“And you, make everything feel a little less terrifying.” I smiled at her words.
She winced afterwards, as if she regretted admitting it. But the confession hit me like a strike to the sternum. I wrapped both my arms around her shoulders, and she melted into the warmth instantly, her body softening, her cheek pressing against my chest where my heartbeat was loud enough for both of us to feel.
The scent of her hair, clean and rain-soaked, slid under my skin as her breath warmed my shirt. Heat coiled through me, but I forced my muscles to stay relaxed, controlled, and unmoving.
Her whisper brushed my throat. “You’re warm.”
“And you’re freezing.”
“I am warmer now.”
Her honesty scraped something raw inside me.
“Good,” I murmured. “Try to relax.”
“I’m trying.”
She was. I could feel it. Every breath slowly easing, every tremor fading inch by inch as her body yielded to the safety I shouldn’t have wanted to give her this much. Her head grew heavier against me as her breaths became slower. I could sense that she was almost asleep.
I pulled her closer, letting my mouth hover near her temple without touching, but close enough that my breath stirred a stray wisp of her hair.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered, unheard but necessary. “No one’s taking you anywhere ever again. I promise.”
Her fingers curled near my ribs and tightened imperceptibly in my shirt like her body heard me even when her mind didn’t. I stayed there, holding her, guarding her, watching the rise and fall of her breathing as her exhaustion finally dragged her under.
And even long after she fell asleep.
I didn’t move.
Chapter 7 - Ilana
I woke up alone.
The blanket tucked around me was warm and soft, smelling faintly like cedar and the cologne he wore. Dark, clean, and expensive. The indentation beside me on the sofa was still there, a slight dip in the cushion that told me he’d stayed for a long while even after I’d fallen asleep.
Long enough to keep watch.
I sat up slowly, trying not to think about how deeply I’d leaned into him last night, and how terrifyingly comfortable his arms had felt around me. It was impossible to forget how my body had betrayed me by relaxing in his hold, even when my mind screamed not to.
I had been emotional, exhausted, and vulnerable. That was all.
I kept repeating that as I stood, smoothing the wrinkles from my shirt, the fabric still slightly torn. Every muscle felt heavy, but at least the trembling had stopped. My breathing didn’t feel like a knife twisting in my gut anymore. The one thing I knew with certainty was that I needed to find him and thank him.
The words tasted ridiculous in my mouth.
Thank him? For dragging me into a marriage contract and locking me away? For being the reason I even needed rescuing in the first place? But despite it all, I could not let go of the fact that he had saved me. Twice now. And I wasn’t the type to pretend otherwise, even if swallowing the truth made heat creep up my neck.
Before going to find him, I headed back to my room and changed into a new dress after a shower. Just simply being out of those clothes made me feel like a new person, but it did nothing for my nerves. I walked through his mansion, down quiet hallways, past paintings whose names I murmured under my breath just to keep my nerves steady, until I finally reached the main office. I could see he was inside, which made me freeze in the doorway.
Avgust stood near the desk, sleeves rolled up, a phone pressed to his ear. Sunlight cut across his forearms, tracing the veins beneath his skin. The faint scar on his jaw made him look even more dangerous, more carved from stone and blood and intention. He looked irritated. But what bothered me the most was how he looked annoyingly gorgeous.
“Find out who else was involved,” he was saying, voice low but hard. “I want names by tonight.”
He paused, eyes sliding towards me. Even though it was just a glance, it hit like a hand closing around my throat. Then, ever so deliberately, he turned away, finishing the call with a curt, “Don’t fail.”
He hung up, silence pressing around us.
I cleared my throat and walked into the room, the leathery scent enveloping me. “I, um… I was looking for you.”
