Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Panic slams so hard into my gut that all I can think of is Ryan still waiting in my room.
“Ryan!”
It feels as if my soul is calling out to his.
When Robert’s hand fumbles to get under my shirt, I forget about being strong and start to cry.
This is too much for me to handle.
Suddenly, Ryan growls, “Get your hands off of her!”
He grabs hold of Robert’s shoulder and rips him away from me before his fist connects with Robert’s face.
Blood spurts like a fountain from Robert’s nose, and he covers it with his hands while looking shocked.
“Jesus, man. You broke my nose,” Robert whines.
Ryan grabs hold of my arm and pulls me in behind him.
My legs go numb, and as his scent envelops me, surrounding me like a mist, a sob escapes me. I grab hold of his sweater and cling to him as if he’s my lifeline.
Tears keep spilling over my cheeks, and I bury my face against his back.
I’m so thankful he came to look for me.
Relief floods every inch of my trembling body.
“I didn’t know she was taken, man. Sorry,” Robert says in his cocky way.
“She is taken. Stay away from her, or I’ll end you.” Ryan’s voice is nothing but a low growl, promising misery and pain.
I peek around Ryan’s arm and see a glimmer of fear on Robert’s face while he tries to wipe the blood away from his face with his shirt.
The sight fills me with some satisfaction.
“Jesus. It was nothing,” Robert mutters before he walks to the doorway. “She asked for it.”
The coward quickly leaves the room, and Ryan turns around to face me. When I look up into his smoldering eyes, they’re so alive with anger it sends a shiver down my spine.
My frantically beating heart beats even faster, and my nerves feel frail.
A second later, I’m flooded with embarrassment because of the awful situation Ryan had to rescue me from.
He lifts his hand to my face, and his fingers brush over my cheek, wiping the tears away.
A breath shudders from deep within me.
He takes hold of my chin and nudges my face up to his, but I keep my eyes down. I can’t make eye contact with him right now.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his tone still brimming with anger.
I let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”
I shake my head. “You didn’t know.”
I do my best to regain control over my chaotic emotions, and walking out of Molly’s room, I pick up the sodas before heading to my bedroom.
As I set the bottles down on the dressing table, I hear Ryan shut the door behind us.
“Th-thanks for helping me,” I say.
God, I hope this didn’t bring the stuttering back. It’s something that started after I was found at the waterfall, and it took four years to get rid of it. The doctors couldn’t explain why it came and went like that.
A lost sob shudders through me, and I hate that I cried in front of Robert. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry again, and I wipe angrily over my eyes.
“I should’ve given him the beating of his life,” Ryan mutters. He takes hold of my shoulder and turns me around so I’ll face him.
“I’m so sorry. I d-didn’t mean f-for you to get caught up in this mess.”
“Don’t apologize.” He pulls me against his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around me.
I snuggle against him, and it feels so good to have his arms around me after what just happened.
“None of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong. He’s the animal.”
After the shock passes a little, I pull away and gesture at my bed. “Want to sit down?”
“Sure.”
Once we’re sitting on the covers, I clear my throat and dare a glance at Ryan’s face. He still looks pissed as hell.
He shakes his head, and taking hold of my arm, he pulls me to his side as he lies down and presses my head to his chest.
When I feel him kiss my hair, I close my eyes and let the warmth from his touch spread through me.
“Want to hear a story?” he asks.
I nod while closing my eyes.
“There’s a place not far from Earth called Vaalbara, where a race called immortalis lives. They’re waiting for one of their own to return. She’s been gone for far too long and is very important to them. Once she returns, there won’t be any time for celebrations. She’ll have to prepare for training in combat and learn the ways of her people.”
“Hold on.” My head darts up, and I frown at him. “After all those years of being gone, this poor girl gets combat training for a welcome home present?” I poke at his chest. “You, my friend, suck at telling stories.”
His chest shakes as he chuckles.