Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“Should I pick you a nightgown and help you put it on, baby girl?” he asked, nodding at her closet unit.
Sonya jumped up quickly.
“Oh, not tonight,” she chirped, giving him that smile that didn’t reach her eyes again. “If you don’t mind, I’ll get my own. Thank you, Sir Davrik!”
Davrik said nothing as she walked quickly towards the closet. She moved as though something was hurting her—she had a slight limp that she hadn’t had before. It was all he could do to keep from asking her about it—but he didn’t want to make her lie and it was clear she was afraid to tell him the truth.
Sonya changed quickly into a long blue gown that hid much of her body. Then she hobbled back to bed and slipped under the covers beside him—keeping to her own side of the bed, Davrik noticed. He turned over to face her, propping his head in one hand as he looked down at her. The strain she was under was apparent in her big, brown eyes.
“Do you want to talk?” he asked softly. “About anything? Anything at all?”
“Oh, uh, no—not really,” she said quickly. “I’m actually really tired. Do you mind if we just get some sleep? Or did you want me to…to service you in some way? Maybe give you a blow job?”
Davrik frowned.
“Baby girl, you know I don’t want you doing anything like that until you know me better and you actually want to do it. I just thought you might want to tell me something.”
Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in obvious fear.
“No, uh—there’s really nothing to tell,” she said, forcing a laugh.
“So nothing happened to you on your ‘date’ with the other client?” Davrik pressed.
She shook her head rapidly.
“No—unless you count me singing myself almost hoarse.”
“Singing yourself hoarse? So that’s all that happened? He didn’t hurt you in any way? He just wanted you to sing to him?” Davrik asked skeptically.
She shrugged and looked away, her eyes not meeting his.
“What can I say? He really liked my voice.”
“You have a beautiful voice, baby girl,” Davrik acknowledged. “But you can tell me if he hurt you. I won’t be mad—nothing that happens here is your fault. You’re here against your will.”
For a moment, he almost thought she would talk to him. Her eyes widened again and she opened her mouth…and then closed it again.
“I’m just really tired,” she said in a low voice. “Please, Sir Davrik, if you don’t want a blow job or a hand job or anything else like that, could we please just go to sleep?”
“Of course we can, baby girl.” Davrik sighed. This Sonya still didn’t know him well enough to trust him. His heart ached with that knowledge. His own Sonya would have been in his arms in a heartbeat, pouring out her fears and sorrows so he could comfort her. But he reminded himself that he still had a long way to go with this new version of his fated mate—he needed to be patient with her, as he had been when he was wooing his own Sonya so many years ago.
He turned out the overhead glows with a word and settled onto his side of the bed. Sonya settled on her own side, curled in a tight little ball. Davrik ached to gather her into his arms and hold her. He wanted to heal whatever was hurting her—to make her feel better somehow. But he couldn’t do that—not yet. Not until she trusted him. With a sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to get to sleep…
Only to wake up a few hours later with Sonya’s terrified screams ringing in his ears.
THIRTY-THREE
LAN’ARA
“Filthy Scourge scum! You die tonight, you fucker!” Nate’s deep voice growled in her ears.
Lan’ara tried to draw in a breath and found that the arm around her throat was too tight—Nate had her in a chokehold and she couldn’t breathe! Clearly he was out of his head. Something had triggered him and sent him back to the hell of his past and now he thought she was the enemy. If she didn’t do something to change his mind quickly, he was going to choke her to death!
Frantically, she scrabbled at the thick, muscular arm around her throat. Clamping her fingers around his forearm, she drew as much of the pain and hurt away as she could. As she shared Nate’s burden, she caught a glimpse into the darkness of his mind.
In the forest at night…the Scourge are coming! Hiding in the river, hoping the bastards passed us by. Water everywhere. Feels like I’m going to drown if I can’t get a breath but if I break the surface they’ll see me! Fuckers are everywhere! I’m trapped…TRAPPED!
The panicked inner monologue rang in her mind as Lan’ara drew the misery and fear into herself, taking away the hurt and pain as well as she could.