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Another low growl filled the room as he slowly prowled forward.
Desperate, I grabbed the shower door and shut it, even though I knew the meager barrier would do nothing to slow him. Pressed back against the wet tiles, I watched him stop in front of the glass.
His gaze wasn’t locked with mine but swept over me from breast to thighs. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and set a palm on the glass.
“Mya says that we cannot kill humans. That every life matters because there are so few humans left. But I will tell Drav and my brothers what I’ve seen, Shelby. The male who did this to you? His life will no longer matter. I promise you that.”
A shiver ran through me at the menace behind those words and at the very real hope I felt that he meant them.
Turik took a step back and opened the glass door. However, he didn’t come into the shower. He simply offered his hand.
“I know you need time to adjust and want to sleep alone tonight. You will have both. But will you let me help you? I want you to feel safe. Maybe for the first time in a long time?”
I studied his muscled bulk and large hands that I knew could rip a head clean off. Then, his pointed ears, reptilian eyes, and smooth grey skin. He wasn’t Nat. Turik and his brothers would never lift a hand against a woman. They truly cherished each one of us.
And they desperately wanted to be needed in return.
A shaky sigh escaped me, and I left the wall to place my hand in his.
“I’d really like that,” I said.
He grunted and reached for my towel as he helped me out of the shower. A second later, the fluffy material enveloped me, and his big hands gently rubbed over my arms and back.
I’d thought he’d simply meant a helping hand so I wouldn’t slip, not that he intended to dry me off like a toddler. It should have felt weird, but it didn’t. He was so gentle, especially around my bruised middle. I felt coddled and cherished.
“Are you too tired to see Cassie?” he asked when he finished. “She should look at your bruises.”
I’d never met Cassie, Tolerance’s acting nurse-slash-doctor, and preferred to keep it that way. Too many questions and the resulting pity was the last thing I needed from anyone.
“I’m fine, Turik. They’ll fade on their own.”
He grunted and opened a drawer that held a selection of hairbrushes while I tugged his clean shirt over my head.
“Do they hurt?” he asked.
They did, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. He would insist on visiting Cassie then, and I only wanted sleep.
“I just want to snuggle into that bed and sleep through the whole night without anyone creeping in here and bothering me. I’m sure some of these marks will be gone by morning.”
He considered me for a long moment then opened the bathroom door.
“Come. I will brush your hair for you. But if the bruises hurt, you will tell me even if you are tired. I can carry you to Cassie.”
His firm authority on the matter made me smile as he strode into the bedroom. Having someone care felt pretty good. Having someone take care of me? Well, that was damn near euphoric and addictive. I wanted more.
Turik sat in the center of the bed and leaned back against the headboard a moment before he patted the area between his spread legs.
The position flexed his abs, and without his shirt to block the view, I couldn’tnotsee them. Or the girth of his massive, chiseled thighs. Or his corded throat. Why was I looking at his throat? Shit. Why was I noticing any of it?
Realizing I was just standing there staring at him, I jerked my gaze to his and blamed his stupid masturbation comment on it all.
“I won’t hurt you, Shelby. You are safe with me.”
CHAPTEREIGHT
I hesitateda moment before carefully scooting myself onto the bed. It was a little breezy under the shirt since it only fell to mid-thigh—a reminder of the laundry I needed to do so I would have underwear the next day.
My side brushed against his thigh as I primly sat between his legs.
