His eyes opened. "You should be."
"But I'm not." I leaned in, my forehead resting against his. "I want this, Ahrick. I want you. Not because I'm grateful or because you're protecting me. Because when I look at you, I see someone worth caring about."
"Merrilee—"
"Please." The word came out as a whisper. "Don't push me away."
For a long moment he didn't move. Didn't speak.
His arms came around me, pulling me against his chest, and he held me so tightly I could barely breathe. His whole body was shaking—not with desire now, but with something rawer. More desperate.
"I don't deserve you," he said quietly, his voice breaking on the words. "But I'm too selfish to let you go."
I wrapped my arms around him, careful of his injuries, and pressed my face against his shoulder. "Then don't."
We stayed like that for a long time. Just holding each other. His hand stroking my hair—the movement gentle but constant, like he needed the repetition to ground himself. My fingers tracing the scars on his back, feeling the raised tissue, the stories written in his skin.
Eventually he shifted, lying back, and the movement was careful. Deliberate. I settled against his side, my head on his chest, and his arm came around me—not possessive, but protective. Anchoring.
His other hand found my face, fingers brushing across my cheekbone, my jaw, my temple. Light touches. Testing touches. Like he was checking I was still there. Still real. Still choosing to stay.
"Rest," he said softly, but his voice was rough with emotion. "You need to sleep."
"So do you."
"I will." His hand moved back to my hair, fingers sliding through the strands in a slow, soothing rhythm. "After you."
The adrenaline from the kiss was fading, leaving me boneless and warm, exhaustion pulling at me like a tide I couldn't fight. But I felt the tension still thrumming through his body, felt the way his hand kept moving—stroking my hair,tracing down my spine, coming back up to brush against my shoulder. Small movements. Constant movements. Like he was afraid if he stopped touching me, I'd vanish.
"Ahrick?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you." I pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. "For telling me. For trusting me with it."
His arms tightened around me. "Thank you for not running."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Good." His voice was rough with emotion. "Because I don't think I could let you go now even if I wanted to."
I smiled against his skin. "Then it's a good thing I'm staying."
He was quiet for a long moment. Then his hand cupped the back of my head, holding me against him, and I felt the tremor run through his chest.
"Sleep, Merrilee," he whispered, but his voice was thick. "I'll keep you safe."
I closed my eyes and let sleep take me, wrapped in the arms of a male who made me feel safer than I'd felt in years.
Chapter 10
Ahrick
The summons came before dawn.
Two of Persico's guards showed up at the door to the prize room, their expressions flat and professional.
"Persico wants to see you," the scaled one with bright red eyes said, licking his lips as though savoring what he knew to come.
