Page 6 of Protected By the Wolven

“Sorry again about intruding on you earlier, Zoya, and sorry to have to take these pictures, but…”

What. The. Fuck?

She’s stepped away and tears her tee off. Was I so busy perving on her that I didn’t noticethiswhen I saw her naked a few moments ago?I’m a special kind of asshole.

“Fuck, Zoya.” I grab the blanket off the couch and tuck it around her with brisk efficiency. “Oh, babe, I’m so sorry.”

Shit, can’t I do anything right? Did I just call this poor, traumatized woman babe?

She took off her t-shirt, revealing bruises that cover her body—bruises I hadn’t known existed.

“Look. I’m going back to my room. You get dressed. I’ll have one of the human women come by tomorrow and take pictures of your… I shouldn’t be doing this, and Goddess knows, you don’t want your naked pictures on my phone.”

“Vhy? Vould you do bad things with them?”

Do bad things? Like stroke myself while salivating over them? No! I wouldn’t do that. Would I?

“No. It’s just… not right.”

She pauses for so long it becomes awkward, although I know she’s thinking.

“Lash, you make me feel safe. I… haven’t felt that way in…”

Another long pause tells me she’s deep in thought, drifting backward in time, searching for the last moment she felt safe. The length of her silence is heartbreaking, telling me just how long it’s been.

“I haven’t felt that way in so long that I vant to… honor it. I don’t vant anyone to take those pictures but you.”

How is it possible to have a punch of lust so strong it sizzles through every inch of my body even while I’m filled with the imperative to take care of her? Those feelings are roiling through my body, clashing and merging and overwhelming me.

“We’ve got the pics of your face, Zoya. That may be enough. I’m glad you feel safe with me, and I refuse to mess that up.”

I turn, take two steps, then complete the circle to spear her with my gaze. “And I’m sorry I barged in on you a few moments ago. I should have given fair warning. Don’t worry. It won’t happen again. Get a good night’s sleep.”

Chapter Six

Zoya

I startle awake, my heart racing in panic. It takes long moments to remember where I am—and why. As I take a shaky breath, I recall that I’m in Lash’s apartment and… I’m safe.

I haven’t felt safe since…blin, I don’t want to remember the dire poverty, the hunger, the bombs, or the fear of being discovered and picked up by the local pimp who might sell me into the slave trade. I want to stay in this moment, in this small, clean living room in Lash’s apartment, with golden sunshine streaming in his windows.

It’s not clear to me why I trust the male. I just met him and he’s not even human. Maybe that’s the reason. Maybe because he’s so animalistic, capable of breaking bones with one hand, yet he keeps his power leashed.

And he was truly sorry that he walked in on me last night. Though I didn’t catch what a liar Max was on our FaceTime calls, it was pretty clear when I met him in person that he was not a good man.

Lash is different. Everything about him, all the actions I’ve observed, tells me he’s honest.

“Are you decent?” he calls from his bedroom.

“Yes.”

The morning light streams in through the dusty blinds of Lash’s small apartment. As I sit up and slide my fingers through my hair, Lash emerges from his bedroom. And wow, in the light of day, it’s even more obvious how striking he is.

His silver eyes shine with intelligence and a hint of mischief. His long, wavy, strawberry-blond hair is adorably messy from sleep. And that body. He’s lean and muscular, wearing nothing but sweats. He’s mostly covered with skin, like a human, except for the pelt covering his shoulders and trailing down his back in a V. My fingers itch to twine through it. My cheeks warm and I dip my chin as I realize I’m staring.

Lash clears his throat. “Morning. Sleep okay?”

I nod, smiling shyly. “Yes, thank you. Again. For everything.”

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