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Still kneeling in Gideon’s garden, I feel an unfamiliar prickle raising the hairs on the back of my neck. My eyes lift from the strawberry bushes in front of me to a large copse of trees in the distance that lines the farther side of Gideon’s driveway.

My eyes lock onto a female. Dark-haired and beautiful, even from this distance.

What in the fuck?

The longer I stare, spinning with shock and confusion, the more obvious it becomes that she somehow hasn’t noticed me yet. And when I realize it’s because she’s too busy watching Gideon, anger burns through me in realization.

This.

Bitch.

It has to be his ex.

Who the fuck else would slither onto his property like a fucking snake in the grass?

Fury sets fire to my veins, and before I can even think better of it, I’m rising to my feet and speed-walking toward her. I have no fucking clue what I plan to do beyond that, but, as Gideon says, we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

I may have never thrown a punch in my life, but I’ve certainly been on the receiving end of one. I’ve been beaten to a pulp by fully grown males; have had the wings severed from my back. So if there’s one thing I’mnotafraid of, it’s this deranged-slimy-cunniving-female.

At my approach, her head finally snaps in my direction, and she locks eyes with me. Her gaze widens, and she turns to sprint back into the forest.

The sight causes every predatory instinct I never knew I had to roar to life, and I sprint into the forest after her. It’s like some monster has awakened inside of me, bursting with malevolent glee and salivating at the thought of her bloodshed.

All worrisome thoughts that I shall de-compartmentalize later when my thirst for violence has been sated.

Eventually, I lose sight of her, but after a few minutes, I can see the very edge of Gideon’s property in the distance through the trees, and a moment later, a sleek black vehicle speeds off with a screeching sound.

Fuck.

Several moments pass, and I’m still in shock as I make my way back to Gideon’s garden.

Akash almighty, do I tell him?

I’ve already seen how upset it made him after just seeing her letter, and I have no desire to cause him any more worry, or to do something impulsive, like seeking her out in some futile attempt to make her stop. The idea of him having any interaction with her whatsoever makes my fucking hands shake.

So when I return to my work in the garden, Gideon shows up about an hour later, grinning from ear to ear just to see me. I don’t have the heart to ruin the joy illuminating his face. Instead, I pretend like nothing’s happened, even as resolution fills me.

I’m going to handle this.

I don’t know how just yet, but that’s beside the point.

Blood shall be shed…

Maybe.

Now that my adrenaline has waned, the thought still makes my gut churn.

I’m still coming to terms with bringing harm to anyone, but so help meAkash,

this bitch will learn.

WINNOW

It’s only the next day, when Gideon is out with his ranch hands, rounding up the cattle, that I hear the sound of someone’s vehicle’s tires crunching against the gravel of Gideon’s driveway. My heart jolts in my chest, half expecting to see Seraphine’s black car pulling down the driveway as I look up from where I’m kneeling in the garden, only to find a white, boxy vehicle pulling to a stop.

A woman, definitely not Gideon’s ex, dressed in a blue uniform, climbs out carrying a couple of parcels and a stack of letters.

A lettermaiden?