Chapter One

Pulling the heavy drapes open in my crafting room, I'm enveloped in the warmth of the sun as it bounces off the water from the family pool and cascades around me like a warm hug. For so long I was afraid to open the curtains in here. Afraid to be seen. Of being watched by him.

But he's gone. Or I think her is.

I hope he is.

I don't know why I know this, only that when I awake in the mornings I no longer feel suffocated by the dread that he'll spot me during the day. That he'll follow me to the craft market and inevitably touch me.

A touch that feels like a burn.

A touch that will infuse my entire body with what he's feeling towards me. Sometimes it's anger and pain. Other times it's sexual and makes me vomit. The one consistency is that I always know what will happen if ever gets his hands on me.

Death.

I feel it in the air when he's around me. His hatred for me runs to the very core of who he is as a person. He's out to hurt me. Hurt my father. And after our last encounter, over two months ago, I knew my time was nearly up.

Yet, today feels like a rebirth of the world around me and I'm not sure if it's because my father, Carter O'Neill, one of the Kings of New York, has hired someone new to protect me or if it's because my tormentor is truly gone.

Since today is my one day a week that I go to the market, I suppose I'll find out. My supplier called yesterday to let me know the mini labradorite protection crystals have finally arrived. I paid a hefty sum to have them cut to the specifications I needed for the necklace and matching rings I have planned to make.

"Della," my fathers commanding but soft tone comes from the doorway of the room. "You opened the curtains." Turning, I smile at the man who has never hesitated to love me since the day I was dumped in his lap at three years old.

"I feel relief." I tell him and one of his rare smiles appears. Until recently, I was the only one who was ever gifted with one. But now there's a girl he's grown…obsessed is the only word to describe what he feels for her. "Cece is coming with me today." I admit, she's a nice girl. She still has a final year of high school left, but today she's playing hooky to come with me. Cece is super smart and has already skipped a grade, so I don't worry too much about her missing class in the first few days back to school.

"She needs to be in school Della." The growl in his voice has me biting my lip. My dad is obsessed in a stalker kind of way with the young woman. And to top it off, he's pissed that she is so damn young. Once she turns eighteen, I just know I'll have to push them together.

"We're meeting at lunch. She'll miss two classes." His scowl deepens.

Pointing a finger at me, he grunts, "Don't get attached." And storms off.

He's right. Despite constantly trying to protect myself from people, I get attached to the ones I love and let in. CJ Cavanaugh and her sisters are the only ones who have never disappointed me. I know Cece because of Odette Sinclair and I felt an instant connection to the young girl. I can feel her pain like a mirror of my pain. She needs someone who will be there for her. Lord knows her mother isn't. The woman is as selfish as they come.

Hearing determined footsteps from the hallway, I take a peek out to see who is here and gasp when I see Holy Sinclair. That man is the most obnoxious male I've ever met. He's also the only person I've never been able to get a read on.