<b>Chapter </b><b>73 </b>
Alexander & E
Alexander
E’s scent hit me like a freight train the moment I pulled her into my arms.
Cherry and vani–but stronger now. The fear that had been threading through it was already beginning to fade, reced by something else. Something that made my wolf go wild.
“Mark her,” he growled. “She’s ours. She’s right here. Mark her now.”
The urge was so strong that I nearly gave in. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to sink my teeth into the delicate curve of her neck, to finallyplete the bond that should have been sealed years ago. My canines actually extended somewhat, their sharp points pressing against my lower lip.
But I forced my canines to retract. No, I would not mark her. Especially not here and now, in the middle of an abandoned barn in the woods, a dead body going cold beside us, and sirens ring in the distance.
“Alexander?” E’s voice was muffled against my shoulder. “Is he really dead?”
I nced at the crumpled body of her attacker, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood had pooled beneath him, dark and thick in the shlight’s beam.
“Yes. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She shuddered and pressed closer against me. Her scent had begun to fade, which came as both a relief and a disappointment. The loss of it felt like a warm nket had been ripped from me, but it also made my wolf
calm.
The police arrived shortly after that. I managed to extract myself from E long enough to handle everything, coordinating with the officers and exining what had happened. Gabriel showed up at some point, along with what seemed like half of the territory’sw enforcement.
While the police taped off the crime scene, I watched the paramedics work, noting the cuts on E’s arms, the bruises forming on her skin. She looked so small sitting there in the back of the ambnce, her dress
torn and dirty, her hair tangled with leaves and debris.
“We need to take her to the hospital for observation,” one of the paramedics said. “She’s showing signs <i>of </i>being drugged, and we should run some tests-”
“No.” E’s voice was stronger now, more like herself. “I’m not going to the hospital. <i>I’ve </i>spent enough time theretely.”
“E,” I started, but she cut me off with a raised hand.
11:36 Sat, 23 Aug O
“I’m fine, Alexander. I just want to go home.”
The paramedic looked between us. “Luna, given what you’ve been through-
“I said I’m fine.” She lifted her chin and shot me an imploring nce. “I want to go home.”
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33)
I studied her face, noting the stubborn set of her jaw. She was scared of hospitals right now, I realized. After everything that had happened with her condition, she associated them with being sick and helpless. She
wanted to feel safe, not like a patient.
“Alright,” I finally said. “We’ll go home. But I don’t want you to leave my sight tonight. Not for a second.”
A flush crept up her neck at my words. I hadn’t meant them to sound suggestive, but there was something
about the way she looked at me that made my wolf purr with satisfaction.
E
Back at the mansion, Alexander insisted on carrying me inside despite my protests. I was perfectly capable
of walking, even if my legs were still a little unsteady from whatever that monster had put in my drink. But
Alexander wouldn’t hear of it, scooping me up in his arms like I weighed nothing.
I had to admit that it felt good to be held like this. Safe. Protected.
In our bedroom, he set me down gently on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of me, examining the cuts
and scrapes on my arms and legs. His touch was gentle as he turned my wrists to check where the duct tape had been, then probed gently at the bruise on my shoulder.
“These need to be cleaned,” he said, frowning at a particrly nasty scratch that ran from my elbow to my
wrist. “And you need to get out of these clothes.”
I looked down at my ruined dress, which was torn and stained with dirt and blood. The sight of it made me feel sick. “I can manage-
“No, you can’t.” Alexander’s voice was firm but not unkind. “E, you’re shaking. You just went through a
near–death experience. Let me take care of you.”
Something about the way he said he wanted to take care of me made my heart leap with an emotion I dared not name. But from a practical side of things, he was right. My hands were trembling so badly I could barely
pick anything up, and every time I tried to stand, the room spun slightly.
“I need a bath,” I muttered.
“I’ll run one for you.”
“Alexander, I can-”
11:36 Sat, 23 Aug E
60%
“No.” He was already moving toward the bathroom. “I’m not leaving you alone, remember? That includes when you’re bathing.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “You can’t be serious.”
“Completely serious.” He turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. “You’re injured and drugged and traumatized. I’m not taking any chances.”
“But I can’t… You can’t just…” I struggled to find the words. The idea of Alexander seeing me naked and vulnerable in the bath–again–made my heart race for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
“E.” He turned to face me, and there was something in his green eyes that made my breath catch. “I’ve seen you naked before, remember? We’re even.”
The reference to that night in the bathtub weeks ago made my face burn even hotter, but I couldn’t deny the logic. Still, this felt different. More intimate somehow.
“Fine,” I finally murmured, looking away as if that would somehow hide the crimson flush to my face. “But you have to promise not to look.”
“I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
That didn’t make me feel any better.
But when I tried to stand up to undress, my legs gave outpletely. Alexander caught me before I could hit the floor, his strong arms wrapping around my waist.
“Okay,” I breathed, suddenly understanding just how much I needed his help. “Okay.”
Alexander was true to his word about being a gentleman. He helped me out of my ruined dress and into the warm bath with his eyes carefully averted, then knelt beside the tub and picked up the hairb.
The hot water felt like heaven against my battered skin. I sank into it with a sigh, letting it wash away the dirt and fear and the lingering scent of that horrible man.
I shut my eyes and felt his gentle fingers in my hair, working out the twigs and leaves that had gotten tangled there during my desperate flight through the forest. His touch was incredibly soft, and before I could stop it, a soft moan of enjoyment slipped out of me.
My eyes shot open, and I pped my hand over my mouth. “That wasn’t-”
“Shh,<i>” </i>Alexander cut me off, still working at my hair. “Just enjoy it.”
