“I’m sorry, princess. I’ll try to be gentle. Be brave for me, my sweet girl.”
She bit her lips and then nodded.
He carefully ran his fingers over her bruised and battered ribs, swearing violently under his breath when she flinched and closed her eyes, holding herself stiff. But she didn’t utter a single noise. He admired her strength and resilience, knowing she was in unspeakable pain.
“Goddamn it,” he swore when he felt at least two ribs that were fractured. She needed medical care, not just for her ribs but for the injuries to her face. It was likely she’d fractured her nose and possibly her jaw as well.
Already there was significant swelling to her nose and jaw. She looked like a mess and yet she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Those sons of bitches deserved to die for daring to touch what was his. And she was his. Even if it wasn’t possible in the real world. But to him, she was his, even if it was never meant to be.
“How bad is it?” she whispered, her words slurred around swollen lips.
“You have broken ribs. Not sure how bad, but I’ll have a doctor come over to examine you. You’re in no shape to go to a hospital. He’ll need to examine your nose and jaw to make sure nothing is broken there as well.”
“I hurt,” she said quietly.
He knew she was in a great deal of pain to have made the admission, and the words broke his heart and made him want all the more to go back and make sure he’d finished the job. The street trash didn’t deserve to live for even laying hands on her, much less brutalizing her.But he had to get it together. She was his top and only priority. If the bastards survived, he’d track them down and avenge his princess.
When had he started referring to her as his princess? He wasn’t a man prone to endearments. Evangeline was the first person that he’d used affectionate pet names with, but they were meaningless and harmless. He called herdollandsweetheart, but then all of Drake’s men had done so and they were not touchy-feely men at all. But Hayley was different. She was... special.
“Let me get you something for pain and then I’ll call the doctor to come right over. While we wait, I want you to rest and let the pain medicine settle in, and you aren’t to so much as move until the doctor arrives. Do you think you can swallow some pills, or do I need to crush them up and dissolve them in a little water so you can drink it down?”
She licked her bloodied lips, wincing, and then cast him an apologetic look. “I don’t think I could swallow a pill. I’m sorry.”
He leaned down so their noses were nearly touching, his expression fierce. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’ll be right back with your pain medicine, and then I want you to rest while I call the doctor.”
She nodded wearily, her eyelids already fluttering downward. He hurried away into the kitchen and shook two pain pills from the bottle he kept for the migraines that plagued him at times. Using a spoon, he carefully crushed the pills until they were little more than dust, which he then poured into a small cup of water, stirring until it was completely dissolved.
He returned to his bedroom where Hayley lay, her expression one of utter exhaustion and her features strained with pain.
“Princess,” he said in a soft voice. “I need you to drink this and then I’ll let you rest while I make some calls. Can you do that for me?”
She stirred and when her eyelids fluttered he could see pain dulling her usually vibrant, sparking-with-life eyes. It enraged him that she’d been brutally attacked and that he hadn’t been there to protect her.Never again. She was under his protection even though she didn’t know it.
She struggled to get upright, but he gently stopped her, instead cupping the back of her head and lifting just enough that he could place the rim of the small cup to her mouth.
“Drink all of it, my sweet girl. The pain will get better. I promise.”
Slowly she sipped, making a sour face as she swallowed the contents. When it was all gone, he lowered her back down and fussed with the pillows in an attempt to ensure her comfort.
“Are you comfortable?” Then he swore. “Of course you aren’t comfortable, but what is the best position to take the pressure off your ribs?”
“I’d rather lie flat and never move again,” she mumbled, her pain-filled eyes already closing in exhaustion.
He arranged the pillows and blankets, cocooning her so she was as comfortable as he could make her.
“The medicine should take effect more quickly since I dissolved it in water. Hang in there, princess. You’ll start feeling relief in a few minutes.”
“Thank God,” she whispered. “I hurt everywhere, Silas.”
He had to work to control the absolute fury that threatened to explode. He turned to leave the room so he could make his calls, but her soft voice stopped him.
“Silas?”
He turned around immediately. “Is there something you need, princess?”
She swallowed, and her eyes went shiny with the evidence of tears again.
“Thank you for coming for me. For saving me,” she whispered.
