Page 70 of His Angel

“What?” Oliver asks, pausing the game and looking my way.

“The Sect are here. Masks on, we’re needed in the movie room. Now.”

Stephanie, Charlotte and Penelope look suitably confused, placing whatever it is they’re doing down on the coffee table in the circle of cushions and shit they’ve gathered. It’s cute, if that’s your thing.

Wyatt pushes past me, heading to grab ours from upstairs.

“Can you get Leo and Jacob too? I think they’re upstairs,” I admit.

My gaze flicks back to the girls, the sparkles in their masks catching my attention as they’re slid back on. The colours and lace are a complete dichotomy to the black of ours, and where ours are solid, theirs are fluid, the feathers giving it movement, like two sides of the same thing, linked together.

The girls push past, heading to the movie room unphased. They don’t huddle together and wait for us to protect them against anything. They’ve never had The Sect walk into their house like this. They don’t know what’s coming.

And neither do I, but whatever it is won’t be good.

“They’re not upstairs,” Wyatt says, handing me my mask and heading into the den with Oliver.

“Then where the fuck are they?” I grumble under my breath, sliding the black plastic over my face, settling the fabric against the back of my neck and falling into character.

This is the Nick Barrett that will do whatever needs doing to get to the end; he’ll take the woman he wants to keep her safe.

The dread that sits in my stomach like a stone churns as I pace through the dining room, not finding them, and a quick look in the kitchen has alarm ringing in my ears, until I hear them, well, her… the sob that has goosebumps prickling against the back of my neck.

“What the fuck?”

I’m stalking across the room, red creeping in the edges of my vision as I find Ivy curled up in a ball in Leo’s arms, Jacob beside them.

“The Sect are here,” I state, knowing whatever the hell this is about links to what’s going on right here.

I left her all of five minutes ago and she was fine, on her way home to find Tamsin and Taylor, and now she’s here… sobbing.

Leo won’t meet my gaze, his jaw clenched but his arms loose, free, comforting, rubbing soothing circles on her back as the other one bands around her protectively.

There’s only one thing that would upset her this much.

Tamsin and Taylor are gone.

As is reading my mind Jacob nods. Fuck.

“Get your masks.”

Bending down, I pull Ivy from his arms, standing her up as they slide out from around us, hopefully heading to get their masks and buy me five minutes whilst I get her under control.

“She’s… they’re…” She hiccups, unable to say the words.

“I know,” I reply quietly. “And I think we’re about to get an explanation.”

She shudders, tears still falling as she crumples in on herself again, her footing unsteady.

“Ivy, I need you to take a breath. Just one. Deep in, deep out.” She tries, shuddering air in and out of her lungs unsteadily. “Again,” I say gently. “Good girl, you’ve got this.” Her next ones come out easier, and her legs finally feel stable beneath us, her weight drawing back from my arms. “Deep breath in, deep breath out,” I continue.

She nods, wiping the back of her hand across each cheek.

She’s a mess, but she’s beautiful.

“They’re here,” she repeats.

“I’m assuming your mask isn’t?” I ask, drawing her to the task at hand.

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