Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,29
into another row of units, and he led her over to one in the middle. He lowered his arm from her shoulders and, kneeling on the ground, tore the thick padlock free.
“Why this one?” she asked.
“I’m not… not making it… any further.”
That was as good a reason as any, she decided as she knelt and grasped the bottom of the door. The metal door rattled as she lifted it to reveal the contents within.
Against the walls were rows of clear containers stacked to the ceiling. Black marker neatly labeled each of the boxes, and through the plastic sides, she saw they contained the contents of someone’s house. The left wall held the kitchen, bathroom, and office. The back wall was the living room and bedroom, and the wall on her right was another bedroom or two.
Propped against the row on her right was also a mattress and box spring. She led Lucien inside and set him on the ground before hurrying over to lay the bed on the floor. He crawled onto it as she pulled the door down.
The darkness that descended on the small room was so complete she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face as she stood behind the door. She longed for a light or her phone or something that would penetrate the eternal blackness, but there was nothing.
She edged away from the door and went to sit on the floor, but a hand encompassed her wrist and tugged her forward. Her foot caught on the edge of the mattress, and she fell forward.
Lucien caught her before she landed on the soft pad. Before she could right herself, he enclosed his arms around her and pulled her down against him. She’d grown used to his potent aroma, but she wasn’t used to being locked against him.
When she tried to pull away, his arms cinched around her. “Stay,” he murmured.
She wanted to resist, but she was too exhausted to fight him. She hadn’t slept all of last night, and now that they were somewhere a little safer, her adrenaline was waning and exhaustion tugged at her heavy lids.
He might kill her while she slept, but she was too tired to care as his breath filled her ear and his body relaxed against hers. Finally, she stopped fighting it and passed out.
Chapter Thirteen
Callie had no idea what time it was when she woke again. For all she knew, she could have slept an hour, a day, or maybe even two. She willed the shadows to part and give her an answer, but of course, it didn’t.
She belatedly realized the owners of this unit might decide to retrieve their belongings, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She had much bigger problems than surprising a bunch of people looking to collect their things. One of them had his arm locked around her while he slept.
Her stomach rumbled. She’d shared some chicken tenders with her friends at the bar, but that was a day or two, or maybe three ago. It was a lot of running ago, and her belly was letting her know it did not approve of this new fasting and exercise thing.
She tried to edge out from Lucien’s arms, but they clamped around her. She bit back a sigh of frustration; she wanted free of him and this place. Out of the many things she wanted, mostly she wanted her old life back, but that life was gone. Somehow, she would have to figure out what her new life entailed.
However, she didn’t have to worry about that until they were free of the city. Then she could start to panic about how she would feed, clothe, and house herself. Until then, she would focus on making sure she stayed breathing.
When she tried to inch free again, Lucien growled, and she froze.
“Stay,” he murmured.
“I’m not a dog!”
Lucien was very aware she wasn’t a dog. Now that the hunger tearing him apart had eased, the effects of the drugs and alcohol were fading, and he’d truly slept for the first time in a month, he felt healthier and more clearheaded than he had in weeks.
And that clear head had left him with one realization: Callie was the most enticing woman he’d ever held in his arms, and he never wanted to let her go.
Unable to stop himself, he leaned closer and inhaled the scent of pomegranates on her. The sweet aroma was an inherent part of her, and he relished the smell as it filled his nostrils.