Synopsis
Irelyn Wilkes was Zolt Hamil’s seraph. His angel. His hallucination suddenly real. But her abrupt departure from his life has sent him into a tailspin of nameless women, alcohol, and drugs. When Zolt realizes that Irelyn lied to him, he sobers up and sets into motion a public rescue, making an even greater enemy of Marcus Xavier.
Marcus doesn’t take kindly to people taking what is his, and he’s not about to let Zolt and Irelyn ride into the sunset without a fight. He’s already murdered her brother; taking out Zolt Hamil would make his day.
Can Zolt and Irelyn mend their broken relationship and find a way back to each other? Or will Marcus succeed with his plans to separate this fated pair forever?
Chapter One: Cold Light of Day
Zolt
“Open the door now, Zolt.” The
incessant pounding on the door and the sound of my brother Brody’s pissed off
voice pulled me out of my drunken haze. I peeled one eyelid open and groaned.
Where the hell am I?
The bed moved, and I turned my head and groaned again. The last
twenty-four hours came back to me in all its ugly detail. Irelyn had left me
for Marcus of all people because I had unleashed crazy Zolt on her. Now, I lay
in bed with a woman I didn’t even know, in an apartment I hadn’t expected to
ever see again. On top of all this, my head throbbed like a bass drum spurred
on by the hangover from hell.
“Zolt! T-bone is going to break it down if you don’t fucking open
it!”
“Who’s Zolt?” the woman next to me asked.
“Nobody,” I mumbled. Fucking nobody!
“Zolt! Last chance.” Brody’s voice boomed through the door.
I glanced over at the bong,
wishing we hadn’t smoked it all. Hell, we’d even drained the several bottles of
tequila we’d brought with us. Only a couple of enticing drops remained at the
bottom of the bottle.
Though the action was
fruitless, I reached down and picked up one of them, tipping back the very last
drop into my mouth. I growled my irritation and threw the bottle to the floor.
Letting out a low grumble, I
returned my head to the pillow. There would be no numbing myself until I got
home.
What a
fucking mess! I had
indulged myself in an epic bender. The need to get lost and forget the shit of
the last two days had trumped better judgment.
“John, who is that banging on
the door?” A feminine hand stroked my chest and I cringed. Majorly hungover,
the naked girl next to me wasn’t as appealing this morning as she’d been last
night.
She didn’t smell like her. She didn’t look like her.
She simply wasn’t Irelyn.
With my eyes squeezed closed, I waited for the door to fly open.
It would happen any minute. The cavalry had arrived to save my sorry ass. It
didn’t matter that I didn’t care, nor deserve, to be saved.
“He asked me to marry him, Zolt, and I said yes.”
Those words tortured me worse
than any physical pain I’d ever experienced. I’d ruined the one thing that
meant everything to me. I’d fucked up so badly that being with Marcus seemed
like a better alternative. In my chest, my heart was a shredded heap of sinew
and muscle. No amount of no-name blondes, alcohol, and pot eased my pain.
Irelyn Wilkes had saved me
that day on the football field. For six years, I’d thought her a hallucination.
The best day of my life had been the day she became real. Until now, losing my
football career had been the worst thing to happen to me. That paled in
comparison; losing my angel, my seraph, hurt much worse.
The door slammed open and the
sound of heavy footsteps approached the bedroom.
I stared at my naked self, knowing
the polite thing would be to cover myself with a sheet, but I didn’t give a
shit. Let my brother Brody and T-bone see me in all my glory. If I were a
gentleman, I’d cover up Blondie next to me, but I didn’t care about her either.
Brody walked into the bedroom
and assessed the situation. He picked up one of the empty bottles and shook his
head. “Shit, Zolt. Are you insane?”
“John, who are these men? I didn’t agree to a foursome,” Blondie
complained, pulling the sheet over herself.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, not interested,” Brody replied with a
hint of disgust in his voice. “Get up and go. The party is over.”
“John, do you want me to leave?” she asked.
I nodded. The attraction of
last night faded in the cold light of day, and I waited for Brody’s lecture to
commence. Rolling over, I pulled the pillow over my head. I was in no mood to
be scolded for acting out, even if I deserved it.
“Here’s ten bills, take it and leave,” T’s deep voice commanded.
“Forget you ever met him. If you don’t have a ride, I’ll arrange for one.”
The mattress dipped as Blondie got off the bed. “I have my car.
There was something wrong with him, anyway. He couldn’t get it up and he kept
calling me Irelyn.”
“Just go.” Brody sighed.
After a few minutes of clothes rustling, the door opened and
closed.
“Get up, Zolt. It’s time to
come home. I can’t believe you. Seriously, do you really think smoking pot and
binging on tequila with a strange woman is a good idea?”
“Shut up, Brody. I don’t need a lecture. Leave me alone.” I pulled
the pillow tighter over my head.
