Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 182(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Panic sets in. Forgetting how much my wrist hurts, I fidget my fingers together on my lap, which makes me cringe.
“Let me see your arm, Cora.” His voice is a firm order, but it’s not filled with malice like Vincent’s demands always are.
“It’s fine,” I repeat, pressing it against my lap.
Brea hasn’t said a word next to us, but she has turned toward me, and she’s stroking my bicep. “Let Orion help, Cora.”
“No one can help me.”
“I can,” Orion promises.
Tears come to my eyes. I can’t stop them. They escape and run down my cheeks. When was the last time I cried in front of people? Probably not since my mom died four years ago. I was sixteen.
Orion cups my face and tips my head back. He uses his thumb to wipe away the tears. “You’re safe now. No one is ever going to hurt you again.” And then he puts the truck in drive and continues down the road.
He doesn’t really give me a choice, but how could I honestly say no? My life is nothing. I’m no one. I’d almost rather die than return to the homestead with Vincent, so I’ll take my chances.
We ride in silence, and Orion pulls the truck into a clearing between what looks like a dozen cabins. He shuts off the engine, opens his door, and jumps down. Before I can protest, he reaches in and lifts me by the hips, easing me out of his side of the truck.
As he sets me on my feet, Brea rounds to our side and looks at Orion. “I’ll just go home. Call if you need anything.” She gives my good hand a squeeze and smiles. “He’s right. You’re safe now.”
Orion’s brow is furrowed when he looks at Brea. “Text Navin so he knows you’re safely in the cabin.”
“I will.” She turns and skips toward one of the cabins.
Orion takes my left hand. “Come, Little doll.”
My head is spinning with this new development. I turn toward where Brea disappeared. “I’m supposed to help her make lunch.”
He chuckles. “Brea doesn’t cook, Little doll. She doesn’t even make sandwiches. That was a ruse. Come,” he encourages again, giving me a slight tug.
“But…” I can’t believe I’m letting him guide me toward another cabin. My heart is racing. I’m alone with a man. As soon as we get into his home, I’ll be even more isolated with him. Vincent will have a fit if he finds out.
“You said you were going to drop us off,” I point out.
“I lied.” He chuckles as he opens the door and ushers me inside. “I would have told him that I needed you to scrub the floors in my bathroom if that’s what it took to get him to let me take you away.”
My breath hitches. “Is that what you want? You want me to clean your bathroom?”
He shuts the door and leads me across this living space toward the kitchen area. “Fuck no. Never.” He turns on the overhead lights, making it really bright in here, and lifts me by the hips to set me on the island. “Did you need to go potty, Little doll?”
I swallow hard and shake my head. “No. I was just hoping for a break from him.”
Orion smiles. “Good girl. Let me look at your arm.” He takes it as he speaks. He’s in my space. Crowding me with his enormous body.
I lift my gaze to look at him more closely as he gently turns my arm over. He’s breathtaking. If it’s possible, he’s growing more attractive to me by the minute. Did I fall and crack my head on something?
Orion pushes my sleeve up and leans in closer, his hair falling in front of him. “I was going to ask if he shoved you to the ground, and you broke your arm bracing yourself, but I see his fingerprints on your tender skin. He fucking twisted it, didn’t he?”
I gasp. How does he know that?
Not daring to move or utter a word, I stay very still.
“When did he do this, Cora?” he demands.
I say nothing. There is no way I’m going to verbally confirm his suspicions.
He pushes my sleeve up farther. “Jesus, Little doll. There are bruises all over your arm. New and old.” His voice grits out between his teeth. He’s furious. On my behalf. I can’t remember when anyone has ever been on my side like this.
I lick my lips. “It’s just that he doesn’t know his own strength,” I murmur.
Orion growls. The sound startles me, reminding me that this man is a shifter. He could turn into a lion at any moment and eat me alive. I’ve never heard of any humans going missing since the lions moved to this mountain, but my knowledge of what happens in the town or up on the mountain is limited to what I overhear when I eavesdrop.