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I’d moved before I realized it, and my hand cupped her cheek as I kissed her like I meant it.
Like she isn't but a stranger...but a woman I've loved...and lost.
My chest was the first to feel the punches from those bloody fists of hers, but it did nothing to move me away as I moved my lips firmly against hers, taking in her floral scent that left me craving to inhale her aroma every day and night.
She clawed at my chest and even kicked me in between the legs, but it did nothing to push me away and it angered her more. She fought to move me, to push me away like everyone else who'd probably tried to get through to this dark hollow hidden away within herself.
I was sure the only person who'd survived her wrath was Onyx, but it was obvious because his love was direct and raw in a language they understood. I was a foreigner, a being too different for her to recognize, but as I remained in place and her attempts to push me away faded, I took that moment to comfort her.
Come back to us, Sweet Willow.
I pulled her closer until she was in my arms, and my lips still captivated hers while she finally gave in. No more fighting, no more turmoil.
She's free to do what she must to recover from this chilling experience.
The fight she endured would have destroyed any other individual. Any human and even a female wolf would have submitted in that ring. And yet she’d fought to prove her determination to belong in a society she knew she couldn't truly belong in unless she shifted onto all fours and howled in the name of Mother Moon.
"In time, Sweet Willow." I whispered the comforting words that made no sense to me. It was my wolf who was in complete control now, and as his eyes sought refuge in hers, they welled with tears as a single one fell down her cheek.
She tried to lower her head in shame, but I caught her chin and lifted it up even higher.
"You are a warrior, a queen who's conquered the night when your opponent and all those around you threw away their loyalty to another. You proved to them you are worthy to carry that title. To be among those who've fought in the ring and conquered again and again," I declared as if I'd watched every match she'd participated in. "You shed tears because your soul requests justice. You will receive that and more. I swear upon Mother Moon, you will."
My vow was so full of truth that I was baffled by the words that left me, but I knew the thought was already written in stone, and that my wolf brothers would already be in the process of doing exactly that and more.
Those three packs were testing her. From the bombing to sending someone to invade her space in the ring, they wanted to see if she was worthy of the investment.
Too bad they already lost her to us.
I tenderly kissed her forehead as more tears escaped her closed eyes. I pulled her into a hug, and she allowed her body to quake as she whispered, "My eyes hurt."
"Neo will help you out. I promise."
I sensed that very wolf, and wouldn't be surprised if he was quietly standing near the entrance.
"We have to clean you up," I suggested. All she mustered was a nod, and after some mental consideration, I ended up lifting her up to avoid her precious bare feet from stepping upon the sharp shards.
I didn't struggle to find which shower to use, going in the direction where her scent was the strongest. All her stuff was there, neatly placed, which made it far easier to get what I needed.
"I'm going to use cold water first, alright?" I offered, and she nodded again. She looked beyond tired now, her eyes struggling to remain open. They were red from her tears and the impact from the fight, and she still had bits of dry blood along her cheeks from the streams of blood from earlier, but I knew deep down she needed the help. She craved it.
Washing her up didn't take long, but I was fighting my own demons that wished to surface. Washing her hair reminded of my mate, the luscious locks of gold that cradled her heart-shaped face. The way her eyes would twinkle in pure happiness, and the rhythmic laughter that would escape her peachy pink lips when I made her laugh.
I had to fight hard against every flashback of the life I’d destroyed. The woman I’d pounded with my fists in a wild frenzy, until she was unrecognizable. Her beauty had been stolen by my explosive anger, my blinding rage tossing her into the arms of Death.
As the cold water continued to run down her naked body, I could feel the waves of heat that fought for my attention. I remembered those beginning stages of my relationship with my mate, how we'd fought to ignore those urges until it overtook our minds, leaving us in a state of spiraling lust that led to sweet pleasure.
I was facing Willow, and her eyes seemed to lift just slightly to look into mine. Her hand lifted up and suddenly was on my cheek as if she could see the difference between my own tears and the beads of water that drenched me.
There was no doubt in her injured eyes: she saw right through me. Witnessed the pain of my loss and the guilt I carried for being so weak that I couldn't fight through the illusion that made me destroy the one woman I adored.
Her thumb brushed along my cheek, as if she could remove all the sadness that had plagued my life a few years prior. She hadn't seen the true darkness I carried in my soul, and though we were so similar to one another, I wondered if she'd be someone who could ever accept me as I now was.
Not the Jayce from before, but the murderer who walked upon this planet as a debt to be served.
I didn't know what pushed me to do what I did, but I began to inch closer to her, our bodies gravitating to one another until my lips lightly claimed hers. I hadn't been this gentle since Isabella died. I hadn’t allowed someone to enjoy these lips of mine that were rough from the multiple bites from my own front teeth as I boxed my enemies into unconsciousness or pulled the trigger of one too many shotguns.
There was something about this woman who was more than a stranger that made me want to unravel and be true to the person I'd become.
