Page 15 of Noah

As another tear fell, Adrienne blinked hard and he growled, catching it on his finger. He licked it off, and she stared at him in confusion.

Rather than pushing her, he stopped and sniffed at her. What did that mean?

“Noah?” she asked with a slight tremor in her voice.

He touched her cheek. She shuddered. Noah said, “No crying.” His voice wasn’t aggressive, but sweet, as if he was trying to comfort her.

He pushed her back onto the bed and tucked her into his arms.

His sweaty body and heat made him uncomfortable, so she should push him away, but he was the only thing keeping her from screaming for hours. She was exhausted, scared, and worried.

If she had been left alone like he had been, argh…she shuddered again. Noah had been alone for a long time.

“What are we supposed to do? Is there a reason for wanting you to mate with someone?”

She had courage tucked into his front. She didn’t have to acknowledge their situation because she was not looking at him. Again, she asked. “Why is mating so crucial?”

He growled a terrifying one-word reply, “Baby,” and grunted as she stiffened against him.

He wasn’t calling her that as a pet name. She felt her body go cold. Noah had answered her question.

Why did they give her a month when they wanted a baby from him? They didn’t give her much time to save her life. Becoming pregnant could take months.

As she tightened her grip on him, she shook violently. “That’s barbaric,” she muttered.

Adrienne didn’t have a maternal nature. Babies were out of her comfort zone, and she had no idea what to do with them. Still, there was no way she wanted to pop out babies and give them to the evil creeps.

Watching her babies be bartered and sold, or even used horribly? It felt like she had been dipped in a bath of needles as her skin prickled with horrified fear.

“Have they ever taken babies from you?” she asked, lifting her head.

He was confused. A hint of annoyance passed over his face.

Taking a deep breath, she hoped she wouldn’t annoy him by asking again. She couldn’t imagine how angry he would be if he lost his babies to his captors. Putting her hand on his chest, she patted him. “Noah’s babies?”

He coughed and rumbled, “No! No babies.”

“Good,” she replied, relieved no children were being experimented on. “I’m not interested in having children. That doesn’t necessarily mean children with you. Argh, what am I trying to say? I mean I don’t want children in these circumstances.” He patted her back. “I’m not sure whether I want any at all. I decided to wait and see what life had in store for me. You know?”

Embarrassed, she babbled, “There’s no rush.” She smiled and continued, “I still have at least twenty years left before my reproductive organs stop.”

He grumbled under her, and if he understood anything she said, he did not respond.

Sighing, she felt her body become heavy again as if she had pushed too hard. Her crash might also be caused by the adrenaline rush she got when she learned what they wanted.

She decided to take a break and let her mind clear and recharge. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on her breath. After minutes, she felt calmer and more focused. Tired. She felt so tired.

She yawned, “No babies.”

He growled at her and held her tightly. She felt safe, protected, and unbelievably calm in his arms.

He was the only one who could offer her comfort and was in the same situation as she was.

She had only one hope: that this momentary weakness would make him feel protective towards her and not like he could dominate and bully her.

When he replied, “No babies,” she smiled, feeling as though she had made steps towards understanding, even friendship, and hoped they could somehow work together to escape.

She didn’t hold out much hope for that, however. It was unlikely that she would be able to escape if the large male holding her had not yet freed himself.

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