Free Hexed (The Gwen Sparks Series Book 4) by Stephanie Nelson

won’t even realize it until they’re wandering around in the realm of the dead. Think about that before you or Ethan sic the NAWC on Gwen. I am not someone you want to fuck with.”
    “Calm down, Dorian,” I said. “I know you think it’s your job to protect me, but it’s not.” When he began to speak, I held up my hand to stop him. “I appreciate you guys helping me figure out this memory thing, but beyond that, I’m responsible for myself. I may not remember our history, but I know you’re taking this boyfriend thing way too seriously—like to the point of being scary possessive.”
    Dorian rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. “You’re right. When it comes to you, I lose my fucking head. I don’t mean to and I don’t want to, but since meeting you it’s been one thing after another, and I keep wondering when things are going to give.” He took a moment to think. “All of this is my fault, Gwen. Maybe that’s why I’m so on edge. This time I can’t point fingers at anyone but myself, and that pisses me off.”
    I took a step toward him. “How is this your fault?” Dorian’s eyes shifted and I knew he was looking past me to where Fiona stood. “She’s not going to tell anyone,” I told him.
    “Gwen,” Dorian breathed, coming toward me. He clasped my hands and stared down at his thumbs as they caressed a path across my skin. “I think I’m the reason this is happening. I think…” He took a ragged breath and released my hands. “I think this has something to do with what I did after the rogue attacked you.”
    I wrapped my arms around my body, needing some sort of security. “I’m not even going to ask what a rogue is because I think I get the gist of it, but what could you have done that was so bad that it would cause me to lose my memories?”
    Dorian shook his head, just a slight movement that made me think he was fighting with his subconscious on whether he should finish his confession. Taking a step forward, I gripped his hand and drew his attention toward me.
    “Tell me, please.” Was the man before me, my supposed boyfriend, really to blame for my predicament? A wave of nervous anxiousness settled itself in the pit of my stomach as I waited for him to reply.
    “The rogue killed you, Gwen,” Dorian said. I heard Fiona gasp behind me, and her soft footsteps as she moved toward me. My eyes were locked on Dorian and the tightness of his jaw.
    “I didn’t get there in time,” he continued. “I was too late. I have transported countless souls, but I couldn’t watch yours fade away. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t let you go.”
    Out of my peripheral, I saw Fiona move to stand beside me but I couldn’t look away from Dorian. The weight of what he had said was slowly sinking in and immobilizing me. I was frozen with this knowledge. My brain added up what he said, and the conclusion shook me to my core. This was the rule he had mentioned breaking.
    “You didn’t,” Fiona breathed with disbelief.
    “You replaced my soul, didn’t you?” I asked him. “As the Angel of Death, you’re able to take souls, which means you can also replace them. Only, you’re not supposed to, are you?”
    “It was as though I didn’t have a choice,” Dorian admitted. “I don’t know why I did it, Gwen. In all my existence I’ve never returned an expired soul before.” Dorian stared at the floor for a long moment, his jaw tightening. “The fucked up thing is that even if I had a redo, I wouldn’t change a thing.” His head lifted and my eyes met smoky clouds. “I just couldn’t accept your death.”
    I thought I heard Fiona sigh beside me, just a slight wispy breath falling from her lips, but I chose to ignore it. Dorian and I stared at one another for a long moment before the phone rang. I jumped at the sudden noise, breaking my gaze from Dorian. Fiona rushed over to answer the annoying intruder.
    “Hello?” She cupped a hand over the receiver and whispered, “It’s