She sounds almost fearful of that, and I nod, no doubt in my mind. “Of course they’ll find him.”
“What happens then?”
Images of me tearing the fucker apart with my bare hands entertain me for a brief moment, but I merely say, “That’s not for me to second-guess. First, we find him; then we discover his importance.”
“Importance? I don’t understand.”
“Not many do, darlin’ but understand one thing. If there is one shred of evidence to indicate he deserves to take his last breath, you can be assured it will be, and I give you my solemn vow on that.”
I stop and pull her to face me, noting the doubt in her eyes merging with fear, and I soften my tone.
“One thing is definite: you are safe now. If you decide that you never want to set eyes on him again, we will make that happen.”
Her smile is faint, and her troubled expression rips apart my sanity.
“I’m not sure what I think, Blade. I don’t remember my name, where I’m from, or if I even have a family searching for me. All I know is that I was an evil woman’s slave and the man in charge of her was my husband. Make it make sense.”
For some reason, I do something I’ve never done before. I cup her face between my rough hands and force her to look into my eyes.
“I’ve got you, angel. You’re not on your own anymore.”
Tears fill her beautiful green eyes, and the gratitude on her face slays me inside. She’s soft, delicate, and vulnerable, which is like a dagger in my heart. I hate seeing a woman cry, and it appears I hate seeing her cry ten hundred times more.
I want to hold her, to wrap her in my arms and never let her go. To shield her from the world and keep it away from hurting her. I want this woman to smile with happiness and forget about her past. I want to discover her name—her real name and I want her to know mine.
The hope in her eyes cuts me deep. Like a wounded animal hoping for someone to take away the pain, she is looking at me now. Hope mixed with indecision, causing me to reassure her in the only way I can.
I drop my hands and reaching around her waist, I pull her close against me. My hand holding her tenderly, securely, intending to offer comfort. My breath hitches as she presses her cheek against my chest, her soft sigh admitting how lost she is. Her arms lie flat against my chest, her palms pressing into it. As if she is curling up in a ball to keep the world away.
I drop my head, the scent of flowers from the shampoo we use, heavy in her hair. My heart beats steadily, my muscles bunched together as I protect her from her past. I ache to kiss the top of her head, to slide my hands around her waist and pull her in deeper. To breathe her scent, to lick her neck—to kiss her skin. A primal instinct that occurs when a beast finds its mate. Desire, protection, lust, and fulfillment. I am confused, but I want this moment to last forever because right now, if a fucking army abseiled down the mountain and attempted to take her from me, I would slay every miserable one of them.
This woman in my arms is mine to protect, and my heart is heavy when I face the understanding that the most imminent threat to her right now is me.
Delilah pushes back first and angles her head up to meet my gaze. “Thank you.”
I’m shocked when she stands on tiptoe and presses her lips to mine, a sudden attack I wasn’t expecting.
I say nothing, and she smiles sweetly. “I appreciate your help, Blade. I want you to know that.”
“I meant what I said.”
My tone is gruff, my heart racing at ten million miles an hour as I face something new. The desire for something more than just sex.
I incline my head toward the trail.
“Come. I want you to see this.”
I drop my hands and then falter as her soft hand finds mine, and she smiles, a faint blush stealing across her pale skin as she takes a deep breath.
My fingers close around hers, and my breath hitches. Why does this simple act affect me so deeply?
As we walk, I attempt to make sense of my turbulent thoughts, but there is no reason for the way I am feeling right now other than I’m going stir crazy.
We walk in silence, and as we make our way through the trees, it opens up to a view that not many get to see.
“Wow!” Delilah gasps, turning to me with an impish grin.
“Where are we?”