My heart thrummed, but I did as he ordered. I shut my eyes and leaned back against the tub again. Warm
water poured over my scalp, and the scent of cherry and vani washed over me as he began to gently wash
my hair with shampoo.
11:36 Sat, 23 Aug
“I’m fine, Alexander. I just want to go home.”
The paramedic looked between us. “Luna, given what you’ve been through-”
“I said I’m fine.” She lifted her chin and shot me an imploring nce. “I want to go home.”
60%
<b>+33 </b>
I studied her face, noting the stubborn set of her jaw. She was scared of hospitals right now, I realized. After
everything that had happened with her condition, she associated them with being sick and helpless. She wanted to feel safe, not like a patient.
“Alright,” I finally said. “We’ll go home. But I don’t want you to leave my sight tonight. Not for a second.”
A flush crept up her neck at my words. I hadn’t meant them to sound suggestive, but there was something
about the way she looked at me that made my wolf purr with satisfaction.
E
Back at the mansion, Alexander insisted on carrying me inside despite my protests. I was perfectly capable
of walking, even if my legs were still a little unsteady from whatever that monster had put in my drink. But
Alexander wouldn’t hear of it, scooping me up in his arms like I weighed nothing.
I had to admit that it felt good to be held like this. Safe. Protected.
In our bedroom, he set me down gently on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of me, examining the cuts
and scrapes on my arms and legs. His touch was gentle as he turned my wrists to check where the duct tape
had been, then probed gently at the bruise on my shoulder.
“These need to be cleaned,” he said, frowning at a particrly nasty scratch that ran from my elbow to my wrist. “And you need to get out of these clothes.”
I looked down at my ruined dress, which was torn and stained with dirt and blood. The sight of it made me
feel sick. “I can manage-”
“No, you can’t.” Alexander’s voice was firm but not unkind. “E, you’re shaking. You just went through a near–death experience. Let me take care of you.”
Something about the way he said he wanted to take care of me made my heart leap with an emotion I dared
not name. But from a practical side of things, he was right. My hands were trembling so badly I could barely
pick anything up, and every time I tried to stand, the room spun slightly.
“I need a bath,” I muttered.
“I’ll run one for you.”
“Alexander, I can-”
11:36 Sat, 23 Aug
60<b>% </b>
“No.” He was already moving toward the bathroom. “I’m not leaving you alone, remember? That includes when you’re bathing.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “You can’t be serious.”
+33
“Completely serious.” He turned on the water, adjusting the temperature. “You’re injured and drugged and traumatized. I’m not taking any chances.”
“But I can’t… You can’t just…” I struggled to find the words. The idea of Alexander seeing me naked and vulnerable in the bath–again–made my heart race for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
“E.” He turned to face me, and there was something in his green eyes that made my breath catch. “I’ve seen you naked before, remember? We’re even.”
The reference to that night in the bathtub weeks ago made my face burn even hotter, but I couldn’t deny the logic. Still, this felt different. More intimate somehow.
“Fine,” I finally murmured, looking away as if that would somehow hide the crimson flush to my face. “But
you have to promise not to look.”
“I promise to be a perfect gentleman.”
That didn’t make me feel any better.
But when I tried to stand up to undress, my legs gave outpletely. Alexander caught me before I could hit the floor, his strong arms wrapping around my waist.
“Okay,” I breathed, suddenly understanding just how much I needed his help. “Okay.”
Alexander was true to his word about being a gentleman. He helped me out of my ruined dress and into the warm bath with his eyes carefully averted, then knelt beside the tub and picked up the hairb.
The hot water felt like heaven against my battered skin. I sank into it with a sigh, letting it wash away the
dirt and fear and the lingering scent of that horrible man.
+ shut my eyes and felt his gentle fingers in my hair, working out the twigs and leaves that had gotten tangled there during my desperate flight through the forest. His touch was incredibly soft, and before I could stop it, a soft moan of enjoyment slipped out of me.
My eyes shot open, and I pped my hand over my mouth. “That wasn’t-”
“Shh,” Alexander cut me off, still working at my hair. “Just enjoy it.”
My heart thrummed, but I did as he ordered. I shut my eyes and leaned back against the tub again. Warm water poured over my scalp, and the scent of cherry and vani washed over me as he began to gently wash
my hair with shampoo.
11:36 Sat, 23 Aug
60%
+33
For those moments, I forgot about everything else. The kidnapping, the fear, the fact that I was dying. There was only Alexander’s gentle touch and the warm water and the feeling of beingpletely, utterly safe for
the first time in months.
My wolf remained frustratingly silent, but somehow I felt better anyway. Stronger. But surely that was just in my head.
When the water began to cool, Alexander helped me out and wrapped me in a fluffy towel. He’d brought me a clean nightgown from the dresser, and he turned away while I dried off and slipped it on.
“Better?” he asked once I was dressed and dr
I nodded, suddenly exhausted. The adrenaline had worn offpletely now<i>, </i>leaving me feeling deted
like a balloon that lost its air.
Alexander seemed to sense my fatigue. He guided me back to the bed and pulled back the covers, waiting while I climbed in. The sheets felt cool and soft against my skin, and I sank into the mattress with a soft groan of relief.
But when Alexander started to move toward the chair by the window, panic red in my chest. I couldn’t be alone right now. I couldn’t close my eyes and risk seeing that man’s face, feeling his hands on me.
Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Alexander’s wrist.
“Stay,” I whispered. “Please. Hold me.”
Alexander went very still, just staring down at our joined hands.
I suddenly felt foolish, and quickly dropped his wrist as my cheeks turned crimson again. “Never mind. You
don’t have to-”
But before I could finish, Alexander gently lifted the covers and waved his hand. “Scooch over.”