Page 76 of Renard's Deliverance

“How?” he asked.

“He moved me into his house where he and Lilac lived. He decided that he needed me closer . . . and that I would be more secure there.” She shook her head. “Lilac and I, well, we hit it off surprisingly. I guess we had a common enemy. And then Ryleigh moved in, and he pulled the same shit on her. Pretended to be a good guy when he was a snake in the grass. Oh, and he locked me away so I couldn’t tarnish his image with her. Then, one night, Ryleigh decided to do some investigating and found me and Lilac after Stefan had . . . visited me.” She swallowed heavily, feeling ill.

“Baby, baby, look at me.”

“I’ll get it if you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

She gotit if he didn’t want to be with her anymore?

Well, he was glad she got it because he had no fucking idea what she was talking about.

“You want to enlighten me as to what the fuck you’re talking about?” he snapped. “Why would anything that you’re telling me make me not want to be with you?”

If anything, it was the opposite.

All of this was extremely hard for him to listen to. But it was all important. And even though he wanted to demand she tell him everything, at least she hadn’t tried to lie to him.

And now he knew that he needed to treat her with care. While still putting her over his knee when she needed it.

“Renard, I’m damaged.”

She said the words like they were some huge revelation. As though she really did expect him to turn and walk out that door.

He cupped her cheek. “Baby, I get that whatever happened to you was terrible. It’s affected you in ways that maybe you don’t even know. And I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you’re not damaged, because I’m fucking damaged too.”

“I know you are.” Her face had softened. “Fuck, I’m an idiot. Making this all about me. You have your own stuff to deal with. I shouldn’t have told?—”

She tried to shift away and let out a small gasp of pain.

“Do not move.”

“I just?—”

“And you fucking well should,” he told her harshly.

“I . . . what?” she asked.

“You fucking well should have told me this. You should tell me everything. That might not be possible yet, but I hope someday it will be.”

It might have helped if he hadn’t told her that this was only short-term.

“You should lay it all on me so I know what I have to do to help you. So I can work every day to help fix that damage. And so I know that I’ve got to treat you with care.”

She scoffed. “Care? Me? You don’t have to treat me with care. I’m as tough as old boots. You don’t get stronger than me.”

“I know you don’t,” he told her.

Opal gave him a confused look. “But you just said . . .”

“Just because you need care doesn’t mean you’re not fucking strong. Pretty sure you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

Blinking, she turned her head to the side. He guessed she was trying to hide her reaction, but he wasn’t having that.

Grasping hold of her chin, he turned her head back so he could see her.

“And you know I don’t lie, Gem. I’m telling you the truth. You’re brave and you’re strong. That doesn’t mean that you don’t need care.”

“Might damage my street cred, people hear that.”

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