Page 71 of Halfblood Deceived

Still, she obeyed him.

“Good,” he approved. “Now inhale through your nose, hold the air for five seconds, and release it through your mouth.”

Aella tried, but she couldn’t make her stupid lungs work properly.

“Shh,” Zeydan murmured, rubbing circles on her back, his touch hot even through the thick hoodie. “You can do it. Just follow my lead.”

He inhaled deeply and Aella tried to follow, a hiccuping sound leaving her mouth. She didn’t give up, however, and kept trying. After what felt like minutes, she was able to follow his lead. Inhale, hold, release. Inhale, hold, release.

God knows how many times she did the simple exercise, but after minutes or forever, the ringing in her ears finally stopped.

She sniffed and cleaned her face with the soft fabric of her sleeve when the jagged sobs subsided.

“Better?” Zeydan asked.

Swallowing thickly, she nodded and turned to face him, fearing finding disgust on his beautiful face. As she had seen plenty of times before in Micah’s eyes when she cried.

Zeydan’s brow was tight with worry, but his jade gaze showed nothing more than empathy. No judgment, no aversion, no anger, nor pity, but deep understanding. He very slowly moved his hand from her back and tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. The movement was nearly in slow motion, as was the soft slide of his thumb across her cheek, where he caught a stray tear.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, gently accented voice kind.

Aella licked her parched lips. “Tired.” She wanted to lie down on the hard steps, curl into a ball and sleep forever.

Zeydan carefully ran his palm down her back. “Can you walk to your room on your own, or do you want me to take you?”

Aella measured the utter lack of strength in her limbs, the tightness of her chest, and the hollow ache in her head. “I don’t think I even have the strength to drag myself there,” she confessed, stunned and not at how the truth always left her lips in Zeydan’s presence.

He nodded as if he had expected that answer and drew closer, stretching both arms. “May I?”

Aella nodded.

Zeydan cradled her in his arms with no effort at all, his chin brushing her damp forehead as he stood and carried her upstairs.

Aella was aware of nothing but his scent—clean, male, but soothing instead of intimidating. She could feel his strong heartbeat against her side. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to place a tremulous palm against his chest. Zeydan’s warm breath caressed Aella’s forehead, and she nestled closer to him. She didn’t even notice when they entered the room. One second she was in his arms, the next she was being carefully laid in a warm bed that smelled like jasmine and vanilla.

Zeydan’s intense gaze was the last thing she saw as exhaustion claimed her consciousness.

CHAPTER 17

Aella all but fainted as soon as Zeydan placed her on the bed. Her hand fell from his chest to her stomach.

He thought about helping her out of the heavy hoodie, thinking she might get too hot with the flames still flickering in the fireplace, but decided against it.

Aella might be uncomfortable with the thought of him touching her too much while unconscious.

So Zeydan removed her shoes, tucked her up to her waist with the duvet, and stepped back. He examined the still-too-pale, but soft, beautiful features of the unconscious halfblood.

There was one more reason he remained tempted to give chase to those gargoyle beasts. One Zeydan had kept to himself for Aella’s sake—he wanted to kill the bastard who had hurt her so much, Micah.

Zeydan’s head pounded with the burning rage he felt for that psychopath. He wanted to rip him apart limb by limb and set him on fire while he still lived. He wanted to hear that monster scream.

The memory of how Aella looked that night she’d found his previous home—half of the bones in her delicate face broken, gray eyes full of terror, bleeding to death—would be forever burned in Zeydan’s mind.

As would be the look of utter satisfaction on Micah’s face as he was about to cut Aella into pieces right in front of him.

If Sebastian and the others had arrived mere seconds later…

Zeydan took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. Feeling as if something was wrenching inside his chest, he left Aella’s room.

---