Scarred Warrior (Dark Warrior Alliance #7) - Brenda Trim Page 0,14

some of his fellow warriors, he had never been locked in their dungeons, but he was glad they’d upgraded to actual beds. Shae shouldn’t sleep on the dirt floor or a flimsy cot.

“I’d have had them all ready,” Nate answered rushing through the door with a pile of fabric in his hand, “but no one told me that you were locking them up. Would it kill you people to actually tell me what’s going on? How hard is it to send a text? Well, hello there,” Nate purred, dropping his bundle as he caught sight of Shae.

Gerrick shook his head. He had no idea why Angus, the dragon shifter who’d previously been their majordomo, wanted to leave Nate as his replacement. Anyone would be more capable and focused than Nate. Nate spent more time drooling over females than he did running the house.

“These females have been through unspeakable horrors and don’t need you being a jackass. Get the sheet on the bed so I can lay Shae down,” Gerrick snapped, wanting to gouge the male’s eyes for looking at Shae’s naked body. He snatched up the blanket and draped it over her. Nate turned from the bars and the pink that tinged his cheeks, as well as, his silence told Gerrick that he understood his timing couldn’t have been worse.

Once the sheet was on the mattress, Gerrick laid Shae down. Technically, his job was done here, but he realized he really didn’t want to leave her side. “Shae is going to be out for a while yet and needs to be cleaned up. Send down some of the staff to take care of it,” Gerrick requested as he glanced around Shae’s new home. Bars lined the front wall while stone made up the remaining three. She’d have more privacy than she had before, and Gerrick would venture to guess that having a working toilet and shower were going to be welcome, but he guessed she wouldn’t be thrilled at her new living arrangement.

He looked at the sleeping female. She seemed peaceful in her respite, but Gerrick couldn’t forget the feral rage that had poured off her not moments ago. He ran a hand over the top of her head, wondering again what she’d look like once she was clean. He imagined her hair was a vibrant red and maybe she’d have freckles across the bridge of her nose.

“Och, Nate,” Zander called out. Gerrick snatched his hand back before someone caught him caressing Shae’s head. He had no idea what was up with him, but he needed to get a grip. “Have linens and toiletries brought to each of the females. Get their sizes and have clothing delivered to them ASAP. You will need to make sure to have extra food delivered as well as bagged blood to feed our additional guests.”

Gerrick left the cell when several servants entered carrying towels and other items. Jace entered right behind them. “Let me draw some blood before you clean her up so we can start running the tests.” Gerrick’s instincts reacted automatically and he snapped his teeth at the male. He didn’t know why he was being so protective of her, he knew they needed to get the samples, and agreed that the sooner the better.

Jace narrowed his eyes at Gerrick. “What’s your problem? I’m not going to harm her. She won’t even know I’ve taken her blood.”

That was a very good question, Gerrick thought, ignoring the healer as he walked out of the cell. He stood in the hall and watched the flurry of activity unable to make his feet carry him upstairs. He had no business there anymore, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off the female.

Their dungeon was small, and nearly all of the cells were occupied once the females were settled. As Jace finished up and the rest of the warriors left, Gerrick lingered outside Shae’s cell. Two female shifters brought buckets of warm water from the shower and began cleaning Shae.

He was utterly captivated by the sight of her. As the dirt washed away from her arms, he realized how pale she was, not that it detracted from her beauty. Hell, the filth and grime didn’t even detract from that. She was stunning no matter what she looked like and he suddenly felt like a voyeur.

Finally, he forced himself to walk away and made his way up the stairs. Not wanting to be alone just yet, he followed the conversation to the kitchen. The aroma of garlic and