And screamed and screamed.
So alone. All alone.
He swore and held her close, blocking off the image because his dragon couldn’t take it. He felt the warm glow of his dragon shield emanating from him, encompassing them as he held her. He wished for the blue dragon’s ability to heal at this moment. But all he could offer was comfort and safety.
His shield was impenetrable, and it tired him if sustained too long, but it was worth it. Her body seemed to sense the utter safety somehow, and she slowly relaxed against him. Or perhaps the memory was just over. He slowly released his grip on her, realizing he’d been clutching her so tight his hands were cramping.
He looked down to see her sniffling slightly, her beautiful face tear-streaked. He couldn’t tell if she was still asleep or not, but he couldn’t help leaning down to kiss gently down the tracks of her tears.
He wanted to protect her from everything in the world.
To his surprise, her arms snaked up around his neck.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry, Melissa. Everything I said… I was so stupid. I opened old wounds. I…”
“Stop,” she said. “It was so long ago. I can hardly remember. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t…”
“I was an ass. I was…”
“Stop,” she said, wrapping her arms tight around his neck, pressing her delicious breasts to his chest and letting her warm breath move over his neck. He tightened slightly, trying to resist his body’s response. “Just let me feel I’m not alone anymore. I’ve been alone for so long.”
He held her as she sobbed into his shoulder, waiting until the tears abated. The warm glow of his shield stayed around them as she cried out her pain.
“I’m so sorry about your family,” he said.
“I can barely remember them,” she said quietly. “But you know what I do remember? Everyone being gone. Suddenly being alone. Everyone had left.” She sniffled and shook slightly. “Damn, it only seems to come back at times of big change. I don’t know why. Or yes, maybe your questions about how I don’t open up to people made me realize just how empty things have been. But it’s like, when you said you wouldn’t leave me alone anymore, that meant so much.”
He held her, trying to comprehend it all. What she’d been through. How he could help. How big of a jerk he’d been for not realizing she could have some damn good reasons for not wanting to get close to people.
Because they could leave. Or die.
“I’m not going to run,” she said. “So just promise me you won’t leave.”
He nodded against her, still caught off guard by the situation but glad she wasn’t angry with him and that he’d been able to protect and comfort her and things seemed to be okay again. He stroked a hand lightly over her back, still hoping to soothe her further.
She pulled back to look at him, studying him with piercing eyes. They were a deep brown that shimmered in the low light. “You’re unexpectedly tender, aren’t you?” she asked playfully.
“Nah,” he said, giving her a reluctant grin. “Don’t tell Ran.”
She brushed a hand into his hair. “I think he knows better than any of us. He really cares about you, you know.”
Draven felt a knot in his throat at her words. Suddenly, he didn’t want to think about it. Any of it. The memory she’d had. Ran…
“Sorry,” she said. “It’s just, he came to my room earlier. Said he wanted me here because he didn’t want you alone.”
“Well, and because Ran’s actually pretty softhearted for a complete bastard. And he wanted you from the moment he met you.”
She looked up at him. “I still don’t get it.”
“You will.” Draven rested his head on top of hers and just enjoyed holding her, trying to ignore the raging hard-on he’d gotten from having her lush body pressed against him.
“Damn, I guess it’s too much to hope it was love at first sight because of my body?” she joked.
He scoffed. “No. Your body is just fine. I could easily spend an eternity with it. That’s not the problem.”
She gave him a mischievous glance, fire sparkling in those deep brown depths. “Oh really?”
He felt his body warming at the direction this was going but wasn’t sure it was right. “Definitely. All night and all day, if I didn’t have to worry about where this was all going.”
She brushed back his hair and he closed his eyes at the feel of it, just being touched by someone. “What if I didn’t want you to worry about it? What if I just wanted you to distract me from everything? Make me feel alive?”