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Her head lifted from his chest and she looked at me with utter anguish etched on her beautiful face. “Alena,” I breathed and practically ripped my clothes from my body in order to get to the shower.
I crouched before her and took her face between my palms. Xavier shuffled a bit to allow me access to her. “This is all my fault. I promise it won’t happen again. You are perfectly safe with us, I’ll make sure of it.”
“What if he comes for me, Elias?” Her sob wounded me more than a knife to the gut. “I don’t want anything to happen to you guys.”
“No, Princess,” Xavier murmured. “Nothing will happen to us. Please, let us remove his scent from your body so we can show you how much we love you.”
Alena took in a deep shuddering breath and nodded slightly. “I want the smell gone. I only want to smell my mates.”
I bit back the growl threatening to break free and turned to reach for the shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
She eyed the bottles carefully, and her head tilted to the side. “You have my brands in your bathroom too?”
“Just waiting for you to come in here and use them. You were always more comfortable in your bathroom, so they just stayed here unused.” A slight smile tugged at the corners of my lips.
The wheels in her mind started turning as different expressions flashed over her face. Her lips parted as she thought about what to say.
I silenced her with a finger against her lips. “Questions can come later. Tonight, let us take care of you.”
Blinking up at me for several seconds, Alena paused, then nodded.
“Up we go.” Xavier tightened his hold on her, then rose and placed her on her feet. His arms anchored her against his frame. “Let’s get you washed so I can breathe through my nose again.”
“Me too,” Julian muttered as he entered the shower behind me. Another plus of this bathroom was the enormous shower that could fit all of us comfortably, with several benches built into the walls, and showerheads arranged throughout.
“Where’s Simon?” Alena asked as I turned her around so I could begin with shampooing her hair.
“Right here, love.” Simon stepped under the spray in the far right corner. Alena turned to see him over her shoulder and she gave him a small smile.
I tilted her head back, massaging her scalp with the lavender shampoo. Xavier held her with one hand wrapped around her back, and the other using a washcloth to clean her face.
That bastard Ryan had grabbed her chin and her arm. The two primary areas Xavier was already working to clean.
I plucked the hand-held wand from its cradle and gently washed the soap from her hair. “You are so beautiful, Alena,” I whispered huskily. With her hair thoroughly rinsed, I traded the nozzle for the bottle of conditioner.
“I don’t feel very beautiful right now,” she confessed, her voice cracking as she spoke. “I feel broken.”
Xavier tightened his hold on her and I bent low, my lips brushing over her ear. “It’s okay to fall apart sometimes. We’ll be here to hold you and help put you back together. But never doubt that you’re beautiful, because you’re the most beautiful creature on this planet.”
She dropped her head, pressing it to Xavier’s shoulder. “We’ve always got you, Princess. Let us take some of that burden off your shoulders.”
* * *
ALENA
Their words pierced through my fractured thoughts and I deflated before them, completely and utterly drained.
“I’m trying,” I whispered between my tears. “But I’ve not ever been able to rely on anyone but myself. I’m trying to lean more on you, but I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”
“Love.” Simon appeared, and I turned to look up at him. “Let us help. You trust us, yes?”
I nodded. I did trust them and I let them into my heart. They were a part of me. Under my skin and forever with me. Losing them would be like cutting off a limb.
“Xavier will find them. I know he will. No one will touch you again.” Simon cupped my cheek and bent down to press his lips to mine.
Heat spread through me as Julian crossed the tiled floor to fill the missing space. All four of my men surrounded me.
They kept me safe. Protected.
