Page 69 of Rend (Riven 2)

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Page 69 of Rend (Riven 2)

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He didn’t wait for her to finish asking, taking her straight through their bedroom into the bathroom.

Setting her down on the mat, he stepped into the shower and turned on the water, setting her temperatures in the panel.

Once the water was on, falling in a constant shower from the panel above the tile, he turned back to his mate and felt his heart stutter in his chest.

She stood there breathing as if her life depended on the conscious action. In and out, filling her lungs.

“Allegra.” His voice broke with his heart when a single tear slid down her cheek.

“I’m… I’m going to fall apart in a little bit,” she swallowed and then dragged in a breath. “I’ve done this before,” she managed a little ghost of a smile, “I’ll pull myself together afterward. I just... I just need a little help with my zipper.”

He moved around her, feeling the push of his bear. The usually insufferable creature wasn’t interested in arguing with him, they both wanted the same thing.

To be there for her.

He took hold of the zipper pull and felt a rush of relief when she didn’t pull away. There was just a whisper of sound as he opened the back of her dress.

“I’d like to help you.”

He watched her tense and then she reached down, took his hand, and drew it up to her face. She cradled his hand against her face, breathing in his scent. The lines of tension tightening her back eased and loosened as he waited.

“Reading his words,” she told him, her voice soft, quavering, “I feel like he’s touching me.”

His bear wanted blood. He wanted to sink claw into flesh and tear with fang until the man looked nothing like his natural shape. He wanted to scream his rage to the heavens.

But most of all, he wanted to soothe his mate.

“Take off my clothes, Valerio.” Her tone hovered between plea and demand, but he would have answered her with either.

His hands took hold of both sides of her open zipper and slowly pushed the cloth over her shoulders, down her arms, and then dropped it at her feet. His hands reached for the clasp at the back of her bra and flicked that open. He pulled it off and followed it down, hooking his fingers into the waistband of her panties and laid them both at her feet.

She stepped forward, walking toward the sound of the shower. Her steps were stilted but sure. He followed behind her just to make sure she didn’t slip or bump into anything. She’d learned the layout of their rooms so quickly, but she was upset and didn’t need any more hurt than she was already suffering through.

As she stepped under the gentle shower, he watched the sheets of water fall over her amazing body and fought off the wave of hunger that tried to drive him to his knees.

He stood at the edge of the shower and watched her tilt her face up into the gentle rainfall, letting it wash over her.

“You’re so beautiful.”

Valerio hadn’t intended to say a word, but he meant it from the depths of his soul.

“I’m not.”

Her words weren’t meant as a game, asking him to refute her claim. Her words came from the darkness inside of her. A darkness that he knew well. Too well.

“You’re brave, Allegra. You’re so strong.” His shuddered with emotion. “And the way you’ve survived and stepped into the spotlight, only proves how courageous you are.”

“He didn’t want me in the spotlight.” She left her mouth open and caught some of the drops in her mouth, swallowing a moment later. “We performed with each other at Julliard. He played the piano and we were paired together again and again.

“We spent so much time together, it just seemed natural to be… together.”

“You shared your love for music.”

She nodded and then lifted hand to sweep her hair from her face. “A few months before we finished, I was called into my advisor’s office, Lance came with me, we were inseparable at the time.”

Allegra didn’t lower her hand back to her side. Instead, she held it out to him.


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