me at arm’s length, staring into my eyes. I could see Gavin looking at me, but I was fully engaged in my visions even as I was aware of everything going on around me.
Emeria got into the bed and propped herself up on the pillow. “ … you think … enough?” she cracked sarcastically.
“Just … down … take … photo,” he said in an annoyed voice.
“Do you … think … going … ?” she asked coyly.
“It … my … future by … way… on … ” he stated with a fair amount of arrogance and certainty. It sounded like Tyler.
My vision was going by so fast this time I couldn’t make out the details. The speech was inaudible. It was like a cell phone conversation when the person on the other end was going through the beginning of a dead zone. The events were happening out of order, the images were clear, but I couldn’t be sure if they were things that had happened before, had not happened yet, or were happening right then.
“Sergeant Mullane, my name is Tyler Belial. I manage Gavin Vault.” Tyler smiled as he extended his hand to the officer.
“Nice to meet you.” Sergeant Mullane returned Tyler’s gesture with a hardy shake and a suspicious look. “If you can have your client come down and answer a few questions about the disappearance of Grace Ann Miller, I’m sure we can clear all this up,” he added matter-of-factly.
Tyler lowered his head and then raised it as if he’d suddenly thought of something clever to say. “Unfortunately, my client is away for the birth of a family member. But I’m sure that as soon as he returns, he will be more than happy to answer whatever questions you have.”
“Bladen,” Sergeant Mullane called from his office as soon as Tyler was out of earshot. “Get me a search warrant for the estate of Gavin Vault.”
Everything went black when the vision ended.
“I … I can’t believe it!” was all I could manage as I stared into Gavin’s eyes in complete disbelief. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him to me. I loved him so much right then. “Gavin.” I pulled away. I could not bear to look at him knowing what I had to tell him.
“Yes, just tell me.” He lifted my chin, gently forcing my eyes to meet his.
“They think I was kidnapped. Even though I wrote the note, they think I was kidnapped!” I may have screamed.
Ambry let out a loud neigh. Zion copied her.
“Grace, what aren’t you telling me?” Gavin stroked my hair, then placed it behind my left ear.
“They think you did it—that you kidnapped me!” I shouted for sure that time, unable to stop the tears from racing down my cheeks as if there was a prize at my chin. The thought that anyone could think that Gavin could harm me broke my heart, and worse, the people behind this horrible lie: Tyler and my very own sister. I had to hide the truth from Gavin. I had to lie. I could not break him with the truth of Tyler’s betrayal.
“I love you so much. When we get home, I will take care of this. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you,” I assured him and hugged him tightly. He let himself give in and be comforted by my embrace, burying his head in my hair, inhaling, and kissing the back of my neck.
It was so bizarre and surreal, all of it. I felt responsible for all of the things that had gone wrong lately. Remi, Jenny, and now Gavin; maybe even Emeria. Everyone was perfectly content until I … became an angel.
Pulling himself slowly from my grasp, the look on Gavin’s face was hard to decipher. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, deciding to walk away instead. As the tears continued to fall, I followed him. He turned toward me, pushed me against Ambry, and kissed me so hard it took my breath away. Ambry bucked her hind legs slightly and let out another neigh from the force of Gavin’s and my weight. Gavin placed his right hand against her to hold us steady as he continued to kiss me—deeper than before—and closed his wings around us.
“Grace,” he whispered, nearly out of breath, then continued his rather delicious assault on my mouth.
“Yes,” I half moaned when he took a breath in.
“I know you love me and that you want to take care of me—but this has nothing