Darkest Before Dawn (KGI 10)

Conrad paused and visibly sucked in a steadying breath. Then he looked her directly in the eye, pinning her with his steely gaze.

“You do not apologize to me, to anyone. Ever. It is we who owe you an apology for leaving you in a vulnerable position even for the small amount of time we did. You’re an incredible woman, Honor Cambridge, and I can honestly say I am privileged to have known you. You will never be forgotten by me.”

Tears sparkled like diamonds on her lashes as she stared at the terse man in bewilderment.

“I was a coward,” she said in disgust.

“Now you’re just pissing me off,” Conrad said in a surly voice. “Shut up and let me do my job.”

She went silent, and Hancock smiled to himself. Conrad had no idea what to make of Honor. She baffled him. She was a puzzle he had yet to solve, and it ate at him. In the world Titan lived in, there weren’t people like Honor. Selfless. Courageous. Brave. Putting others before herself.

“He’s giving you pain medication and a sedative,” Hancock said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You need to rest.”

It was a testament to just how exhausted and beaten down she was that she didn’t so much as utter a single protest.

She was silent while he stitched the cuts to her wrists. Though they’d bled quite a bit, they weren’t nearly as deep as Hancock had feared, and the cut at her neck was so shallow that all it required was a butterfly bandage.

When it was done, Conrad gathered his stuff and he and Hancock walked toward the door.

“Hancock?”

There was fear in her voice that stopped him in his tracks. He turned and Conrad continued out as Hancock made his way back to where Honor lay in his bed.

“I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered. “Will you stay with me, please? I won’t be a bother. I’ll try not to be a nuisance,” she hastily amended. “I promise.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips feather light over hers. Then he laced his fingers through hers and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

His tone was infinitely gentle as if he feared breaking her. She was as fragile as he’d ever seen her, when before all he’d ever witnessed was her unwavering strength and stubbornness.

“I wasn’t leaving you, Honor. I’m not going anywhere. I was just giving Conrad team leadership for the time being so I can stay with you. He’s going to be my eyes and ears temporarily while I’m here. With you,” he added for emphasis.

The relief in her eyes was nearly his undoing. She sagged against the pillows, looking small and defeated. Tears shone brightly, catching on her long lashes.

“If you thank me, so help me God, I’m going to shake you,” he warned.

A ghost of a smile hovered on her lips.

“Promise you’ll stay even when the sedative takes effect?” she asked in a small voice.

He could tell it was already working. Her responses were slower and her speech slightly off balance, and it wasn’t entirely due to the trauma she’d undergone.

“I’ll be right here, next to you, the entire night,” he said solemnly. “And if you have a bad dream, I’ll hold you and kick its ass for you.”

She smiled again, and he went weak to his knees. He realized a man would do a hell of lot to make a woman like Honor smile for him.

She opened her mouth and he shot her a warning glare.

“Don’t you say a single word unless it’s not an apology or a thank-you.”

She laughed softly but closed her lips, but the gratitude was there in her eyes for him to see even if it went unspoken.

“And by the way, you’re very welcome,” he whispered, leaning in to brush his lips over her brow.

CHAPTER 26

EVEN under the effects of the sedative, Honor was restless and agitated in sleep. Hancock never left her side. He lay on his side next to her, cradling her small body with his much larger frame. When she trembled and made small guttural sounds in her throat that reminded him of those made by a trapped animal, he seethed in silence and rubbed his hand up and down her back, stroking and massaging.

His touch seemed to quiet her. When she became upset, she would relax and rest easy once more when he stroked her skin.

To his surprise, she fully awakened just a few hours after Conrad had given her pain medication and a sedative, but then he and Conrad had discovered the drug-laden cloth that Bristow had forced into Honor’s mouth to force her compliance, and so Conrad had only administered a light dose, more to calm than to render her unconscious. Neither man wanted to be accused of doing the same to her as Bristow had done.

“Hancock?” she whispered, stirring against him.

His hold automatically tightened as he gathered her more fully into his arms.

“Yes, Honor, it’s me.”

She relaxed, seeming to wilt with relief. For a long moment, her hand rested over his heart, her bandaged wrist reminding him of just how close to death she’d come. How desperately she must have fallen in those dark moments when Hancock hadn’t been there as he’d promised to be.

Just one more sin to add to his endless list.

She seemed to be pondering something. He sensed her hesitancy and . . . fear. As though she wanted to ask him something but wouldn’t. Or simply couldn’t.

He slid his hand between them to cup his palm over the top of her hand.

“What is it, Honor? Is there something you need? Are you hurting?”

She inhaled sharply. “I know I said I wouldn’t ask for anything more . . .”