Haven Read Online Free

need a gun.”
    Mark and Ren were armed. Given their current state of gone-fishin’, they wouldn’t miss their weapons.
    Lorenzo shook his head. “No guns. He’s not a warlock and he won’t hurt you.” He gestured at the gallery but I refused to budge.
    “No one can move that fast. That’s not normal. We need weapons.”
    “Trust me, sorellina .”
    I brushed off the calming hand he placed on my shoulder. “Only if you tell me your security goons have this place surrounded.”
    “We don’t need protection,” Lorenzo insisted. “Well, not from him. My men will ensure our privacy, though.”
    “But wait, what about my boys?” I couldn’t leave them vulnerable.
    “Don’t worry.” Lorenzo whistled and several men in black swarmed the area, taking charge of my ice cube friends and the frosty bystanders.
    I acquiesced. “Fine. Let’s go kick some preppy butt.”
    ~ * ~
    Thomas awaited us by a large wall plaque reading The Tranquilli Collection and the several paintings my reclusive uncle Maurizio had donated from his estate in Italy. Interesting location choice. Clearly intentional.
    “Champagne?” Thomas offered two glasses.
    I ignored him and stalked around a marble bench to put some distance between us. Thomas might have clean-cut, boy-next-door good looks, but so did a lot of serial killers. And his ability to freeze people was straight up bad news.
    I gave the man my best don’t-fuck-with-me glare. He flashed an audacious smile and his eerie green eyes glinted with amusement. The grin highlighted his sculpted cheeks and dimpled chin. I noticed the pallor of his skin—as pale as me and smooth, like he’d never grown any facial hair.
    Lorenzo took the flutes from Thomas and passed one to me. “Carina, this is Thomas. Thomas Ward.”
    “Yeah, you said that. Wait, did you say Ward? As in W-T?” That explained his familiarity but didn’t explain his evil super power and why he’d used it on my friends.
    “Yes, and—” Lorenzo downed half his champagne. A fascinating and uncharacteristic display of nerves.
    “And what?” I gestured to Thomas. “Why are we here with this guy?”
    “It’s a long story.”
    I quirked my brows, not feeling like story time while my guys were frozen man dolls and Hot Guy was around somewhere… “Make it a short one.”
    “I can’t do that, sorellina .”
    “Stop calling me little sister,” I grumbled, my patience for chitchat dissipating fast.
    “Just listen—”
    “You’re not saying anything.”
    “If you’d calm down for a second—”
    I huffed. “Calm down? Easy for you to say. You haven’t been attacked by a witch, bullied by your big brother, and accosted by a wizard, all in one day.”
    “He’s not a—”
    I raised a hand. “Don’t want to hear it.”
    Thomas observed our inability to communicate, a bemused expression on his preptastic face. I stabbed an accusing finger in his general direction. “And you . I’d like to say it was nice to meet you, but I’d be lying. Take your hex off my friends. Then we’re done here.”
    He laughed. The sound of his delight raised the fine hairs on my arms. “Oh no, cara mia . This is the beginning, or rather, the exciting middle. Would you like to see how it all began?”
    Great. Cryptic talk. My favorite.
    I placed my glass on the marble bench. I didn’t have time for this. “Okay, Mister Crazy, I’m leaving now. You fix my boys.”
    Thomas flashed perfect white teeth. “Ah, little one, how I have missed your fire.” Smooth as silk, his voice caressed my arms, a tangible touch of power I ignored, more interested in his words.
    “What do you mean you’ve missed me? I don’t know you. I don’t.”
    Faulty memory.
    I shook my head to derail the thought and backed away. Thomas moved in a blur of speed, reappearing before me. Startled by his sudden movement, I tottered on my heels. He grasped my elbows to steady me. When I tried to extricate myself, he tightened his grip.
    My heart rate