Free Lailah (The Styclar Saga) by Nikki Kelly Page A

I felt his fear flow through me and I watched him desperately running to the open door. I resisted Gabriel’s attempts to disconnect, but it was nearly impossible. Just as he was on the verge of reaching the wooden doorframe, the connection broke. I felt sick.
    “Stop the car!” I shouted at Jonah, who remained oblivious to what we had been doing.
    My request barked like an order. Being used to following such a demand without question meant that he abided without faltering. I didn’t even glance at Gabriel. Unfastening my seat belt, I flung open the passenger door. I then dropped to my knees and threw up into the brambles nestling next to the concrete of the hard shoulder.
    It took a few minutes for the world to seem steady around me again, and once more the thunder of the cars flying past—exceeding the seventy-miles-per-hour speed limit—unsettled my hearing.
    Jonah remained in the driver’s seat. Self-consciously, I wiped the bile from around my mouth with the sleeve of my borrowed cardigan. This Brooke girl was going to hate me; I had ruined most of the clothes she’d lent me within a couple of hours of wearing them. An outstretched hand appeared in my peripheral vision, holding out a bottle of water. I took it and swilled my mouth out. Attractive.
    I turned my head to address him. “Why did you stop me?” I asked, not sure whether to adopt an annoyed tone or to feel guilty for invading a part of his memory that he didn’t want to share. Damn it. Guilt prevailed.
    “Not yet,” he said.
    He stooped behind me, stroking my back in a steady circular motion.
    I didn’t like this; I didn’t like any of it. So much for a knight in shining armor! Vampires are scary, yes. Pureblood Masters, terrifying. But Gabriel was supposed to be … well, I didn’t know, but definitely the good guy, thank you very much. What was he hiding? Perhaps I was better off on my own. Doubt spiraled around my mind uncontrollably. I was missing far too many pieces of the puzzle—a puzzle that right now I couldn’t see being completed anytime soon. But Gabriel was an Angel. How could he be anything but honorable? I switched my train of thought: Maybe I had done something; maybe I had pushed him away, long ago?
    “I felt what you felt. You were so angry. What did I do to make you hate me?” The question rolled off my tongue before I could stop it.
    He paused for a second, staying still. Then I felt him lean in, lingering contemplatively, his mouth close to the top of my neck. His breath tickled my skin and I got goose bumps. “My anger was not directed at you, Lai,” he said softly.
    I was hoping for a bit more, but … Lai. Lailah. It hit me fast and hard. That was who he had known me as.
    That had been my name. My first name. The only name. How had I forgotten it?
    My eyes widened in recognition and began to fill, threatening to spill over. Everything about that name felt warm and inviting; happy. I had to catch my breath—I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.
    He moved his arm around my back and took my hand in his own, sliding his fingers in between mine, and squeezed. “Not yet,” he repeated. His words washed over me like a wave breaking gently onto the shore, cleansing any debris and rendering it innocent once more.
    He released my hand and I found my feet, twisting to face him. I strained my neck to explore his expression. He stood tall and I was average height, some five inches shorter. I simply nodded in acceptance. There were no words. I stepped back into the car.
    I buckled myself in, and this time Gabriel retreated to the passenger seat next to Jonah. I slammed the door shut.
    “That was some good hurling, Cessie! I’ll try to make the rest of the journey a little less bumpy.” Jonah winked at me in the rearview mirror, reminding me again that he could see my every expression. So I exchanged the bewildered look for a chirpy smile and a halfhearted laugh; it was the best I could muster.
    The rest of the