“It’s alright,” I assured her as I worked to slow my breathing.
Once that was done, she stitched up my wound. Then she bent down again to wrap the bandage around my torso.
Her body was almost completely pressed against mine as she reached behind me to loop the gauze around my middle. Her sweet scent wafted up to my nose and made my mouth water.
My cock began to stir, and I had to use all my willpower to keep it down.
“All done.” Taylor sat back on her heels and looked over her work. Her fingers traced the top of the bandage and lingered on one of my scars.
“Do they scare you?” I asked.
“What? Oh, sorry.” She pulled her hand down and looked away.
“Do they scare you?” I didn’t know why it was important to know if my scars scared her, but it was.
“No. They’re beautiful in their own way. Like snowflakes. Each scar is unique.”
I pointed to the one she’d been touching. “I’m actually fond of this one.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” She gave me a shy smile, but her expression was intrigued.
“I was a small child when I received this one. I had been walking behind my grandparents’ house when I tripped over a rock and fell onto the sharp end of a toy I’d left outside.
It cut me. It didn’t hurt much, but it still scared me. My grandmother heard me crying and came to check on me. She scooped me up onto her lap and pressed a cloth to my cut. Shetold me that every great warrior falls sometimes, but it’s up to me to get back up again. Then she fed me my favorite sweet berries until I felt better.”
I rubbed the scar on my chest. “It’s a reminder of her kindness. I might not have my appia anymore, but at least I have this.”
“That’s a beautiful memory. I don’t have anything to remember my family by.”
Taylor’s words were a stark reminder that, although I loved that Taylor was here, she had lost everything in coming to Valo Prime.
“You can have this.” I pulled her necklace out of my pocket and handed it to her. “To make new memories.”
She ran her fingers over the pendants with a smile on her face. “I knew you’d find it. This is a good memory. You saved me from Scaron.”
“I’d save you from a pack of jagwas to keep you safe.”
A humorous smile drew across her face. “You already did, remember? On our way to the mountain, a jagwa pounced on me, and you threw it off.”
“Well, I’d do it again,” I reiterated with a smile.
“You keep me safe.” It was a statement, not a question. She knew I’d always be there for her.
“Always.”
“What do I do for you?”
“You exist.”
“That doesn’t sound like an even trade,” Taylor said with a frown.
“It is.”
I was feeling tired, and I didn’t think I had the words needed to express how happy being around her made me feel. Not only was she beautiful and confident, and smart, but she didn’t fear me. Even my fellow shifters looked at me with fear intheir eyes, but not Taylor. She only saw me, Brexl, the male, not the monster, and that was a gift I’d cherish for the rest of my days.
Chapter 5
Taylor
