My mate looked away. “I’m not used to showing and telling my emotion. I’m not supposed to stand out. I’m supposed to hide it.”
“Oh, baby, you stand out more than you realize.” I cupped her face and kissed her. “You consume me. I’ve stayed out of your head, forced my grizzly to stay out of your head to give you time to adjust, but no more. I’m making sure your emotions are met, making sure you are better taken care of.”
“And getting fucked more often,” my grizzly grumbled.
My mate let out a bark of laughter, but it soon turned into a cry. It was then a dam broke inside her, and I pulled her to my body to seek contact with mine.
It was the emotion that I expected to see when she first woke up, and now that the dam had broken, I was happy to see she was finally letting me have the side of her no one else had ever seen.
“You died. You died in front of me,” she wailed. “Everyone did, and I was so sad, so lost. I wanted to give up when I didn’t have you.”
I rocked her, gripping her tightly. “I know, baby, that was scary. But that will never happen, do you hear me? That will never happen. The duke can’t get here. He doesn’t know where we are.”
“He burned down the bar. He killed my real parents. He hurt everyone I ever cared about.” Her claws lengthened, and I felt them puncture my skin. I held her closer, not caring about the pain.
“Let it out, baby.” I kissed the top of her forehead. “Let it all out. Just know it was a dream, and it will never, ever happen. I’ll always be here to protect you, always.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Nadia
Icriedmyselftosleep.
Or I passed out from crying.
It’s the same thing, right?
I wouldn’t have purposefully fallen asleep. I knew that. I never wanted to sleep again, yet here I was, laying on Bear’s chest while he flipped through the channels on the TV. He was bare-chested like he always was. I could hear the thumping of his heart; it was a smooth rhythm that kept me asleep, along with the TV being muted.
“I know you are awake, little bee.” His hand tickled my back, and it gave me the shivers. “You’ve slept nearly twenty-four hours. You needed it.”
My mouth gaped open, and I lifted my head. I was draped in a large T-shirt that hung off my still too small frame, and my underwear peeked out from underneath. On top of both of us was a thick, worn blanket that smelled of nothing but him.
“I have?”
Bear hummed, seeming pleased with himself. “Out like a light, and no bad dreams to speak of that I could tell. I’ll make sure you don’t have any more of those. I’ll be sure to chase them away.”
I wanted to question what he meant by that, but as I rose from his chest, he winced, and I looked down to see a necklace hanging from my neck. It appeared that the chain had pulled hair from his chest.
“What’s this?” I held the pendant in my hand. It was circular, with thin webs wrapped around it. I’d say it looked like an incomplete dream catcher.
“It’s from Bram and Tajah. It’s a protection necklace. No demon will ever be able to get into your body again as long as you wear it. It is also shaped like that to capture any bad dreams. At least, that is what they told me.” Bear fiddled with it and pulled his chest hair from it. “Maybe I should trim my hair a bit if you are going to be sleeping on top of me because that shit hurt.”
“You aren’t being a little pussy, are you?” I tried not to smile.
“Excuse me?” He raised his infamous arched eyebrow. “I’m an alpha male. I just didn’t want you pulling my hair. If you think I’m being a pussy, I won’t shave it.”
I snorted and shook my head with a smile.
“That’s what I like to see,” he said, rolling over the overly large couch and landing on top of me. “My mate smiling after a good rest. Please tell me, do you feel more rested? And don’t think about lying to me either. I’ll know.”
I nodded and ran my fingers through his beard. “I do feel more rested, better even.” I licked my lips. “I still feel… raw?” It was the only word I could find that described how I felt, but it was true.
The proverbial wounds were still incredibly open, and the slightest breeze, bump, or nudge would bring them bleeding again. Even thinking about that damn nightmare could set me off, and I wasn’t about to cry again. I wouldn’t.I won’t.
“What can I do to help you feel better, then?” Bear said seriously. “Besides feeding you because you are obviously going to need to be fed.”
He rose from the couch and led me into the kitchen. I padded along with him, and he pulled out a chair, which I sat in obediently. Even if it had been a day since I had last cried, I felt like it was just minutes ago.