“So help me, God, Zolt, get your ass out of bed or T and I will
drag you out. Irelyn needs you.”
“What?” I threw the pillow aside. “She left me for Marcus. I’m
certain she wants nothing to do with me.”
“Wrong. Irelyn is in trouble.
If she left you of her own volition, then why did she leave her dog and her
Mustang behind? Besides you, those were the two things she adored the most.
Rachel says she’s not returning her calls either. I’m telling you, she’s in
trouble.”
“She said she was wearing
green, Brody. Green means good. She’s good. She’s happy,” I said, my voice
breaking. “She has what she wants and it’s not me.”
“Irelyn lied to you,” T said. “We believe Marcus forced her into
this. He’s holding something or someone over her, and we have to help her
before he hurts her or worse. He had Sloan arrested on a trumped-up charge in
front of the dress shop to get him out of the way.”
I sat up, suddenly terrified for her. Though we hadn’t been
together very long, and there was so much we had yet to learn about each other,
the one thing I knew with absolute certainty is Irelyn would not leave her dog,
her car, or her friends behind. She and Rachel were like sisters. If I’d
thought instead of reacted, I would have figured it out.
“I brought fresh clothes for you. I’ll give you a shot of B-12.”
Brody sat on the edge of the bed and grabbed my wrist, taking my pulse. “How
much did you drink?”
“I don’t remember.”
I had stopped at the first bar I had driven past, went inside, and
found Blondie. Fucking, drinking, and smoking pot had been my goal. After we
had gotten trashed, I tried to fuck her but I couldn’t. My cock had failed me,
leaving me even more pissed off.
Maybe somewhere in my psyche, I must have known Irelyn hadn’t
chosen Marcus, or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Either way, screwing
Blondie had seemed like a betrayal. I couldn’t go there yet. I wondered if I’d
ever be ready to be with someone else.
“When did you eat last?” Brody asked as he continued his exam.
“I don’t remember.”
“You’re hurting, I get that, but you’ve got to find a better,
healthier way of coping,” Brody said as he prepared the B-12 shot.
“I didn’t fuck her,” I said, wincing as the needle penetrated my
skin. I was in love with Irelyn. Until I had my say with her, face-to-face, I
needed to be by myself.
“Sleeping with her isn’t the issue. What I care about is you
resorting to drinking and using with a woman you don’t even know.”
I glanced up at T, who stood with his massive arms crossed over
his chest. His expression mirrored Brody’s tone, and I could see the
disappointment in his eyes.
“You’re right,” I mumbled. “But it’s what I do.”
“Of course I am. Take a shower and let’s leave. I’ll drive the
Viper home; I don’t want you driving.”
“Fine. Wait, how did you find me? I don’t remember telling you the
address of this apartment.”
“There’s a GPS locator in your Viper. I couldn’t take any
chances,” T-bone answered.
“Rachel, Cory, and Sloan will be at your house in two hours so we
can talk about what’s going on,” Brody added, putting away his medical
supplies.
I laid there and let what they said sink in. If they were right,
Marcus must be holding something major over Irelyn’s head to make her do what
she did. The thought of her in the hands of that monster made my stomach roil.
I jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom just in time to toss the
contents of my last meal into the toilet.
How the fuck did I get here? I thought as I leaned against the cold tile of the
bathtub. Just days ago, Irelyn was in my bed and in my life, and I was making
love to her. Now, I sat on the floor of the bathroom puking my guts out.
“Get your shit together, Z-man,” T-bone said at the door. “We need
to get you home so we can start planning how to get Irelyn away from him. You
can lick your wounds later.”
I pulled myself to my feet and started the shower. Inside, I
rinsed the vomit aftertaste from my mouth, but the sour taste of Irelyn’s
rejection remained. Only bring her home would erase it.
Turning the water to scalding, I winced at the sting of the hot
water on my skin, but I deserved it. After all, you shouldn’t be able to scrub
away your own cocksuckerism behavior without it hurting.
***
Rachel, Cory, and Sloan sat on my couch in the great room when we
got there. They stared at me with a mixture of pity and irritation. Irritation
I could handle; pity just pissed me off.
“I’ve called her at least ten times or more,” Rachel said, her
hand squeezing Cory’s.
“More,” Cory said. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“She hasn’t called me back. Nothing. This isn’t Irelyn. Is it true
she told you Marcus proposed and she accepted?”
“That’s what she said,” I bit out coldly. I didn’t want to rehash
this.
“Marcus must be forcing her. She wouldn’t marry him, Zolt.” Rachel
glanced at Cory and they shared an unspoken conversation.
Cory gave a one-shoulder shrug.
“Zolt, before Irelyn went for her dress fitting, she said she
planned to come here right after. She wanted to be here when you woke from
being sedated. Staying away from you wasn’t her intention. Obviously, Marcus
cornered her at the dress salon.”
