Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79587 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
She came back out into the bedroom, uncertain of what she might find. Most of her was hoping that Grath wouldn’t say anything and they could pretend the encounter in the park had never happened. But a tiny part of her wished she could talk about it—she had never talked about it to anyone—not even her sister, Anna, before.
However, the big Hybrid was neither curious nor mute on the subject of her behavior. When Mattie walked out into the bedroom, she found him fast asleep on one side of the bed. He was, of course, much too long for her queen-sized bed, but he had cleverly pushed the cedar hope chest usually stored in the corner of the attic to the foot of the bed and padded it with one of the many spare pillows. This had given him enough room to stretch out and he made an enormous lump under the multicolored patchwork quilt.
Mattie felt a reluctant smile twitch the corners of her lips. Well, she had told him to make himself at home. And at least he had been considerate enough to stay on one side instead of sprawling directly in the middle.
With a sigh, she went to the other side of the bed and climbed under the quilt. Settling herself so she was back-to-back with the big Hybrid, she drifted off to sleep…
Only to wake up screaming, about an hour later.
ELEVEN
GRATH
What in the Seven Fucking Hells?
The piercing scream, practically right in his ear, had Grath on his feet in an instant. He turned his head from side to side, scanning the dark, unfamiliar attic for threats.
Then he realized there were no threats—it was just Madeline, thrashing around in the too-short bed they had been sharing and crying out in her sleep.
“No!” she was begging as she fought with the covers. “No, please—let me go! Don’t…don’t do that to me! Please!”
“Madeline! Baby, please—wake up!”
Grath leaned over and shook her gently by the shoulder.
She opened her eyes and nearly screamed again but then she seemed to recognize him.
“Grath?” she whispered.
“It’s me, baby,” he reassured her. “Everything is all right—you were just having a bad dream—that’s all.”
“A bad dream—that’s all. It was just…just a bad dream,” she repeated…and burst into tears.
Grath felt his heart twist at her distress and he hurried to get back into bed beside her. Without asking, he put an arm around her and pulled her close.
Madeline resisted at first—as though she didn’t want to let him see her being weak. But then she gave in all at once. Leaning her head against his chest, she covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Grath didn’t try to say anything or ask any questions. Now wasn’t the time for any of that. Now was the time for comfort.
He held her close and stroked her trembling shoulders, wishing he could kill whoever had put these tears in her eyes. He hated to see the usually sunny Madeline so distraught. But there was nothing he could do but hold her and murmur,
“Everything’s all right now, baby. Everything is going to be all right.”
At last, she stopped weeping and stilled against him. She took a few hiccupping breaths and wiped her wet eyes and cheeks with the sheet.
“Better now?” Grath asked, looking down at her. His heart still ached for her unhappiness but sometimes a good cry helped. He was hoping that was the case now.
“Better,” she repeated and looked up at him with wide, wet eyes. “Sorry for…for screaming the house down and then crying all over you.”
“You can cry on me anytime, little girl,” Grath told her. “There’s no judgment here.”
“Thanks.” She sniffed and swiped at her eyes again.
“I’m just glad your parents didn’t think I was killing you and come up here,” he remarked. “I’m surprised nobody heard you.”
She shook her head.
“It’s pretty well insulated up here. Muffles all the sounds.” She heaved a sign. “God, it’s been a long time since I had a nightmare about…” She trailed off, shaking her head.
“A nightmare about what?” Grath said gently. “Please just tell me. Like I said—no judgment.”
Madeline looked up at him again, her eyes narrowed.
“Why do you want to know? You don’t have to care, you know. It’s not like we’re really dating or engaged or any of that.”
“I know,” Grath told her. “I know I don’t have to care but I do care. I’m your Protector, Goddess-damn it. And I need to know if I should go pound the ever-living fuck out of that male I saw holding your hand in the park tonight. What did he do to you, Madeline? Did he hurt you? Did he—”
“He didn’t rape me,” she said in a low voice. “He…he tried but he didn’t quite manage it.”
“What?” Grath felt every muscle in his body tense with protective rage.
“Settle down—it was a long time ago. It’s in the past,” Madeline told him—as though whatever the bastard had done to her could be excused, just because it had happened a while ago.