Page 11 of The Bodyguard and the Alpha
When I came to, my face against the cold concrete, Bastien was gone. In the dark, I had no way to tell how long I’d been out. It hurt to roll over and my head throbbed in timewith my pulse. But I wasn’t dead and I wasn’t currently being tortured. Things could be worse. And if I was alive, there was hope.
***
The sound of a key in the lock woke me from a light doze. I stayed slumped in my corner as the door opened. Restrained, with no magic, there was nothing I could do. And I didn’t want to draw Stick-guy’s attention right now. The more he hurt me, the harder it would be to get out of here. But a time would come when he would regret how he’d hurt Bastien.
I watched through half-open lids as two men dragged Bastien back into the cell. I didn’t let my muscles tense up as I saw the extent of the injuries they’d inflicted on him. My breathing stayed slow and steady. I didn’t clench my fists. Hating myself, I lay like a broken doll on the floor. But in my head, it was another matter. I’d never actively wished for another person’s death before. Now I did. Now I imagined letting my magic loose on him. Not my protective defensive magic. No, I imagined flames shooting from my fingers, engulfing him. While Stick-guy kicked Bastien’s ribs after they’d dropped him onto the floor, I imagined the sound of Stick-guy’s screams.
I would wait. His time would come. They always said that revenge was a dish served cold. They called me the Ice Queen, and this revenge was going to be fucking frozen.
Chapter 10
Bastien
“Don’t try to move,” said my mate as I drifted to consciousness. “You’re hurt.” Gentle fingers touched my arm. Apparently, I had to get tortured for her to touch me voluntarily. I was so desperate for her that it was almost worth it.
“I’m all right.” Everything hurt. My teeth. My fingernails. But I didn’t care. She was okay. The cry of pain she’d made had haunted me worse than the torture inflicted on my body.
“You’re full of shit.”
I groaned. Something in her voice was different. Missing her usual cool indifference. I opened my eyes. Even eyelids could hurt. Who knew? “Don’t make me laugh. Hurts.”
My Pixie’s beautiful face hovered over mine. Tears streaked down her cheeks, and one dropped onto my forehead. She sniffled, lifting one shoulder and using her uniform to wipe her wet cheek. Her hand was still on my arm, patting me. The movement was awkward. With her hands behind her back, she had to twist her body to reach me, but she didn’t seem to notice. “What did they do to you?”
Her tears stabbed deeper than my physical wounds. I never wanted her to see her cry again. I’d only seen her tears once, not long ago, when her sister was in life-threatening danger. I had no defences against her pain. I ached to hold her in my arms. To soothe away her sadness. Beast wailed wordlessly in my head, equally as devastated. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll heal.” I could already feel my body working to repair the damage. Fingernails re-growing. New teeth forming. Bones re-setting. All of the injuries I had received could be repaired. There were just a lot of them. “I just need to rest.”
“Can I do anything to help?”
There was something she could do. I just didn’t know if she would be willing. And I didn’t want to explain why it would help.
“Do you think you could lend me some body warmth?” It was a lame excuse, but it was the best I could come up with. I wasn’t cold. Shifters didn’t feel the cold like humans did. But I was betting on Elie not thinking straight right now. And sure enough she didn’t pick the lie. I didn’t like deceiving her, but she was emotionally fragile right now. And I’d kept the most important truths from her for five years already. What was one more omission on my stained soul?
“Um… sure.”
She shuffled forwards on her knees, then awkwardly lowered herself to the floor beside me. “Will this be okay?” Her voice was soft and… shy. My fierce little mate could be shy. Fuck, she was cute.
“Does that hurt?”
“No more than anything else does.”
“Tell me if I make it worse.”
I shifted towards her, curving my much larger body around hers. Her head tucked perfectly into my chest. I’d give a kidney to have my arms free to wrap around her. But this would have to be enough. I hooked one leg over hers, trapping her with me. I had to let my captors play with me for a bit longer so they had no reason to turn their attention to my mate. I was already healing from the injuries they inflicted. She was human. And vulnerable. It was a dangerous game I was playing. Give them enough co-operation that they were satisfied with the ‘secrets’ I was spilling. Enough that they thought their tactics were working, but without me betraying any real secrets. I could do this. I only had to last until Luc’s team found us. No problem. So for now, I’d let them think that they had me safely contained with their manacles and chains. And when the time was right, they’d learn what a monumental mistake they’d made when they hurt my mate. I’d been drifting toward unconsciousness, limbs paralysed after I’d been hit with the voltage in the stun stick, but I’d heard her agonised shout of “No.” Her cry of pain had followed it. The sound had truly made my heart freeze. Only the fact that I had to co-operate, to keep their attention on me, had stopped me from reacting with lethal violence.
Beast sent me an image of how he wanted the asshole with the stun stick to pay.Soon buddy, I told him.Soon.
Until then, though, I would live in the moment. Because I had my mate tucked in close to my body. For only the second time in five years. Banishing thoughts of tomorrow, I let myself feel. Her soft breasts, the silk of her hair tickling my chest, her scent filling my nostrils. And it was perfect. The tightness in my muscles eased, everything in my body soothed by her nearness. Inside my chest, Beast purred his satisfaction.
Except for… fuck. My cock didn’t get the message and stood to attention.Not now. Not now.Perhaps Elie wouldn’tnotice. But the stiffening of her body against mine told me that she’d noticed, alright. Damn it. She wiggled her hips slightly, getting ready to draw her body away from mine. No. Not happening. My leg hooked more tightly around hers. Gods, I wanted my arms free. Could I do it? It was easy enough, but could I trick my guards? They were no intellectual heavyweights, that was for sure, but a broken chain was going to be pretty fucking obvious.
“Don’t move,” I said. I was a manipulative fuck. “Please. I’m almost warm.”
“But—"
“Ignore it. I am.”More lies. My cock pressed against my zipper, straining for freedom. Her body was against mine. After so long, it was agony. It was ecstasy.
“Alright. If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure. Now go to sleep.”
