Warrior (Relentless #4)(113)
I followed her. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not. Just leave me alone.” She walked stiffly to the door and pushed it open, the set of her shoulders matching the anger in her eyes.
I stayed behind her as she ran to the main building, and I followed her into the medical ward where she was immediately whisked away by one of the healers. I paced the ward for almost thirty minutes before the healer came out of the room and assured me Sara was no longer in pain.
“You can go in now, if you want to,” she said.
I thanked her and went to Sara’s room. I knew she didn’t want to see me, but I needed to clear up a few things between us. And I needed to see for myself that she was okay.
Sara was lying on the exam table with her arm resting beside her, wrapped in gauze. Her face was paler than usual, but she didn’t appear to be in pain.
She saw it was me and turned her face away to look at the ceiling.
“I’m really not up to arguing with you again, Nikolas.”
I stayed by the door, not wanting to upset her, but unable to leave. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. I’ve had worse injuries, remember?”
“I remember,” I said, my voice rough as I recalled her standing at the edge of a cliff with a knife in her chest.
She sat up, her legs hanging over the edge of the table, and held up her arm. “Look, all taken care of. I’ll be as good as new in no time.”
Her words were light, but I could sense her discomfort, and I cursed myself for being the cause of it. I’d come home, looking forward to seeing her, and all I’d done was upset her.
“You don’t have to stay with me,” she said quietly. “The healer said I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry for yelling at you.” My gaze held her surprised one. “I never meant to make you feel useless. It just angers me to see you taking risks like that.”
Her nostrils flared slightly. “What do you expect me to do – hide out in my room so I don’t get hurt? I can’t be safe all the time. You have to realize that I will get hurt sometimes, especially if I become a warrior.”
The thought of her being hurt again made my jaw clench. “I thought you didn’t want to be a warrior.”
“What am I training for, if not to become one? Isn’t that what we do?”
Her agitation pulled at me through our bond, and I walked toward her. “I’m teaching you to defend yourself if you ever need it, not to go out looking for trouble.”
“I’m not looking for trouble, and that thing with Alex was a freak accident. It could have happened to anyone.” She looked away, her voice cracking. “Why is it so hard for you to believe I can take care of myself? I’m not a child, you know.”
I stopped in front of her. She lifted her head, her face flushed, and her beautiful green eyes pulling the air from my lungs.
“No, you are not a child,” I said gruffly.
A voice in my head told me to stop, but the need to be close to her, to touch her, was too strong. She didn’t move when I lifted my hand. Her breath hitched, but her eyes never left mine as I brushed the pad of my thumb gently over her jaw. I imagined my mouth moving along her skin to finally taste her soft lips. Need tightened my gut, and my body almost trembled from the strain of denying myself what I had craved for so long.
“Sara,” I whispered hoarsely. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead against hers, fighting my excited Mori and my own desire. I didn’t have the strength to pull away, not unless she asked me to.
“Yell at me. Tell me to go,” I said, even as I silently begged her to ask me to stay.
She pulled back slightly and laid her palms against my chest. I waited for her to push me away.
“Nikolas, I…” she breathed, and in those two words I heard confusion and doubt.
But no withdrawal.
I cupped her chin and lifted her face to mine. The innocent desire in her eyes punched me square in the chest, and my Mori came roaring to life.
Mine, it growled, reaching for its mate.
Her Mori answered, and she leaned in. Her lips parted, and her fingers curled in the front of my sweater.
Placing a hand on either side of her face, I gently tugged her to me until my lips grazed hers. Her bottom lip trembled when I kissed it softly, and I slanted my mouth to claim hers at last. Her lips parted slightly in silent invitation, and I pulled her closer as I coaxed her mouth open and deepened the kiss.
When her tongue shyly touched mine, a fire began low in my belly and I had to suppress a groan. Her timid eagerness told me this was her first kiss, and I reveled in the knowledge that no other man had tasted her mouth. She was mine, just as I was hers. My heart knew it, our Mori knew it, and one day soon, she would know it too.
It took most of my willpower to break the kiss. I pulled back just far enough to look into her eyes, and close enough to feel her warm breath mingling with mine. One kiss from her would never be enough, and already I craved her lips. But first, I needed to make sure she was okay. I didn’t want to rush her into anything she wasn’t ready for.
She wore a bewildered expression, which quickly turned to shock as her eyes widened and she gasped softly.
Her reaction was like cold water dousing my desire. I’d sworn to myself and Tristan I would take things slowly with Sara, to spend time with her and let her get to know me better before I took the next step. She’d been injured and emotional, and I’d taken advantage, even if I hadn’t meant to. She deserved better than that.