Page 6 of Chomp's Challenge

He clears his throat, causing my gaze to collide with his. I see concern and compassion, but no pity, which is a good thing, because it was my own fault for staying with Perry instead of leaving. I deserved what I got.

“No, you damn sure didn’t!” Chomp exclaims, letting me know that I spoke my last thoughts out loud. “No one ever deserves to be treated the way they did you, Ariel. You were obviously in a situation that was outside of your control, and someday, I hope you trust me enough to share all of that, but for right now, just know that you’re safe here. You’re also safe around my club brothers, and Callie, Kodiak’s old lady.”

There’s no way I can share anything like that with him! I might as well just go and jump into the lake and drown myself. Shame courses through me as I let myself think of how horrible the past year has been since my mom died. Practically right after the funeral is when Perry changed toward me. It started with small things: a shove or a push when I didn’t move quickly enough for him. But then, he’d slap me if dinner wasn’t ready when he got home from work. Never mind the fact that I was working as well, he still expected it on the table by six every night. He didn’t like the ‘fake’ cooking as he called it, so all my crockpot recipes were out, and he hated when I tried to meal prep in order to make sure I could accommodate his wishes.

A warm hand gently covers mine, and I look up to see Chomp’s expression change to one of sorrow. It’s like he already knows life has kicked my ass or something. He doesn’t look at me like my coworkers used to when I went to work and wasn’t able to fully cover the bruises. There’s a flicker of fury in those chocolate depths but no disgust.

“It’s going to be okay, Ariel, I promise.”

A knock at the door has him standing as it flies open, and a woman practically bounces in saying, “Spike said to just come on in, Chomp, I hope you don’t mind. God, it smells good in here. Have you been cooking again?”

Chomp chuckles, the vibrant sound sending a wave of pleasure through me as he says, “Slow down, Callie. To answer your question, yes, I’ve been cooking again and there’s plenty if you’re hungry. This is Ariel.” He points to me as I duck my head and shyly nod.

“Hey, Ariel, I’m Callie, but you probably figured that out since Chomp used my name. So, I brought some stuff over for you, but if you’ll tell me your sizes, I’ll go shopping!”

I blink at her words. Shopping? For me?

Chomp shakes his head as he grabs a plate from the cupboard and some more silverware, before bringing it over to the table and setting it in front of Callie. “What do you want to drink, Callie?” he asks.

“Oh! I need coffee, of course,” she replies, grinning at me. “Gotta keep this engine revved up.”

I start giggling because she already seems to be hyper enough to me without adding caffeine. Chomp’s luscious laughter joins in until Callie finally smacks her forehead and grins at the two of us. “Yeah, I might be a little bit excited because Spike told Kodiak that you…” She suddenly stops after glancing at Chomp’s face. “Never mind. I think Kodiak must’ve had Beanie add an extra espresso shot in my drink this morning.”

“Who’s Kodiak?” I ask. “For that matter, who’s Spike?” I pin my stare on Chomp, who can’t hide his wide grin, or the dimple that pops on both sides of his face.

“Spike is the president of our motorcycle club. Kodiak is one of my brothers. Don’t worry, you’ll meet them all eventually.”

I attempt a smile, but just as I start to relax and my belly gets full, I’m hit with a wave of fatigue. I wobble on my seat and nearly tip over.

It’s the look of panic on Chomp’s face that causes me to giggle . . . right before I lose my balance.

Chapter

Three

CHOMP

I watch in horror as Ariel loses her balance on the stool, reacting faster than humanly possible as I reach her. My arms scoop under her knees and lift her, too concerned that she’s unwell to worry about touching her without permission. “Are you okay?” I ask, anxiously awaiting her answer.

“I’m so tired.”

Shit. I should have realized this would be too much for her. “You need rest.”

“But it’s not my house,” she feebly argues.

“Do you have anywhere else to go?” I wanted to ask that question hours ago.

“No,” she admits, yawning before her head rests on my shoulder.

My gator rumbles my chest with approval as I ignore Callie’s knowing smile and head up the stairs. Once I enter my room, I gently lower Ariel to the mattress and cover her with the blanket, watching as her eyes flutter. She’s exhausted. Purple shadows rest on the delicate skin beneath her eyes. I already know she’s underweight, and there are scars from old injuries that must have occurred in the last year or two. Those assholes hurt her for months, maybe years.

Fuck. My hands clench at my sides as I watch this fragile, beautiful woman, wishing I could have found her sooner. She’s suffered so much trauma. How do I help her through it all?

I close the door and head downstairs, fighting a headache. My gator is still prodding me, wanting to submerge into the lake and hunt for any other threats. He wants to guard her as she rests, and I appease him, conceding that we’ll shift soon. I’m most effective while in my gator form. No one will get close to the cabin while I’m on patrol.

Callie sips her coffee as she watches me. “Your mate is lovely.”

“She is,” I agree.

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