Page 79 of Heartsong
“Let me help you, Anna. Please.”
The tiredness and pain pulled at her face, and he could see that right now, she had nothing left. She was at her wit’s end—but she had him, a mate who would take care of her.
For that’s what his Anna needed. Care. Tenderness. She wasn’t a battle to win, nor a fortress to breach. He shouldn’t be sharpening his blade against her hard exterior, nor trying to crack it with his brute strength. She wasn’t a challenge nor a prize. Anna was a woman, one with a sharp tongue and stubborn mind and large heart. And she was his mate.
Mates deserved care and compassion. It was their due. In his haste and desperation to finally form and solidify their bond, he’d forgotten this important tenet.
Her voice wobbled again when she finally agreed. “O-Okay.”
He kept his rumbling purr light, even though he wanted to roar with pride.
“May I carry you?”
“I can walk,” she said, the hint of a grin touching her mouth.
“I know, but I should like to carry you.”
A pause, then a whispered, “Okay.”
Frey carefully lifted his precious mate into his arms to carry into the washroom.
He set her down on the fluffy rug in front of the bath and went about running the water. The light from the far window and the dim little nightlight beside her toothbrush were enough for him, so he didn’t bother with the electric ones as he set out what she’d need and began pulling her sweater over her head.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her tone more curious than accusatory.
“Have you taken a bath to soothe the muscles?”
He’d absolutely never tell her, but he could smell the old sweat and pain on her skin, and her hair had crumpled at odd angles from sleep and the heating pad.
“I took showers.”
“Let’s try a bath.”
“So bossy.” He admired her attempt at humor as she took a half-step back to finish undressing.
She’d just hooked her fingers into her underthings when she stopped, tracing his form in the dark with a cautious look.
“How much can you see in the dark?”
“I will not look,” he assured her. When Anna chose to show herself to him, he’d look his fill and more, but this wasn’t about heat and passion, it was about taking care of her.
Frey didn’t know if it was because she believed him or she was just that tired, but after another moment, Anna divested of her underthings. Keeping his word, he looked nowhere but her face as he helped her into the bath.
Her moan of pleasure resonated as she crouched then lay in the warm water. It swirled around her as she settled, and Frey laid down a soaked towel to cradle her head.
With a little maneuvering, he managed to sit down beside the tub, steam billowing around him. He helped Anna duck her head under the water to wet her hair and then replace it on the cushion. Ever so gently, he ran his claws through her hair and massaged at the base of her skull, taking its weight.
Anna’s eyes slid closed and the line between her brows slowly eased. When the water was nearly to her chin, Frey turned off the faucet.
They sat in the steamy silence, the only sound for a long while the occasional droplet falling from his fingers as he gently worked her head, neck, and shoulders. It took a little time, but he finally felt the muscles begin to relax.
“Where did you go?” she asked so quietly he almost didn’t hear.
Frey took a moment to answer, considering his words carefully. “I stayed in the park for a while and then flew north along the coast.”
“Up into Marin?”
He made a noise of assent, but the name meant nothing to him. “I flew for a long while. It felt good to have the sea breeze in my wings again. But then I came back to you.”
