away at the protective shields that enabled her to get through her life every day.
She quickly stiffened, and shook her head. "Leave me alone."
Ian's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you should save that request for after I pull you back up."
Alice grimaced, and glanced down, the sea was still churning beneath her. Waves splashed up, reaching for her ankles. Instinctively, she pulled her feet up, bracing them against the rock. "You have a point."
"As I thought." Ian grinned and braced himself on the rock. "Ready?"
She met his gaze, fighting not to be swallowed up by his piercing stare. "Ready." She dug her toes into the rock.
"On three." He cocked an eyebrow. "One." He held his other hand out to her.
After a split second of hesitation, she reached up and took his hand. His grip was strong around her wrists. Damn, the man was powerful. How was that fair? He could probably take down the world, and she, an angel of life, couldn't save even a single person, no matter how simple a task it would be to help them.
He braced himself. "Two."
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and electricity jumped between them. Dammit. Why hadn't things lessened between them? Why was he still affecting her like this?
"Three." He gave a curt nod and pulled.
She pushed off the rock as he shifted his body, easily swinging her to the top. Her bare feet landed silently on the gritty surface, her toes tiny and pale next to the heavy boots he was still wearing. "Swimming's easier without boots," she said, trying to put distance between them.
He shrugged. "I was in a rush. You were getting away."
There was that sense of being hunted by him again. Alice instinctively pulled out of his grasp. "What do you want from me?"
Ian went still for a moment, and his gaze bore down on her. She felt pressure in her mind as he tried to break past her barriers, connecting with her too intimately. She stiffened immediately and folded her arms over her chest, raising her chin as she faced him, fighting against the swirl of emotion he aroused in her. "You're not stalking me because of the soul mate thing, are you? Because I'm not yours—"
"Yes, you are." His response was instant and unyielding, and she felt her pulse quicken in response.
She couldn't afford to belong to him. She didn't want to crave him so badly that she felt like her own soul would burst into violent flames if he walked away from her…but she did. It was like he'd ignited a raging fire within her, one that he stoked ever higher with each touch, with each word, with each kiss.
And as a smug grin spread over his face, she knew that he was well aware of exactly how he affected her.
"Damn you, Ian," she snapped.
He grinned more broadly, and she suddenly realized that she'd just laid down a challenge that he was delighted to accept. And even scarier was the realization that she didn't want him to be dissuaded from pursuing her.
Oh, God. What was she getting into? "Who are you, Ian? Why are you after me?"
He held up his index finger to silence her questions. "Warwick Cardiff."
Alice froze at the name, and her skin turned to ice. She took a step backwards, frantically looking around her for some sort of defense. There was nothing. She had nothing. She—
"Hey." He caught her arm, and she yelped, jumping out of his grasp. He instantly held out his hands in a show of peace, but at the same time, she felt the intensity of his readiness to grab her if she got out of range. "It's okay. I save you, remember? I don't hurt you."
"Not yet." She eased around the top of the rock, keeping to the edge. "Are you with Warwick? Do you work for him?"
"No." His voice was hard. Triumphant. As if her reaction to that name had confirmed his suspicions. "Do you?"
"Me?" She almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "He's a ruthless bastard who has my sister—" She immediately cut herself off. She couldn't afford to reveal anything that could get them in trouble. As an angel, she was allowed to have no loyalties, and she had to protect all secrets about angels. And yet, she kept spilling those tidbits to him? Why? She didn't understand, but it wasn't good.
His eyes narrowed. "Catherine? Catherine Taylor?"
She stared at him, fear ripping through her. "How do you know her name?"