“Which is where they arrested me,” Sloan said. His irritation made
his Irish accent even more pronounced. “I should have guessed Marcus
orchestrated it.”
“Whatever he said to her, or threatened her with, must have been
major. She’s going to kill me for telling you, but here it goes: Irelyn is in
love with you. I guarantee that didn’t change in less than twenty-four hours.”
“Oh,” I mumbled, staring at Rachel. I pinched the bridge of my
nose. I was so pissed at myself for losing control that day, and now the if onlys scrolled through my mind. If only I had my shit together. If only
I had been there with her at the dress fitting. I scrubbed my face with my
hands as my stomach roiled again. “This is my fault.”
“Yeah, you fucked up, Z-man.” T-bone squeezed my shoulder. “But we
can’t dwell on who’s to blame. We need to figure out where Irelyn is and how to
get her away from Marcus.”
Cory stared down at his phone and frowned.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Rachel asked.
“It’s Kenna. I’ve called her and messaged her. Nothing. You
dropped her off, right Sloan?” Cory asked.
“I did.” Sloan shifted uncomfortably. He hid something, and it
most likely had to do with the way he had eye-fucked Kenna the other night.
“Kenna can be flighty, Cory,” Rachel soothed. “She’s probably
hanging out with her friends and lost her phone again. She can be kind of ditsy
on occasion.”
“Yeah, maybe. But Mom said she didn’t show up for her dress
fitting. The salon called and asked if she wanted to reschedule.”
Sloan growled at the same time dread turned my blood cold. We
looked at each other.
“You don’t think… do you, Sloan?” I asked, knowing we were on the
same wavelength.
“Think what?” Brody asked.
“Kenna. Marcus has Kenna,” Sloan answered. “Fuck!”
T-bone glanced at his phone and tapped out a message. “I’m
contacting Jackson to see if he’s heard anything.”
“We have to find out,” Cory said, standing up. “If he has Kenna
and he has harmed her, I’ll fucking kill him. I need to contact my dad.”
“Hold on, Cory,” T said, scrolling through his phone. “Jackson
says he’s heard rumors about a new woman up for auction. Apparently, Marcus has
two houses. Jackson’s trying to find out the location of the other house.
Marcus isn’t stupid enough to keep them at his residence.”
“We’re forgetting about Friday night,” Rachel said, standing up to
take Cory’s hand. “Marcus is on the board of the AZ Cardinals Charity Ball.
He’ll be there, and he’ll bring Irelyn. It just makes sense if he’s going to
perpetuate this farce about them getting married. Marcus’s pride will dictate
that they be seen together in society.”
“Put me on the guest list, Rachel,” I said. “I’m going, and I’m
not leaving without Irelyn.”
“Not a good idea, Z-man,” T said. He gave me a discerning look.
“I don’t care, T. I’m going,” I retorted. “If I knew the damn
location of the house, I would go there now.”
“Me, too,” Cory agreed.
T-bone squeezed his eyes shut then opened them. “Fine. Maybe
you’re right, Z. The best place to recover Irelyn will be in a public forum.
Cory, we need to meet with your father. I need to brief him on what’s going on.
I don’t want him to do anything stupid. I’ve laid the groundwork from the
inside out. That’s our advantage and we need to keep it.”
“Done,” Cory agreed. “We’ll go home now and talk with Dad. You’ll
follow behind us?”
“Let’s roll,” T said.
“Wait, I’ll go too. We should tell your father about Jacob’s
involvement. It’s possible the firm may have some liability regarding the Aspen
Holdings/Black Swan settlement.”
I glanced over at Sloan who quietly seethed; his gunmetal gray
eyes were black with ire. I don’t know if anyone else felt the menace coming
from him, but I did. His jaw muscle worked, clenching and unclenching.
Something had happened between him and Kenna, and I empathized with him, I did.
Feeling powerless to help the woman you loved was fucking hell.
Buy Now
Indulging In Irelyn (Book 1)
About the Author
Dawna Raver didn't always want to be a writer, but
now the voices in her head won't shut up and the stories keep coming.
She's an author of new adult romantic fantasy and contemporary, erotic
romance. When she's not spending time in her fantasy world, Dawna loves
football, reading, and pretending she's a top chef in the kitchen. Oh, and
fawning over her dogs and husband, sometimes in that order.
Severed Colours, Book 2, A Colour Wielders Novel, released on November
18, 2013.
Indulging in Irelyn, a contemporary romance, written under D.L. Raver
releases February 5, 2014.
Goodreads links:
Indulging in Irelyn -
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20738998-indulging-in-irelyn
Colour Wielders -
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17261634-colour-wielders-a-colour-wielders-novel
Severed Colours -
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18584326-severed-colours
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