Lawked Flame (Lawke & Kee)

Can a woman who has been betrayed in the worst way by an ex-spouse learn to trust again? Will she open her heart to a man who seems to be too good to be true, meeting every requirement she has ever wanted or needed in a partner? Alayna would. But it will take time. Time is the one thing Khayden, Master Lawke, doesn’t have. His enemies are bent on destroying his people and harming Earth in the process. The only way to save both is for his Kee, Alayna, to unlock him, freeing his powers and unbeknownst to her, her own. But first she has to believe that there’s more to her current lover than she sees. It will take a leap of faith to accept his pursuit and engage her battered heart again. The attacks are speeding up, with an alarming amount of casualties. Despite the fierce attraction, Alayna isn’t sure she’s strong enough to lay bare her heart again, so soon. Khayden is betting his life that she is strong enough to do that and to handle his flame.
Excerpt:

“Lawkharven.”
“Lockhaven?”
“No, you say it as you say the word law. Lawkharven.” He enunciated again.
“Oh, okay. Got it. What’s your name?” She stood in the middle of the road, rambling. Which made her wonder which of them had the problem?
“I am called Lorenzo. And you are?” He smiled at her and she froze. The man was drop dead gorgeous in a boyish-man kind of way. His eyes sparkled. His teeth gleamed, making her think he’d had some serious dental work. He’d put most of the male models on the covers of magazines to shame. Lorenzo would be a wet dream for a few of her friends, both male and female.
“Alayna. Call me Alayna.” She broke their connection by glancing around, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. He was good-looking, but she wasn’t interested. Having a cheating ex-husband break your heart did that to a woman. “Where can I grab a bite to eat?”
He touched her shoulder, and she whirled on him. “Don’t touch me.”
He back up a few steps, his eyes wide. “I am most sorry. Forgive me.” Between sounding pitiful and his face losing its glow from a moment before, she felt like the biggest jerk.
Tempering her voice and hoping the smile on her face appeared sincere, she backtracked. “No, it’s okay, you just surprised me.” And I don’t like people I don’t know touching me; bad memories – don’t go there. “Which way to eat?”
The moment the question left her mouth, the sweetest aromas split the air. She inhaled and felt as though she would levitate following after the smells. “I want some of that.” She glanced at him. “Come on, Lorenzo. Let’s eat.” At the back of her mind, a warning blared at the coincidence of the smells and her comments, but she was so hungry, she pushed it aside to examine later.
He waved her forward, remaining a cautious distance. They turned a corner and Alayna stopped so abruptly, Lorenzo bumped into her.
“I am sorry. I did not realize you had stopped.” He tripped over himself trying to apologize.
She waved him down and pointed at the large building in the middle of the block. “Is that a Woolworth over there?” Her head whipped from him to the building, back to him again. “I’ve seen pictures of my grandmother working in that place. But I thought they were extinct.” She shook her head, trying to get the words right. “I mean, they went out of business. How can one be here? In the middle of the forest? I mean town. Oh, hell. Now I’m sounding batty.”
He waved her forward. “It is where you shall eat.”
As she crossed the street, her eyes widened at the other stores. There was an Eagle Army Navy, a Jordan Marsh department store, and one with a weirder name, Zayre. “What are those?” she asked, pointing to the buildings.
“They are places we replenish our supplies, a store.” He looked at her with a glimmer of doubt in his eyes, as though she were the slow one.
“I know they’re stores. I can see that. What I mean is…” She paused, trying to figure exactly what she wanted to know. “Is this where stores come after they die?” she whispered.