He left the kitchen, heading to the stairs. When she wouldn’t stop questioning him, he nodded to Luke, who’d been standing guard near the gates. He promptly escorted Luanna away, despite her protests.
Little natural light illuminated the stone stairwell. It was only the afternoon, but a storm was just on the horizon, blackening the sky, making it feel more like twilight. They’d been prepping for the monster storm all day, protecting the gardens, and securing everything that the wind could potentially damage. It wasn’t far off now. He could smell it in the air, the promise of rain bringing back memories from the battlefields. Did he have any good memories left? The older he got, the more everything in his life blurred into one sick nightmare he wanted to forget.
He opened the heavy wooden door, the hinges creaking, and entered his room. The glass patio doors were open wide, the brisk breeze fluttering the white sheers.
“Ashley?” Draven set down the tray of food on one of the dressers and approached the Juliet balcony. Ashley leaned over the iron railing, staring off into the distance.
She turned when he touched her shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“It’s a good storm.” He nodded to the skies and heavy clouds rolling in. “We could lose power.”
“Is that why I’m not allowed downstairs?” She looked up at him with those big blue eyes, full of innocence and trust. He could crush her so easily, but all he wanted to do was protect her.
“Partly.” He strode back into the room, not wanting to lie to her, but also not ready to terrify her with the possibilities. He wanted to be her protector.
“Draven?” She kept up pace behind him. Even though his room was huge, he couldn’t escape her. He stopped and turned, holding her shoulders.
“When you came here, you knew the world was a dangerous place for a woman like you. For a fertile.”
“Until I came here. Until I found you.”
He stifled a groan, briefly closing his eyes. She had no idea how much pleasure her words carried. He didn’t want to let her down. And he wouldn’t.
He’d been given a herculean challenge, one almost impossible to accomplish. But he’d managed to behave, even though his patience had been tested since her arrival.
Sleeping in the same bed. Listening to her giggle as she’d read. The way she licked her lips when she played shy.
The curvy little virgin with the fertile band was driving him close to insanity. He swore she knew what affected him, how to make his cock hard with just a look. Her innocence was morphing, and her flirting was becoming incessant. The time for playing the gentleman was quickly growing old.
He’d already claimed her as his, and very soon he’d make that official. Fill her with his seed. Know every inch of her lush body.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he said.
“No, something’s wrong.”
He shook his head. “I’m just being cautious. I’ve heard some talk, so I’d rather keep you with me for a while. The only person a man can trust is himself. I’ve learned that the hard way many times. Never again.”
“What kind of talk?”
“Men planning to take what’s mine.”
Her mouth parted slightly. “I thought this was a safe haven.”
“It is … or it will be once I find out who’s plotting against me.” He ran his hands from her shoulders, down her arms until he could interlock their fingers together. “They have no idea what they’re up against.”
“And if they win?”
He chuckled. “They can try to take you from me, but I’ll never allow it. I won’t be threatened by any man, Ashley. And I’m not afraid of getting my hands dirty.”
Not only was he ready to take on any threat, he knew things about the group of traitors, and their next moves. He’d use the information to his advantage and slowly root them out. It wouldn’t be long until he knew exactly who’d infected his perfect little world.
“I keep wondering why I’m still here. I mean, shouldn’t I be afraid of you, too? Don’t you want the same thing as other men? Money, power, legacy?”
“The government is broken, Ashley. It’s struggling to gain any foothold in this shitfest, so it’ll promise the world for a woman like you. You represent hope, a future—both things lacking in the world. They’ll use you like a pawn.” He took a breath. “Look around you. What good is money anymore? What can it buy? I don’t need money or power … legacy, that’s something else.”
She gasped when he stepped forward.
“Do you think men want me for money or for my body?”