to take care of you. Everything is going to be all right.”
Her spine snapped straight, her breath drawing in on a sharp inhale as the fog cleared and the reality of what had happened slammed into her.
The haze of bliss imploded as pain ripped it to shreds.
She’d told.
She’d broken.
She was a traitor now. Dead to the pack. Her dreams destroyed, her chance for the life she’d always wanted, gone.
Because of him.
Enraged, she threw back her head and tried to hurl herself from his arms.
“You’re lashing out because you feel exposed. Embarrassed. There’s no reason to feel that way.” He held her fast. “It’s okay, Nayla. I promise.”
“Promise? Liar!” She clawed at him, fighting to get free. “You destroy me.”
He’d preyed on her weaknesses, just as she’d feared.
The pack would be out to kill her now. She would be more scorned and hated than ever. Her death would be far more excruciating than a slow cleansing ritual, and no less than she deserved.
Ancients help her, she’d proven to be exactly as unworthy as Talg had predicted.
Now Grif knew it, too. He knew her shame and her ugly truths, and all the dishonor she had kept to herself until now.
She could bear that least of all.
“Stop thrashing.” Her captor’s hands clamped down on her shoulders, locking her in place. “You’ve been through a lot. Your body is at its limit. You need to rest.”
She only screamed louder. His false care making her shake with rage. He’d done this to her. Flayed her wide. Turned her body against her and exposed her shameful weakness.
“Enough.” The weight of his hands increased. Not painful, but firm. “You were always going to have to tell me where they were. Accept it. Now that you have, we can move on. Make things better.”
“Better?” Rage gave her a burst of renewed strength and she bucked harder. “No better for me, or you. Talg still going to force your females make glow-spears. He going bring down all Others. Take final stand. Fight or die. No other way.”
Grif’s grip tightened, his expression turning deadly. “Are you saying there’s a war coming?”
“Truth. Just like you demand.” Her breath wheezed in and out, the need to rebuild her walls making her reckless. “We always be enemies. Now you know.”
“Grif!” A new voice from the other side of the rock echoed through the cave. “You get what you need? Time’s up.”
19
Not fucking now.
Grif growled as pounding echoed through the cave. His teammates had returned. With the worst timing in the universe.
Nayla stiffened beneath his hands.
“Grif?” More pounding.
“Shit.” His dick pressed against his covering so hard he suspected it might leave permanent marks. The mental road marks she’d left across his chest even worse.
Her accusing gaze said it all. She felt used. Manipulated.
All true. He had used her fault lines against her. He’d known the risk going in and he’d fucking done it anyway.
For Hope and Melody and the missing females. For her, too.
She might not believe it now, but getting the location of those females was the only chance he had of saving her and her pack before his crew rained down with their own form of vengeance.
It was his only way, too, of breaking through the bullshit that had been inflicted on Nayla since she was young.
She didn’t seem to agree.
Whatever flimsy trust had started to form between them during the session was cracked and brittle now.
The sudden appearance of his team didn’t help.
“Grif?” Renewed pounding against the outer rock ripped him from his thoughts.
“I need to deal with this.” He lifted her off his lap, but didn’t let go, his hands encircling her shoulders so he could meet her gaze head on. “I doubt they’ll give us a lot of time before they come pouring in.”
Fear sparked in her gaze and another fissure appeared in his chest. He’d never hated doing his duty more than he did right now.
“Nayla?” He rubbed down the length of her arms, doing his best to keep his cool when all he wanted to do was throw back his head and howl. “I know you’re upset. I know the timing is shit. I am going to make you see that this was the right way to go. Believe me.”
Her refusal to answer beat at him.
There were many ways to train a subject, and what had just happened between them wasn’t one. This was something else altogether—a promise, a bonding. A bloodletting where neither of them had come away unscathed.