Page 4 of Saving Lauren

“Are you hurt here?” he growls.

I nod, my throat can’t seem to form words at this point. He continues his examination of my bruises towards my sides, he examines my wrists, the question always “Are you hurt here?”

The answer is always “yes."

When he arrives at my inner thighs he is so, so gentle a tear escapes my eyes and finds its way down my cheek. His voice is thick with something I can’t explain.

“Are you hurt here?”

“Yes," I stumble. He then places his hand on my lower abdomen, above my pubic region.

“Are you hurt here?” he asks in a chocked voice.

Something inside me snaps and on a sob I say: “Yes," I take a deep breath and decide it’s now or never. “Also, the back…” I whisper silently but I know he heard me. He closes my cloak and then, he tugs me into his arms.

“I am so sorry, my Zarra, so sorry I did not find you earlier.”

Lost in the moment a soothing feeling flows through me. His touch is truly comforting me in ways I could not have ever expected.

“Let me help you L’Ren,” D’Var says and he looks at me. His voice sounds gruff.

“Let me care for you, let me heal you, let me help you recover. Let me protect you, let me keep you safe and make sure nothing can ever hurt you again. I will slay all your enemies and bring you their heads. Let me make sure that from now on, you will never know pain again. Only pleasure.”

And then, then I cry.

CHAPTER 3

D’Var

My mate is breaking down in front of me. I know it is a good sign, she is opening up, but it hurts to see her in so much pain. I keep holding her, she clasps on to the bindings of my harness and buries her face in my chest. As her sobs die down and she seems to calm a bit, I caress her shoulder. “Can I please take you to our medical bay, to take care of your injuries?” She gives me a teary smile and nods.

T’Rak and O’Rec are still behind me, emotions swirl through our bond and I reach out to O’Rec.

“Can you help me in the medical bay?”

“Of course, my friend. You can comfort her while I perform the scans.”

I stand up and take her hand. “O’Rec is our medical officer. Is it okay if he joins us?”

I can almost see her mind working behind her eyes. It is clear the careful trust she feels towards me does not extend to my crew mates.

“I will be there with you,” I promise her. That seems to get her to agree, because she nods.

“Nobody will touch you L’Ren,” I add. “Nobody but me, and only if you give me permission.” I can see the surprise in her eyes, and I wonder how long it has been since she has had any control over what happened to her. The bruising on her body shows quite the telling tale and it takes everything I have and then some to contain my anger. It is not her, my anger should be shown to.

“Come with me.” I pick up the bag filled with clothes I asked O’Rec to get at the space station. I walk towards the hallway, and then I feel her small hands clinging to my wrist as we enter the first door on the left. O’Rec is right behind us and when the automatic doors slide close she lets go of me and starts fumbling with the sleeves of her cloak nervously.

O’rec gestures towards the gurney. “You have to lie down on the gurney," he says. “Also,” he starts, before he pauses to look at me.

“You have to remove your clothing,” I say. It shames me to say so I look away.

“It’s okay,” she says and she touches my arm. I look at her and shake my head. “It is not.”

“But it is,” she reassures me, when she smiles at me hesitantly.

L’Ren removes her clothes and lies down onto the gurney. It kills me seeing her like this, my tail gives an aggravated whip.

O’Rec pushes some buttons and the scan is completed quickly. The results come up instantly, and while L’Ren slides from the gurney I pick up her cloak and help her into it after she gets dressed.

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