I pulled back in utter surprise as I thought about what he'd just said.

Eli killed my demon of a father? I really didn't know how to feel about that, but a massive sense of relief fell over me. Now my dad would never ever hurt me or blackmail me again.

"There's more." The heat of Eli's gaze roamed my face. "I'm the silent benefactor for your college scholarship. I've been paying for the scholarship with my percentage of the business that Nico and I do. We split it down the middle. He makes the sale, and I protect our shit. I use my half to pay for my tuition and yours."

Now that one was a shock. Had Eli been stalking me? What the hell?

I pulled back my hands, slowly disentangled myself from him, and moved away. "Is there anything else?"

Eli's eyes stayed glued on me. "No. I just wanted you to go to college and start over. I knew you had no family after what I did, so I pulled some strings and made sure you got the money you needed to start a new life."

"And the tattoo?" My voice was monotone. I should've been screaming at him or thanking him, but honestly, I had no idea how to react.

Eli rubbed a hand over his heart. "I got this tattoo before I met you. I had a dream about you when I was thirteen. I became infatuated with the idea of you, so I saved up some money and got your name tattooed over my heart when I was in high school.

"I knew you would be the love of my life. Over the years, my memory of the dream faded. I had no idea how I'd meet you or when, but I knew your name. I could never forget your name. It wasn't until Cordova's party when I saw you for the first time that I knew it was you. The connection was instant and you were an open book to me that night."

I couldn't stop thinking about how he said he knew I would be the love of his life. How could he be so sure? One thing I did know was that our connection was instant. "What do you mean by an open book?"

Eli scratched his forehead. "After the GHB kicked in, you attached yourself to me and opened your mind to me without question. Before you say anything, I know it's fucked up and a violation of your privacy, but I didn't know it would happen like that and once I receive information through a psychic connection, I can't stop it."

Of course, he'd found out everything about me that night. From the moment I'd seen Eli, I'd become instantly infatuated with him and started hanging all over him. I hadn't known about his abilities, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

I played with the hem of my jeans. "Tell me about my dad."

Eli grabbed his hat and flipped it backward, slipping it over his head. He rubbed his hands together anxiously. "After I was shown everything that happened to you, I was enraged. I knew I had to do something, so less than a week after I met you, I decided to find your father and make some threats so he would treat you right. It was after two in the morning, and the streets were empty when I waited to confront him outside one of his favorite bars.

"Our conversation didn't go as planned and ended with me beating the shit out of him because he was spouting off at the mouth about how you were his property. It wasn't until he called you trash and said you needed to be taught a lesson that I lost it. The last thing I did was knee him in the face. I guess I kneed him too hard because I accidentally killed him. I didn't know what to do, so I called Nico for help since his dad dealt with similar situations. We tied concrete blocks to his legs and threw him in the swamp."

I shuddered. The swamp was full of alligators that would love to make a meal out of a dead person.

Now I knew why my dad never came home. I thought it had been a gift from God, or that he'd found a girlfriend. I knew his regular hangouts, but it never mattered enough for me to find him. I'd just prayed he would never come home again.

Life became hard because I had to deal with the bills, but I was grateful that bastard never came back. I'd always feared the day my dad would contact me again, but I didn't have to be afraid anymore. My dad was dead.

"Do you hate me?" Eli frowned as he scoured my face for anger.

"I'm probably awful for saying this, but no." I shook my head. "I'm glad he's dead. I never want to see him again."

Eli nodded in relief. "God, I'm so glad to hear you say that."

A thought occurred to me. "Do you see my dad like you see your grandpa?"

Please say no. Please say no.

Eli chuckled. "I only see positive spirits. So no. I don't. I can't see evil spirits. That's why I was staring at Adam when he was changing. I was watching his soul disappear. All that was left after Adam changed was a wild animal that has the incessant need to feed."

Pressing my face into my hands, I tried to think about everything. How could Eli compartmentalize all this so easily?

"Um... I need to just think for a bit. I'm going to walk around the barn." I stood.

Eli mirrored me but didn't move to touch me. "Are you mad at me?"

"I don't know what I am. You just gave me a lot to think about, and I don't feel mad, but I'm a little freaked out." I opened the door.

"I understand. I know it's a lot to take in all at once." Eli's gaze burned into me as he watched me walk out.

Wandering down the hall, I kept telling myself that I wasn't alone. I had Eli now. My asshole dad was finally dead.

Eli was the reason I'd been able to go to college. So the entire time I'd thought I'd earned my scholarship, Eli had been paying for a large portion of my tuition with drug money. The drugs that started this whole mess. Now I was involved too, but I hadn't known.

I thought I was doing well. I thought I was following all the rules.

Lost in my thoughts, I found myself back outside.

