Page 46 of Brody
The accusation hit like a knife to the chest.He was right.I’d let them touch her.Let them hurt her.
Never again.
I glanced at Rozi, moonlight streaming through the windshield to illuminate her profile.She sat ramrod straight, one hand pressed to the back of her skull, breathing shallow and controlled.The scent of her injury mixed with something else, arousal she was trying to suppress, the mate bond vibrating between us despite everything.
Even wounded, she was fighting her body’s response to my proximity.
“How bad is it?”I asked, though I could already smell the answer.
She turned her eyes on me, fire blazing despite the pain.“Don’t even think about babying me, Thornbern.I’ve survived worse than a bump on the head.”
“That’s not what I asked.”I drove up to the gate, which was on an incline, pressed the button on my steering wheel to open it, and drove through, continuing up.Then the incline dropped until we were looking at the top of my house as we descended.
Her laugh rasped out, brittle enough to draw blood.“The good news?My brain’s still functional.”She shifted in her seat, one hand bracing against the dashboard as the movement clearly sent a wave of dizziness through her.For a split second, her mask slipped, pupils dilating with pain before she forced them back to normal.“The bad news?I’ll be dizzy for days instead of hours.”
“Jesus, Rozi.”Fresh worry spiked through me.“You should have told me immediately.If you have a concussion…”
“I’m a doctor, Thornbern.”Her voice carried that professorial edge that made my cock twitch inappropriately.“I’m perfectly capable of assessing my own health needs.”
There she is.The stubborn woman who’d challenged me in that town hall meeting.Even injured, she was giving me attitude.
My wolf purred with satisfaction.Strong mate.Fierce even when wounded.
“Right,” I said, fighting a smile.“Because you’re known for asking for help when you need it.”
“Are you psychoanalyzing me, Thornbern?”She shifted in her seat, and the movement sent a fresh wave of her scent washing over me.“Because I should warn you.I don’t have patience for amateur therapy right now.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Dr.Dhahabu.”I turned onto the gravel road leading to my cabin, stones pinging off the undercarriage like bullets.“Though I have to say, for someone with a head injury, your razor tongue seems to be working just fine.”
“My tongue works perfectly, thank you very much.”
The words were loaded with unintentional innuendo that made my cock go hard against my jeans.Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said, her breath catching as awareness sparked between us.
Fuck.Even flustered and injured, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Good to know,” I said, my voice rougher than intended.“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Damn,even the sound of fabric against her skin was driving me insane.
The security system’s soft chime broke the silence as invisible boundary lines registered our arrival.My shoulders dropped an inch, the first muscles I’d relaxed since finding her bleeding on the pavement.Home territory.I scanned the tree line out of habit, nostrils flaring to catch any foreign scent that might have breached my perimeter.Nothing.Just pine, earth, and the distant scent of the waterfall.The knot in my gut loosened a fraction.
My wolf prowled closer to the surface, a rumble building in my chest that I barely managed to swallow back.Her scent in my territory, in my den, felt right in a way that bypassed conscious thought.My hands flexed on the steering wheel as primal instincts warred with human restraint.Mark the perimeter.Guard the entrance.Keep her safe.
We pulled up to my cabin.The sight usually brought me peace.
Tonight all I could think about was getting her inside, where nothing could touch her.Where I could protect her from every threat, including the one I’d become when the feral rage took over.
I killed the engine, and sudden silence filled the space between us.Her scent intensified, injury and exhaustion layered over arousal and that wild, sweet essence that was purely her.
“Welcome to Thornbern territory,” I said, already moving to grab her luggage before she could protest.“Most secure location in the Ridge.Motion sensors, pressure plates, and enough firepower to stop a small army.”
“Planning to start a war?”she asked, following me up the stone path with careful steps.
“No, I’m planning to finish one,” I replied honestly.“Corporate mercenaries just made this personal.”
Her eyes darkened at my words.The scent hit me like a physical blow, sweet arousal cutting through lingering fear and adrenaline.My wolf surged forward, nearly breaking through my control.Mine, it growled.
“You really think they’ll come after us here?”she asked, trying to maintain her professional demeanor even as her body betrayed her reaction to me.
