A Soul For Trouble

Chapter 31

Dev waited until Arden's body stilled before he released her. He spent the last hour fighting the urge to castrate Kell. The only thing that held him back was the sobbing woman in his arms. How did she manage to stir such strong emotions in him? Anger, jealousy, fear, lust. All things he'd buried deep inside when he swore his oath to protect the Soulbearer over a century ago. And yet, she managed to resurrect them to a height he never thought possible.

"I'm sorry, Dev. I didn't mean to keep you here so long."

He knew the tone in her voice well enough now to hear the tinge of anger in it. "Don't be too harsh on yourself. Kell didn't come by his reputation by waiting for women to throw themselves at him. At least you learned his true intentions before you fell into his trap."

She nodded, staring at the floor. Her bottom lip quivered.

Damn, he didn't mean to upset her again. Awkwardness twitched in his muscles like dozens of worms. "You should get some sleep."

She nodded again. "I need to change first."

She sounded so innocent that something ached deep inside him. Shit, this couldn't be happening. Not like this, and definitely not now. He didn't need this kind of distraction. He needed to remain numb and detached if he was going to figure out a way to get them out of this mess, not wanting to rip apart anything that tried to hurt her. He backed away from her to clear his mind. "I'll step out for a moment, then."

He rubbed his eyes. The skin around them felt too tight. The long nights sleeping in the chair next to her bed were taking their toll. He glanced at her bed and longed to lie with his body curled around hers. His sleep seemed so much more peaceful when she was near him.

Damn it. Pull yourself together, man. You're beginning to sound like one of those whiny, lovesick fools the bards always sing about until you want to puke.

"Dev, could you help me for a moment?"

He jerked his head around.

She sat on the bed with her arms behind her, reaching for the knot in her laces. "I'm having trouble untying my dress, and I don't want to have to call Katie at this hour."

It took three swallows to open his throat up. Did she have any idea what she was asking him to do? To help her remove her clothes and not explore the creamy flesh that lay under them?

She's just been betrayed by Kell. I don't need to pick up where he left off by trying to get under her skirts.

He took a steely breath and kept his eyes on the knot. If he focused there, maybe he wouldn't notice the rest of her body. The smell of roses wafted from her skin. Longing threatened to seize control of him. Steady. Keep your game face on, and don't let her know how close you are to slipping the fabric from her shoulders and tasting her skin.

"Done," he announced and stepped back toward the portal. The sooner he got away from her, the sooner he could regain what few threads of self-control he had left.

"Thank you." Her swollen and red-rimmed eyes watched him with confusion.

The way she held the loose bodice to her chest under the light of the three moons made her look even more like some helpless waif on the street. Protective urges like he'd never felt before clawed their way to the surface. His heart began to beat faster. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"No." The one word froze him halfway through the portal. "You need some real rest tonight, Dev, especially if we need to make a quick escape or battle undead tomorrow. Why don't you sleep in your bed instead of the chair?"

"I need to protect you."

"But you placed wards on the windows and the doors. No one's coming in tonight unless they know how to break them."