AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gasped. “What?”
“No. Goddamn it, Lila, I fuckingmournedyou!” I lashed out.
She clenched her teeth as a spark flickered in her eyes and her nostrils flared angrily. “You don’t get to do that, Lucian. You’re the one who fucking threw us away—threwmeaway. You think I didn’t mourn you every time one of my letters was returned to me unopened? Each one was a knife to the goddamn heart! I loved you with every fiber in my being!”
It shouldn’t, but her use of the past tense was like getting shot all over again.
“They said you were shot! They said you fuckingdied, Lila!”
She whipped off the shirt as she shot to her feet. “I was!” she shouted as she slapped her hand to her chest where the tattoo of a phoenix was emblazoned on her skin. “And Liladiddie eleven years ago. Along with every scrap of innocence and youth she possessed. I go by Laila, but honestly, half the time I have no fucking clue who I am!”
Her chest was heaving, and angry tears glistened on her lashes as I stood. I towered over her, and she boldly stared at me, not backing down.
Brows furrowed, I reached out and ran my fingertips lightly along the lines of the phoenix. At the first touch, she sucked in a sharp breath. My hand paused, and I searched her eyes for permission.
Her breasts rose and fell in the black lace bra as I resumed when she didn’t stop me. The puckered flesh was barely noticeable if you didn’t know it was there. The color in the design was slightly off and blurred a bit in places, but it was a beautiful cover-up over the scars she indeed carried. The creature’s head sat nestled at her cleavage, and the wings spread over the curves of her breasts and feathered under her collarbones.
Next, I skimmed along her collarbone and up her neck. In near wonder, I trailed my fingertips over the beauty mark with question.
“Tattooed,” she whispered.
My fingers traced the slope of her nose.
“Rhinoplasty.”
My hands cradled her face to lift her gaze to mine as I stared into green eyes that looked nothing like the crystal blue I remembered.
“Colored contacts. And before you move on to my hair and brows, it’s dye.” She stepped out of my reach and pulled the shirt back over her head. Staring at the ground, she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
“Lila,” I began.
“No. Laila,” she corrected.
“Because of the song?” I asked, already knowing the answer. She silently nodded, and that hit me like a boot to the guts too.
There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” I called out as I pull back my hair and wrap a band around it.
“You doing okay?” Angel asked. His gaze flickered from me to Li—Laila.
“Yeah,” I murmured as I nodded.
“Good. The officers just had a meeting. Venom wants to see you.”
Opening a drawer, I pulled out a shirt from the top and put it on. Then I grabbed socks and sat down to tug them on along with my boots. “I’ll be back,” I said to Laila, but Angel interrupted.
“Pres said she better have her fucking ass sitting there with you,” he said cautiously.
Well, hell.
