Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Orion
What. The. Fuck?
My Little girl is so skittish that she believes I would hit her?
I want to kill her stepfather with my bare hands, and I may still do so. He has obviously abused her for so long that she’s scared of being struck for something as simple as a naughty response.
Her reluctance to fist her hand only tells me how much it hurts. The whine in her voice nearly made me chuckle. It was so cute. I’ve known her less than an hour, and I’m already wrapped so tightly around her pinky that I would do anything for her.
My chest is tight because she’s so scared.
It infuriates me. I need to be careful with her.
I also need to put my foot down about a few things.
Namely, the fact that I’m about to claim her.
My bite will not only cement her to me, but it will also help her heal.
It might even improve her apparently chronic vertigo.
Keeping my movements slow, I gently stroke her forearm over her face.
“Cora, I know it will take you a while to fully trust me, to undo the abuse you’ve been living with, but I need you to know that I will never hurt you.
I will never strike you out of anger. I will never shout at you.
There is absolutely nothing you can do to upset me. ”
I’m careful about my wording. It’s true I would not hit Cora out of anger. The only time I would strike her would be to spank her, and that will only happen if it’s something she enjoys. If it scares her because of her past, it won’t be a kink we practice.
I lift her arm from her face and bring her hand to my lips. She stares at me with wide green eyes and an open mouth while I kiss her fingertips.
“I’m going to bite you, Little doll. There’s no reason to put it off. I won’t risk Vincent showing up here before I’ve fully claimed you. It will only sting for a moment. After my serum enters your body, you will begin to heal.”
I hate the idea of dropping my incisors into her tender skin without warning, but at the same time, it’s not up for discussion, so I don’t give her a chance to react.
I kiss my way down her palm and past her injured wrist. When I reach the fleshy part of her forearm, I grip her elbow firmly, let my incisors drop, and pierce her skin with all four sharp teeth.
Cora yelps. Not surprising. It’s over in seconds, and my heart calms. She’s mine. It’s done. It can’t be undone. I lick the four small points, but they close over quickly, leaving no evidence of my bite.
“What…?” Cora jerks her arm out of my grip and looks at it. “Ouch,” she says belatedly.
This time, I chuckle. “Vincent will not touch you again.”
She shifts her gaze to me. “You…”
“I claimed you, Little doll. You’re mine now.”
She shoves to sitting, scooting back toward my headboard. I’m not surprised by her reaction, but I’m concerned about her vertigo. “Be careful, Little doll. I don’t want you to get dizzy and fall off the bed.”
She shakes her head. “It’s gone. How is that possible?”
I grin broadly. “Good. I was hoping my serum would heal your vertigo. If we’re lucky, it won’t happen ever again.
But there are no guarantees. I want you to be careful for a while until we’re sure.
I’ll keep a close eye on you. No heavy lifting, no climbing, no running.
” I narrow my gaze at her, making sure she understands.
She licks her lips and glances around. “You want me to stay here?”
“Forever.” It’s not shocking that she keeps questioning me. Humans don’t understand our ways. She’ll begin to believe me in the coming hours as the bond between us strengthens and she realizes she has no more interest in parting from me than I do her.
“Vincent will lose his shit.”
“You let me worry about Vincent. You won’t be seeing him again.”
She gasps. “He might shoot you. You’re stealing his slave.” She winces as the words leave her lips. “I don’t mean that in the literal sense. It’s just that he expects me to cook and clean for him. He’s not going to like finding out his dinner won’t be ready at six tonight.”
I growl low. “I suspect you literally are that asshole’s slave. We’re not hashing semantics. Does he give you options?”
“No,” she murmurs.
I set a hand on the bed on the other side of her legs and lean in.
“Does he let you come and go as you please? Does he hit you when you don’t clean or cook to his standards?
Does he yell at you every day of your life?
Does he tell you you’re worthless, and no one would ever want you?
Are you completely isolated from society? ”
It’s a brutal list, but I suspect I’m correct. The asshole is a classic abuser. Cora’s mother died when she was sixteen, and that fucker forced her to become his indentured servant from that moment on.
She looks down, wringing her hands in her lap. I notice she’s not wincing. Already her arm feels better.
I move my hand to her thigh. “Yes or no, Little doll?” I ask softly. I want her to acknowledge the state of her life.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“That’s the definition of a slave, Cora.” I’m fuming inside at how he’s used my Little girl for four years, but I control my outward appearance.