As I wandered around the property, the memory of Eli during last semester came to me. He'd always been there and now I knew he'd only been watching out for me. He'd gotten rid of my biggest fear and had given me the means to make a better life for myself.

Eli was most definitely my guardian angel. The thought of getting a tattoo for someone I might meet someday was impossible to understand, but Miss Gina did say she had a dream about the end of the world when she was thirteen. Maybe it was just part of Eli's abilities to dream about the future and believe it without question.

Wood breaking in the distance caught my attention. I hadn't realized it until now, but all the birds were silent and had been since I started walking.

My stomach flipped. I wasn't alone.

I pulled out my gun, glancing around for screechers. Another branch snapped as foliage swished over something solid moving through the trees. An ear-piercing scream made me step back. I took off toward the cabin. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I had to figure it out, or I was dead meat.

Why was I leading it back home? Not a good idea. I changed direction and heard it closing in on me. Fuck.

It was now or never. I stopped, sucking in a deep breath as I aimed in the screecher's direction.

A teenage girl emerged from the thick trees, dashing toward me. Her lips were curled back over her teeth, and her eyes were solid black. She was filthy and barefoot. Dark blood oozed out of a bite on her arm. I could only imagine what circumstances she must've been in when she was bitten.

I stiffened as I waited for her to come closer. My aim sucked, and I didn't want to miss.

It was obvious she was ravenous as she darted toward me.

I lined her up in my sights.

God, if you're there, please don't let me die today.

I pulled the trigger, missing her head. Damn it!

I pulled the trigger again. This time I hit her shoulder, but the girl didn't slow her attack. Shit!

My hands were shaking so bad that I couldn't aim anymore. I pulled the trigger again, and the bullet hit her in the chest, pushing her back momentarily before she pounced.

I stumbled back, falling on a rock. Pain lanced through my side. The girl landed in front of me in a crouch.

Damn. These things were animalistic and maniacal.

My gun was only a few feet away. I could still do this.

Scrambling to get to my gun, the girl latched onto my back, pinning me to the ground, face down. I managed to grab my gun, but I couldn't aim at her since she was behind me.

She screeched right above my ear, causing my ears to ring. I tried to roll over, but she was too strong.

A gunshot went off in the distance before the girl leaned down to bite the back of my head.

I fought to get her off and tried rolling again. It was successful this time, but she wasn't as strong as before. Wait. She wasn't moving at all. Was she dead?

Wrestling to get free from her grasp, footsteps ran toward me. It was Eli!

"Lilly!" Eli hollered as he ran toward me. "Did she bite you?"

Quivering badly, I struggled to get her off my jacket and finally gave up. Unzipping my coat, I slipped it off and rolled to my feet. My entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

Out of nowhere, tears erupted from my eyes. I'd almost been bitten. That girl would've killed me and turned me. I frigging sucked ass at shooting. I had some major work to do on my fighting and shooting skills.

When Eli reached me, his arms hastily enveloped me in their warmth. I was shaking so hard my body was going through convulsions.

Tears streamed down my face as I sobbed into his chest.

Eli saved me. Eli really was my guardian angel.

Clinging to him, I finally raised my eyes to meet his.

Tears filled his silky chestnut eyes. "Were you bitten or scratched? Tell me the truth. I can take care of us both before you change."

Unable to speak over my shaking, my brow scrunched in confusion. Eli was going to kill both of us? He hadn't even been bitten.

A tear rolled down Eli's cheek as his palms encompassed my face. His head lowered, hovering his lips just above mine. "It's okay. You can tell me. I can't live without you, so I'm going down with you. I need to know now, so we don't attack Gramma or Nico."

My breath hitched in my throat as my body calmed its trembling. "I'm fine, Eli. You saved me."

Eli released a deep breath over my lips. "Fuck. I thought she bit you."

Lifting my hands to hold his wrists, I searched Eli's face. My perusal ended on his lips.

A faint smile played on his lips.

My gaze migrated back up to see the burning desire in his eyes. "Kiss me, Eli. Please."

An intense need filled his eyes as he pulled my face to his, pressing his luscious lips to mine. The kiss started off sweet and feather-light until I rose to my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, crushing my mouth against his, claiming him.

Eli responded instantly and turned his head to seal his lips over mine, taking possession over my mouth. My tongue traced over his lips before his mouth opened to mine. When Eli's tongue swept over mine, we both groaned as we widened our mouths to dive deeper into one another. Eli's silky tongue was both gentle and strong as we poured everything we were into our kiss.

I had no idea what the future had in store, but I knew I had someone who loved me. Eli may not have said it yet, but somehow I knew he loved me and I knew I was in love with him. Eli was mine, and I was his.

Whatever happened in this new life would be chaotic without question, but I knew I would make it through because I would always have my guardian angel with me no matter what.

😉

💙💙💙💙💙💙