Drake Sisters 06 - Turbulent Sea

happened, Joley. Then I'll tell you about my evening.'
    She pressed her hand to his chest, right over his heart. 'Promise?'
    He bent to brush a kiss on top of her head before resuming the small even stitches. 'Hold still, devochka moya, I don't want to leave a scar.'
    'It's not going to scar, not when you're using healing energy,' she said, but she gasped and the tears streamed down her cheeks. 'First there were the flowers.'
    He stiffened. 'Someone sent you flowers?'
    Her hand was still on his chest and it puffed out aggressively. She smiled through her tears at his male reaction. 'Yes.
    Long-stemmed dead flowers along with a decapitated doll. The torso and legs of the doll were chopped in several pieces. It was very ugly'
    He paused and looked down at her face. 'Where were the flowers?'
    'In the dressing room at the arena. And I'd hung my clothes on a little hook on the closet door, but when I looked around I didn't see them right away'
    He sighed. 'But you didn't leave the room and get security.'
    'Are you going to let me tell you? Sheesh, Ilya. I couldn't remember for certain if I'd put the clothes in the closet. I thought maybe I'd just thought about hanging them on the hook.' She tried to hold still, but her forehead burned so bad she squirmed. 'Someone had shredded the outfit into thin tiny scraps of material. My favorite outfit.' Her voice rose to a wail.
    Ilya immediately stopped and let her breathe through the pain. 'Almost finished with this one. You're doing fine.'
    'You weren't there.' She spoke accusingly even though it didn't make sense to. She'd told herself she'd been relieved when she finally crept out of the hotel like the coward she was and he hadn't been there to guard her. She'd ached to see him, yet at the same time, she was terrified she'd just throw Pride away and let him rule her from dusk until dawn without love, without caring. Only for the incredible sex he admitted he'd been trained for.
    'I know, lubov moya. I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry. I had an important meeting and should have been back in time.' He bent to kiss her again, this time on the corner of her frowning mouth. 'A couple more stitches should do it.'
    She held still, sucking in her breath and counting to herself until he grunted in satisfaction and covered the area with another antiseptic. 'I'm giving you a shot, Joley. You need antibiotics. I have them in my field kit.'
    'I hate needles.'
    'I know. And you're being very brave.' He gave her the shot quickly and then sponged the blood and tears from her face. 'You'll have to take off your clothes.' He turned from her to run water in the bathtub. 'I need to go over the rest of you and stitch up anything too deep or use a butterfly bandage. I'll get you a robe to wear so at least you'll be clean.'
    'I'll take a shower.'
    Ilya frowned. 'I can't let you do that, Joley. You obviously have a concussion. I wouldn't want you falling down. I'll get you clean.'
    She frowned up at him. 'I'm not going to let you give me a bath. I'm not a baby.'
    'Right now you're my baby, so don't argue with me.' There was the merest hint of steel in his voice. His hands went to her shirt.
    She caught his wrists. 'Ilya.'
    'It's all right, Joley. You're not well. Let me take care of you. Tell me what happened after you found your clothes shredded. What did you do?'
    She lifted her chin, trying to ignore the way he was so careful to keep from hurting her as he cut off her shirt. It was stained with blood, and she'd never be able to wear it again, but it made her cry anyway. Which was silly, but she couldn't stop, especially when he dropped the rags to the floor, leaving her exposed in her lacy bra.
    He drew her close to his body, pressing her face into his shoulder. 'You're safe with me. You have to remember, Joley,' he stroked caresses down her hair, 'I'm very partial to your body. I'll be very careful.'
    'I know you will. It's not that. This is two outfits today destroyed. Two of my favorites.' Which was idiotic, she could care less about her clothes. Her tears had nothing to do with ruined clothes and everything to do with danger and death swirling around her and putting everyone she loved in jeopardy. T don't know how you live like this.' She couldn't stop weeping or shaking, no matter how hard she tried.
    She felt so vulnerable, standing there nearly naked with tears she couldn't stop and her body trembling. His hands were warm and strong, and he simply undipped the bra and tossed it after the