37. Belle

"Shh, it"s okay, you"re safe now…"

I stir at the soft voice of an angel, leaning into his gentle touch as he cups his palms around my right cheek, and now all I can smell is the sweet scent of baby powder.

It replaces the smell of blood and death, along with the rotten scent of earth.

His name comes to my lips so easily, yet I still don"t open my eyes.

Afraid that it will all be a part of a dream, and I will wake up in Francis"s apartment once again.

"Rian."

"It"s fine, Belle. Open your eyes…" he whispers, dabbing a warm cloth on my face.

Finally, I open my eyes, and there I meet his moss-green irises, heart pounding in my chest.

I"m lying on a soft, plush bed, one that smells of Rian and something sharp like coffee, and my breath locks in my throat when I get an image of Troy.

Troy…

His warning echoes through my mind, and I get up immediately, scrambling off the bed.

Rian presses me down. "It"s okay, Belle. You"re safe. No one can get you here."

Not Troy or that Alpha?

The Alpha!

A whimper escapes me at the memory of that brutish foe, but then Rian is beside me instantly to put me at ease, nestling his hands over my cheeks.

"Belle… I promise nothing will ever happen to you again."

I gaze deep into his mossy eyes, and they"re the only thing I can see now.

No more dark forest, and no more terrifying, hulking beast of an Alpha.

I say the only name that comes to mind. "T-Troy…"

A small flicker of irritation comes to his eyes, and I stare at Rian dismayed.

No. Have I caused a rift between them?

"Troy is not here, Belle. Besides, you let me deal with him. He won"t be a problem for you anymore."

"And… and the Alpha?"

A slight smirk twists his perfect lips. "Hopefully rotting in the ground by now."

A shudder skitters up my spine, but Rian is there to reassure me again, purring softly into my ear.

"Easy, Belle. No need to stress."

A sob chokes me. "But… I killed him…"

The words linger in the awful silence, and I can"t look at him.

I"m afraid to see what face he will make.

Will he be disgusted?

"I know. But it should have been me who killed him instead. I wish you had kept him alive long enough just for me to have a little fun with him too. I know Leo will be pissed at the missed opportunity to twist his face up."

I gaze at him shocked. "You"re… not angry?"

He stares at me aghast. Then he guffaws. "Why the hell would I be angry?"

I have no idea what to say. Instead, I let the tears flow freely.

"So, you"re not afraid of me? I killed an Alpha, Rian. You are in heat. You"re… vulnerable…"

Rian blinks at me in total confusion. Then a slight growl rumbles in his chest. "I see Troy has gotten into your head…"

I have no response to that.

He chuckles, reaching across to wipe the tears from my cheeks. "Fuck, you"re sweet… You honestly thought we would all be scared of you?"

I can"t see him as he vanishes behind a shroud of tears.

"But I"m a killer…"

"We"re all killers in this pack, Belle. Troy and Leo are hired hitmen. I"m a soldier, and Jeremy has the blood of hundreds of Omegas on his hands…"

His words shock me to my core, and all I can do is stare at him.

They"ve all killed?

"But none of us will ever harm you, Belle. You"re the last person I would ever want to hurt…"

I gaze down at my twirling thumbs. "Even Troy? Would he kill me?"

Rian narrows his eyes. "Did he ever threaten you?"

My muscles seize, and I"m too afraid to speak.

He rolls his eyes and rises to his feet. "Ignore him. He"s all talk. Now, come. Let"s get you out of that bloodied dress. I"m afraid it"s ruined now. I"m sorry."

I peer down at the dress. It"s one of the dresses Rian got me, and sadness fills my chest.

"But don"t worry. I will get you another."

He lifts me in his arms, and to my surprise, he leads me right to the shower.

"Where are we going?"

"I"m not leaving this room until that Alpha"s scent is off you, Belle."

I wriggle in his arms. "It"s okay. I can shower myself."

But Rian is adamant. He won"t even let me walk on my own, becoming strangely possessive of me, and I just leave him to it.

I"ve been touch-starved for so long that I don"t argue. I just allow him to tug the dress free of my arms.

Even when he carries me to the shower, sitting himself down on a stool to cradle me in his arms, I don"t protest.

He doesn"t remove my bra and panties. Nor does he remove his own clothes as he turns on the jets, and soon steam curls around the two of us as he gazes into my eyes.

