stiffened at first, her trust shaky at best. Landon had only held her lovingly and without pain in the beginning before he had taken the vow to love, honor, cherish and protect. But she was lulled by his warmth that seeped into the cold that had saturated her. His heartbeat was calming. She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes noticing for the first time their azure color. The color of desert skies gazed back at her and something in her reached for this alien, this male who for some reason deigned her important enough to save her life. She let her shields – the ones severely damaged from the stress of surviving under Landon’s cruelty and coming back from the brink of death – down. “What am I going to do? He will kill me this next time. I only wanted to leave. I only wanted to be loved.” She said as sobs racked her small body. He pulled her close, his scent seeping into her pores and his heart comforting her as she surrendered to the respite of slumber that beckoned her.
***
Ceylon laid Ember on the bed her red hair spilling across the white pillow like flames. He couldn’t resist touching the silky strands, letting them slide through his fingers as he brushed her hair away from her face. Ember turned into his touch and released a sigh. Her pale skin was silky to the touch. He was happy to see that her wounds had healed leaving no trace of the bruising and cuts that had once marred her face and arms. Her face was reddened from her crying, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt such a lovely creature.
She had sobbed until sleep had claimed her and he had held her throughout her tears. Her lithe form had pressed so trustingly against his body, stirring his body to attention and inducing guilt for his reaction in her time of unease. She had looked into his eyes with those piercing green eyes and asked him what she was supposed to do. She had poured out her heart, letting him know how desperately she wanted to be loved. His heart ached for her. He had made a decision then and now watching her as she slept only reiterated his idea. She would live with him. His diplomatic status had given him living quarters on Earth and she could stay with him until she no longer needed to. It would also make him feel better knowing she was safer with someone to look after her, keep her mate from causing her more harm. He didn’t allow himself to acknowledge the thoughts of her being near him, tantalizing him with her clean scent reminding him of rainy days on Salin. He wasn’t going to think about how her body had fit so well in his arms. He wasn’t going to think about how his body hardened in her presence.
The light knocking on the door of Ember’s quarters roused him from his thoughts. He looked toward the entrance and noted that Maria led another Earth female behind her. “Ceylon, I’d like you to meet Lindsay Clark who is a counselor at the local Women’s Shelter. She is here to ensure that Ember can cope with what happened. Police officers are also here, but I thought it would be okay to leave them with Silvius in the mess hall until Ember has a chance to speak a bit with Lindsay,” Maria stated as she walked into the room. Her eyes trailed to the bed where Ember lay in slumber. “Oh, well she’s asleep which is probably a good thing. I didn’t tell Lindsay the extent of Ember’s injuries, just that she was injured in a domestic situation,” Maria stated before looking at Lindsay before continuing. “She had extensive head injuries and internal damage that the Salinians helped to heal. I haven’t had much chance to talk with her about her abuse, but I have an inkling that she has suffered for a while before this happened.”
“While we can’t know for sure, but from what you’ve told me I can only agree with that observation. I believe it would be best to allow her to sleep right now, too. If it wouldn’t be too much
***
Ceylon laid Ember on the bed her red hair spilling across the white pillow like flames. He couldn’t resist touching the silky strands, letting them slide through his fingers as he brushed her hair away from her face. Ember turned into his touch and released a sigh. Her pale skin was silky to the touch. He was happy to see that her wounds had healed leaving no trace of the bruising and cuts that had once marred her face and arms. Her face was reddened from her crying, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty. He couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt such a lovely creature.
She had sobbed until sleep had claimed her and he had held her throughout her tears. Her lithe form had pressed so trustingly against his body, stirring his body to attention and inducing guilt for his reaction in her time of unease. She had looked into his eyes with those piercing green eyes and asked him what she was supposed to do. She had poured out her heart, letting him know how desperately she wanted to be loved. His heart ached for her. He had made a decision then and now watching her as she slept only reiterated his idea. She would live with him. His diplomatic status had given him living quarters on Earth and she could stay with him until she no longer needed to. It would also make him feel better knowing she was safer with someone to look after her, keep her mate from causing her more harm. He didn’t allow himself to acknowledge the thoughts of her being near him, tantalizing him with her clean scent reminding him of rainy days on Salin. He wasn’t going to think about how her body had fit so well in his arms. He wasn’t going to think about how his body hardened in her presence.
The light knocking on the door of Ember’s quarters roused him from his thoughts. He looked toward the entrance and noted that Maria led another Earth female behind her. “Ceylon, I’d like you to meet Lindsay Clark who is a counselor at the local Women’s Shelter. She is here to ensure that Ember can cope with what happened. Police officers are also here, but I thought it would be okay to leave them with Silvius in the mess hall until Ember has a chance to speak a bit with Lindsay,” Maria stated as she walked into the room. Her eyes trailed to the bed where Ember lay in slumber. “Oh, well she’s asleep which is probably a good thing. I didn’t tell Lindsay the extent of Ember’s injuries, just that she was injured in a domestic situation,” Maria stated before looking at Lindsay before continuing. “She had extensive head injuries and internal damage that the Salinians helped to heal. I haven’t had much chance to talk with her about her abuse, but I have an inkling that she has suffered for a while before this happened.”
“While we can’t know for sure, but from what you’ve told me I can only agree with that observation. I believe it would be best to allow her to sleep right now, too. If it wouldn’t be too much
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