Total pages in book: 193
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 184001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 920(@200wpm)___ 736(@250wpm)___ 613(@300wpm)
“Safe.”
I don’t feel very safe, but he’s only partially to blame. “We need to get back to the cabin. We need to go home.”
Bane looks around the cave and then back at me. “Home.”
I’m racking my mind for how to get him to understand that this isn’t home when I catch on to his meaning and my stomach swoops suddenly. “No.” A hysterical laugh escapes me. “I am not staying here. You need to take me back right now.”
Bane ignores me as he walks over to the fire and crouches to warm his hands. His hair and clothes are still wet—mine are too—which means I wasn’t out for very long this time.
“Bane,” I say softly, trying a different tactic. “Please.”
“We stay.”
“I can’t stay. We can’t stay. We need food. We need shelter. We—”
Bane rises to his feet, and I try not to let it get to me how easily he towers over me. How did I never notice before how tall Zeke is? Bane makes him look taller. Bigger. It’s obviously just my perception of him but logic isn’t helping me right now. He’s glowering at me now, and I wonder if this is it, if he’s finally going to live up to his name. “Safe here.”
I sigh in defeat. What else can I do? I refuse to leave without him, and I obviously can’t make him go. I need one of the others to reason with, and until Seth or Zeke wake up, we have no choice but to stay. It shouldn’t be long, right? Khalil and Thorin said that Bane never sticks around for long.
“Well, I’m thirsty,” I announce. “And if we’re going to stay, we need to find food and water.”
Bane scowls at me for a long moment and then he walks away. At the mouth of the cave, he turns his head enough to address me. “Stay.”
“I can help—”
“Stay,” he repeats with a growl before he leaves the cave.
It feels like forever before he returns with the snapped necks of two bunnies and a large leaf full of fresh spring water carefully balanced in his hands. He makes several trips for more water, and when he returns the final time, I’m not prepared for him to kneel in front of the slab where I’m sitting and wait anxiously, taking my foot gently in his hand. Carefully, he turns my foot, upending my sole, and pours some of the cool water in the leaf over the wounds.
“You are…hurt,” he says as he trails his thumb down the side of my sole that isn’t damaged.
“Yes.”
Bane lets go of my foot and grabs the other, pouring the cool water over it and washing the debris away. “Never again.”
“I don’t have any control over that.”
“No more,” he barks with enough gravel in his tone that it scrapes the part of me that desperately wants to obey. To be a good girl.
“Fine,” I whisper gently just to appease him. “I won’t get hurt again.”
I don’t want Bane upset, and not just for my sake. Zeke and his alters have already been through so much. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ever caused them more pain.
Bane takes the leaves that he used to carry the water and creates a makeshift wrapping for my feet. I’m shocked and impressed, but I don’t let either emotion show because my confusion still reigns supreme.
Never one to keep my thoughts to myself, I ask the question that’s not a question. “They said you’d hurt me,” I grumble.
Bane’s jaw ticks and his green eyes flash with irritation. “They were wrong.”
Sleep doesn’t come easy.
After we eat, Bane disappears from the cave again, and even though I’m exhausted, I won’t let myself close my eyes until he returns. Call me crazy, but there’s something comforting about his presence. He says he doesn’t want to hurt me, and I’m not sure yet if I believe him, but he did save my life.
Is he still terrifying? Holy fuck, yes. But I can’t help but think that those jerks got it wrong. At least partly. Bane did try to kill Khalil and Thor many times, but he’s obviously more complicated than that. Besides, who wouldn’t want to kill Khalil and Thorin? I’m also guilty of trying and failing. In fact, I would like to right now for the image they planted of Bane in my head and let fester.
When Bane returns, I start to fidget, and I don’t know why until he keeps his distance and I feel my body, which has already taken so much abuse in the last twenty-four hours, relax. He sits with his back against the cave wall. He’s facing me while guarding the entrance at the same time. Why? To keep me in or to keep others out? Bane needs sleep as much as I do, but I don’t want to sleep either. I’m too worried about tomorrow. What will happen, what I’ll do…