Rian grabs my cheek. "I should have been there, Belle. But I promise. From now on, it will all be about you. You come first."

I shake my head. "No. You were in heat. I had to protect you. I was worried that Alpha would come for you…"

His fingers freeze mid-stroke on my cheek. Then a dark light sparks in his eyes. "Then you should have let him. Even in heat, I could have torn him in half… and he would have deserved it."

I can"t look away from him as the steam swirls around us. Droplets of water trickle down his tan cheeks, and I reach across tentatively to rub them off his face.

Then I look at his lips, wiping away the droplets that settle there too.

The moment I move my hand away, he grips my wrist, eyes flashing with desire.

Before I can take my next breath, he kisses me, wrapping his hands through my dark hair. I groan, rubbing my breasts against his chest, desperate for friction.

"Rian…" I whisper.

He doesn"t stop kissing me, even going so far as to slip his tongue into my mouth.

I remove my bra, and the moment my breasts are free, he stares at them, fascinated.

"Fuck…" he whispers, his voice thick with lust.

His pupils blow out, and then he looks up at me, a challenge in his dark eyes.

I wet my lips with my tongue, and when he massages his fingers over one of my pebbled nipples, I throw my head back, letting my groan bounce off the tiles of the bathroom wall.

Lights trickle in my eyes, along with the hot, steaming water of the jets, and I finally come.

There"s a new wetness inside my panties that has nothing to do with the water that sprays from the jets, and I"m so desperate for touch that I will come at the slightest graze of my nipples.

I really am kind of pathetic.

But I have been waiting my whole life for attention like this.

To be the object of a man"s affections...

Especially one as gorgeous as Rian.

The Omega growls, pinching my nipple between his fingers, and when he twists it hard, I arch my spine, pressing my bare breasts up against his chest again.

His wet shirt is plastered to his skin, bringing out his prominent muscles, and I pull it over his head, feasting my eyes on that beautiful, wet body.

I run my hand over his pecs, stopping at the sculpted six-pack above his stomach, and I bite my lip.

Finally, I slip off my panties, bringing his fingers between my legs, and then I wrap my arms around his neck, bracing myself as I come for a second time.

I"m so receptive to his touch, it"s ridiculous.

Could it have to do with the fact that we are soul mates?

I felt it the instant I smelled his scent for the first time.

Rian and I belong together.

We are scent matches. Just like the couples in the books he gifted me.

"Belle… " he whispers, burying his nose into the crook of my neck.

I guide his fingers, and he starts to circle my clit.

I gasp against his ear, and he circles it again and again, making me see stars.

And then I come for a third time.

When he"s done finishing me off, he grabs a bottle of shower gel, lathering it up and down the curves of my body, and I close my eyes, enjoying every caress of his careful ministrations.

He washes away the blood and the filth of that Alpha until there is nothing left but my caramel scent.

Then he squirts shampoo onto my head, massaging my scalp and temples, and I lean my forehead against him, breathing in his baby powder scent.

He smells even better when wet.

The Omega grunts in pain next, and I lift my head, resting my palm against his cheek. "Rian?"

He smiles tightly, reaching up to brush his fingers through my hair. "I"m fine, Belle. Just another cramp."

Of course. How could I forget?

He"s still in heat, yet here he is, comforting me instead of being with his Alphas.

I am being selfish keeping him to myself. So, I make my choice, then say, "You should go back to them…"

He shakes his head. "No."

"Rian, I insist. You"re in heat."

"But you need me…"

"And you need your Alphas."

The jets continue to spray all around us, spreading steam across the bathroom.

He opens his eyes, and I meet that bright green.

I smile, even though my heart is shattering to pieces. "Go to them."

Rian doesn"t respond for a while. But then his mouth curves, and then he asks, "Join us."

My heart thumps in my ears.

After all, it"s everything I ever wanted.

But I can"t.

Not just yet.

I don"t want to ruffle any feathers.

Troy still hates me, and I don"t think I could deal with the fallout.

Finally, Rian kisses me tenderly. Then he whispers just low enough for me to hear. "It"s okay. You don"t have to. But the offer is there, Belle. You will always be welcome in my nest. Just… let me hold you for a while longer. Then I will go back to them…"

I smile against his kiss, then say. "All right."

And that"s how we stay. Just the two of us wrapped in each other"s embrace.

It"s just a shame that it couldn"t last forever.