Filed to story: Cara Nelson The Guardian: Werewolf Book PDF Free
He smiles at me as if I just gave him the best gift in the world, and my breath catches. The man is attractive, but when he smiles? Wow! He should definitely smile more often.
“Do you need me to help you to the bath?” He asks me.
Nope, sure don’t. “I think I can manage on my own, thank you.”
He nods and moves into the bathroom. In a moment, I hear the water start to run. I sit up and scoot to the edge of the bed. I pull the sheet until I can wrap it around myself then slide off the bed until my feet touch. When I try to stand, my legs won’t hold my weight. I start to go down, my hands reaching out to catch me. Before I hit the floor, strong arms wrap around me and I’m lifted into Liam’s arms.
He looks at me, aggravation clear on his face. He carries me bridal style to the bathroom. “Are you determined to undo everything I’ve done to help you heal? You could have landed on your face, broken your nose and all the healing powers of licking won’t fix that. Not to mention, your blood levels are still low and an injury like that could set your recovery back who knows how long.”
I’ve tucked myself against his body because when he picked me up, the sheet did not come with us. I’m naked in his arms, so I’ve curled up as best I can to maintain some modesty. He shifts me in his arms, holding me with one arm while he reaches in and tests the water. Seriously? How strong is he? He’s holding my entire body with one arm like I’m a child who weighs nothing.
When he’s satisfied, he gently sets me down in the water. I can’t help the moan that leaves my lips. It feels so good. The heat makes my newer punctures feel sensitive, but it immediately starts working on my sore muscles.
When he sets me down, I pull my knees to my chest, again trying to hide myself from him. However, when I look at him, he isn’t even looking at me. He’s gone to the shower and is searching through the bottles on the shelf. When he turns around, I see his eyes are glazed over. I remember that as the look of the mind link. He sets the bottles beside the tub and walks to the door.
I thought he was leaving, but he pushed the door closed, leaving it cracked a bit. He comes back, turning the water off and coming to sit behind me. “Lean back.”
I turn to look at him over my shoulder. “What?”
“I’m going to wash your hair, it’s a mess, lean back.”
I turn away from him, not sure what to do. I hear him sigh loudly before I feel his hands on my shoulders. I flinch at the touch, but he leans in to me and quietly says, “I will not hurt you. You are under my protection now and I take that very seriously. Relax.”
I can’t relax, but I do listen, and I lay back. I look up to see if he’s giving my body the same lecherous looks the vampires did, but he’s not. He’s focused on my hair. I frown, weird.
He puts his hand under my head, holding it above the water then takes his other hand and begins cupping water into it before pouring if over my head. I feel myself start to relax as I watch him focus on his job. He looks into my eyes. winks at me before returning to his work.
“Your eyes are a striking shade of gray. I’ve never seen eyes that color before, like a stormy sea.” and
He pushes gently on my head. “Sit up.” He says and reaches for one of the bottles. I watch as he sniffs several, the frown between his brows getting deeper until he huffs and finally picks one. He puts the shampoo in his hand, rubs it into his other hand then begins massaging it into my head. This time it’s a whimper that leaves my mouth. His fingers rubbing against my scalp feel better than anything I’ve felt in more years than I care to remember. It’s utter bliss.
I hear a noise outside the bathroom and my whole body goes stiff. Liam never stops running his fingers across my scalp. “Shhh, they are just changing the sheets while you are in here. I didn’t think you’d want to get back into dirty sheets after getting clean.” His voice is low, as if he’s talking to an injured, trapped animal, and maybe that’s how he sees me.
“Lay back.” He says and gently pushes on my shoulders. Again, he holds my head as he rinses my hair clean of the shampoo. When he pushes me back up to sit, he grabs a bottle of conditioner and rubs it into my hair. Then he grabs a brush and starts to gently work his way through the tangled mess in my hair.
“Your hair is beautiful. I’ve been wondering how long it really is. I can’t wait to see it.’
“The last time I looked at it, it was past my waist. I haven’t had it cut in years.” I tell him.
“Do you want to cut it? I can have someone come cut it for you. Although, I like long hair, so I hope you’ll keep it long.”
I turn and look at him over my shoulder again. He seems mesmerized by my hair. He turns his gaze to me, winking at me again. I frown. He’s a strange alpha.
Without taking his eyes off my hair, he reaches down and grabs a washcloth. “
You can bathe yourself while I do this if you want. This may take some time.” He hands the washcloth to me.
I peer over the side of the tub, looking at the bottles. I can’t see what they are, and I start to reach for one, but he grabs a different one. “Here, try this one.” I open it and it smells like vanilla. It’s a nice smell but when I used to choose my own scents, I always went for more fruity scents, like berries.
