than her rapid breathing, she remained still beneath him. Concerned, he gently turned her over and searched her face for any hint of pain. To his relief, she appeared utterly blissful and content.
He placed a hand upon her center. “Are you hurt at all?” he asked, feeling guilty that he’d been so rough with her. But Gods, he hadn’t been able to help himself. Once he’d pushed his cock into her tightness and felt her insides clenching around him, he had become blinded by his need to claim her in the rough manner his instincts had suddenly demanded.
Flushing, she shook her head, though she quickly averted her gaze, as if she didn’t wish to maintain eye contact. He grasped her chin and forced her to look at him.
“I’m not hurt,” she said, the dreamy look still upon her face. “I thought there might be pain, you know, during, but there wasn’t.”
“Stay here, my sweet mate. I’ll be right back.” Even if she claimed she wasn’t in pain now, he worried she might experience some soreness later.
As her mate, it was his responsibility to look out for her welfare, and he hurried to the bathroom and began filling the tub, adding a medicinal powder to the water that would soothe any aches in her body. Next, he prepared a cool compress for between her thighs, also adding the medicinal powder to it.
He returned to Tyra to find she’d pulled the covers atop her and was curled up on her side, as if sleeping, but when he paused above her, he didn’t hear the sounds of steady breathing. Satisfied that she was awake, he sat next to her and pulled the covers away.
“Come, Tyra, I need you to turn over and part your thighs for me.”
She tensed and looked over her shoulder at him. “What?”
He showed her the cloth and though she didn’t appear happy about it, she soon obliged him and came to rest upon her back. She spread her legs and he applied the cool compress to her swollen parts.
“Does that feel better?” he asked, keeping his tone gentle.
She nodded. “Yes, thank you, Rem, though it didn’t really hurt before. Just a tiny bit sore, I guess.” She blushed and glanced away.
“I drew you a bath, my sweet mate,” he said, applying more pressure upon the cloth, hoping to force the medicine to sink into her tender flesh.
“I thought I heard water running. A bath sounds heavenly.” She stifled a yawn and then gave him a shy smile as he brushed a hand through her dark tresses.
She sighed and leaned into his touch. For several long moments, they simply stared at one another in silence, though he felt as though an understanding was passing between them. The understanding that they were now mated in every sense of the word and she belonged to him forever. And likewise, he belonged to her. He had decided he liked her human concept of a mating union, in which both the male and female belonged to one another.
However, that still meant he planned to protect her and keep a close eye on her. She was his female, and Gods how he wanted to trust her fully. He wondered how long that would take, but quickly pushed such thoughts aside. He needed to get her into the medicinal bath.
“I would like to bathe you now, before the water gets cold.” He lifted her up and carried her into the bathroom, the cool compress still tucked between her thighs. He sat on the edge of the tub, cradling her in his lap, as warmth for his sweet mate filled him. She truly was a treasure to behold. A gift from the Gods.
“No one has ever bathed me before,” she said, her cheeks turning bright pink. “Isn’t this a little strange?”
“There is nothing strange about a male tending to his female’s needs,” he declared as he set her down in the water. The compress floated up and he lifted it from the bath, setting it aside.
“Mm. This feels nice.” She sank back in the water, the corners of her lips curving in a slight smile.
He picked up a washcloth and gave her a pointed look as he dipped it into the water. “Give me your leg.”
Chapter 13
Despite the intimacies they had just shared, Tyra lowered her head, feeling shy and a bit uncertain as Rem dried her off using a large plush towel. He was still unashamedly naked and she couldn’t help but sneak the occasional peek