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“Shhh... You're safe now. I've got you."
She pressed her face into my neck, shoulders shaking with sobs. I cradled her close as her tears dampened my skin.
I never should have left her alone.
Never should’ve let her out of my sight.
“Nobody’s going to hurt you ever again," I vowed, reaching up to cradle her cheek. She flinched at my feather-light caress but didn’t pull away. It was progress, if small. I would earn back her trust, no matter how long it took.
She lifted her head, surprising me with her appearance. The wetness I’d felt wasn’t her tears. It was the blood of her enemies, and she was bathed in it.
She’d never looked more fierce or beautiful to me than in that very moment.
My thumb traced the fullness of her lower lip, and I wondered if she had any idea of her destiny.
Alice peered past my shoulder at the wet puddles of mangled organs and crushed bone below my boots. Then she looked up at me, regarding me with a curious expression in her eyes.
It wasn’t fear.
It was dark, savage joy.
Then she smiled, and I caught a glimpse of the warrior she would become.
"You're a monster," she whispered hoarsely.
Slowly, I nodded my head, accepting the condemnation with pride. "Yes, I am. But I’myourmonster. I won’t fail you again.”
"You didn't fail me." Alice tilted her head up, meeting my gaze. Those blue eyes were clear and bright despite the horror she'd just faced. “You saved me.”
I closed my eyes, holding her close and breathing in her scent—now tinged with the metallic bite of blood.
She was wrong. I hadn't saved her at all. If anything, she was the one saving me.
"You are far braver than you know." I brushed a kiss over her forehead, mindful of my horns. "And far more forgiving than I deserve.”
“Oh, shut up,” Alice sassed, her eyes meeting mine with determination. "You saved me, Ransom. You were there when I needed you. You came when I called.That'swhat matters. End of story."
I sighed heavily, my wings shifting as I tried to find solace in her words. But the gnawing feeling at the pit of my stomach persisted. It kept reminding me of the risk of danger that always seemed to follow Alice and the responsibility I’d taken on by hiding her...by training her...
By fucking her.
Now the girl was in my head.
Buthow?
Was it a sign that she was more to me than just a gorgeous little fuck toy? I gazed down at her, soaked in the blood of her enemies, and I immediately got hard at the sight of her wild, feral appearance.
She pulled back, her eyes searching my face. Then she leaned in. I growled, the sound inhuman and rough, and crushed my mouth to hers. She opened for me instantly, her tongue sliding against mine as she kissed me deeply. Her hands moved across my chest, caressing the rune tattoos that protected me as she tasted the blood on my lips.
Arousal stirred within me at her touch, intensifying as she broke the kiss and traced a line of kisses and bites down my neck. When she reached the juncture between my neck and shoulder, she sucked hard, marking me as hers.
The primal part of me purred in satisfaction at her claiming gesture.
My body caught fire at her touch, heat awakening despite the horrors surrounding us. I was immune to them. I fed on sex, not death. My only thoughts were of how fast I could get inside of her.
I shouldn't—not here, not now—but I was powerless to deny her.
I think she knew it.
