Page 27 of Loki’s Spellbinder (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #14)

“Alexander, this place is wonderful. I’ve been here for a few business meetings, but never for a regular dinner.

I can’t believe you knew of this place. Thank you.

This is a great surprise. And again, let me tell you how handsome you look.

I’ve now seen you in your biker look and this semi-formal look.

What will I have to do to see you in a full suit?

” she teased as I stopped to let a valet come and take the car.

I waited until I handed the car over to the young valet and went to help her out. He’d at least been courteous enough to open her door before coming to me. I held her arm wrapped around mine. I answered her on the way to the restaurant’s door.

“If you want to see that, Spellbinder, you’ll have to marry me.”

Braelyn stumbled but quickly regained her balance. I secretly chuckled inside at stunning her, but I meant it. Finally, she replied.

“You’d better watch saying things like that. I might just Shanghai you and force you to the justice of the peace. Then what would you do?”

“I’d get married, and then we’d have a helluva party. That’s not a threat, babe. Let’s enjoy our dinner, and then, if you want, we can talk about this more.”

The evening passed in a flurry of great conversation, laughter, some teasing, and delicious food. It was two hours later before we headed to her apartment. It was dark, and the traffic was significantly lighter but still significant enough.

As we drove, I kept glancing in the mirror and turning my head to scan our environment. There was this itching sensation on the back of my neck. Usually, it meant danger, but if we were in it, I wondered where it was.

“Alexander, you feel it, don’t you?” Braelyn suddenly asked, breaking the quiet.

We’d been relaxed and making the ride in mostly silence. I turned my head to peek at her. Brae’s mouth was tight, and she examined the cars around us, as well as the storefronts and sidewalks. I wanted her to remain relaxed.

“Feel what?” I asked.

She shot me a grimace. “Don’t act like you don’t sense it. I know you do. You’ve been watching our six and checking out everything and everyone around us for the past several minutes. I bet the hairs on your neck are standing up. Mine are.”

“Sorry. It was an automatic answer. I don’t want you filling up with tension. We’ve had such a great time. I don’t want it to end. But, yes, I have an itch back there. I don’t see anything to account for the feeling. Do you?”

“No, but in a way, that makes me worry more. I’m rarely wrong when I get this sense of danger, Alexander. The sensation isn’t diminishing.”

“Same here. I’m curious. Is your ability to sense trouble something that developed due to your job? Mine came from being with the club, though I had it in a lesser, more random way before that. Sometimes, I wish I’d had it then like I do now. Mostly, I think I ignored it back in those days.”

“My job has strengthened it, but I mainly developed it from growing up with DD. It was a way to get myself, Mom, and Hayes out of the danger zone with him if I could. I got to the place where I began to know when he was about to show up at home, ready to fight and beat us. Or when he was about to fly off the handle for no reason while watching a ballgame.”

She took the hand I held out to her. “You have no idea how much I hate that you lived like that. If he were still alive, he’d be served up a major lesson before he’d be gone,” I growled.

“You sound like Rage and Wrath. What were your parents like? You’ve never talked about them. I know you’re an only child. What else should I know about you?”

I knew this conversation would arise, but I’d hoped it would be later in our relationship.

I didn’t know how to tell her what my parents were like.

It wasn’t something I often talked about, just as I didn’t discuss the considerable pain of my early adult years.

However, Braelyn deserved to know the man she was with.

I opened my mouth to tell her when I heard the honking of several horns and the squeal of brakes.

Lights suddenly blinded me from directly ahead.

I saw the large delivery van coming at us.

I jerked the steering wheel to the right to escape it, but there wasn’t enough room.

I knew it. As if in slow motion, I watched it coming closer.

The van wasn’t slowing down or swerving to miss us.

Braelyn screamed in terror. Without thought, I yanked off my seatbelt and tried to fling myself in front of her.

I didn’t make it. The impact was tremendous.

The screech of metal on metal was ungodly.

It was followed by pain. Braelyn went from screaming in terror to cries of pain.

I tried to move to see how badly hurt she was, but I couldn’t. I was pinned and in pain. There was chaotic noise from outside the car. I blocked it out as I tried to fight blacking out. I had to see how she was.

“Brae, baby, talk to me. Where are you hurt?” I asked raggedly.

“I-I don’t know. Oh God, it hurts, Alexander. I hurt all over,” she sobbed.

“Hang on, babe. Someone will get us out of here,” I assured her. Voices were becoming more distinct. “Just keep talking to me.”

There was no answer. “Brae, say something!” I demanded.

When she didn’t answer, a blinding panic hit me, and I began to yell her name and then scream for others to get to her.