needs, Jake reluctantly backs off
and entrusts Anna’s safety with Claudia and Rachel. But when Rachel’s visions
become unreliable, the girls find themselves in a dangerous situation. And when
Anna returns the favour of protection, they’re all left with the realization
that Anna’s too selfless to save herself.

Turn
the page to read the prologue to Stranded.

It was exhausting
knowing that
every move I made was being mirrored by Nick and Noah—Jake’s orders. When would
Claudia and Rachel be back? I needed to go the washroom.

“You okay?”
Nick asked, his gaze locked on my bouncing knee as we sat on the outdoor patio
of a quaint café in Italy.

“Have you
heard from Jake? And when will Rachel and Claudia be back anyway?” I pointedly
ignored his question.

“Do you need
to go to the washroom, Anna?” And he pointedly ignored mine.

“Yes.”

“Claudia and
Rachel will be back soon. They just wanted to show Eli and Mark where to
patrol.”

Yes, Eli and
Mark—more bodyguards insisted by Jake. I sighed heavily.

“Get used to
it,” Nick said, a bit of playfulness now gone from his voice. I rolled my eyes
so he couldn’t see.

Up to this
point, Noah had been quietly sipping his coffee. “He just wants to make sure
nothing happens to you while he’s gone.”

I nodded,
fully understanding, although not entirely appreciating the importance of it
yet.

My knee began
bouncing again.

“Okay, up you
go,” Nick said, pushing his chair back and pulling at my arm. “I’m taking you
to the washroom.”

“No, you most
certainly are not,” I challenged.

“Anna, stop
being so stubborn. Claudia and Rachel may not be back for another twenty
minutes.”

I frowned,
considering how much longer I could hold it. “Fine!” I gave in, annoyed. “But
you’re not coming in this time.”

Nick laughed.
“Noah will go in first to make sure it’s clear, and then we’ll wait out by the
door.”

I whimpered.
There was nothing I hated more than being followed and watched and guarded all day,
every day.

Once the
washroom was safety-approved, I headed in and enjoyed a moment of peace while I
stared at my reflection in the mirror. No Claudia. No Rachel. No bodyguards.
Just me. But now I missed Jake. At least when Jake was near, the others backed
off a little.

I dug out my
phone from my clutch and sent a text to him:

~
I miss you. I hope training is going well.

Come
back soon and safely. xo

I waited a
minute, staring at the phone and willing for it to buzz. Nothing. I sighed and
continued to the washroom stall.

The door
opened and Noah called in, “Anna? You okay?”

“Geez, Noah!”
I shouted. “I’m not planning an escape. I’ll come out when I’m ready to be
monitored again.” Rage boiled inside of me.
What do they honestly think is
going to happen in here? There’s not even a window for Pete’s sake!

When my phone
buzzed, I hurried out to the sinks to read my text as butterflies danced inside
of me.

~
I miss you too, baby. Training’s going well. Only a few more hours. Hope the
guys are taking good care of you.

And the
butterflies froze.
Seriously? Is that all he cares about? That the guys are
taking good care of me?
I wanted to write something brave back. Something
that would show him that I didn’t need protection. But what? What could I
possibly say? Maybe I’d tell him that I was enjoying a long walk along the
beach by myself. Maybe I’d tell him the others went to lunch and left me alone
in the hotel room. Maybe I’d tell him . . . my thoughts and brilliant ideas
started getting foggy and I had to clutch the sink for stability as the room
began to spin. My eyes scanned the room around me, trying to make sense of what
was happening.

“Nick?” I
tried to call, but my voice was weak and hoarse. I slumped to the floor. “Noah?”
I tried again.

The room was
darkening around me when the door opened and Nick said, “Don’t get mad at me,
Anna. I just need to check on you.”

I couldn’t answer.

“Anna!” the door
opened hard and that’s the last I registered.

“Jake can’t find
out about
this,” I heard Noah say as my thoughts started slowly collecting again.

“I agree,”
Rachel added.

“That’s not a
good idea,” Nick argued. “He’ll be pissed if he finds out and we didn’t tell
him.”

“I don’t know,
Nick,” Claudia chimed in. “He’ll be even more pissed if he finds out we nearly
killed her.”

“I should
never have let her go in there alone,” Nick mumbled.

“It doesn’t
much matter how it happened. Jake can’t find out. He’d lose his mind,” Rachel
said.

“I don’t
know,” Nick said.

“She’s right,”
I heard myself say, my throat harsh and sore. “He can’t find out about this.”
My eyes opened and I found myself lying on my hotel bed with my four friends surrounding
me. I wasn’t exactly sure what Jake shouldn’t find out about, but I did know
that whatever it was would only cause him to become more of a constrictor—never
leaving my side for even a minute.

“How are you
feeling?” Claudia asked, removing a facecloth from my forehead and replacing it
with a cold one.

“What
happened?” I asked, trying to piece together the events.

“Carbon monoxide
poisoning,” Rachel answered. Nick and Noah both hung their heads. “It came in
through the vents. We had no idea.”

“I felt dizzy
and then passed out,” I recalled.

“Doctor just
left. He said you’ll be just fine. He had you on a breathing machine for oxygen
therapy for a couple of hours—to clean the poison out of your blood,” Claudia explained.