I bite back a growl.“Iwantto keep you safe.”
That seems to startle her.She stares at me unblinking, and I stare right back.I know she’s not ready for the truth, not all of it.If I tell her I’m a bear shifter and we’re fated mates, she’ll probably laugh in my face or run for the hills.Still, I give her a bit of the truth.
“I need you to be okay.To be safe.”
She licks her lips and takes a deep breath.“Tacoma,” she says finally.
“That’s not too far away.A day’s drive,” I say more to myself than her.“Was it just you and your dad?”
“Yeah, my mom passed away.”
“And you said he sold you?”I ask, my voice harsh.I can’t say it without sounding like a beast.Hell, whenever I think about her dad selling her into a marriage that she didn’t want, I want to rip his head off.
“Yeah,” she whispers.
I clear my throat.“I fucking hate him.”
She blinks at me in surprise.“He’s not my favorite person either.”
“Was he always an asshole?”
She sighs.“No.I remember him being nice when I was young.He started drinking and gambling, and things went downhill from there.I kept hoping he would snap out of it, that it would go back to him being my dad, to him being nice, but…” She trails off.
I swallow hard.“I’m sorry, Fern.”
“Me too,” she says quietly.
“Why stay there with him?”I ask her gently.
“I thought I had more time,” she whispers.“I was saving.I almost got out.”
Rage burns steady and hot in my chest.“You’re out now.”
She swallows.“Yeah, but for how long?”
“Forever.I won’t ever let him or those men take you.I told you I’d keep you safe, and I meant it.”
I push to my feet as she stifles a yawn.“Come on, I’ll show you to your room and get you some clean clothes.”
She follows me as I take her to my room.I turn on the lights and grab a shirt, a pair of boxers, and sweatpants from the closet for her to wear.
“Here you go,” I say, passing her the clothes.
“Thanks.”
“The bathroom is right through there.Help yourself to whatever.We can go into town tomorrow and get you some new things.”
She nods, looking around the room.“Where will you sleep?”
“I’ll take the couch.If you need anything, I’ll be right down the hall.”
She nods again.Always those hesitant nods.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I repeat, backing toward the door.
She watches me go, and I smile as I pull the door partly closed and return to the living room.
I make up the couch, but even lying still in the dark, my bear stays wide awake.
