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Whatever I wanted would have to wait. There were things I needed to do.
Seff squeezed the excess water from the towel and turned to me. His eyes roamed over my face, my neck, and the rest of my body. He was all business, looking for injuries.
The way I should’ve inspected him.
“Seff,” I whispered.
“Give me a minute,” he whispered back. Then, softly, slowly, he wiped the moistened cloth over my face and down my neck.
I said nothing. I had no words. All I could do was watch as his dark brows drew together in concentration. He rinsed the towel, then he lifted my long bangs away from my face and flinched.
“This might sting a bit,” he said as he studied my temple.
“It’s nothing.” That minor injury would heal and disappear much quicker than my heartache.
Seff’s gaze met mine. He was so close I could see light golden streaks bursting like stars in his irises.
All the tears I hadn’t shed burned. I took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ll tell them in the morning.” I spoke so softly I wasn’t sure he’d heard me or simply read my lips.
He nodded.
Cold hands cupped my face. Warm lips pressed against my forehead. Then, his arms were around me, our naked bodies pressed together, and oh, I needed that hug. I needed that full-body contact.
I buried my face in his neck and clenched my fists behind his back.
Stay strong.
“Thank you,” I mumbled against his skin. There were other words I wanted to say like, “I need you,” and “Don’t leave me,” but I buried them in my heart, and they didn’t make it past my lips.
“Anything you need, you name it,” he murmured next to my ear. “First, though, I’d better run out and grab my clothes.”
His lips were on my forehead again, then in a quick shift, his paws were on my shoulders. He gazed at me with big wolf eyes and a wolfy smile. I stroked his beautiful face, then sank my fingers into his fluffy coat. His thick undercoat felt like soft, warm wool. He moved away, his claws clicking on the wood floor as he made his way to the door. He glanced back at me one more time before pawing the door lever and slipping outside.
After three deep breaths, I took the stairs to the loft and the two little females that had been left entirely in my care.
––––––––
“They were rogues?”
I nodded as I swept Arteisma’s hair into my hand.
“Are they gone?”
“Yes.”
Nereida had almost finished her own braid when she asked, “Did you kill them?”
I shook my head as I braided Arteisma’s hair. “No. But I hurt one of them. That’s where the blood on my face came from.”
“Where is everybody?” Nereida asked.
“In Coleman’s yurt.” It wasn’t a lie. I slipped the hair tie around the end of Arteisma’s long braid. “You’re done. Now get in bed.” I made a big show out of pulling their covers back. My insides trembled. The words I should’ve said were trapped in my heart. I took a few deep breaths while the twins climbed into their separate beds. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
It was all I could say without falling apart. I needed time to process what had happened. Explaining the death of our pack wouldn’t be the end. There were so many things I didn’t have control over. How much time would we have before someone came for these two little females? When whoever showed up, would they take the twins away? Would they let me say goodbye?
Nereida stopped my runaway thoughts with a question of her own. “Who is that male, Seff? Where did he come from?” Her dark brows lowered in suspicion.
“He came here with Decker. I’ve never met him before, but do you remember my cousin Jessy?