While he’s busy with my hair, I pour some body wash into the washcloth and begin rubbing it over my body. I’m careful as I go over my wrists. It was a favorite. spot of the prince’s and they feel scarred over on the top but still sensitive underneath. I move up my arms and over my shoulders feeling the bumps of scarred-over puncture wounds. I must look repulsive to Liam. My body is a disfigured mess.
I can’t help the tears that begin to fall. What if Alessia can never heal these and I look like this for the rest of my life. What if I have to carry the reminder of my time with that monster forever.
I hadn’t realized that Liam had stopped brushing my hair until he gently takes hold of my chin and turns my face to look at him. “Scars are nothing more than proof that you are stronger than you know. They show that you have lived. through difficult times but you’re still here, still fighting. Don’t be ashamed of your scars. You should wear them proudly. Not many could have survived what you did.”
I nod my head at him and go back to washing as he continues to brush out my hair. The water begins to cool and he starts to let it out, turning on the faucet and adding more hot water as the cooler water runs out of the tub, clearing the sudsy space.
“Better?” He asks me as he turns off the faucet.
“Yes, thank you. It’s been a long time since I’ve had warm water.”
“Can I ask you something?” I need to know why he’s being so nice. What’s in it for him.
“You can ask me anything.” He replies.
I turn to look at him over my shoulder again. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
When I take Angel into the bathroom, I know she’s expecting me to do something sexual or lewd. So, I make it a point to not look at her, well, not much. I’ve already seen her body, several times while she was unconscious. It’s already etched into my mind. I know that you can see every rib, that her hips bones jut out too sharply, that her shoulders have more bone than meat on them. She’s not only a small girl but she’s been starving for a long time. I can’t wait to see what her body looks like when she fills out. Cyran and I will make sure she eats and gets enough food. She will never go hungry again.
When I tell her to lay back so I can wash her hair, I can feel her eyes drilling holes into my head. So I fight the urge to look her over. I know her body won’t have changed, she’s only had one small meal. So instead, I look into her eyes and wink at her. Her jerk of surprise almost made me smile. The whimper of pleasure when I began washing her hair definitely had me smiling. It feels good taking care of my mate. Even Cyran is purring in my mind as we massage her head and I feel her body begin to relax under my ministrations.
I want to ask her more questions, but I don’t want to ruin this moment. She’s calm and doesn’t look like she’s ready to bolt at the slightest hint of an opportunity. So, I wait.
Her question about why I’m doing this is dangerous. I don’t want to tell her I’m her mate. I’m not sure how she will react, especially since her wolf isn’t yet at full strength. So, I decide to go with my gut. I’m pretty sure her experience with Alphas is bad and I want her to know I’m not like that.
“You have been injured and are in danger. You stumbled into my pack practically. on your death bed. While you are a rogue and I have to take that into consideration, you have also been through a lot and need my protection. An Alpha’s job is to protect those that cannot protect themselves. While that mostly applies to my pack, it also applies to others that may cross my path. So, I’m helping you because it’s the right thing to do. And as an Alpha, it’s my responsibility.”
I watch her frown at my response, but she remains silent.
When I hear the omegas leaving the room, I mind link them thanking them and asking that they make two trays of food. I mind link Dustin asking him to bring them up when they are ready.
I didn’t realize she was crying until I smelled the saltiness of her tears. When I looked, I could see her assessing her body. There is almost no part of her that isn’t marred with the bumpiness of her scars. To me, it makes her look like a warrior. What has she endured and overcome to survive it? I’m serious when I tell her that not many could have survived what she has. It’s a testament to her strength. And while she may not be physically strong, her scars tell a story, loud and clear, about her inner strength. Something I need to remember so I don’t underestimate my little angel.
When I finish untangling her hair, I can’t tell how long it is, but I know it’s long and so silky. I run my fingers through it longer than I need to because I love the way it feels. I know she said she wants to cut it, but I really hope it’s not too short.
Everything about her is unique. Her hair is so white that it can’t even be considered blond. Her eyes are a pale gray, so pale that it’s hard to really determine what color they are. It’s not until I looked at her, so close to me while. rinsing her hair that I finally realized that they are gray. Not blue-gray, not green -gray. Just gray.
When I’m done rinsing her hair again, I stand and bring her a towel. “Do you need more time to bathe?” I ask her.
“No, thank you, I’m starting to prune.” And she shows me her shrivled finger tips. I smile and pull the plug on the tub, letting the water drain. I hold the towel out and open in front of me, giving her a bit of privacy as she stands before I wrap it around her and lift her out of the tub.
“I can walk.” She says quietly. I look at her. “The last time you stood, you almost some more food in you fell flat on your face. How about we take it slow and get some more food in you before we try it again?”