She lifts her gaze, sits taller, and looks me in the eyes. “What do you expect from me as your claimed mate? How is this different? I don’t even know you. You just forced me to stay.”
I scoot closer and slide my hand to hers.
Holding her fingers, I say, “As my mate, I expect you to be healthy, safe, and happy. I’ll do everything in my power every day of my life to ensure that’s the case.
You will not cook and clean for me. I will take care of you.
Not the other way around. I realize you don’t know me, but you felt the draw toward me even before I bit you.
We’re bonded now. That feeling will grow every hour. ”
She’s staring at me, blinking, jaw dropped again. “You don’t want me to cook and clean?”
“No. Never. Lion shifters take care of their mates. Not the other way around.”
Her gaze stays on mine. She’s shocked and absorbing my words.
I pick up her injured hand and gently prod around her wrist. “Can you make a fist for me now, Little doll?”
She bends her fingers in. Not tightly, but enough that I can see the improvement.
“We’ll be careful with it tonight. I suspect it will be all healed by morning.”
“That’s insane.”
I grin. “Welcome to my pride.” I lower her hand to her lap and slide my palm up her arm, over her shoulder, and around to cup the back of her neck. Her thick, brown hair is gorgeous, and I like it even better now that she’s not using it as a curtain to hide her face.
Damn, she’s pretty. Huge green eyes stare at me in wonder. Her pulse is racing. She’s breathing heavily. As I hold her gaze, she whimpers and fidgets. Arousal she’s unlikely to have ever experienced consumes her.
“Don’t fight it, Little doll,” I murmur softly.
Her breathing grows heavier.
I grab the sippy cup she was using from the bed, set it on the nightstand, and move in closer. “Has anyone ever kissed you, Cora?”
“No.” Her cheeks turn pink.
“How many boys did you date in high school?”
The color on her face deepens, and she looks away.
Something about her demeanor makes me want to punch a hole in the wall, and that’s not a sensation I experience often. I’ve been beyond angry several times today. It’s for her. I’m furious at how she’s been treated. “Cora…” I warn. “Answer me.”
“I dropped out,” she tells me in a voice I can barely hear.
“You dropped out of high school?” My own voice rises.
Cora flinches.
Realization dawns. I pull my girl closer, wrapping my arms around her as I settle her chest against mine. I stroke her hair. “After your mom died…” I say out loud. It’s not a question.
“Mmm hmm.”
“He made you drop out, isolated you, and turned you into a servant.”
“Yes,” she breathes against my chest.
“How often have you left the house since then, Little doll?” I want to know how isolated she’s been and how furious I should be with Vincent Jones.
“Only a few times. I don’t know why he brought me today. I think he was afraid if he left me alone, I would run away this time.”
I lean her back so I can look her in the eyes. “It’s over, Little doll. He’s never going to terrorize you again.”
“Okay.”
I bring my lips to hers. I need to taste her. I’m gentle. She’s so innocent. First, I start with a light peck and then another before flattening my lips to hers and really kissing her.
Cora grabs my bicep, fisting my flannel shirt with her left hand. She holds my bicep with her injured arm, too, but not as forcefully.
I love the sweet whimper she makes.
I don’t want to rush her, so I pull back.
“Orion…” she murmurs.
“You’ll call me Daddy, Little doll.”
Her brow furrows. “Daddy?”
“It’s an endearment. Lion shifters take care of their mates in every way. You will be coddled and worshipped by me. You will learn to accept my care and realize that Daddy is a fitting term.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Certainly not. I’m clear that you’re a grown woman. I wouldn’t be drawn to you otherwise. I believe Fate put you in my path today. She doesn’t make mistakes. Regardless of your lack of knowledge about the ways of my pride, She believed we would be suited for each other.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know you are, Little doll.” I squeeze her neck. She’s stiff. Stress will do that.
I move my hands to her waist and lift her up, turning as I do so I can settle her across my lap.
“What happens when Vincent shows up here?”
“I send him away. I’ll text my pride brothers now so everyone is aware that I have claimed you.
Several of them will come here to back me up.
Meanwhile, I’d like to send one of my brothers to your homestead immediately so they can pick up some of your things.
We don’t want to risk Vincent returning in a rage and destroying your belongings. Do you think you can make me a list?”
She nods. “I can try.”
“I don’t care about clothes, Little doll. Those are replaceable. A list of things that are special to you, perhaps things you have from your mother. Photos, gifts, mementoes.”
“Okay.”