KELLAN WARD
Kellan Ward was in the throes of a disturbing nightmare...
He arrived at the warehouse too late.
She lay, shattered and maimed, on the concrete. The fire had gotten close enough to burn her clothing. She was marred by torture marks and blood stains.
And she was still.
So utterly still.
Kellan cradled Aurora's wounded body and rushed through the flames. Once outside, he fell to his knees on the pavement.
The fire raged behind him, the warehouse turning to cinder and ash.
He pressed his face against her neck and wept. He sobbed so hard, he could barely take a breath. His tears soaked her tender, bruised flesh. He clutched her tightly, knowing she was gone.
"You finally escaped," he whispered. He choked down his sorrow. It felt like he'd swallowed stones that distended his stomach. "I won't live without you, little butterfly."
He didn't know how long he stayed there, holding her, crying. Maybe a minute. Maybe forever.
Eventually he heard the soft, respectful voice of Jingyu. "Sir. It's time to let her go."
"No." He struggled to his feet. "You can't take her."
"Sir."
"No." Kellan struggled to his feet and strode toward the Maybach. "We're going home."
He slid into the back seat holding his most precious treasure.
"I'm sorry, sir," said Jingyu. "But you must let her go." In a well-practiced move, he sliced his hand into the side of Kellan's neck. The brachial stun was enough to disorient Kellan.
Jingyu gestured to two bodyguards behind him, who gently took Aurora out of the car.
"Bastard," said Kellan, his vision blurred, his body numb.
"Yes, sir."
Kellan felt a pinch on his neck and saw Jingyu with an empty syringe in his hand.
"Wh-what did you do?"
"Rest, sir. I'll track down Miss Moon's killers and arrange her funeral service."
"No," slurred Kellan. "Don't..."
He passed out.
When he awoke, Jingyu was at his side. Kellan staggered out of bed, enraged, but his assistant knew his boss and he didn't duck when Kellan threw the punch.
Kellan hit Jingyu in the mouth so hard, the man fell. His lip split. He got on his knees and kow-towed to Kellan, apologizing. With every bow, his forehead struck the tiled floor.
"Enough!" Kellan sat heavily on the bed. Jingyu's unceasingly loyalty and sincere repentance calmed Kellan's rage.
But not his despair.
His bloodied, shredded heart would require deep, dark revenge to feel even a smidgen of satisfaction.
When his assistant rose to his feet, a bruised knot had formed on his forehead.
"Explain why Aurora is dead. Then go take care of your injury."
"After Aiden Cross married Miss Moon, he had her sign papers transferring all of her inheritance rights to him. Then he and Ivy Crane tortured and killed Miss Moon."
Kellan felt another cold wave of overwhelming guilt followed by a hot punch of rage. They would pay dearly for harming his little butterfly.
"And her so-called parents?" asked Kellan.
"Miss Moon's father, Harold, and her step-mother, Sheila, often beat and scolded Miss Moon, especially on behalf of Ivy. If you hadn't returned from abroad to pursue Miss Moon, she probably would've perished much earlier."
"I kept tabs on her," Kellan said, anguished. "Why didn't I know about her home life?"
"Apologies, sir. Aurora rarely socialized and never had close companions. She kept herself to herself."
"That's not an excuse. I failed her." Kellan struck the bed with his closed fist. "I made her hate me. She never saw my love as anything but a prison."
"She would've accepted you eventually, sir."
"You're an optimist, Jingyu."
"Yes, sir. I am."
Kellan rubbed his chin and felt the stubble. He hadn't shaved or showered. What was the point?
Aurora Rose Moon was gone.
And so was his purpose in life.
Kellan Ward woke up with his heart pounding so hard, he felt the pulse of it in his ears.
Sweat beaded his forehead and he wiped away the clammy evidence of his nightmare. He sat up. Realized he had fallen asleep on the couch in his study. A single lamp on a side table barely chased away the shadows.
He leaned his elbows on his knees. Put his head into his hands. Sucked in deep breaths.
He didn't want to think about the terrible dream, but the images pushed into his mind and yearning grew like thorny vines deep, deep into his soul.
She's okay, he reassured himself. She's safe.
After all, he'd locked her in the cage himself.
He poured a glass of warm water, and took deep breaths. He needed to get himself under control. But his thoughts never strayed far from his beloved.
The first time he saw Aurora Moon, he was twelve and she was eight.
Her thick, black hair snagged in a rose bush, her neck scratched by unforgiving thorns. Her green-emerald eyes stared at him with such defiance. Tears shone in her gaze, but not a single drop fell.
She didn't remember him. For some reason, in her mind, Aiden Cross had rescued her and comforted her.
Aiden Cross was a liar. A manipulator. A creep.
Later, Kellan learned that was the day her mother died. It was no wonder her mind had played tricks on her.
So, no, she didn't remember him.
But that was the day he fell in love with her.
He'd carefully extracted her from the rose bush and told her it was okay to cry. She had dropped into his arms and sobbed, a wounded little butterfly.
He held her, patting her back while she soaked his shirt with her tears. With her little hands clutching his shoulders, her face buried against his chest, her body shuddering with the weight of her grief, he felt needed. He felt wanted. Like he wasn't worthless. Wasn't just an illegitimate child tolerated by the Ward family.
Even at the age of twelve, he understood that in his life he would never be loved. He was tolerated. Later, he was feared.
Then this tiny, wrecked girl clung to him like a buoy in a raging sea. She had given him a gift. A crack opened in his heart and let her inside. She was the only one who invoked any tenderness in his soul. His love, his gentleness, and what little goodness existed within him ... all of it was for her.
Only for her.
"Aurora Rose Moon," he whispered. "I can't live without you."
"Sir?"
Kellan looked up at his trusted assistant, Jingyu. "What is it?"
"Miss Moon has escaped ... with Aiden Cross."