Page 46 of Lion Conquers All
The knife twisted.
Thud.
Another lock. Another twist of the knife.
Thud.
Her heart broke with that last lock. He wouldn’t want her anymore. Not after this. He’d leave and give up. He wouldn’t smile for her. He wouldn’t look at her with that hopeful expression she’d come to expect from him. He wouldn’t bring her coffee anymore. He’d finally stop fixing things on her house when they broke.
She sank to the floor on the other side of her solid oak bedroom door. A door she’d had special ordered and built and installed by a security company. It was wrapped in steel with four deadbolts and crossbars that snapped into place at the top and bottom. They’d assured her nothing short of explosives would ever get through that door.
She wrapped her arms around her knees and wept. This was her life. Hiding and locking herself away—alone.
Alone meant control. Alone meant no surprises. Alone meant less pain.
At least it had before Aarav showed up.
19
AARAV
The sound of her tears on the other side of the locked door was like someone raking their claws over his heart. He’d never seen a bedroom door with locks like hers. And it was made of metal too. He put a hand on the cold steel. She was serious about nobody getting into her bedroom.
But what hurt worse than being locked out was the realization of the level of fear she felt on a regular basis to live likethis.His soul cried out for his mate’s pain. It was so much more than he’d even imagined.
She was there. Just on the other side of the door. The floorboards creaked when she’d sat down.
He leaned against the wall opposite her door and let his back slide down until he was sitting, staring and struggling to figure out what to do next. Did he wait? Did he try to talk to her?
She’d wanted the kiss. He’d felt that through the connection growing between them.
She liked his beast. His lion’s purr made her feel safe. She’d admitted as much.
Carrying her to the bedroom had pushed her too far…but surely she hadn’t thought he was going to ask for more? Had she?
By the gods, he’d been so stupid.
Yes.His lion growled.Stupid man.
Oh, shut up. You didn’t try to stop me.He pushed back at his beast internally.
“Connie, I wasn’t trying to get more from you. I just. I thought to put you in bed. I didn’t want you to feel pressured and I think I achieved the exact opposite.” He slid across the hallway and put his back to the steel door. He was closer to her this way. He couldn’t touchher, but at least he could touch what she was touching.
She didn’t speak. Her quiet sobs didn’t pause either.
“Please forgive me.”
“I do, Aarav. I know you didn’t mean me any harm. My heart knows that…” Her words stopped. She sucked in a deep lungful of air. “It’s my mind that’s truly broken.”
“That’s not true. You’re not broken. I meant what I said.”
“It’s kind of you to say that, but I get up two or three times a night to check the locks on my door. Normal people don’t do that.”
Protect. She needs us.His beast was furious. Even with her locks, she still didn’t feel safe. Her fortress was an illusion she’d built to convince her mind to rest—at least for a few hours at a time. It explained why she often seemed a little exhausted. Why the dark circles under her eyes were worse some days. The energy she had to expend to live so vigilantly had to be astronomical.
“I’m going to stay right here beside the door if that’s okay with you. Can you try to get some rest?”
There was a long pause. Then the sound of her climbing to her feet.
