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She stays there, her body slowly relaxing again, sinking into the comfort of my touch. And I don’t say anything more. I just let her stay there, letting her trust me – letting her trust us – until she’s ready to move.

“Xar,” she says after a moment, her voice soft.

“Yeah?”

Her eyes meet mine, and there’s something fragile in her gaze, something she’s trying to hide. “Why are you all really here? Why won’t you leave me alone?”

I hesitate, the question catching me off guard. I don’t have an easy answer for her – not one she’s ready to hear.

“Because we care,” I say finally, keeping my voice steady. “And because you matter to us. I don’t know if youneedhelp, but something about you is calling to our instincts to protect and support you. And if you don’t want that, well, at the very least we’d like to be your friend. Seems like you might need a couple of those.”

She looks away, her jaw tightening like she doesn’t believe me, but she doesn’t argue. Instead, she leans back against my chest, her eyes slipping closed.

I watch her for a moment longer, my chest heavy with a mix of relief and something I can’t quite name. She’s safe, for now. But this is far from over.

Whatever’s between us – between her and all of us – it’s only just beginning.

EVIANA

The door creaks open again, and Dane steps in, rain still clinging to him, a bundle of towels draped over one arm and a first aid kit in the other. His eyes find me immediately, this time taking on more of an assessing expression – slumped in the bath, cheeks pale, hair plastered to my face. His jaw tightens, but he says nothing, just moves toward me with quiet purpose.

“You’ve got a cut,” he says, crouching down beside the tub.

I nod stiffly, too tired to argue. My head is throbbing and I just want to sleep.

He sets the towels on a nearby stool – the one I use for my drink and book when I’m treating myself to a relaxing bath – then opens the kit with practiced ease. His thigh brushes the side of the tub as he leans in, close but not crowding, and I feel theheat of his body contrast sharply with the cooling water around me. Or maybe that’s just my imagination given that there’s still curlicues of steam rising from the surface.

“This might sting.”

His fingers are careful but sure as he wipes the blood from my temple. The antiseptic bites, sharp and sudden, and I flinch – more from the proximity than the pain. He doesn’t apologise, which I appreciate. Just steadies me with one hand on the rim of the tub, his knuckles brushing damp skin.

I make the mistake of glancing up.

He’s closer than I thought. His dark eyes are on the cut, his brows furrowed in concentration, but there’s something else there – tension pulled taut across his shoulders, his breath just slightly uneven. Like he’s aware of every inch of space between us.

He’s beautiful,I think. Despite his enormous size and intimidating looks, there’s such kindness in his gaze and his touch is so careful…like a gentle giant. Until now I’d thought his eyes were black, but now that he’s close, I can see they’re actually the deepest, darkest midnight blue I’ve ever seen - complete with silvery striations that look like shooting stars.

My breath catches.

The word beautiful doesn’t do him justice…but I’ve got nothing else. Stupid headache.

He smooths two steri-strips across the wound, his fingers brushing my skin with the kind of softness that makes my chest tighten.

“Done,” he says quietly, lifting his gaze to mine. It holds for a beat too long. Not an invitation. Just...awareness. Unspoken. Electric.

He stands, grabbing a towel and placing it carefully within reach. “I’ll be just downstairs. You guys shout if you need anything.”

And then he’s gone.

The moment I lean into Xar, I feel a shudder run through my body. It’s not from the cold anymore. It’s something else entirely. His hands, still at the back of my head, are warm and steady. His presence – his closeness – feels like it’s filling every inch of the room. My breath hitches in my chest, and I instinctively try to pull away, but his grip doesn’t falter.

I can feel the weight of his body against mine, the pressure of his alpha presence, and something inside me coils tighter with every second. I don’t know if it’s the exhaustion or the adrenaline finally catching up to me, but the longer I stay there, the more I realise how much easier it would be to just melt into him. Just let him take control, let him protect me like they all want to.

Just once.

But then I notice it.

The water. The bath. The rain.