van

ilies and rain

, it had hit me. A fragrance that bypassed my nose and str

recognized i

i

, feral roar that I had spent years learning

my jacket around her small frame as if it were a life raft. Her head was bowed, her wet, dark hair

f the confrontation was left far behind, sealed out by the soundproofed interior. All that remained was th

y broke th

ed, her voice so quiet I

tead, I pulled a clean, folded handkerchief

summer sky, were wide and wary. They were also bruised with exhaustion. After a moment'

static shock,

he mixture of rain and blood on her face. Her knee was bleeding thr

dn't

t of her mouth even in distress. There was a strength in her, a resilience

sked. The question was

d by my voice. "Chl

name around in my

head of security. Raymond Pack is covering it up. They're tel

, blind to the fact that they had just lost their

ing a deep, bone-weary exhaustion in its place. Her eyeli

started to drift off. Finally, she lost the battle. Her head

e body w

soft strands of her hair tickling my neck. The lily scent was stronger now,

atisfaction so profound

oser, to fully claim what was mine. It was too soon. She was

htly, angling my body to give her

a fraction of a second before he schooled his expression bac

iet, brightly lit security of

," Leo said softly, h

e since I'd seen her. The harsh lines of fear and pain had smoothed away, l

going to

back, lifting her into my arms. She murmured something in her slee

onscious, was a bra

ate elevator. The doors slid shut, and we asce

ouse. The space was dark, the floor-to-ceiling windows

of the guest suites. The bed was a king-sized expanse of white line

ood there, watching the gent

afe. She

was