“Good. Then clean up this mess and toss the traitor's body into space. I don't want his filth on my ship.”
Braxis lifted me in his arms, cradled me against his massive chest, and carried me out of the room.
Chapter Forty-Two
I was shivering from cold and shock by the time we reached his suite. Braxis set me down on my feet and shut the door behind us. I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to stop shaking. They hadn't touched me but it had been close. I had been seconds away from getting raped by a bunch of Bleiten warriors. And they wouldn't have tried to give me pleasure like Braxis. It would have been brutal. Bloody even. The looks on their faces as they closed in around me would haunt me forever.
“Come here, hashanna,” Braxis said gently as he picked me up again.
My brain vaguely registered what he'd said—what he'd called me. Hashanna—it meant sweetheart in Bleiten. No, wait, that's not accurate. There's no English equivalent for the word but it's closer to “my dearest love.” That one word confirmed my victory over Braxis. I had won. He loved me. But I couldn't process that now. All I could think about was how my body had moved like a puppet for his warriors. How their lust had clotted the air and their stares scraped my skin. And how Braxis had looked when he stormed into that room and saved me. It was the first time that I'd seen his battleform and hadn't felt fear. I'd felt... joy. Utter happiness, both for his rescue and for the fact that he lived.
Oh, this was so bad.
Braxis laid me down on the bed. I curled into a ball and watched him shift back to his normal form—everything condensing and drawing back into him. He was still massive but no longer monstrous. But it didn't matter to me; it wasn't Braxis who I was afraid of. And why was I still scared? Braxis had killed Granelt and cowed the rest of his men into submission. I was safe now. So, why couldn't I stop shaking? My gaze lowered to his bloody hand.
Braxis went to the bathroom. I heard the water running and then he returned, all of the blood gone. He slid under the covers and tucked me in against his chest. Braxis curled himself around me and rubbed my skin briskly. Warmth radiated off of him and got trapped beneath the covers with us. I sighed and burrowed closer but my shivering only increased. It didn't help that my hair and underwear were still wet. I pushed back from him and gathered my hair to lift it over the pillow and get it as far away from me as possible. Then I slipped out of my panties and tossed them away. When I went for my bra, my numb fingers fumbled with the hooks and my breath caught, hovering on the edge of a sob.
“Let me,” Braxis whispered as his hand stilled mine.
I drew my hand back and he removed my bra for me, then cast it on the floor. He didn't comment on my nudity, just pulled me close again and returned to rubbing my back soothingly. His head bent over mine and his lips brushed my forehead. He was so careful, so tender, and that kindness was even more precious for the fact that he was not a gentle man.
“They're not evil,” Braxis said softly. “I know they seem that way now but remember what you said about hatred? They have stewed in their hatred for you and then Granelt gave them a way to release it. A way that would also give them pleasure. There hasn't been a lot of opportunities for... female interaction lately.”
His voice soothed me and his words slowly sank through my terror. Braxis kept rubbing my back but softened his touch into a light stroking. His lower legs were pressed against mine but he'd made sure to bend his knees so that his genitals weren't touching me. He was making every effort to be as nonthreatening as possible and it worked. I forgot that he was my captor and he became my savior. I relaxed against him.
“I know each of those men. I grew up with most of them. They are not rapists, Amara. They are good men who were tempted to do a bad thing. And I swear to you that they will never hurt you. Once they know what you did for me, they won't want to.”
Then a knock came at the door, and I jerked back, terror shooting through me again.
“Shh, it's okay,” Braxis soothed as he stroked my cheek. “I'll be right back, hashanna. You're safe; I won't let anyone hurt you.”
Braxis got out of bed and I huddled into a ball, shrinking beneath the blankets.
Someone spoke in Vimmari, “Is she well? They didn't hurt her, did they?”
“No, I got there just in time,” Braxis answered in the same language. “Thank you, Prix. If you hadn't told me what was happening, things would be much worse.”
“I'm glad I made it to you in time,” Prix said with stark relief in his tone. “I brought food for you both with hot and cold drinks. I wasn't certain which would be better for your lady.”
“Thank you,” I peeked from the covers to say in Vimmari. “Thank you for what you did, Prix.”
Prix blinked his three eyes at me, then smiled gently. “I could not save you myself but I couldn't stand there and do nothing either. I'm greatly relieved that my actions were enough to help you.”
“So I am,” I whispered.
“Thank you, Prix,” Braxis said again as he took the tray. He was stark naked but neither man seemed to notice.
Prix nodded and left, closing the door for Braxis. Braxis brought the tray to the bed and set it on the shelf that served as a headboard.
“Would you like some jubba?” He took one of the steaming mugs from the tray and offered it to me. “It's sweet and hot—a drink from Vimm.”
“Yes,” I murmured as I sat up, pulling the blankets with me. “I remember it. We had it this morning, didn't we?”
“Yes.” Braxis smiled encouragingly as he set the mug into my hand. He waited for me to take a sip before he asked. “Are you hungry?”
“No. I... I need a few minutes to collect myself.”
“Of course.” He went into the bathroom and returned with a towel. “I'm coming up behind you,” he warned me as he climbed back onto the bed. “I'm going to dry your hair, okay?”
