Page 5 of A Raven Returns

“Christ,” he muttered, spearing his fingers into his damp hair.

“He’s not— We’re not?—?”

Ash shook his head to confirm what she was asking. Neither of them had the strength to say it aloud.

“What am I going to do? I ran away from a good position. I believed he loved me. And now I have no husband, no employment, and nowhere to go.” A hiss of cynical laughter made its way between her lips. “I don’t even have a full pair of boots or drawers.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re going to be alright, Gwen. You’ll come with me. I’ll make sure you’re safe and have everything you need.”

She scrunched her brow. “But why? Why would you do all of that for me? Again?”

Ash shrugged. “Because I can.” Because it wasn’t possible for him not to. He would never leave her without knowing she was safe and cared for. “When I finish my business here, I’ll be returning to Raven House, and you will come with me.”

“We can see how well I did with that the first time around.” She huffed another laugh. “How many times are you going to save me, Ash?”

He lifted her chin gently. “As many times as it takes.”

She stood then and pressed her lips to his, reaching one hand down and rubbing her fingers over his manhood, which greedily sprang to life inside his damp trousers. With the other hand, she pulled open the towel she was wrapped in and let it fall to the floor. Desire like he’d never known crashed over him, and it terrified him.

Gently, he placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her still while he stepped back from her. She was only behaving this way because she was in a state of shock.

“No, Gwen. I can’t do this.”

“Am I not to your liking?”

Before he could stop it, his gaze roved over her body from head to toe and back up to her face. “You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes upon.”

“Then why won’t you let me give myself to you? My body is the only thing I have to give in return for your kindness. And I know you want it.” She reached for his trousers again, but he quickly stepped back out of reach.

He shrugged one shoulder. “You know why, Gwen. It’s against my rules.” He would never again allow himself to take advantage of a woman because of his position.

She chuckled cynically. “It’s not as if I’ll be ruined.”

It was time to head her off before his resolve gave out completely. “Before you cover yourself again, turn around so I can see the marks and make sure they don’t need any kind of medical attention.”

That did knock her off course. “It’s nothing, Ash.”

“Then allow me to look. I’ll do nothing untoward.”

She rolled her eyes. “Obviously.”

“Please?”

With a huff, she spun around and bent over, placing her hands on the chair. The anger sparked by the marks was the only thing that allowed him to keep his wits about him with her in that position. There were a couple that were red, and swollen, and can’t have been more than a day or two old. And so many others in various stages of healing. How many times had she endured his beatings?

He touched a fingertip to the edge of one and she sucked in a breath. God how he wished he could take the pain from her and suffer with it himself, instead.

“I’m so sorry, Gwen. A few of these look quite painful, but I don’t think there’s much to be done to help, aside from time.”

She stood, wrapped herself in the towel once more, and sat down.

“How often did he beat you?”

She shrugged. “Not very often in the beginning, but it became more frequent as the months passed. I think he was angry that I hadn’t yet conceived a child. Those efforts became more frequent too, as they always immediately followed the punishment, but I was never successful.” His heart broke for her as he once again vowed to hunt the man down and end him.

“Why don’t you come and lie on the bed? That way you can at least avoid sitting on the wounds.”

She shrugged again, her agitation growing. “Perhaps I deserve the pain.”

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