Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,14

and grabbed them with one of his, shucking his glove and visor before securing it with his bare hand. He jerked me against his body, cradling me as I fought him.

Everything within me was going haywire. Something was wrong on a deeper level than I could process. Knox struggled with me in his arms as his men moved in around us. He purred, rattling loudly while the others echoed him. He released me, and my hands flew to my shoulder as my nails pushed free.

Knox removed my hands again and covered his mouth over my shoulder. My hands ran through his hair, jerking him closer as the wail continued. His teeth pushed through my skin, and his other hand cradled me against him. The bite was painful, but there was peace within his mark’s pain, righting the wrong that was done.

Knox’s men purred around us, their comforting noises adding to his as he held his bite there. I melted into him, sobbing loudly as he cradled my shuddering form, tightening his hold. Knox pulled away, and I lunged, wrapping my arms around him as I continued to cry, oblivious to those watching as everything crumbled around me.

“You’re safe now, Little Monster. I got you. Lord Andres can’t ever hurt you again. I promise. Aria, you’re safe.”

“She’s wounded badly. She looks like she fought hard and lost,” Brander stated.

“She was probably…” Killian paused at Knox’s violent rattle.

Knox picked me up without waiting to see if I could walk. My arms held him against me as he kissed my cheek, holding me tightly. “Raped?” he snapped, and I tensed, which caused them all to purr loudly around me. “Set up a fucking camp. We’ll move to the other in the morning. I don’t smell his scent within her, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do other things to her body.”

Less than twenty minutes later, Knox had me in his shirt, wrapped in a blanket and cradled against him. I didn’t speak, and he didn’t ask questions. The men slept on the ground while Knox held me, pushing my hair away from my face to stroke it softly. His lips continually brushed over my forehead and ear while he purred. Brander eventually checked my wounds while keeping silent. No one asked the one question they were thinking, the one burning in their eyes. I didn’t offer what had happened.

It didn’t matter because Knox had come for me. He’d had enough trust to know I wouldn’t have left his men to die if I’d been able to prevent it from happening. I couldn’t bring myself to ask if Lore and Greer lived because I couldn’t form the words. I bathed in Knox’s heat, allowing him to comfort me through the tremors and fear that had yet to subside.

I closed my eyes, and he tucked me against him, holding my bloody, dirty body flush with his without care that I was filthy. Knox whispered soft words and used gentle touches to calm my broken edges, promising that everything would be okay.

It wouldn’t.

I’d let his lies appease me for now. I’d allow him to comfort me through the darkest hour and keep away the icy chill that had soaked into my bones. Knox was weathering the storm with me, and I didn’t care if it was a lie or if he hated me, so long as he held me through the tremors and kept the nightmares away for a little while longer.

Chapter Five

The next morning, someone lifted me to Knox on his horse before I’d even awoken. I screamed, hearing his purr the moment my eyes gained focus, echoed by the other men. Knox’s body stiffened against mine, and I removed my claws from his arms as I stared into his soft gaze. He hadn’t tried to touch me other than to hold me.

“You’re okay, Aria,” Knox stated like he couldn’t find anything else to say beyond that. I nodded, slowly turning to face forward. His lips brushed against my throat, kissing the rapidly beating pulse to calm my fears.

Nodding, I settled in front of him, shivering against the heat his body created while we started toward the camp. I still hadn’t spoken and was grateful he hadn’t prodded me. I knew it was coming the moment we got back to camp. I could feel his tense body, the way his arms clenched me as if he feared I would shatter.

I was in shock and exhausted, but not broken by any means. My entire body ached,