Page 51 of Renard's Deliverance

Christ.

Was she going to cry?

He hated it when women cried. It was his number one pet peeve. Well, other than when they were at the club. That was different.

He wondered if Opal cried.

The thought made him feel murderous.

“W-what are you doing?” Malina asked as he started washing his hands.

“Cleaning up. Come on, let’s get to work.”

“This is your day off,” she told him, her lower lip trembling.

“So? You need help.”

“Am I . . . am I gonna get in trouble?”

The thing was, she was a great cook. When she remembered to actually cook. But it seemed like there were all these other things pulling her attention. Or going wrong in her life.

But he wasn’t prepared for tears today.

“Not today.”

Damn.

He hoped he wasn’t going soft.

9

Wake up.

Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!

There’s someone in the room with you!

Opal. Wake. Up.

Opal satup with a small scream.

Her heart was racing and sweat covered her skin as she glanced around.

Why was she still waking up like this?

Shouldn’t her nightmares be over now that Stefan was gone? She’d had plenty of nightmares while he’d been alive.

Most of those nightmares had been acted out while she was awake, though.

Then after they’d escaped his hold . . . well, her nightmares had been filled with him catching them.

With him . . . punishing her.

She shuddered. She’d always known that if he caught them that she’d come off worst of all. Because she’d meant the least to him.

Ryleigh had been his fiancée. Lilac, his sister.

She’d just been his whore.

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