Free Cora's Kismet (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 1) by Cheryl Davis

dropped the glass in his hand into the trash can, wiped
his hands off on a towel and cupped her cheeks with both of his hands. It took
a bit of insistence for her to look up into his eyes. When she did after a few
moments, he reaffirmed he was not upset with her in any way. “You did nothing
wrong. Accidents happen.”
    “You’re really not mad?” she asked in a timid voice. He had
a gut feeling he knew what caused this fear in her over a broken dish, and it
infuriated him.
    “No. There’s no reason to be. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s
my own for startling you. Why are you so scared right now? Has someone hurt you
before for something like this?” He was very cautious in how he asked. He
wanted her to answer, not run away.
    “Let’s finish cleaning this up. Oh, I made a plate of food
for Sage, is he coming back?” Cora tried to change the subject out of desperation.
This was not a topic she wanted to discuss. His heart ached for her pain, which
was evident in the way she darted around cleaning up the mess and looking
everywhere but in his eyes.
    “He’ll be back in a few minutes; he had some calls he had to
make. Now please tell me why you’re so afraid I’d be angry over a stupid broken
dish,” Liam said. When she turned back to the sink to avoid his questions, he
grabbed her hands in his and pulled her away from the sink, out of the kitchen
and onto the sofa in the living area. He nudged her down into a sitting
position and moved to sit close to her.
    He watched her look everywhere in the room, but at him. He
waited with as much patience as he could muster for about ten minutes before he
grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “Cora, please answer me.”
    “I don’t want to Liam,” she replied so low it was almost as
if she hadn’t spoken. He could see the pain in her eyes and hated it with a
passion.
    “Did they hurt you?” he pushed.
    She closed her eyes and turned her face from him again, which
gave him the answer she didn’t want to give him, without speaking a word. A
tear slipped from the corner of her eye as he gathered her up in his arms and
just held her.
    “I swear they will never hurt you, or Viola, again. You are
safe with me Cora,” he said into her hair as he stroked it. He looked up when
Sage entered the room.
    “I can go if I’m interrupting something,” Sage said, feeling
awkward.
    “Nah, it’s ok. She’s just worried about her sister. Did you
find out anything?” Liam asked.
    “Yeah, they’re close, real close. They expect to have her
back within the next two hours,” Sage reported.
    “Really?” Cora looked up with hope glittering in her eyes
for the first time since he’d met her the day before.
    “Really,” Sage said with confidence. “They have their best
people on it, except me and Liam of course. We’re your protection.”
    “Thanks Sage, I appreciate that. Are you hungry? I made you
a plate of food, I can warm it up if you’d like,” Cora said with a brightness
that hadn’t been there before. She was more herself after receiving the news
about her sister.
    “That sounds great Cora, I’d really appreciate that, I’m
starving,” Sage replied with a grin.
    Cora stood up from the couch, turned and placed a soft kiss
on Liam’s mouth and then moved into the kitchen. She was so relieved they
expected to get Vi back so soon. It was weird because she’d never felt this
giddy before. As she warmed up the food for Sage, she finished cleaning up the
glass from the sink. When the food was warm, she placed it on the island and
went into the living room to let Sage know it was ready.
    She froze in the doorway when she saw them together. They
were talking and laughing at jokes she couldn’t hear. She enjoyed watching them
tease each other with a camaraderie she’d only ever felt with Viola. She was
happy Liam had this. Before the food could get cold again, she stepped into the
room, and felt Liam’s attention snap to her.
    “Your breakfast is warm