He’s ridiculously strong, bossy, and even though it’s impossible for my rational mind to comprehend, I do trust him. And so, I will.
With my life.
He pulls the duvet over me, smoothing my hair back from my face. Reaching for the blinds, he shuts out all light, plunging the room into almost complete darkness.
Apart from the hypnotic glow of his eyes.
“Stay,” I whisper.
The word hangs in the air between us, as does his hesitation.
“I’ll be right outside the door.” He leans over me, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
My eyes are already growing heavy as the adrenaline crash combines with the aftermath of the most intense orgasm of my life. I want to argue, want to pull him into the bed beside me, but exhaustion is dragging me under.
“Trust me,” he whispers, his soft lips brushing my forehead one last time, his thick beard tickling my nose. “Just trust me.”
And despite everything, despite the chaos and the fear and the impossible situation we’re in, I do.
The last thing I see before sleep claims me is Bodhi silhouetted in the doorway, watching over me like a sentinel.
My protector. Like something from a fairytale.
Like something more than just your average man.
16
BODHI
Iclose Emma’s door behind me and lean against the wall, my head falling back with a muffled thud as my chest heaves.
Fuck.
I can still taste her on my tongue, still feel her trembling beneath me, fingers clawing at my back as she came apart, my name spilling from her mouth like a prayer.
Which is exactly why I had to leave, why I abandoned our mate alone in that bed when she was soft and pliant and begging for more. I know she’s not ready for any of the things he’s demanding. Every instinct I have is screaming to turn around and claim her, and every ounce of discipline I’ve learned says that if I do, I’ll destroy the one thing I’m trying to protect.
My jaw locks, teeth grinding so hard it aches as I force myself to stay where I am. For months, I’ve let him do as he pleases, but now, when it matters, I’m keeping him from the thing he wants most.
But she’s never been with a man, let alone an untamed shifter bear who wants to sink his teeth into her delicate neck and mark her as his forever.
My eyes flutter shut, and a groan rumbles up from somewhere deep in my chest. I need to get my shit together. Fast.
Footsteps echo from the end of the corridor, and I force myself upright, schooling my features into something resembling calm.
Kozlov rounds the corner with two guards flanking him, not taking any chances with his security now. His suit has been changed; the rumpled one from earlier replaced with fresh charcoal wool, but there’s a frantic energy to him that betrays his composure.
The attack rattled him more than he wants to admit.
“Lennox.” He stops in front of me, his gaze flicking to Emma’s closed door. “Is she secure?”
Thank God humans have such a poor sense of smell. Her arousal still hangs heavy in the air. Any shifter would know what just happened behind this door.
“Locked in and resting.” I keep my voice professional, even as my animal snarls at his proximity to our mate. “She’s shaken, but physically unharmed.”
He doesn’t care about her emotional state. Just that she’s still unmarked and untouched, as far as he knows, for his precious auction.
“Good. Good.” He nods, distracted, then focuses on me with renewed intensity. “You did well tonight. Better than well. My men are trained professionals, but they froze. You didn’t.”
