AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His name means “of the rose” in its literal translation. “Is that why you keep calling me little rose?” Fresh tears burn the back of my eyes. Now I feel like the monster in this story for asking if I could leave. From the pain gripping his expression, he thinks that is what I want. I only asked, because it surprised me with his confession. He surprised me. Valerian is laying his heart out for me to either step all over or protect with all my being and here I’m trampling all over it.
“My little rose. Now and for always.” The tips of his fingers caress through the path of my fears.
He comes to stand in front of me and studies my face. I have an idea what he’s looking for and I want to give it to him.
“I’ll take you back to the house now and make sure you are taken wherever you want to go.”
“No, Valerian that —”
A large gray form moves along my peripheral and I gasp. I turn around to find a familiar set of green eyes staring back at me through the pink and white flowers of the trees.
“De La Rosa.”
The sound of the anger-roughened voice has us both turning. My jaw drops at the sight of the man I’ve known and loved all my life leering at me from the shadows.
“Dad?”
No, he’s not looking at me, I realize. Green blood-shot eyes laser in on Valerian.
Shocked, I don't speak for several heartbeats. I can’t. My mouth won’t connect with what my eyes are seeing. I’ve never seen my father drunk, wearing tattered clothes and looking like he wants to commit murder.
It’s not until the moonlight catches on the metal of the gun that I truly feel fear.
“Dad!”
He scowls looking like he has the force of a thousand avenging fathers at his back. “You took my baby girl. Nobody does that to a father and expects to live.” The guttural truth of his words leaves me rocked to the core.
“Dad, you don’t understand.” I hold my hands up and move in front of Valerian, but he doesn’t let me protect him as he’s protected me.
“Kincaid. We need to talk. I was wrong.” Valerian pushes me behind him, but it’s too late.
The flash of the muzzle goes off in the night and the man I love falls to his knees.
Blood oozes over the white of his shirt.
“I love you, Bella.”
I fall to my knees in front of him and scramble to find anything to press to the wound. In the distance I hear the shouts of enforcers rushing our way. I knew they were always around us, but they stayed out of sight so Valerian and I could have our time together.
“Help!” I scream.
“It’s okay, Valerian. Help is on the way.” Shimmering water blurs my vision. I press my hand into the wound as my father comes up to me and tries to drag me away from the man I love.
“Get off me!” I scramble across the grass, uncaring of the stains and mud. “What have you done, dad? What have you done?”
“I saved you from this monster. You can come back with me now. He’s as good as dead.”
I turn wild eyes on my father, and my lips peel back with the rage roaring through me. “You better hope he doesn’t. He’s no monster. He’s the man I’m going to marry. I love him. You better leave before Raven finds you. LEAVE!”
I turn back to my beast and pray I don't lose both of the men in my life in one night. My world caves in and the air in my lungs constricts.
“I love you, Valerian. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me.”
EPILOGUE
BELLA, ONE YEAR LATER
“Mrs. De la Rosa.”
