She had good instincts, and they kicked in a hell of a lot quicker than mine could, although it didn’t do her much good. It gave her, at best, ten seconds. Her hand shot out, finding purchase against his chest in a desperate attempt to create distance. It only fueled him on. He groaned loudly as she pushed against him.
“What are you doing?” she exclaimed.
She gasped, unintentionally giving him access to her, and he kissed her like he owned her. He crushed his mouth to hers, their tongues dancing. She melted into his body, shaking as he increased his intensity. He pulled her head back, trailing kisses down her throat.
“The things I would fucking do to you,” he growled, gripping her ass in his large hands.
Without warning, he backed her against the wall and shoved his body into hers, grinding hard. My reflexes failed to move quick enough, and it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. He grabbed her wrists in one hand and slammed them over her head. His breathing was erratic, and he must have looked crazed to her.
She whimpered, and her eyes flew to Ivan and me.
“Damn it, Crow, why the fuck are you like this?” I exclaimed with a surge of adrenaline.
Thank god it finally kicked in. I lunged forward, my hands gripping him hard as I hauled him away. His resistance was fierce, a true testament to his internal turmoil and need as he shook free of me. Fucking asshole. I grabbed him once more, every muscle in my body strained, and out of nowhere, Ivan materialized.
Like a goddamn guardian angel, he stepped in. He ripped Nik away and then gripped his head in his hands and hissed, “Get your shit together, Brother. She’s off-limits.”
With a smack to his head, Ivan shoved him down the hall, his voice a thunderous roar of cursing and admonishment. It echoed off the walls, and Sarah poked her head out, only to immediately shut her door when Ivan told her to.
I pulled Kinsley into the safety of my arms, holding her tightly. She trembled from head to toe, and I wanted to march down to Nik’s room and kick his ass for frightening her. I promised her she’d be safe with us.
“Alek, what just happened?” she asked, sounding stunned.
Her arms wrapped around my waist in a vise-like grip. She laid her head against my stomach, and I ran my fingers down her back.
“I’m sorry, kitten. Nik isn’t himself right now. Are you okay?” I pulled away and looked into her eyes, trying to assess her.
I’d try to explain it all to her later when I could think clearly. Right now, it was taking everything in me just to stand straight and not crumble to the floor. Although what the fuck was I really going to tell her? I didn’t imagine knowing that he only got this way after we’d killed a pedophile would be excusable in her eyes. It certainly wasn’t in mine.
This was my fault, though, at the end of the day. I should have sent Marcus up first and ensured she wasn’t around. Her words, although a relief, did little to assuage my guilt.
“It's okay,” she whispered, although her lips still trembled.
“It’s really not. But sweetness, I need a shower, and…” I winced, the pain in my head blinding. It was getting harder to concentrate, and the disorientation was setting in. I let her go and gripped my head.
“What’s wrong?”
Her voice was laced with concern, and despite our size difference, she lifted onto her tiptoes, her movements graceful and determined. Her hands, small and soft, rose and wrapped lovingly around my neck. I sighed into her frame, trying to calm the never-ending pounding in my head. Marcus came out of nowhere with a glass of water and two pills.
“Marcus, can you make sure Kinsley gets to her room?” I stammered, handing her off to him.
I needed to lie down, now. With that, I left her before I passed out and scared the shit out of her any further. Closing my door behind me, I leaned against it, shut my eyes, and took several cleansing breaths. Damn, this was going to be a brutal one.
Making my way to the shower, I yanked the door open and stepped inside and into the streaming torrent of hot water. I braced myself against the wall as the onslaught of memories engulfed me. The water might be able to wash away the physical exertion of the kill, but the pain in my skull wasn’t going to give way so easily.
I ran a towel across my body before stumbling toward my bed. Collapsing onto the mattress, the world spun. The medication finally kicked in, and I surrendered to the darkness. And as oblivion claimed me, I drifted into a dream of honeysuckle fields.
Chapter 32
Kinsley
Everyone Needs Someone
Marcus took my hand gently and pulled. “Come with me. Alek needs a moment.”
“But what’s wrong with him?” I asked, refusing to budge.
I’d never seen Alek that way. He was clearly in pain. I didn’t even have time to process what the hell happened with Nik. One minute, he was standing there looking crazed and indifferent, and the moment I opened my mouth, he pounced on me.
