Page 74 of Brutal Alpha Beast
She freezes, her face turning pale, as she stares off into the distance—she looks horrified.
“Danielle?”
I look to where she’s looking, but I don’t see anything. Don’t scent anything, either.
I shake her gently. “Danielle?”
But I know what this is. I recognize that look from when she was staring at the tapestry.
The vision can’t be good.
I’m still holding her, and when she finally comes to, she collapses against me, groaning in pain. She’s clutching onto her stomach.
“I’m sorry-” she tries to say. “I-”
“Shh,” I soothed, picking her up into my arms. Her head rolls against my chest; she’s still wincing in pain, clutching onto me.
I hate seeing her like this and knowing that there’s little I can do about it.
“Just relax,” I tell her, as I pace forward. “We’re almost home.”
Chapter 19 - Danielle
“This is so embarrassing,” I groan. Ellis strokes my hair as he presses a cold towel onto my forehead. We didn’t even make it to the bedroom, and I’m sweating what feels like pools onto the couch.
“It’s not embarrassing,” he soothes, the touch of his fingertips the only thing that doesn’t feel like aching fire.
I groan.
The cold towel feels good, too.
“I hate being the damsel in distress,” I say, wincing through the pain.
This is true. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean that I want or need some Alpha shifter, saving me all the time. I have magic. I can protect myself,and others—I’m strong!
And the thing that scares me the most is that Ellis saving me and looking after me doesn’t even feel bad or as embarrassing as it should. It feels kind of ...good.
“You’re not,” he laughs. “You’re still a badass to me.”
I shake my head and turn into the couch. But I smile a little, burying it in the cushions so he won’t see. Or maybe I do want him to see. Gosh, I can’t even tell anymore. My head is foggy, my body weak, and yet Ellis still makes me feel somewhat okay.
He shifts beside me, gently adjusting the towel and brushing a damp strand of hair from my temple.
“You should rest,” he says, his hand resting on my head. “Even if you think you don’t need it.”
I nod.
Don’t leave me, I want to say.
***
When I wake up, I’m relieved to discover that the pain, for the most part, has subsided; all that remains is a little weariness and a light ache.
A pot of tea sits on the coffee table beside me, still faintly steaming. Ellis is slouched in an armchair, his boots propped up casually on the table’s edge.
He’s frowning down at his phone as he swipes.
“You’re awake,” he says, without looking up.
