Page 27

27

BEAR

Aleena started scrambling away, her eyes wide with fear. After a moment, some of the red haze began to clear from his vision and Bear realized it was him she was afraid of.

He had gone into Rage when he saw her being attacked—it was a berserker-like fury that all Kindred warriors felt when they saw that the woman they loved was in danger. It made a Kindred look even more fierce and frightening than usual—he must have scared her when he’d killed the attacker who had been on top of her.

“Aleena—” he began, reaching for her, but she shrank away.

“I’m sorry, my Lord Husband!” she gasped, huddling in a corner. Her face had gone pale in the dim light of the alley and she was shaking with fear. “Please,” she begged. “Please, don’t kill me!”

“Kill you?” Bear said, frowning. “Why would I kill you, baby? I came here to save you!”

But his words seemed to have no effect.

“I’m sorry!” Aleena was crying now. “He didn’t change the color of my eyes, even though he tried—please, my Lord Husband—don’t hurt me!”

Bear realized that she was too upset to understand that he truly wasn’t mad at her. Settling beside her on the dirty pavement, he scooped her trembling body into his arms.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry ,” she kept repeating.

“It’s okay…it’s all right, baby. Everything is going to be all right.” Bear cradled her soft little body close to his chest and stroked her long coppery hair.

At last, she quieted against him and stopped apologizing but he could still hear her crying. The sound tore at his heart.

“Aleena, sweetheart, please don’t cry,” he begged softly. “I promise I’m not mad at you and I swear I would never hurt you.”

“You…you’d feel d-different if you knew what I d-did,” she whispered brokenly.

“Come on,” he said, standing up with her still in his arms. “Let’s get out of this stinking alley so we can talk and you can tell me all about it.”

He carried her back to the waiting hovercoach and put her inside. Then he got in beside her and ordered the coach to take them home.

On the way there, Aleena was quiet and withdrawn. She looked down at her hands with red-rimmed eyes and didn’t say a word. Her skirt was torn and her hair was a mess. There was dirt smudged on her pretty face—she was probably in shock, Bear thought. The attack he had witnessed had been brutal—he wondered if he had gotten to her in time. He would have to examine her once they got home, to see if she needed treatment.

He tried not to remember the sight he’d seen—the attacker on top of Aleena and her clothing all in disarray, exposing her. The thought of that son-of-a-bitch hurting his wife made Bear so angry he was in danger of going into Rage again!

But he knew that seeing him in Rage frightened Aleena, so he took deep breaths and did his best to control the protective fury inside him. He just wished that he’d killed the bastard more slowly—he deserved prolonged agony for what he’d done to sweet, innocent Aleena!

Still struggling with his anger, Bear let his wife be for a little while. He hadn’t felt this protective of a woman in years. He told himself he had to regain control and tried to turn his mind to other things as the hovercoach took them home.

He took the opportunity to call and let the Karpsian officials know that he would have to resume the negotiations tomorrow, since he’d had a family emergency. He hoped they wouldn’t be too offended, but right now, his wife came first for him—he had to be sure she was all right before he could even think of going back to the bargaining table.

It didn’t occur to him that he was thinking of her so possessively and putting her above his mission—he only knew that he wanted to help and heal her and keep her safe.

It never crossed his mind that he might be falling in love.