Kiss of Crimson Samantha Coville (best short books to read .TXT) 📖

black and blue splotches over his body, seen through the tears in his clothes. There was a deep gash on his arm from defending himself from the onslaught. He was so young. I patted his hair and tried to tell him he was safe and I was going to get him help. I don't think he understood what I was saying, but he relaxed just enough that I was able to make quick work of freeing him from his restraints.

Footsteps told me that Arden had come up behind me and I looked up at his frowning face. His fists clenched. "I am so sorry that any of this happened. I should have done something to stop it before you even got here, before they even captured the carrier."

"I'm not going to lie, Arden." I stood up from the boy and stared down Arden with a fierce gaze. "If you were able to stop them once my life was on the line, you could have stopped them before that point too."

The disappointment and regret that his eyes conveyed made my heart hurt for him. "But I can't ignore that you did stop it in the end. You saved this boy’s life. I can't ever repay you for that."

His brow furrowed in surprise. He must have expected I was going to yell at him for a lot longer than that. But there wasn't time for any of that. We needed to get the carrier to somewhere safe where he could receive medical attention. Before I could suggest a course of action, a cell phone began to ring. The sudden loud sound in the middle of the empty and silent warehouse put me on edge. Arden pulled the phone out of his pocket and his face went white. He accepted the incoming call and placed it on speakerphone so that I could hear.

"Jardin," Arden answered.

The voice on the other end of the line was as cold and as harsh as ice. "Ah, Arden. Did you think I would really send you on a mission unsupervised when it involved the mother of your little ex-girlfriend?"

My heart raced. He knew what Arden had done. He knew that two of his men were dead and who was responsible. I gawked at Arden, but he raised his hand to tell me to remain silent. When he spoke to Jardin, his voice was even and confidant, not betraying his own increasing panic.

"The mission never included hurting Eloise. I didn't get paid enough for that." I knew he was just covering with what he thought Jardin would react best to, but his words sat sour on my stomach.

There was a crackling laugh. "That's cute, really. But don't bullshit me, boy. You know I can't let this slide. I allow this and next thing you know, everyone's pulling crap like that. No, there has to be punishment to fit the crime. I'm out two able-bodied men, and a stolen blood shipment."

Arden clenched his teeth, and I saw his grip on his phone tighten. I was almost concerned he would break the device. "You can have your damn blood shipment. I'm taking Eloise and the carrier and I'm walking away, Jardin. You won't have to see me again."

My heart leapt in my throat. Was he really going to leave everything behind for me? Or was that yet another lie he was telling for Jardin?

"I'm sorry, but that's just not an option. You belong to me and you leave when I say you do. If you try to get out on your own, there will be a reckoning, boy. Are you sure you want to bring that on yourself and your little lady? After all that I’ve offered you?"

There was fire in Arden's eyes as he hissed. "Give it your best damn shot."

With that, he shut the phone off and I saw his chest rise and fall at a worrying pace. He looked at me and I found myself scared by the ferocity he had about him. Before I could say or do anything, his body was pressed against mine and his arms were around my waist. His lips crashed against mine and I first stiffened in surprise, but then melted against his touch. My head spun as the tension and the pain and the danger of the situation joined with the passion in his kiss, and it was too much for me to handle. I had to rely on him holding me up.

I moaned, and the sound snapped him out of the moment. I felt an ache of longing as he pulled away. He looked me over once more and moved to the carrier boy on the floor. With one strong motion, he had the boy on his shoulders in a firefighter's carry position. He made his way to the exit of the warehouse and I followed closely behind, not wanting to be too far from him when we were out in the dark of night. I shivered, my dress offering me no protection from the cold breeze.

I was glad I had sent Daringly away once he dropped me at the warehouse. I couldn't imagine what would have happened to him if I hadn't. Since we needed a ride, Arden commandeered one of the cars of the dead goons back in the warehouse. He opened the back door and laid the carrier down across the seats so that he could continue to rest. He opened the front passenger seat for me and I stepped in, carefully gathering my dress around me. He slammed the door shut once I was in, and the sound brought my growing headache to the forefront of my attention. I was going to be sore the next morning for sure.

Arden jumped into the driver's seat and turned the vehicle on, the engine purring to life. He took a deep breath and his gaze fell on me. "I've put you in a very dangerous position, Eloise. I can never apologize enough. But what I can do is give