Chapter Twenty-One
If it were possible for his fucking heart to fall out of his chest and onto the floor, it would have the moment the words left Fabiana’s mouth.
“Leave us,” Adonis growled, nodding toward the door.
Billie glared at him before she stomped away. Of course, the older shifter woman was on Fabiana’s side, and it didn’t matter what Adonis did or didn’t do. She’d taken Fabiana in like a pup when she realized Fabiana’s mother was dead, much like she had Adonis. If he didn’t fix this, he’d suffer from burnt meals for the rest of his existence.
Raphael was slower to comply and looked over at the Alpha mate with his fists clenched at his side. He’d never liked to see a woman bleed.
“I’ve got it, Raph.”
“I’ll leave when you stop the bleeding. She might take off your head first.”
Adonis didn’t waste time arguing with hiscapitán. It would be pointless anyway. The wolf seemed to have grown a rather deep soft spot for Fabiana since her arrival here and he’d argued against not telling her about his plans.
Perhaps he should’ve listened.
Adonis stepped into the room, and Fabiana. Her yelp when glass dug into her skin made him see red. She could scream and beat at him if she wanted to, but she was not allowed to harm herself in the process.
“Be calm,” he ordered, throwing his Alpha call power behind it. He moved at the same time she slumped, wanting to save her from falling like dead weight on more glass and wounding herself further.
He reached her, pulling her into his arms and off the floor.
“Don’t touch me.”
Her words were slurred, but he understood her meaning. No, he would never stop touching her. No, he would not let her leave their home and go back to the Bianchi and Lombardi. She was Moonstone,his, and he wasn’t going to give her up.
“Let me take care of you.”
“I don’t trust you.”
That was obvious, and he tried to ignore the hurt beating in his chest. He didn’t know what she knew, but considering the state of the lab, someone had opened their mouth about something that didn’t concern them. When he found out who it was, they’d be begging for him to end them by the time he was finished.
He laid her out, careful of the glass in her feet and side before grabbing her lab coat and covering her with it. Raphael may be his brother, but he didn’t want him seeing her naked.
“I’ll get you the first aid kit.”
“Don’t bother, Raph. I don’t have the time to wait.”
With careful hands, Adonis removed the glass, increasing his Alpha call to buffer the pain as much as he could. Then he bent and licked at the particularly nasty wound on her left heel. She’d need stitches, but he had a better idea.
“Shift,” he demanded, and she did with a yell. “Shift.”
The motion was violent as she once more became a woman, but the minor cuts were gone and the bad one on her foot was nothing more than a red line that would fade in a few minutes. It wouldn’t have worked if she had stayed in wolf form longer or if he hadn’t added the healing quality of his saliva, but as his mate, his gift was spread directly to her better.
“Release me.”
“Are you going to get down from the table?”
Fabiana’s glare was enough answer for him. He sighed, shaking his head. How anyone believed this woman to be meek and terrified was beyond him. In the weeks she’d spent among the Moonstone, she’d gained her voice, and he was so proud of her for it. Now, though, it presented a particular problem.
“You can leave.”
Raphael followed the directive with a nod. Adonis didn’t look at his mate. Instead, he took time to grab the broom and dustpan from the eye wash station area. The mundane action of cleaning up the glass soothed his frayed nerves until he could think more clearly.
Seeing Fabiana like that—her eyes red from shed tears and her hair in disarray—did things to his psyche. He supposed there should have come a time for them to be at odds, the steady build of a relationship between them had been too smooth. Nothing in either of their lives ever came about that easily.
But he hadn’t wanted it to be like this.
