“I’m aware.” Ivar took Promise’s hand and began walking toward the door. “Promise needs a quick shower and then has math to do so I can get back to Quade as soon as possible. Hopefully tomorrow since the earth is still in the correct position. His world has deteriorated horribly, and I don’t think he has much time left. This is my last chance to bring him home.” He helped her inside, and she blinked rain out of her eyes.
Promise stayed silent, her mind oddly quiet. Then she asked, “Do you have the results from the instruments I had Ivar bring back this time?”
“The results are still downloading, but I can tell you already that Quade’s world is heading toward Ulric’s. We can’t stop it,” Zane said.
Oh, equations were running in the background of her mind, and maybe even a way to get around the magnet problem, but right now, all she wanted was a hot shower and a toothbrush. She stumbled along with Ivar until he finally just picked her up without so much as a hitch in his stride.
They reached their suite, and he carried her into the bathroom, setting her down gently. She moved to the sink and brushed her teeth, feeling better already. Then she looked down at the blood now covering her shirt and swayed.
“Whoa.” Settling her against him with one arm, Ivar reached into the vast natural-rock shower and flipped on the water. “Let’s get you warm, sweetheart. I think you might be going into shock.” He gently removed her clothing and then his own, carrying her inside and shutting the glass door to let the steam surround them.
She let the warm water wash over her hair and stepped back from him.
His eyes darkened. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
Everything inside her, from her head to her heart, knew he’d never hurt her. “I’m not scared of you,” she whispered. “I know why you ended the threat of Niall. Intellectually, I understand. But it was just overwhelming.” She shivered at the natural violence that Ivar so easily employed.
Ivar engaged another set of showerheads closer to him and washed all the blood off. The red pooled around the drain and then disappeared. “I know.” His impressive back and rock-hard butt made her mouth water. He planted one hand on the wall and lowered his head, letting the water slide over the impressive shield that covered his entire back.
Maybe it was the shock or the multiple jumps, but she could feel his pain. His guilt. What drove him. She walked across the smooth stones and placed her hand on his lower waist. “You need to let go of the guilt,” she said quietly.
He turned, his eyes nearly black in the steam. His naked body was a study in male perfection. “I don’t feel guilty about killing Niall.”
“I know.” She stepped into him, going on her instincts for the first time in her life. He accepted all of her—even the parts she’d never liked. Her imagination versus her rational brain—he wanted them both. Her belly cushioned his already hardening penis. She smoothed the wet hair away from his face, noting the darker strands through the blond. “You’re so driven to save Quade. It wasn’t your fault that you escaped and he stayed. You have to stop carrying that with you.” At some point, it’d destroy him. She wanted to prevent that with a determination that heated every cell in her body.
He looked at the shower door and then back at her.
She reached up and palmed his whiskered jaw. “It wasn’t your fault. Forgive yourself before you risk your life again.”
He stared at her, his lids half-lowered. “Promise, I do, don’t wanna, ah…” He shook his head, and her hand slipped down. He looked at her shoulder. “Don’t, can’t talk about that.”
Her heart hurt for him. Completely. “I know. But when you can, I’m here to help.” They were mated. He needed to know that. Why the urgency caught her now, she’d figure out later.
He gave a slight nod.
She stepped closer and leaned up to kiss him. His eyebrows rose, and he watched her. “Promise?”
“You saved me.” A part of her she hadn’t explored before sang at the thought. That he’d risked his life, forcing his way through the enemy to fight for her. To bring her home safely. He definitely planned to return to Quade, to fiery danger, but right now, they had this. Sometimes a moment was all there was. “You came for me.”