Page 20 of Blade's Battle
“You’re staring at me,” she said. “Are you okay? I mean aside from the bullet wound?”
“I’m thinking about my past.”And future.“Glad you’re talking again.”
She looked away.
“You clean up real nice,” he said, trying to lighten her mood, but she refused to acknowledge him. “Come on, Angel. Give me a nod, a thank you, anything. I’m working really hard here, on fumes. Been a while since I ate, and this bullet isn’t helping any.”
She faced him again, face tight. “I’d rather not think about what I look like at the moment, but thank you for the compliment.”
“That was cold, Angel.”
Tears filled her eyes. “My hair’s a tangled mess and it’s the last thing I should be thinking about, but it’sallI can think about at the moment. Cutting it, trying to look decent again, so you won’t look at me like I’m a monster.”
“You’re not a monster.” It was the truth. He knew it, his wolf knew it. Now he had to prove it. To her, to Drake, to anyone who’d ever talk about her as if she was a killer. She wasn’t. He knew it in his soul.
“We’ll find you a comb. I’m sure you won’t have to cut it.” It was a stupid conversation to have out here with the WSSO hunting them, but Anna was barely holding it together. She needed normal for a while. No rapists, killers, or accusations from a stupid scout who barely graduated high school.
“I’m going to cut it. Go really short. First chance I get. Drake would always grab me by my hair and. . .”
Anna fell silent again, as she often did when it came to recounting what she’d been through. She thought herself, weak and useless. Hell, there was nothing about her he’d change, except her involvement with the WSSO.
“I was so weak and. . .”
Blade’s rage surfaced as he pictured Drake abusing her, forcing her. With his wolf echoing his feelings within, Blade swore that one day he’d kill Drake. Right now, however, Blade had to take care of Anna. He wouldn’t let her fall down that bottomless pit he knew all too well from his own past. And if she fell, and he couldn’t catch her, then he’d damn well follow her in. He wasn’t going to abandon her.
Blade reached up and wrapped a wayward curl around his fingers. It was a golden shade of blonde, like the hues of the fields he’d seen in Omaha when he’d been searching for a pack, or even another lone shifter, anyone he could call ‘family,’ or at least ‘friend’.
“There is nothing about you that is weak, Anna. And I like your hair long. The curls are cute, sexy.”
“Really?” she said, blue eyes shining for the first time since they’d played that blasted game.
“Yes, really.”
“It’s never been this long. I used to keep it shoulder-length. It wasn’t like Drake was going to give me a knife to cut my hair.”
“I meant to ask where you got that knife I saw you with, in the cave.”
“Tess snuck it in with a meal. I was keeping it, for an emergency. If I’d cut my hair—”
“They would have known you had a knife.” Smart woman.
Blade propped himself up as he reached higher and sifted his fingers through her hair, slowly, trying not to tangle his fingers. There was something so damn right about touching her though, that he didn’t want to let go, despite the throbbing in his shoulder.
Anna closed her eyes and started swaying as if to a slow rhythm, like on a dance floor. He pictured what it would be like approaching her, with no one else around and a slow dance playing on a radio. He’d draw her into his arms, take in her scent, feel her curves against him, definitely slide his hand to the small of her back and draw her in even closer, until their hips met.
He wanted that with her, the chance to stand there, take in her scent, feel her against him as he waited for that look in her eyes, the one that said he should expect a face slap for being too forward, or, if he was lucky, that special twinkle that said he intrigued her. His Anna could go either way on that, and both would be fine with him. Watching her now, how she swayed with her eyes closed, was heavenly, seductive, and was making him incredibly hard.
As he cupped the back of her head, Blade captured her lips with his. She was as sweet as he’d imagined she’d be. Velvety soft lips that tasted of sunshine and wildflowers. Her mouth opened to him, inviting him to explore. Blade’s wolf howled in delight as a tiny but sweet moan escaped her lips. His cock jumped in anticipation. The thought of sinking into her had his hips moving, but she was kneeling at his side. He needed body-to-body contact.
Blade pulled her down on top of him as his back hit the ground hard enough to send a new wave of pain through his shoulder and down his arm. Anna quickly recovered, bracing her arms to either side of him, placing distance between them. That wouldn’t do, but he only had the one good hand. She was inches above him. So close, yet so far.
Blade crunched his abs to reach her lips and stole another kiss. She leaned into him, into the kiss.
“I can’t do this,” she said as she broke the kiss. Even as she threw her head back, and moaned, Blade’s lips kissed a path down her neck.
The foul smell of her attacker reached his nostrils, causing both him and his wolf to reel. “Take that cursed shirt off,” he said as he licked her throat. The shifter’s depraved scent clung to the shirt like a noose. Their swim had done nothing to wash the shifter’s rancid scent from the fabric. Blade was in no mood to put up with the offensive smell any longer. He’d leave his own scent on her, one that told others to stay away from her.
She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
