Her eyes widen. “Did you know my father?”
I shake my head. “I did not know him personally, but I knew of him.”
“And what of my mother? I was so small when she died, I don’t remember her well, but was she able to speak with your kind also?”
My heart clenches as her face lights up when she mentions her mother. Life hasn’t been fair for our Ella. I feel as if it is our fault for not coming soon enough to protect her from the evils of the world. She had to experience the loss of not one but both of her parents, all by herself.
I think again of the terrible marks on her back. She has been left at the mercy of a vile woman for so many years.
“No. She did not possess the gift. Only those of your father’s line have it.”
She frowns. “I wonder why that is.”
In truth, I know the answer, but it is not my place to tell her. At least, not yet. I should not even have revealed myself to her this soon, but the wolf made my decision for me. As it is, Nyx and Kai are going to have my head. Me and Cash. But surely after we tell them why we did this, they’ll understand. After all, if it had been Devon with her instead of us, I’m confident he would have done the same.
“Not all have the gift,” I offer by way of explanation. “Very few can speak with us in animal form. And even fewer can also communicate with us in our minds while we are in our human forms.”
She looks up at me, hope filling her once again. “Am I able to?”
I close my eyes and concentrate, sending her a message. “Can you hear me?” I project with my thoughts.
A smile curves her lips, and her eyes sparkle as she grabs my hands. “You’re speaking in my mind?”
I nod. “Of course.”
“That’s amazing.”
I am glad that I can make the moment lighter for her.
The door jerks open. Ella jumps in shock and winces from the sudden movement. A hiss of pain escapes her as she tries to cover herself up from the intruder.
When she realizes it’s Cash, she relaxes.
He drops to his knees beside me. “Here,” he says, handing me the small bowl of tavan. “I’ve already made it into a poultice.”
Relief floods me that we can finally relieve her pain. Scooping some of the mixture, I look down at Ella. “This should help you heal faster, and it will take away your pain.”
“Thank you.”
Cash tenderly brushes her hair forward over her shoulder so I can apply the medicine.
As I smooth the poultice over her injuries, a small sigh escapes her. I watch in satisfaction as her entire body slowly begins to relax even more. When I finish, I find another cloth and carefully cover her back. With the poultice, her wounds should be closed entirely by tomorrow evening. “I must bind this around you, all right?” I ask because it means I might see her exposed front.
Judging from the deep crimson coloring of her cheeks earlier, she seems rather shy about nudity. But then again, I’ve heard that most humans are.
“I understand.”
At first, she covers her breasts with her hands. A pink flush creeps up her neck to her cheeks.
“We will not hurt you,” I say, trying to reassure her we will not take advantage of her in this state. It is something we would never do.
She nods and lowers her gaze. Her cheeks bloom a deeper shade of red as she replies, “I trust you.”
Ella closes her eyes and then lifts her arms so I can begin wrapping the cloth around her. As she leans forward, the back of my hand brushes across her breast. The soft pink nipple turns into a hard bead at the contact, and she gasps.
“Forgive me,” I tell her, ashamed. The last thing I want her to think is that I am behaving inappropriately. I am her guard. I would never take advantage of her, but she does not know this.
My nostrils flare as her delicate scent grows stronger, and my brother looks to me, communicating with his thoughts. “She is attracted to us,” his voice whispers in my mind in wonder.
“How do you know?” I project my question to him, refusing to allow myself to become hopeful.
“Her scent. It is stronger now.”
“Attracted to us?” I ask. “Or simply to me?” I tease him.
He narrows his eyes at me but tips his head as if considering. “It is not unheard of for a female to mate one of her guards. It is unusual,” he adds. “But it has happened before.”
My heart stops and the begins pounding. This beautiful female is attracted to me? Surely not. After all, I am not as handsome as Nyx or Kai. Once she sees them, she will surely forget me. Me and Cash, I think to myself.
Which reminds me: “When are the others coming?”
“Not until tomorrow.”
I’m not ashamed to admit that this makes me somewhat happy. I miss my bond brothers, but I am glad Cash and I will be able to spend more time with her by ourselves until they arrive.
Having sensed my thoughts, he arches a brow at me. “It is her destiny to marry the prince. We are her guards, and that is all we can ever be to her. Do you understand?”
Reluctantly, I nod.
“Once the others are here, they will explain everything to her,” he adds, and my mood turns sour. I’m not sure how she’ll take this news. She only just learned of our world. If her father had lived, she would have been introduced to it earlier, but because he did not... there is no way to ease her into it. We’ll just have to hope she does not have trouble accepting us as her guards and the truth of the prophecy.
At least it seems that she already trusts us to keep her safe. She must already be feeling the instinctual
