“Lucas!” The two men gave each other the quick shoulder hug used by men.
“That was fast,” Lucas said, the sun making his brown hair appear blond. He glanced at Lilly, and then back at their visitor, grinning. Lilly envied her brother’s carefree attitude. Newly married and in love, his clear blue eyes radiated happiness. She kept hoping some of it would rub off on her. So far, she hadn’t been so blessed.
Kane laughed, a throaty chuckle, drawing her attention. “As soon as you told me what you needed, I dropped everything. My vacation days were piling up unused anyway. I think the Society of Pack Protectors was shocked that I wanted to take them.”
Though the deep rumble of this stranger’s voice chased away the chill inside her, she kept herself utterly still, hoping she wouldn’t draw any attention to herself. Of course, her brother noticed immediately.
“Lilly?” Lucas held out his hand, waiting until she’d slipped her fingers into his before continuing. “Don’t you remember Kane? He helped us rescue you.”
The reassuring sincerity in Lucas’s expression calmed her enough to enable her to look at the other man. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “My memories from that time are all blurry.”
Kane’s smoky gaze held hers. “That’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot.”
She nodded, although fifteen years of torture, clinging to the edge of life, had been more than a lot. She was damaged, broken in more ways than one. Though she was eager to purge that time from her memory and heal herself so she could stride with confidence into the world, first she had to shake the paralyzing terror that dogged her every move.
Before she could run, she needed to walk. Before she could walk, she’d have to manage a crawl.
“Come on in,” Lucas said, pulling Lilly toward him so he could fully open the door. She yanked her hand free, fighting the awful tide of panic rising in her throat. Though she wanted to flee, to tear down the hall toward her room, where she could close herself in and feel safe, she kept herself still, legs rooted in the carpet. She hated her fear and used this to find the strength to stand her ground. Her hands were clenched into fists, but despite that, she managed to lift her head and study Lucas’s friend.
“Welcome,” she said, trying to remember how to sound warm.
At her greeting, he smiled. Not just any smile, but a devastating curve of the mouth that heated her and inexplicably sent her pulse racing. Before, she’d thought him good-looking, in a muscular, dangerous sort of way. But now, feeling the pull of his grin, she realized he was more than that. He was beautiful, like a dark angel who’d recently tumbled from heaven.
She shivered. She’d had enough of angels and prophets, thank you very much.
“Blythe will be happy to see you.” Lucas strode toward the kitchen, calling his wife’s name as he went. Blythe met him halfway, her long blond hair pulled into a neat braid. As she moved toward them, she appeared to dance on her bare feet. Her bright green eyes lit up when she saw Kane.
Lilly watched, as detached as if she were separated from the others by a thick sheet of glass. Blythe, hugged Kane as if he was a long-lost brother, then her daughter, Hailey, squealed with delight as she threw herself at the tall man’s legs.
Once the greetings and hugs were finished and things quieted down, Lucas led the way into the kitchen. He waited until everyone else had disappeared inside before returning to retrieve Lilly, who still stood frozen, unable to make herself move.
“Are you coming?” he asked, the concern in his voice making her feel guilty.
Rather than answer, she shook her head, sending her long hair whipping around her. Wrapping her arms around herself, even though the movement gave her no comfort, she swallowed. “I’m not feeling well,” she told him. “I’m going to go lie down.”
His expression sharpened, letting her know he didn’t entirely buy the lie. But then, as she’d known he would, he nodded. “I’ll bring you something to eat later then, okay?”
Angry—both at herself for lacking the courage to join them and, unreasonably, at him for cutting her so much slack—she nodded. Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and marched away to her room.
Once there, she didn’t dissolve into tears and throw herself on her bed. She supposed that would have been progress, at least. Instead, she went to the small desk she’d placed in front of the window, and took a seat, gazing outside and marveling once again at how green everything was here. As she’d learned to do while trapped in a dank, basement cell, she let her mind separate from her body. She wondered if she’d ever stop wanting to curl up and die.
* * *
Following Lucas and Blythe into the kitchen, Kane fought the urge to turn back and go after Lilly. His wolf had once again reared his wild head the instant he’d inhaled Lilly’s fragile and feminine scent. On the long drive from Texas to Seattle, he’d thought about this reaction, which had stunned him the first time he’d seen her, half-dead in a concrete cell. Then, he’d wondered if it had been a fluke. Now he knew it hadn’t. The question was, what was he going to do about it?
Though she no longer looked like a broken rag-doll, Lilly was still clearly damaged. Kane would have to be careful, especially since he’d just agreed to act as her full-time bodyguard.
“Does she know why I’m here?” Kane asked, taking a seat at the oak-planked, country-style table and accepting the beer Blythe brought him.
“Just a minute.” Lucas cast a warning look at Hailey, which Blythe picked up on.
“Hailey, why don’t we watch one of your DVDs,” Blythe said, taking her daughter’s hand and leading her from the kitchen.
Kane sipped on his beer. Lucas waited until the sound of the television came on before speaking. “No. Despite therapy once a week, she spends most of her time in a state close to terrified anxiety. I thought it better if she didn’t know.” He got up, crossed to the fridge and snagged his own beer.
“About any of it?”
Lucas’s troubled expression gave Kane his answer. “I’ve been trying to shield her as best I can. She isn’t aware of the break-in attempt. I had Blythe and Hailey take her out for ice cream when the police came to make their report.”
“And you’re confident they weren’t after Hailey?”
“Yes.” Lucas clenched his jaw. “They broke in through Lilly’s window. This might have been a coincidence, except they never left her room. They tore it apart like they were looking for something.”
“You also said someone tried to abduct her?”
“Yes. Someone tried to grab her when she and Blythe were leaving therapy, but Blythe pretty much convinced her that the guy was trying to rob them.”
“How sure are you that he wasn’t?”
Dragging his hand across his chin, Lucas nodded. “First off, he didn’t try and get their purses. Second, he left Blythe alone. The SOB went right for Lilly.”
Kane nodded. Both he and Lucas had dealt with the crazy cult members who’d belonged to
