Her dark eyes met mine, rebellion bright. Then her eyebrow rose as she glanced at what I’d tossed her. “You—”
I snatched the packet and popped out two high-strength painkillers. Stealing her hand, I placed both into her palm. She cupped them instantly.
“You’re hurt. I told you I’m not a monster, Ms. Weaver. Would a beast give you something to mute your pain? The same pain, I might add, that you brought on by yourself?”
Her face went white, her fingers unlocking to peer at the two white tablets. Her face twisted with a mixture of disbelief and utter confusion.
Another dagger to my gut. There was something about her injuries and vulnerabilities that were the perfect chisel to my iron-clad resolve.
The resolve that’d saved me from myself. The lifestyle that I’d been taught when nothing else had worked.
Fuck.
Looking away, I tossed a water bottle at her. She caught it clumsily. Unscrewing the lid, she placed the tablets on her tongue, and drained the contents in three seconds flat. She wiped her mouth, eyeing up the bag by my feet.
Silence existed for a heartbeat. Then two.
Her eyes met mine, granting me something I hadn’t sought togain. Her gratefulness. The fight and future was forgotten—her bodily needs overtaking everything else. And I was the one who could give her what she needed.
“If you’re looking for food, I have some.”
She swallowed hard.
I forced myself to shove aside my tangled emotions, grabbing my icy persona with both hands. “I need something from you first.”
She grabbed the damn dog again.
I hated how her arms lashed around him, seeking something else she needed—something I couldn’t give her.
I whistled.
Bolly instantly heeled, leaving Nila rejected on the tartan blanket.
She rolled her shoulders, looking longingly at the dog. Slowly, the strength I grew to recognise cloaked her; her eyes met mine. “Fine. What do you want?”
Everything.
The parts of myself I kept hidden, driven so far inside I’d forgotten they’d even existed, sparked with possession.
“You owe me something.”
Her gaze popped wide. “Excuse me?”
I fell to my haunches, balancing myself with a fingertip placed on the ground. My heart beat thickly. “I gave you something in that dining room...remember?”
Her lips curled in disgust. “You gave me to your father and your so-called brothers.”
I shook my head. “More than that. I gave you freedom. I took their memory and made it mine...” I devoured her with my gaze, saliva filling my mouth remembering her taste.
Realization slammed into her. “You can’t be serious. You expect me to repay thefavour?”
I balled my hands.
She shook her head. “No way. You’re insane.”
Insane?
I couldn’t do it.
