Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

her pulse pounding. Little things could make her explode with anger. She’d worked on it, did breathing exercises, but still, when people messed with her things . . .
    And what if that was the kind of thing that triggered her mind to set fires in her sleep? She was distressed, over-tired and someone was in her house. She put her head between her knees, feeling sick. She knew better than to trust herself. And if a maniac was out there, destroying homes because she was in them, she’d just placed Lev’s life in danger.
    What’s wrong? I can feel your distress. It’s pouring off you in waves.
    She stiffened, slowly straightening, looking around her. It was his voice again, distinctly his voice. And he knew she was upset.
    Don’t talk to me in my head. Deliberately she thought the words rather than saying them aloud, uncertain of what to expect. Could they really talk to one another telepathically? It was long suspected in Sea Haven that the Drakes could talk to one another, but she’d never had a single telepathic experience—until she’d encountered Lev.
    The door opened and he hung on to it, his blue eyes drifting over her, searching her expression, her eyes. “Are you okay? I know this is difficult for you.”
    He was the one who was injured. She frowned again and wrapped her arm around him. “You washed your hands, didn’t you?”
    His smile fascinated her. “Yes, ma’am. I’m all about cleanliness.”
    73

    He was teasing her. She’d never been good at the concept, although living around the other women the past four years had helped her. Lexi was a terrible tease, and as young as she’d been, with the horrific background she’d had, they all had protected her as much as possible. If teasing was how she needed to cope with stress, then even Rikki was willing to learn to deal with it for her. Rikki didn’t dare look up at his face as she took him on through to the bedroom. She was getting used to that face, the angles and planes, the shadows and scars. His face appealed to her in the same way his body did. She was afraid once she focused on it, she’d be captured and would reveal the strangeness of her mind to him.
    She tucked the blankets around him. “You need to go to sleep, Lev. It’s very late.”
    “I can’t.”
    She met his eyes, and her stomach took a plunge, as if she’d dropped into a deep blue sea. He was looking up at her. He was a tough, scarred man, a warrior with a million weapons. His eyes were flat and cold, yet she could see his confusion, his vulnerability. She realized exactly why she’d brought him home—why she’d taken such a chance—what she saw in him. Herself. She was looking at a man who was utterly, absolutely alone.
    He was confused and had no idea what or who he was. Something shifted inside of her. Softened.
    Blythe had found Rikki when she was exactly the same way. She’d been completely alone and so confused about herself. She still didn’t know if she caused fires, or if she’d been responsible for the deaths of her parents and the loss of three homes. She had no idea if she’d killed the only man she’d ever loved. For all she knew she was a murderess. She was terrified to trust herself, let alone anyone else. Just as this man was.
    She actually felt connected to him in some way she couldn’t break. She couldn’t abandon him. Maybe it was payment for what Blythe and the others had done for her. All she knew was—there was no way to walk away from him. She acknowledged the danger. He very likely could be just what he appeared, a killer of some kind, but somehow that didn’t seem right to her.
    He’d done two things that stuck out in her mind that were a bit contrary to his being completely evil. He hadn’t killed her when he obviously had the opportunity, and he’d dragged himself from a kitchen chair to the floor, causing himself a great deal of pain, in order to protect her from an unknown threat. He’d observed that she was worried about intruders, and he’d risked further injury and certainly a great deal more pain in order to protect her. He could have protected himself from the bed. No one, no one , had ever done that for her before.
    74

    “You don’t have to worry,” she reassured him, looking him straight in the eye. “I’ll watch over you. If anything suspicious happens, I’ll wake you up. Just go to sleep now.”
    “You’re asking me to trust you.”
    She couldn’t help herself. There was one unruly strand of hair that