Up in Flames by Trista Ann Michaels Read Free Book Online

himself before she rushed forward and barreled into his arms. He wrapped one arm around her, the other he held out so Hayden could take the glass from his hand. Hayden frowned as he took it, shocked at the sudden spark of jealousy that swirled in his gut.
    “Cara?” Alex asked.
    Hayden’s lips twitched with amusement at the stunned look on Alex’s face. Obviously, he’d never seen such an emotional Cara.
    “Oh my God. I’m so glad you’re here,” she said.
    Her voice shook as Alex wrapped his other arm around her and held her tight. “I’m so sorry about your father, Cara,” he whispered.
    “Thank you,” she replied through the tears streaming down her face.
    Hayden watched her over Alex’s shoulder as she scrunched her eyes closed to fight the falling tears, but it didn’t do any good. They still continued to fall, and it tore at Hayden’s heart. He hated to see her cry, and even stranger was just how much he hated seeing her in Alex’s arms.
    She pulled away from Alex and wiped her tears with shaking hands. Alex reached out to help her, and the tenderness Alex showed toward Cara grated on Hayden’s nerves. He didn’t like it but also knew he didn’t really have a right to say anything. She wasn’t his. “Have you gone before the Senate yet? Have you signed the treaty?” she asked.
    “Not yet.”
    “Alex,” she whined.
    Alex gripped her shoulders to calm her rising alarm. “I’m going to. I promise. I just—”
    “How bad is it, Alex? How bad is home?”
    “It’s bad, Cara. I won’t lie to you.”

Chapter Six
    Cara struggled to keep her composure. “We have to go back.” Alex shook his head stubbornly, and Cara had an insane desire to stomp her foot. “Alex,” she argued.
    “Listen to me, Cara. You’re still weak, and the Mundi are looking for you. They want you back.”
    She shook her head frantically as fear clouded her light blue eyes. “I can’t go back, Alex. I feel now. I’m no good to them. They’ll see that and—”
    “Cara,” Alex began and gave her a little shake. “The Mundi are behind the war. They were the ones who killed your father.”
    “What?” Cara exploded as shock almost brought her to her knees. How could that be? Why would they have done that? No. That couldn’t be right. She shook her head as disbelief raced through her.
    “They kept you close to your father, deliberately kept you in the public eye so when they won the war, they could rule through you.”
    “That’s insane. Why would an order that feels no emotion suddenly get greedy?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “You have to be wrong, Alex.”
    “I’m not wrong, Cara.”
    She opened her mouth to argue, to tell him he had to be wrong. But what if he wasn’t? “We can’t let them get away with this,” she snapped. “We have to stop them!”
    “You’re not ready to go against anyone yet, much less another Mundi. Stay here with Hayden. Let him help you get better. I’ll handle the war. We have to keep you hidden from them for now. They need you. They’ll strip your emotions from you again if they have to.”
    She shook her head as panic began to set in. “I can’t go through what they did to me before.”
    Tears gathered in her eyes. Concern wrinkled Alex’s brow as he turned to glance at Hayden before bringing his attention back to her. “You don’t have to, but if you’re going to fight them, you have to stay here and get better.”
    Cara swallowed and nodded in agreement. He was right. She was too weak to fight the Mundi right now. And way too emotional. She needed better control over her emotions before going up against the Mundi. Her mood swings kept her from thinking as clearly as she needed to. As much as she hated to admit it, Alex was right.
    * * * *
    Cara stood outside on the terrace watching the sun set below the horizon. Every inch of her body ached, but it felt good. She was healing, getting stronger. If only her mind was. Her lips began to quiver as the urge to cry made