Chapter 6
“Lie down,” I say.
Delilah stares up at me, clutching the towel like a lifeline. As if a piece of material would stop me from taking what’s mine.
“Why?”
“I want to check your wound.”
She does as I ask, her gaze still wary. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
“What did you say?”
I halt. “‘Always.’ Why?”
She takes a deep breath. “That’s something Ben and I say to each other. It’s a promise.”
A spark of jealousy lands on the darkness of my soul, igniting sinister thoughts. I have to remind myself that I can’t kill her foster brother if I want to win her heart. “If you can accept McKenzie’s promise, then you’d better take my word as well.”
She closes her eyes. “Just get this over with. I can’t look, or I’ll pass out.”
“I’ll be quick.”
I want to push her to trust me like she trusts Benjamin, but I know that’ll take a while. The way she obeyed me during the Trial showed me that she did once. Having to start all over again is going to drive me crazy with impatience.
I carefully peel back the bandage and examine the wound. It’s not bad, all things considered. The incision looks clean, the stitches neat and even. She’ll have a scar, but it’s not going to detract from her beauty in any way.
My gaze slides up to the brand on her shoulder. The skin isn’t fully healed, but it’s beginning to look less aggravated. Although it wasn’t something I wanted for her, I can’t deny that the sight of it turns me on. Seeing my girl with the letter of our last name on her body? I could come just from looking at it.
“What do you think?” Delilah asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
“It looks fine. No signs of infection.”
“Oh good.” She opens her eyes and blinks several times. “The room is spinning a little.”
“Painkillers will do that. Hold still while I replace the bandage.”
I cover the wound with a thin layer of ointment and secure it with a fresh bandage. Delilah watches me the entire time, her gaze becoming more clouded with every minute.
“Lift up so I can remove the towel,” I say.
When she does as I command, I’m quick to pull the sheet up to hide her body. It doesn’t help much. My brain has been seared with the image of her and refuses to get rid of it.
“Are you hungry?” I ask.
She waves a hand. “A little, but I want to sleep first.”
I run my gaze over her. The sight of my girl like this is one I could get used to. She’s all soft and pink, her damp hair curling around her face. Then there’s her docile expression, her lips slightly parted, her eyes glazed.
“What are you going to do while I sleep?” she asks.
“Masturbate.”
She bursts out laughing. “Be serious.”
I am.“I’ll be right here, watching you all day and night.”
“That’s not creepy at all, Edward Cullen.”
I smile at her. “Get some rest.”
“Seriously, you have to be tired. I can’t imagine you slept well at the clinic.”
“If you think I was able to rest while you were bleeding out or in surgery, you don’t know me at all.”
“What about after I was in recovery?”
I shake my head. “If you’re not one hundred percent, then I’m on alert one hundred percent. That’s just how this works between us. Now, go to sleep.”
“Yes, daddy.”
Delilah closes her eyes with a tiny huff.
Despite what brought us to this point, I’m going to enjoy caring for her and seeing her needs are met. She might not admit to liking my attention, but the sparkle in her eyes gives her away. It just goes to show my girl likes to hold things close to her chest.
Which is fine, but not when she tries to keep secrets from me.
“Delilah?”
“Hm?” The sound is more of a grunt than any coherent response.
“How did the Order get you out of this room?”
She wrinkles her forehead, her eyes still shut. “I don’t want to tell you. You’ll just yell at me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I was stupid.”
I almost burst out laughing at the dejected tone of her voice. “I won’t. Now tell me what happened.”
She groans softly. “Fine. The guy in the hallway said that your life was in danger.”
My pulse jumps, and I clench my fists. That crow knew exactly what he was doing, that conniving motherfucker. It doesn’t matter that he was acting on orders. I still want to kill him.
I brush the damp tendrils of hair off her cheek. “You opened the door to save me?”
“Yup. Such a stupid ass, right?”
“No, little raptor. Not stupid at all.”
She shakes her head. “I should’ve known he was full of shit when he asked me to put on my bride dress, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you in danger, so I changed and ran out of the door like my ass was on fire.”
Her admission hits me like a bullet to the chest. I never want my bride to actually put herself in harm’s way for me, but her willingness to do so is all I’ve ever wanted. It’s a reflection of her feelings for me.
Or whatever remains.
I’ll get her to fall for me. No matter what it takes or how long. She’s mine until death do us part.
“Did he say anything else to you?” I ask.
When Delilah doesn’t respond, I kiss her forehead, unsure if she’s asleep or play-acting like she did in the hospital when Benjamin visited her. My girl definitely likes to keep secrets. I wish I didn’t have to hide mine from her.
But if Delilah knew, she’d try to kill me. Again.