the swell of her breasts and ending mid-thigh. Black velvety ribbon has been tied around her wrists and neck. No not tied. Sewn. I realize from the perfect stitches almost too fine for the eye to see.
“The Doll Maker is here,” the angel whispers. “This is his handy work. If what your uncle says is true and he’s another part of you, Robin could be facing more than just Cupid.”
Fear for Robin has my heart racing and feet taking off before I’m consciously aware of it. Sprinting along the corridor, I check each cell as I go. The bond between us is still there. I feel it like a magnet. Ten minutes pass before I find what I’m looking for.
Curled naked on a cot, her chestnut hair a mess, lays Robin. Her back is toward the door, her body in a fetal position with her legs drawn protectively up into her chest, arms tight around them. I only realize now how fragile she is. Breakable. Soft. A mortal chained to time and vulnerability.
“Robin? Hey, baby, talk to me,” I plead, trying to open the door but failing miserably.
Shoving me aside, Gabriel presses a palm to the lock. There’s a flash of white, a click, and the door swings open. Dodging past him, I’m in before he can stop me dropping to my knees before the cot. Gathering her into my arms I listen to the sound of her heart memorizing every beat. Anyone who tries to get to her will have to go through me in the future.
“Don’t touch me.”
I exhale heavily as she elbows me in the stomach. Untangling herself from my arms, she turns to glare at me.
Arm wrapped around my belly, I give her a pained look. “Robin…”
“You’re a monster.” Her hiss is full of venom, face twisted in rage.
Shaking my head, I fall back on my arse staring at her in shock. “No...”
“I saw what he did…you did. You cut her up in front of me. I begged you to stop. To let her go but you just kept slicing. You got inside my head. You’re inhuman. A Psychopath. You disgust me. How could I ever thought to have feelings for someone like you?”
“He’s not me,” I deny, knowing it’s not true. Whatever she encountered is just another version of me. A sick and twisted edition.
A chiming sound penetrates the stillness of the air. An alarm of some kind.
Gabriel steps from the doorway where he’s watching. “It sounds like we’ve got company.”
Baring her teeth in aggression, Robin lunges at me attempting to claw my eyes. It’s only my fast reflexes that prevent her from succeeding. Struggling, writhing, she fights me like a wild thing.
“What the hell is wrong with her?” Pinning her to the cot, I subdue her with my superior strength.
Laying a palm to her forehead, the angel sends warmth flowing through her body, which I pick up on through my hold on her. Robin goes limp, her eyelids dropping closed.
Scooping her up into the haven of his arms, Gabriel heads for the door. “We’ll figure that out after we get out of here.”
Shadowing him out into the hall, an arrow embeds itself in my shoulder. Stumbling backward with the impact, I cry out in agony. The long, black wooden shaft is unmistakable.
“Going somewhere?” it’s owner questions, already in the process of notching another.
“Go,” I yell, ripping the bolt free and experiencing a fresh wave of pain. Hand pressed firmly to the bleeding wound, blood trickling through my fingers.
Gabriel doesn’t need to be told twice. In a flash of light, he vanishes. Concentrating on the island, surprise jolts through me when I fail to teleport.
Cupid’s chuckle is ominous. “You’re not the first god I’ve trapped. Did you really think I was going to let you stroll in here and let you leave?”
Reaching for the gun still wedged in the waistband of my jeans, I aim it at his forehead. “I’m going to be there when karma dry fucks you with a cactus.”
“Oh, I think you’re going to have a very different view about that shortly.”
The hair raises on the back of my neck in warning. An alien presence floods into my mind like murky waters. Instantly I find myself struggling as if I’m drowning. My thoughts sinking beneath a merciless current dragging me under. Heart hammering against my ribs, I cry out in confusion, everything before my eyes becoming hazy. My head pounds, every cell inside me screaming out. It’s not a merging. It’s an