Page 57 of A Soul to Guide

How often had Merikh shown her kindness and consideration that wasn’t just from his own self-gain, and she’d mistaken it?

Could he be hiding it because it makes him feel vulnerable?

When she thought about that question, she shook her head. No, he didn’t seem like that kind of person.

Maybe–

Raewyn’s musings were cut short when someone shoved into her so hard, she would have fallen if it weren’t for her slamming into Merikh’s side. An exclamation gasped out of her.

“Watch it,” a man slurred, his voice giving away just how inebriated he was before the oversaturation of alcohol washed over her senses. “Y-you silly” – he hiccupped before he backhanded her arm and caused her to wince – “bitch.”

The slap may have been an accident from him turning suddenly, but Raewyn wasn’t prepared for it. She was also just so worn out that tears easily sprung in her eyes at his rudeness, when usually she would have ignored the man or given him a snide remark in return.

A quiet, rumbling growl was the only warning either of them got.

The drunken man gurgled out severe choking noises. Raewyn heard him struggling as he slapped at Merikh’s hand that was obviously around his throat, his feet kicking at the dirt like he’d been lifted to the tips of his toes.

“Apologise,”Merikh snarled, his tone so different, so inhuman, a cold shiver ran down her spine.

“Holy shit,” the man wheezed out, struggling for gasps of air. “I-I’m sorry.”

“Not to me, to her!”

He jingled like he’d been shaken. His voice was in her direction this time as he said, “I’m really s-sorry... miss.”

“You know what? Maybe I don’t think that’s good enough,” Merikh bit. “And I am in akillingmood.”

“Please stop! Let him go.” Raewyn shot forward and gripped Merikh’s biceps to tug on his arm, just in case those dangerous quills he warned her of were extended. Of course, it didn’t budge an inch. “I’m fine. I just want to go to an inn and rest.”

People were probably staring at them!

Whispers flew around them, and although no one intervened, it would be terrible if a soldier or guard got involved. She didn’t want to spend the night in a cell or be thrown out of the city, when she dearly wanted a good night’s sleep that wasn’t out in the forest.

She hadn’t slept in a bed for a week, and her pampered butt would get on her knees and beg for one right now.

With one last tug from her, the man thumped against the ground as he was dropped.

“You’re lucky she asked so nicely.”

Raewyn’s cheeks burned in embarrassment, realising he’d retaliated so harshly because she’d been about to cry, after he’d just helped soothe her earlier tears. She squeaked when Merikh’s large palm slipped over her slender shoulder, and he shoved her into the nook of his side.

Her cheeks burned hotter when he palmed down to her biceps, never actually letting her go. It was almost like how a man put their arm around a lover’s shoulders, but Merikh was just ensuring no one else bumped into her.

She couldn’t stop her pulse from racing.

She’d never had someone choke another on her behalf. Having his arm around her, she felt vulnerable. It was sending her heart into a weird, panicked flutter.

She didn’t stop him, not when some part of her, a little secret piece deep down inside, a place within Raewyn that wasn’t all good virtue, revelled in it.

The embrace was protective, dominant, and it almost felt... possessive. She’d never experienced that in the arms of another.

Nibbling at her bottom lip, she whispered, “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I’m not in a good mood,” he thundered, his voice dripping with hostility. It was so dark it wrapped around her, sending a tingle through her body. “I don’t like humans, and the drunk ones tend to be even more infuriating.”

Even though he was feeling hateful and violent, he hadn’t turned those emotions on her, even when she could very much be the source of them. Currently, she was within the bubble that was safe from his ire.

What a titillating thought, one that made Raewyn curious.

---