Page 36 of Untamed

Her chest heaves with a sob, a raw, ugly sound that punches a hole straight through my chest. And then she buries her face against my neck, clinging to me like she’s drowning all over again.

She’s alive and she’s breathing and that’s all that’s important right now.

“I’ll call Bianca and Enzo and tell them you’re here?—”

“No.” Jordyn rasps, her voice hoarse as she pulls her head back to look at me. “Please, Ares, I don’t want them to know what I... what I did.”

My eyes narrow, scanning her pale face, the guilt already etched there. “Fine. I won’t tell Bianca,” I assure her, brushing wet strands of hair away from her face. “But you’re going to tell me everything you remember. Tomorrow.”

Jordyn nods, barely a movement, her head dropping against my shoulder again.

Not tonight.

She’s too fragile.

Too broken.

Later, when she’s strong enough, she’ll tell me. And when she does, I’ll carve the bastard’s name into my fucking soul before I end him. For now, I shift her higher against my chest, adjusting the blanket tighter around her shivering frame. I need to get her out of these wet clothes.

Twice now, I’ve pulled her out of trouble. Twice, we’ve ended up soaked. At this rate, I’ll run out of clothes before she runs out of ways to need saving.

Jordyn’s breathing slows, the tension bleeding out of her inch by inch, until all that’s left is the soft, warm weight of her curled against me.

“You need to get out of these wet clothes before you get sick,” I murmur, my voice softer now, roughened by the edge of panic still flowing out of me.

Standing up, I turn, lowering her carefully onto the bed. Jordyn doesn’t fight it. Doesn’t stir. She just looks up at me, dazed and defeated. Those tired, tear-rimmed blue eyes are too big for her face, all innocence and devastation rolled into one.

And fuck, it cuts me deep.

I crouch down beside the bed, brushing the hair away from her face with a gentleness I didn’t know I still possessed. A gentleness that seems to be preserved exclusively for her. “Let’s get you warm so you can rest, Bambina,” I murmur, not trusting my voice any more than I trust the rage prickling just beneath my skin. She makes a small sound of protest when I pull away. A tiny, broken whimper that cracks something open inside me and when Jordyn’s fingers catch the ends of mine, I go still, frozen in place.

“Ares.” My name flows from her lips, soft and worn out, and for a split second, it snuffs out the raging inferno inside me. I glance down at her, and she peers up at me through heavy-lidded eyes, her pupils still too wide, too glazed. Whatever counteragent the doctor injected is working, but slowly...too damn slow for my liking.

“Yes, Bambina?” I murmur, crouching closer so she doesn't have to strain her voice. She blinks at me, sluggish and vulnerable, her chest rising and falling with shallow, trembling breaths. “You’re always there,” she whispers, the words slurring just enough to stab a blade straight through my chest.

My brows pull together, frowning. What is she talking about?

“That night...” she says, her voice wobbling. “You told me you might not always be around to catch me the next time I fall...” She pauses, licking her lips, struggling to pull the thoughtstogether. “But you’re always there,” she finishes, so softly I almost miss it. “In my absolute worst moments,you’realways there.”

I stare at her, every part of me shattering under the weight of that broken truth.

Christ, she’s so beautiful. So fucking innocent, she doesn’t even realise. Doesn't have any idea how much she’s starting to affect me or how much she’s starting to mean to me. And I am so fucking terrified that one day... no matter how hard I fight...I might not be there in time.

I can’t let her see this side of me. The small part that’s soft, that aches to protect her. I have to keep her at arm’s length if I want to keep her safe.

My world will never be a haven for an innocent soul like you, Bambina. A man like me isn’t made for love or tenderness. I was forged in violence, raised in blood. Born to kill.

And this life? It’s ruthless. Unforgiving. It will chew you up and spit you out without a second thought. If you stay too close to me, it’ll swallow you whole. I have too many enemies waiting in the dark.

Too many fucking monsters who would tear you apart just to get to me. I can’t...I can’t let you fall into this world, Bambina. You deserve better than the ruin stitched into my skin. You deserve love and a man who is untainted. Someone who can love you the way you deserve, openly and loudly.

“Take what you want from my wardrobe and get some rest,” I tell her stonily and pull my hand back from hers. I don’t look back, even when I hear the dejected sigh that escapes her as I walk away.

It’s for her own good.

The first thing I hear when I wake is the sound of her breathing. Breathy. Unsteady, yet steady enough to tell me she’s alive.

I sit up in the chair, every muscle in my back protesting after a night of sleeping half-sitting, half-hovering like some deranged guard dog. My shirt clings to my skin, still damp from last night. I scrub a hand over my beard, the coarse drag of stubble grounding me in the moment.

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