Page 17 of Rescuing Red

“Blaide. And yours, little Red?”

“Elizabeth, but my nana calls me Liz.”

“She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

“Yes. If anything happened to her…”

Liz let a tear escape down her cheek, unable to push out any more syllables through the mass of emotions clogging her throat. The room grew too warm, the tension too tight, the smells too potent. And suddenly all she wanted was to lie down and sleep, but the thought only reminded her of how vulnerable she was right now.

“It’s okay, Red. Cry if you need.”

“No. I don’t have time to cry.”

The massive chest in front of her expanded as he sucked in a breath and held it. Liz gritted her teeth and met Blaide’s intense gaze. He stepped back and dropped his hand from her face. Losing his warmth sent chills across her flesh.

“Do you have other clothes?”

His sudden change of topic creased Liz’s brow, but she shook her head in answer.

“I’ll find you some new ones. Take a shower while I’m gone. Maybe a nap, if you can manage it. When I get back, we’ll discuss this further.”

Liz stared in shock while he took his pack off, grabbed another shirt from inside, and slid it over his head. After a moment of consideration, he rummaged through the bag again, stuck whatever he’d found into his pocket, then turned to face her head on. He offered her a knife, handle first, on the palm of his hand.

“It isn’t much, but it’s better than nothing. Don’t open the door for anyone. I have a key, but I’ll knock when I get back.”

Before he could slide the door open and leave, Liz found her voice.

“Does this mean you’ll take me?”

Her stomach dropped as she realized her poor choice of words. He turned his neck and looked over his shoulder, his expression scorching her insides and heating her cheeks.

“We’ll talk when I get back.”

Without another word, he left the room, closing the door and waiting until the automatic lock clicked before his shadow moved across the tiny window.

His room was smaller than hers had been, even though they were next to each other, but without his massive presence filling the space, it seemed easier to breathe.

After setting the knife on the little ledge on the headboard, Liz stood on wobbly legs. She stripped on her way to the shower, suddenly eager to rid herself of the grime lingering on her skin, pushing away the terrifying memories of unwanted hands on her flesh. She put the shower on its hottest cycle and shampooed herself several times even though she knew it would make her tails fluff like crazy.

It wasn’t until the dry cycle kicked on that she realized she had nothing clean to wear until Blaide returned, and she couldn’t wait for him naked. Even his apparently firm control couldn’t handle that.

Peeling open the shower door, she eyed the trail of clothes she’d left on the floor and gulped when she found the humongous shirt he’d put on her. After a fortifying breath, she picked it up and slid it over her head, sinking into the glorious scent wafting up from the fabric. Lava simmered in her womb, and she rubbed the neckline with her fingers, releasing more potent pheromones for her nostrils to enjoy as she wondered what he would be like if he lost his grasp on himself.

Another factor rose to her attention, pulling her focus back to reality. Her heats had lasted for almost two weeks each time. She didn’t have two weeks to wait—the planet would be under attack any hour now—so she had to get to her nana as soon as possible. If she let an alpha knot her though, her heat would abate much quicker. If what she’d heard was true, her heat would end as soon as she received an alpha’s knot and seed.

Letting go of her worry for a second, she let herself bask in the thought of giving her body to Blaide. He’d saved her, but that wasn’t why she wanted him. Something deeper than words ached to have him inside her.

When her tails flicked against her leg in a happy twirl, she smiled and crawled onto the bed. His scent lingered on the pillow, so she buried her face in it. Between one breath and the next, she dropped into slumber, unable to resist the pull after the emotional drain of the last few hours.

In her dreams, she let herself imagine having a strong, cunning, furry alpha take care of her every need. He’d hold her immobile with rough hands as he filled her pussy with his cock and sank his teeth into her neck.

Even though she’d never wanted a mate, she decided Blaide would be worth all the heartaches they created. He’d pamper her and keep her safe, while she nurtured him in ways he never knew he needed.

An odd thought flitted through her subconscious, and she couldn’t help but wonder… was his tail as soft as it looked?

Her fingers ached to run through it and find out.

Chapter 12

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