A Kitty in the Lion's Den(12)

“It’s okay. Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry for saying that. I shouldn’t have said any of that, Kettah.” His words were low, and strangely she sensed the genuine meaning behind them. “You’re safe, and I won’t let anyone come near you, let alone hurt you.” She liked how he said her name, soft and gentle, and so very unlike what she had seen of him thus far.

When her sobbing lessened to soft mewls he pulled her back so he could look into her face. There were worry lines on his forehead and between his eyes. “I’m sorry for breaking down like that. It’s just that I know how awful my father is, that he is a monster, and wish I had never been born into that life.” He brushed the pad of his thumb under one eye, collected the tear, and stared down at his finger like it was the strangest thing he had seen. He cleared his throat and looked confused as he stared at her. Something seemed to snap inside of him, and he dropped his arms from her and breathed out roughly. He didn’t move away, though. “You see, I know I am just as guilty of those atrocities as my father is. I never did anything to stop him.” He shook his head and looked around the empty room before turning back to her.

“How old are you?”

She brushed away the rest of her tears. “I’m twenty-one.”

“Fuck, you’re so young, Kettah.” It was like he was speaking to himself. He stared into her face, and for that one moment she felt like every emotion she held hidden inside was bared to him. “And believe me when I say there is nothing you could have done to stop your father. He is a powerful man with a lot of connections, and I know you feel responsible, but you aren’t.” He turned fully around so they were face-to-face, and said in a voice that brooked no argument, “You. Are. Not. Responsible.” He spoke so strongly that she wished she could believe him, but it would take a lot more than a few words to make her feel any differently.

“Thank you, but your words don’t change anything.”

He looked down, and she didn’t miss how his jaw clenched. His whole body was tense, and the way he looked at her, as a lion instead of a human, sent a shiver of awareness through her. Just staring at him, being this close and smelling the wild intensity that came from him, made Kettah feel very feminine, and very submissive. He was just so dominant, and it was that self-assured control that had her feeling like putty under the warm sun.

“So, yeah, I am running from an arranged marriage to a man more than twice my age.” The low rumble that left him had her heart racing, but not from fear. Excitement coursed through her veins, igniting her to a point that was scorching. She had never felt desire like this for another person, and certainly not after just meeting them only twenty minutes ago. Although she had never been with anyone sexually, she knew what the tingling between her thighs meant.

He watched her through half-lidded eyes, and the electricity bounced between them so strongly the hair on her arms stood on end. “Have they harmed you, Kettah, put their hands on you in any way?” Her mouth was dry, so very dry it was like she swallowed cotton. Slowly shaking her head because suddenly she didn’t trust her voice, she braced her hands flat on the bed when he leaned in just an inch. Their breath mingled, and it was strange things could change between them so rapidly, but just as quickly as he had leaned in, Maverick moved back.

“I’m taking you with me. You’ll be safer, because they will come for you, Kettah, and when they do I need to be there to protect you.” Her pulse pounded in her ears at the grave tone in his voice. He stood and went back to the window. He pulled only an inch of the curtain aside, and the light from the streetlamps spilled across his profile. It was in that one second as she stared at the back of his head, that her heart stopped, and her throat closed up. Despite the fact he wasn’t wearing a trench coat, and it had been years ago, Kettah knew who this male was just a few feet from her.

“Oh. God.” She snapped her mouth closed, only just realizing she had said that aloud, but it was too late. Maverick slowly turned around so he was facing her. They stared at each other for a long moment, and her fear rose higher and higher until she felt dizzy from it. The man she was dangerously close to was Marick, a lethal killer who was supposed to be dead. Did he know that she had realized who he truly was?

For several long, tense seconds all he did was stare at her. Maybe he was gauging what she was thinking, trying to decipher the threat she really was to him, or maybe he was realizing that taking her with him would be like signing his death warrant all over again. “Come on, Kettah. We have to leave now.” She was shaking her head before he even finished. A dark look crossed his face, and he took a step closer. She stood and held up her hands to try to stop him from coming any closer.