Page 8 of Savage Knight
The fear in her voice was palpable.She sounded broken and defeated, and pity tugged on his heartstrings.He slipped the safety on and put the gun in his pocket before heading to the bed to wake her up.
“Sh,” he murmured, brushing her hair off her face.“You’re safe, Lowen.”
Her eyes opened wide and she screeched, scooting back until she was up against the headboard.Then she blinked and looked around before settling her gaze on him.
“Evren?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
She let out a breath and slowly relaxed.“I’m sorry for waking you up.”
“Sounded like a pretty bad nightmare.Are you okay?”
“No, but I will be.”She shrugged “One day.I guess it’s going to be a while before the PTSD fades.”
“Do you want some milk or something?”
Lowen shook her head.“No, but thank you.Again, I am sorry.”
“Well, try to relax and remember, you’re safe here.”
Just as he rose to leave, she grabbed his hand.A small spark electrified his fingertips, causing his brows to pinch together.What the hell had that been?
“Promise me something,” she said.The dark tone of her voice telling him he wasn’t going to like the promise she wanted.“If he ever finds me, and you get the chance, please kill me.I’d rather be dead by your hand than suffer at his mercy.”
He was right.He didn’t like what she asked.Her words sliced through him like a knife.“I can’t promise you that.”
“Do you know what it’s like being a woman in a syndicate family?”She didn’t wait for him to answer.“Women are pawns, made to be broken.We have no rights.No recourse except to do as we’re told.My father got his money from selling young girls, and Scias got his pleasure frombreakingthem in.And I happened to be one of them.”
That info made him sick to his stomach.“He’ll never find you.”
“There’s no guarantee of that,” she whispered.“I never want to live through his torture again.”
He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.“We’ll figure something out.”
“Please, Evren,” she begged.
Something gripped him, made him hesitate to promise.Her stark terror, however, tore him up.He pulled back to stare into her beautiful eyes, even though he couldn’t see them in the darkness.
“All I can promise is that I’ll do my best to make sure he’ll never hurt you again.”
She relaxed, and closed her eyes in relief.“Thank you.”
He didn’t like the thought of her dying, but he had nothing else to say.Or a reason to linger in her bedroom.
“Go back to bed,” he urged softly.“Everything will be brighter in the morning.”
As he left the room, the strong urge to glance back gripped him, but he somehow managed to refrain.He didn’t want to play her knight in shining armor, but it looked like he might have just fallen into the role.
