Oracle Rising (5 page)

Or it would swallow her and Juliett alive.

                                  
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   O  R A C  L  E   * * *

Phoenix House

Fire Bay

Nathaniel Carter was a damn lucky man. Every day he was alive, he celebrated the miracles in his life. Never would a day go by where he would forget what he’d nearly lost.

After Avalon was ‘taken’ from him, he thought all had been destroyed. Now he had a new lease on life, and he refused to waste a single second of it.

He had love, and that mattered more than anything.

All his life, he’d had to fight hard to reach the successes which had been afforded to him. It wasn’t easy, but they’d been a learning experience. As a Fed, he’d worked his ass off to rise up the ranks. Had he not, his life would have been vastly different. Every twist and turn in the road had led him to this moment in time, and he couldn’t be more grateful.

The last few weeks had been one hell of a fight. After nearly losing Avalon, believing her to be dead, he thought he’d lost it all.

Now, he was happily basking in the glow of love. It amused him on some deep level. He was pretty sure he didn't deserve her, but he was grateful for the gift he’d received.

It was one he didn't plan on giving back. She was his, and that was the end of it.

When Nate had first met her, he just knew. From the pale blue eyes, to the willowy lean form, he fell for Avalon Miller, and hard. She gazed at him with blind eyes, but he knew she saw him. Somehow, she was able to stare deep into his soul, finding his darkest secrets.

Truth be told, he was burning out.

He was taking a suicide mission, in hopes of never returning. That one choice had been the catalyst for a whole new life. Had he not accepted the possibility of dying, he never would have found life.

Now, he was happy.

At peace.

Free.

Finding Avalon had been a blessing. Yes, they had to pretend she was dead, but that didn't matter to him. If the government came looking, he had no doubt that his boss, Elizabeth Blackhawk, would help them escape. Only, she wouldn’t be going alone. Nathaniel Carter was going to run with her. He’d already set up safeguards to make sure they would have a way out.

If the time came, they’d go under.

No one would take her from him.

NO ONE.

Life had finally blossomed, and he was going to hold on to it for as long as possible.

From the outside, they looked like a normal couple. They resided in a large plantation style house just outside of town. Passersby would think it was a normal home, but it wasn’t. Hidden, inside the grand building, was a phenomenon. Behind the doors was a weapon that they had never seen before.

The phoenix watched and waited, ready to move into action. At the lead was Oracle. She was the head of this juggernaut. She’d made a vow, and they were getting ready to do what had been promised.

To help the weak.

The team had sworn allegiance to her, and they were waiting on baited breath to be sent out.

It was only a matter of time.

For him, it was so much more. Nate would have given up his vital organs had the need arose. All he wanted was to be with Avalon.

She was his heart.

Soul.

Everything.

The day they met, the journey began. Where it would take them, no one knew. Maura, Luke, Jagger, and Nate would follow her lead, keeping their promise to the scared, damaged, and wounded.

They would keep Oracle hidden and save those like her from death.

Nothing was going to stop him from being part of her life. It was ironic that the FBI was now funding his happiness. The job, which had once brought him pain, was now sending him nothing but joy.

It was funny.

Yes, he was still on the payroll, and he didn't know how his boss pulled it off, but he was able to lay around and keep an eye on his sexy, blind angel.

As she wandered the plantation house, he followed, always making sure she was safe.

That was his real mission.

One day, while she was floating in the pool, Nate called a private meeting. From behind a glass window, overlooking where she was, he laid down the law.

Her safety was paramount.

If they didn't want to dedicate their lives to protecting her, they were free to leave.

Maura refused to walk.

Luke was going to stick.

Jagger, he shrugged. He didn't have anything better to do with his time, and the Marines were wearing him thin. So, he was in too.

It pleased him.

Nate trusted the three individuals with something so precious.

His woman and future.

Speaking of which…

Soon, he was going to ask her to marry him. When they’d both been in Maura and Luke’s wedding, as he walked her down the aisle, his heart swelled. The sexily tousled red hair smelled like flowers, and he was enraptured in the spell that was Avalon. While she had to hide her real identity, it didn't matter. Avi was still his sweetheart.

The idea of taking that stroll together filled him with unmeasurable happiness.

There was no doubt in his mind that one day, she’d be his wife. He was simply waiting for the right moment to pop the question. It was hard to pull the wool over her eyes and surprise her, but he was working on it.

You couldn’t bullshit Oracle.

It just didn't happen.

That was something he had to accept as a part of the package. Nate would never be able to surprise, shock, or amaze her. She would always see it coming. That sucked a little bit, but the alternative was far worse.

Life without her was unacceptable.

He’d do anything he could to keep her safe. Normally, he didn't give a shit about women. He had been married to his job. Now he wanted to really be married to it.

Since Oracle was his partner, and he was part of the Phoenix files, he wanted to put a ring on it.

IN THE WORST WAY.

