More futile struggles. I wiped away the fresh blood and moved in.
“Wait!” My hand paused millimeters from her skin, and I glanced up. “I-I’m not afraid.”
I lifted a brow and pointedly glanced at her shaking grip on the counter. “No?”
She shook her head. “I-I…”
I held perfectly still. The outcome wouldn’t change—it couldn’t, she needed this—but I refused to begin until I had her consent.
“Eryn.” The use of her name and my tone snapped her out of the building panic. “What have I told you? What promise have I kept despite everything?”
“You w-won’t hurt me.”
“I swear it on our bond.” My fixed stare didn’t waver. “Trust me to know what you can handle. Trust me to take care of you, princess.”
Her tension still tightened every limb, but she took a deep breath, held my gaze, and nodded. I moved before she could change her mind. Thank the gods, I’d had plenty of practice stitching myself and Ezra over the years. I was quick.
She jumped at the first pull of the thread but didn’t cry, and I kept a close eye on our bond for any spikes in pain. My first estimate was correct, six stitches, neatly along the curve of her hip. Scarring should be minimal, but the poultice would help just in case.
I mixed my gathered ingredients with hot, sterile water in a small pestle and allowed it time to cool as I cleaned her of any remaining dried blood. When the mixture was at a comfortable temperature, I scooped it into a fresh bandage and taped it down.
“Get ready,” I warned, a second before removing my shadows.
She fell forward with a slight squeak, right into my chest. I kept my hold light and open in case she wanted nothing to do with my touch, but she melted into me. Carefully wrapping my arms around her, I kissed the top of her head. I hadn’t realized how much of the fear and tension in here was my own. It sat bottled inside me as I focused on her comfort.
“Thank you,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m proud of you, princess.”
There was some exhaustion and relief on her end at the knowledge that it was all over. What surprised me was the contentment. Was it possible she wanted my touch? By her reaction…I didn’t dare hold on to what that could mean, but longing grew inside me anyway.
There was only so much a man could take. Eryn rolled her hips again, her knee grazing my dick as she threw her leg over mine. I thought any latent energy from the attack would manifest in nightmares, not…this. Gods, this was a test in restraint—one I was a touch away from failing.
I had nightly dreams of flipping her over and burying myself in her tight heat, urged on by her innocent writhing and soft moans. With those images in my head, how was I supposed to cope? Feeling around for a spare pillow to use as a buffer, I realized they had all been pushed to the floor.
Fuck. This needed to stop before it went too far. Then again, Eryn welcomed my touch earlier. She basked in it. It was possible she was open to me helping her sate this need, and there was only one way to find out.
“Princess,” I whispered into her ear.
Her body answered my call with another roll and press of her damp panties against my hip. I had a flash of worry for her stitches; she could pull them moving like that. I clamped a hand on her thigh and rolled until she lay on her back with me propped on one arm above her. Long lashes fluttered against her cheeks, but she didn’t wake. Easing her leg down, I lifted herlong shirt to check the bandage and found no blood. Thank the gods.
I groaned as another wave of heat spiked down the bond. Eryn’s entire body tensed like a spring wound too tight. Her moans were broken apart by shallow pants, and I applied light pressure to her lower abdomen when her hips began to writhe against me again. Enough of this.
“Princess,” I growled, louder than before.
Her eyes sprang open and met mine in the dark. We said nothing, wrapped in the spell that ensnared us both. Her chest rose and fell as her body backed off the edge. I could tell she was close by the light sheen of sweat on her skin and the way her stomach flexed beneath my palm.
“Do you need assistance?”
A little more of that fog cleared as she answered, “What?”
“I’m assuming you want to finish?” My hand stretched until the tip of my pinky traced low, along the band of her panties. “By the sounds you were making, it wouldn’t take much to get you there.”
I held my breath as I awaited her answer. The attraction between us flared, so I knew I’d captured her interest. Embarrassment tampered with that lingering need, but I hoped we had built enough trust that she’d give me the green light.
The silence stretched on, unbearable. I felt her indecision, felt the moment her arousal won out, and she folded to her body’s demands.
“I need…” she whimpered, and my hand traced a path lower.
“Tell me what you need, princess.”
