The Scarlett Legacy (Woodland Creek)(28)

What she thought would be an easy task shifted in an instant. She screamed inwardly as he sat straight up and captured her in a mason jar.

Olivia panicked. She had two choices; stay in her spider form which would make it easier to kill her, or transform and fight. She chose to fight. She shifted into her human form, shattering the glass all over Avalon’s comforter.

He grabbed her by her naked waist, slamming her into his lap the instant she was human again. “What a surprise. Wes sent out his whore wife to do his dirty work.”

He shook her. “Did you know your husband was a coward? You must have realized it when he sent you to kill my father.”

Olivia cried out as his large fingers pressed into her flesh. An intense heat shot through her flesh and into her muscles, paralyzing her with pain.

As hard as she tried, she could not shift back into a spider again. She was trapped, and too weak to free herself.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Stop!” She pleaded in between gasping cries of pain. She was defenseless against his wizardry, but that wouldn’t stop her from fighting for her freedom.

“Let me go!” Olivia jabbed him in the throat with her elbow and he pulled her arm back, pinning it to her side as he flipped her over his head and onto the bed.

Her eyes widened with shock at his speed and strength. He was more than a wizard.

The maniacal look in his bright green eyes frightened her more than any fear she’d ever known. She’d never stared death in the face before.

Avalon wrapped his hands around Olivia’s throat, a snarl morphing his face into one of wicked pleasure. As his grip tightened she knew that his face, so full of that sadistic look, would be the last thing that she’d see.

She just needed enough leeway to bite him, but his grip on her throat was too strong. She gasped for air.

Tears filled Olivia’s eyes.

Her mother had warned her about marrying a Scarlett, and she had done it anyway. Still, she would love him to the end.

She held her final breath for as long as she could, scratching, clawing, and struggling in every way she knew possible.

Someone banged on his bedroom door. “Everything okay in there, Avalon?”

Avalon didn’t lessen his grip on her throat as he shouted over his shoulder.

“Everything is fine. Get back to your post, and tell the men to keep watch.”

Olivia felt his hold on her abilities falter and shifted back into a spider in half a second. He growled with anger as she shot out another silk strand to his headboard and soared across the bed to the wall.

Freedom was once again hers and she frantically tried to put as much distance between her and Avalon as possible.

He scrambled across his bed to catch her, muttering curses as he did.

That last chance for escape ended abruptly. Heat shot through her body as Avalon illuminated the entire room with wizard’s fire. Her body seemed to glow against the backdrop of such a blast.

Olivia’s scream was muffled by the roar of the fire and was cut off when the darkness claimed her.





“EVIE,” ADELAIDE SAID over the phone. “I need you to listen to me very carefully.”

Alarmed, Evie stopped at her car door. Her hands shook. Her mother’s voice sounded strained, rushed.

Terrified.

“What’s wrong?” The panic in Adelaide’s voice put Evie on edge.

Evie’s cheeks reddened as she imagined everything that could possibly go wrong.

“Dinner tonight is canceled. I’ll tell you everything soon. Just stay away from Scarlett Hall… and stay away from Avalon. ”

“What the hell is going on? Tell me now.”

“I can’t right now,” Adelaide said. “We are taking care of it.”

Dial tone.

Evie’s hands shook when she pulled her phone from her ear.

“Everything okay?” Parker stood by her car door, a bag of Tupperware filled with leftover jambalaya from lunch with his parents in his hand.

The sky seemed a little darker that night as the clouds moved to cover all traces of the stars and moon.

Something was not right, and even nature seemed to send her warnings.

“I have no idea.” She stared at her phone, wishing it would ring again and that she’d get some answers.

She glanced over at his parent’s house. His mother and father still stood in the doorway, watching them leave. They’d been thrilled to hear the news of their engagement.

That elation quickly dissipated as fear gripped her.

Evie put her phone in her cross-body purse. “Something isn’t right.”

“Can I do anything?”

“I really don’t know,” Evie said. “She just told me to stay away from Scarlett Hall.”

She left out the part about Avalon. Parker still had no idea what was going on with the newcomer. She really didn’t know either.

“That’s weird. Is everyone okay?”

Sighing, Evie leaned her back against her door. They were just getting ready to leave and tell her family the good news. Now she didn’t know what to do.

“I hope so. I don’t know what to do now,” she said. She held her hand up to look at her ring. Despite the worry simmering in her gut, she smiled. Only a few more hours and they would head to the airport, pick a place, and leave.