Only, he was giving Avalon time. She’d been trapped when they met, and he felt a little bad about caging her in again. Nate wanted to give her a few months to spread her wings. She had to have free will.

After years of not having it, she deserved it.

So, instead of rushing in to it, he was biding his time. He might not be able to shock her, but he was able to enjoy every single moment with her that he could.

Nate hoped he’d notice when she was ready. Maybe if he lucked out, she’d just tell him.

He laughed.

Yeah, not his sweet Avalon. She was gentle and always so attentive to him. Yeah, he was going to have to bite the bullet and pick a date.

He couldn’t wait.

There was never a person he wanted to spend more time with in his life. Already, they slept, showered, ate, and played together.

Avalon was more than his ‘girlfriend’. She was his salvation. No longer did Director Nathaniel Carter want to die. Instead, the petite, blind woman made him want to live.

He was blessed.

They had a huge home, funds from his job, and all of Avalon’s money for her years of service to the president and the country. They were really well off.

Apparently, the government paid her well. Little did the president know that the ‘allowance’ they gave her would be one of the reasons they could escape. The payments were able to keep them off the grid.

Nate figured it was about right.

They owed her.

The president had used her like she was nothing more than a weapon he could aim at his enemy. Now they would live under the government’s nose.

Karma was a bitch.

As for their life, Nate had begun learning to read Braille. He was hell bent on teaching Avalon to read. Growing up, no one wanted Avalon, so the basic things were absent from her life. She was neglected, and never treated with anything more than disdain. Now, he was leveling the playing field. His intent was to dote on her as much as possible. It was his hope to fill in the holes her past had created in her life.

Then?

She was nothing more than a freak to them.

Now?

She was everything.

It was his way of giving back for her ten years of service to their country. She’d spent countless hours locked in the darkness, missing out on the fun things like popcorn at the movies, walks in the woods, and reading books.

That was going to change.

That’s why, at that moment, while she was resting in their room, he was teaching himself Braille.

It wasn’t easy.

Hell!

It was a freaking nightmare, but he was going to see it through to the end. Someone had to give her the important things back in life, and to him, that was reading.

Yes, he was smitten.

BIG TIME.

It would have been far easier to just read a book to her, and he still did that, but this was important. He was helping the woman he loved realize how valuable she truly was.

It was giving Avalon her freedom.

Nate couldn’t imagine a life without the simple things like reading. This was his gift to her.

God knew she’d given him so much.

Part of that gift was her heart. Right after they’d made love for the first time, she’d declared her love for him. He’d been battered, broken, and sinking fast, and she held on to him. Avalon offered him something that no one else could.

Hope.

It saved his life, and he would forever be in her debt. If it meant a life of serving by her side, he would do it. He’d become a Fed for a reason, and now with Avalon, he was going to see his hard work come to fruition.

They were going to save the innocent.

Speaking of which, she was one of them. The day they fell into bed together, he’d been shocked. Avalon had given him another gift.

Her body.

She was untouched by anyone before him, and that made him absolutely crazy. In an age of loose morals, he had a valuable treasure. She was all his and in every sense of the word.

Yes, he was older.

More experienced.

Been around the block a few times.

Some might even say a wolf chasing down the little innocent lamb, but he’d never hurt Avalon. Nathaniel Carter would die for her.

There was no doubt in his mind. He’d be the shield in front of her body. Like he had with her crazed father, Nathaniel would willingly offer up his life for hers—again.

Yes, it nearly cost him, but it didn't matter.

Avalon was safe.

She was free.

His love was protected by his heart.

As he sat there, Nate began thinking about her. In all honesty, he missed the long blonde locks, but he understood why they had altered her appearance. Before she looked like a blessed angel, and now…she was a woman.

Still, even without all that sexy blonde hair, Avalon was distinctive.

When you looked at her, you knew she was special. It has something to do with the ethereal look. When she’d pad around the Phoenix house barefoot, wearing a long white flowing dress, she looked like an apparition.

He loved watching her.

It turned him on.

She had the ability to turn his body rock hard in seconds. It was the little things that he loved most—the way she chewed on her lip, the sexily tousled look when she woke up, and every time she tried something new.

It was precious.

It was special.

It was theirs.

Being a man, there was one thing he cherished above all other things; Nate loved taking her to bed. Pinning her beneath him, listening to her breathy moans, and then sliding home were like getting a taste of heaven.

That was something he never thought he was worthy of in all his life. Nate pillaged, used, and ran through women like they were tissues.

Now, everything had changed.

In the air, he thought he picked up the scent of her perfume. He actually looked around the room to see if she was there. When he couldn’t find her, he ran his hands through his hair, trying not to let the lust lure him back to their bedroom.

He’d already tasted her that morning, and instead of being satiated, he was still hungry.

How could he not be?

Just that morning, after they’d rolled around, she began asking him a plethora of questions.

See, the thing about Avalon was that since she was sheltered, she tended to be very blunt. It wasn’t intentional. She just came out and said what she was thinking.