Grief nearly drove her to her knees, and before she could stop it, she sobbed. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle any more sounds, but the second it released, Saxon turned on his light.
Elyse turned her head away from the beam but not before he saw the raw anguish etched onto her face. Her shoulders hunched up as if she braced for a blow, and a tear slid down her cheek. It shimmered in the light as it hung off her chin before falling.
What had these things done to her? No… not toher. She still had her teeth, toes, and fingers. Those were someone else’s body parts in there. He hadn’t considered that she was the one who harvested the pieces, but did she have something to do with them or were they some collection for her?
Looking at her, he suspected they were for her, but they were meant to keep her in line or break her.
Before he knew what he was doing, he stepped away from the doorway and walked over to her. She huddled further in on herself when he rested his hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t pull away, and she didn’t scream at him not to touch her. The sharpness of her collarbone poked his hand as the scent of her tears filled the air.
“What is going on here, Elyse?”
She wiped the tears from her face. Sheyearnedto unburden herself by telling him, but she didn’t know how he would react to the truth. He could have suffered because of her, or maybe one of his friends had; he could decide to use her ability for himself or that she had to die.
“I promise you that I’ll get you away from here and keep you safe,” he said.
He was astonished to realize he meant it. Women had been abigpart of his life since he reached maturity and stopped aging. Sex kept him balanced and made it possible for him to forget, if only for a little bit, the craving for blood and death clawing ceaselessly at his insides.
However, even if he’d enjoyed the company of many women, he’d never felt so protective of one. Those tears tore at him in a way nothing had before. When he pulled her closer, the clean scent of her hair and skin assailed him as she melded against him.
She should push him away, but when his arms encircled her, Elyse found herself unable to resist sinking into his embrace. It had been almost a year since anyone touched her with kindness; she couldn’t refuse it now. And though she tried to deny it, there was something right about being in Saxon’s arms. It was ridiculous considering he was a bloodsucker, but she wasn’t scared of him.
He cupped her head and threaded his fingers through her hair as he held her against him. She was so small, so frail, and so battered. What had these bastards done to her?
“Talk to me, Elyse,” he urged.
She couldn’t. Maybe he wasn’t her enemy now, but he could become her enemy if she told him everything. Even if she’dneverintended to harm anyone, what would he do if he realized she could be a threat to him?
Saxon held her closer when she remained silent with her head bowed and her tiny hands fisted in his shirt. Normally, being this close to a woman meant only one thing for him, but though he wanted her, all he cared about was keeping her safe and comforting her, even if he wanted to shake the answers from her.
“Can you at least tell me who the teeth, toes, and fingers belong to?” he asked.
“They’re not whole fingers,” she murmured.
“What?” Saxon wasn’t sure he heard her right.
“The fingers were cut off at the knuckle. Joseph told me it was so they wouldn’t go through the fingers too fast and would have more to cut off later.”
Saxon had to stop himself from crushing her against him at this revelation. His fangs lengthened at the mention of the vamp who’d once been a Defender like him. For the first time, he wanted Joseph alive sohecould kill him.
“Do you know who they belong to?” he asked.
Elyse closed her eyes as fresh grief washed through her. “Yes.”
Saxon waited for her to say more, and eventually, she did.
“They’re… they’re… my father’s,” she choked out as tears streamed down her cheeks.
The need to kill something thundered through his veins as his fangs throbbed. He kept Elyse cradled against him as she sobbed.
He didn’t care what it took, he would get her out of here, and he’d destroy anyone who stood in his way.
* * *
Saxon tossedanother log on the fire and leaned back as the flames shot up the chimney while the popping wood shot sparks into the air. His face warmed before he rested his hands on his knees and rose.
His gaze fell on the empty mantle. Earlier, he’d taken the jars out of the cabin and stashed them under the overhang that protected the firewood from the elements. She still refused to come into this room.
Striding back into the living room, he stopped when he saw Elyse huddled at the end of the couch. Her head lay on a pillow, and the blanket he’d retrieved from her room enveloped her. Like most of the house, her room was spotless, but it reminded him of a monk’s quarters with its twin bed against the wall, no pictures on the wall, and only one small dresser.
