He cleared his throat. She’d just watched him slaughter an alien and cover her in blood. She had a right to be afraid.
She launched herself at him.
Cazzo. He closed his arms around her. She pressed close, burying her face in his neck. She was shaking violently.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured.
“Dom—” Her voice hitched.
He held her tighter. “You’re safe now.”
Chapter Three
Arden couldn’t slow her breathing. Her heart was pounding a hundred miles a minute, making her ribs ache.
Dom scooped her up off the ground.
Blood. There was so much blood. God, it was everywhere. Instantly, her mind plunged back to old memories, of the first wave of the invasion.
She lifted her head and saw Hell Squad rushing toward them.
Marcus Steele was in the lead. The big man’s scarred face was serious as he scanned her and the dead raptor. Beside him stood his second, Cruz, with the rest of the squad fanned out behind them, all holding their weapons.
“Arden? You okay?” She recognized Shaw’s easygoing drawl, although at this moment, it was filled with tension.
She looked at the sniper and managed a nod. Then she tucked her face back into Dom’s neck and held on.
“I’ll get her inside.” Dom’s deep voice rumbled beneath her ear. “She’s not injured.”
“We need the body.” Marcus’ gravelly drawl. “We need to get it to Doc Emerson so she can autopsy it.”
“What the fuck is that?” The faint accent told her that it was Cruz speaking.
“It flowed up from the ground,” Arden choked out. “Out of nowhere, like a shadow.”
Dom’s arms tightened around her, then he turned and walked away. Moments later, he was ducking inside the Enclave.
“We need to get the doc to check you over—”
Arden shook her head. “No. I’m not hurt. Please, I need to get clean. Please.” She felt panic rising in her chest.
Dom was quiet for a beat. “Arden—”
“Please, Dom.” She lifted her head and met his dark gaze. “When my family was killed—” her chest hitched “—I was covered in their blood.”
He cursed softly in Italian. “Okay, bella. Hold on.”
She did as told, holding onto him tightly. He was all hard-packed muscle, and the warmth of him helped her control the panic twisting in her belly. Soon, they reached her quarters. She didn’t ask him how he knew where she lived. He shifted her so she could press her palm to the electronic lock.
He strode straight through her living area and into the bathroom. He set her down, and for a second, Arden wasn’t sure her legs would hold her. But she locked her knees, determined to find some strength. She didn’t want him to see her fall completely apart.
Then he dropped to his knees. Arden sucked in a breath, staring at his dark hair. He unlaced her shoes and pulled them off, one at a time. Her socks followed. He rose and started to undo the buttons on her shirt.
Arden just stood there and let him methodically strip her down to her underwear.
When he shifted away, she looked in the mirror and bile rose in her throat. Raptor blood was all over her skin.
Dom flicked on the tap and wet a cloth under the water. When he turned back to her, she realized she was shaking. He started wiping her face and neck.
“You’ve got this, Arden.” His voice was quiet as he wiped across her collarbones, cleaning the blood away. “You held it together out there.”
She looked up, and over his shoulder she saw their reflection. He was all darkness—dark hair, black armor—contrasting against her pale skin.
“There.” He straightened.
The blood was gone. Arden stood there in her simple cotton underwear.
He turned to the sink, rinsing the cloth off.
“We were out for dinner in Sydney with the kids when the invasion happened.” Her voice echoed off the tiles.
Dom went still and looked up. Their gazes met in the mirror.
“A ptero flew over the street where we were. There were explosions, screams.” She swallowed. “The restaurant exploded. Jason, my husband, died instantly. My kids were hurt. I was hurt. I had burns on my arms and legs, and glass had hit me.” She sucked in a shaky breath. “I was trapped under some rubble.”
Dom turned. “Bella—”
She grabbed his hand, holding it like a lifeline.
“My daughter died first.” Tears welled in Arden’s eyes. “There wasn’t time for Beth to be afraid. I held her hand.”
Dom’s fingers clenched on hers.
“I managed to get free and crawl to Emmett. He was still alive, but I could hear the rattle in his breathing. He was afraid.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I held my son as he faded. I sang to him as he died.”
With a muttered curse, Dom yanked her close. She burrowed into his chest, holding on to his strength.
“I’m so sorry, Arden.” He smoothed a hand down her back.
“Me too.” She let out a shuddering breath. “I shouldn’t have been outside the Enclave.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
She looked up at him. “You saved me.”
“I killed in front of you, and covered you in blood.” His voice was flat and held an edge.
She tilted her head, looking at his blank face. “If you hadn’t killed that raptor, I’d be dead, or worse.”
“I never wanted you to see that.”
“I’m a comms officer. I see soldiers kill every day, Dom. Maybe not in real life, but I watch it on the feed. I direct my squad to the raptors to kill them. It’s them or us, we all know that. You’re a hero for protecting me and the other survivors, not a killer.”
His dark eyes just stared at her, boiling with shadows. “I’ve always been a killer.”
Arden swallowed. “You worked for the Mafia.”
A short nod.
She was trying to find the right words to tell him that none of them were who they’d been before, but before she could, her legs gave way.
Dom caught her. He lifted her and carried her back into the other room. He gently set her on the bed, then grabbed
