Free Destiny Divided by Leia Shaw Page A

survive.
    Maybe the joy ride in her ex-boyfriend’s father’s Porsche wasn’t exactly life or death. That was just stupidity. But she’d learned a valuable lesson – never steal anything you can’t conceal on your body.
    “Why do you look so surprised? ” she finally asked. “I steal, I cheat, I lie. Really James, I thought you would’ve caught on by now. I’m never going to be the sorceress you want me to be.”
    His shoulders sagged and, for a mome nt, she stupidly regretted she couldn’t be what he wanted. He closed his eyes and inhaled. When he opened them, she could see hope still held a firm grip on him.
    It would ’ve been so much easier if he’d given up like everyone else.
    “Why did you lie to me?” he asked, his tone more hurt than angry.
    “Because I didn’t trust you.”
    “And now?”
    She sighed. “Well, if trust were on a scale of one to ten, with ten being my trusting you with my life…then I’d say you’d be about a two.”
    He frowned.
    “But since everyone else I’ve ever known, aside from Erin, is a zero, you should be pleased.” She gave him her best consolation smile.
    He scowled then shifted his stance and relaxed against the counter. “No more lies.”
    “I can’t guar antee that.”
    He grunted his displeasure.
    “What? Do you want me to lie about lying?”
    His stern look of disapproval brought up memories most unwelcome. She’d been on the receiving end of many scornful looks. Social workers disappointed in her behavior. Foster parents exhausted by her tenacity. And now James stood, brows furrowed, mimicking their disappointment. She could almost hear the social worker’s lectures as the foster moms wept to the side.
    “Don’t look at me like that!” she growled.
    “Like what?”
    “Smug judgment oozing from your pores.”
    He cr ossed the length of the kitchen. “I’m not judging you.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “I just don’t understand. You’re so smart. You could do so much better…”
    Ugh! She’d heard those words before too. Ugly memories bubbled to the surface. She couldn’t handle this. Not when she’d just begun settling in, finally feeling something more than constant failure. She didn’t want to relive that part of her life. Maybe she should start over again, somewhere new. Somewhere no one could do a background check. Africa. Africa seemed nice. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about having a coat.
    But James would never let her. Fear flooded her, making her hands tremble. Adrenaline kicked into gear.
    She burst from her seat and yelled , “Don’t you dare lecture me right now, James! I don’t want to hear a damn thing about your perfect fucking life in Wales! I had nothing when I left Albany. Do you understand what that’s like? Nothing!”
    J ames remained a vision of calm, even as she panted and glared at him. Screw him all the more!
    “That’s not true anymore,” he told her. “You are a sorceress. You have a community in Wales waiting with open arms to embrace you.”
    “I truly doubt that –”
    “And you have me.”
    Sage slid her gaze to his. She was itching for a fight but the depth of honesty in his eyes deflated her anger. She slumped onto the stool and stared at the floor. Her past was her weakness. She hated feeling weak. She hated that she’d become a walking foster care statistic.
    James closed the remaining distance between them. T he heat from his body her eased her anguish. He was like a rock – an anchor of stability in her chaotic world.
    She kept her head down , knowing that if she looked at his face, she would fall apart. Then, as if he knew and understood every little thing about her, James placed a hand softly on the back of her head. She let him guide her forehead to rest against his stomach. Tenderly, he held her. In his quiet confidence, he knew just what she needed.
    “ Eirian Nathara,” James finally said, using her real name. It sounded beautiful on his Welsh tongue. People had been pronouncing it