a seductive smile. Once near, she bent to run a hand along his shoulder.
Not able to hide a sigh, he stood and motioned her toward the hall. The sway of her hips held no interest for him. Instead, his thoughts strayed to Charity.
She was probably curled up in her bed, terrified of the darkness caressing her windows. Reliving the night’s horror in vivid detail. What might’ve happened would be constantly jabbing at her. Agonizing her.
He’d been there once. So had Andy. Many shifters had.
Guilt ate away at him. He hadn’t been fair to her. She would have no idea that his anger had stemmed from fear rather than judgment or contempt.
Slowing, allowing Yasmine to slip by him, he stood outside of Charity’s room, his gaze rooted to the light under her door.
He really should go in to her. He should give her the comfort she needed. New pack members got a year or two to get used to this life. To train and hone their body and mind. Charity had been at it for less than a week. She’d been chased, seduced, propositioned, and attacked. And the things she’d seen… It wasn’t fair to make her go through this alone.
“Coming?”
Yasmine was already sprawled out on his bed, completely nude and perfect in every way. She trailed a hand down between her breasts, over her stomach, and then over a parted thigh.
Guilt burned through him.
He felt like his life was coming apart. A week ago, he’d been the master of his own universe, in total control. Only a matter of days, really, yet things had gotten completely messed up. He barely knew what end was up anymore. He certainly had no idea why.
He dropped his head. He felt lost.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Charity hiccupped out a sob from under her covers. She hadn’t cried this hard since her mother had left. And if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t crying for Donnie. Not for Sam, either, whom she could no longer fool herself about. She was crying because she was afraid. She was crying because, for the first time in a very long time, she didn’t feel like she had any control. She’d completely lost it in that lecture hall. Her brain had completely shut off. If Devon hadn’t rushed to her aid, she would’ve let that creature take her. Let it claim her body and then her life.
The thought scared the ever-loving shit out of her.
When you cared about someone, or needed someone, and they walked away, they left an unfillable void in their wake. She’d experienced that with her mother and John; she couldn’t bear for it to happen again. But right now, in this screwed-up new life she didn’t understand, she needed Devon. She needed his experience and his know-how. Hell, she needed his support. That thought alone terrified her to the core.
A motor revved and then pulled away from the house. Probably Andy. A moment later, a feminine voice drifted through her door.
She peeked out from under her covers. Two shadows interrupted the light from under her door. Someone was in the hallway. Yasmine?
An uncomfortable feeling churned in Charity’s gut. Yasmine would get to cuddle up with the solid warmth of Devon, basking in his protection and strength. Charity didn’t begrudge the two their rendezvous—she had no interest in that side of things—but she would miss the innocent intimacy of his presence. He was a moody bastard, but when it really counted, he was a rock. He’d been there for her since the beginning, even when he would’ve rather been anywhere else.
Miserable, Charity sank deeper into her covers, wishing she had earplugs. She didn’t want to hear them and be reminded of how desperate she had been for that creature to touch her. Nor be reminded of who that creature had been.
Before she knew it, Charity was curled into a ball, crying so hard that it felt like her spleen was being ripped out. She didn’t hear the car approaching the house, nor the argument that trailed down the hallway. She didn’t even hear her door opening and the footsteps to her bed.
Her covers ripped away. A scream died in her throat as Devon bent down in a rush, scooping her up in his strong arms and hugging her tightly to his chest. He flicked off the light as he carried her from the room, crossed the hall, and closed his door behind them.
“But what about—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Devon answered quietly, depositing her gently onto his bed. He