Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

"Take all the time you need, love," he ducked his head to say in her ear. "I'm here for you. You're safe with me." He spoke like it was a vow.

She looked up at him, meeting his warm gaze. "Someone broke into Hester's house," she started off, feeling him tense underneath her touch. "I came downstairs and a man attacked me. Pressed a knife to my throat. Told me he wouldn't hurt me if I told him where the valuables were," her words came out rushed and strained, but she didn't care. She wanted to get the story over with and continued on. He listened to her every word, his lips pressed into a thin line, his hand caressing her face.

He pressed her closer against him when she finished. "I hate this," he said after a long while. "I hate that I wasn't there to protect you."

She tilted her head up to get a better view of him. "You didn't need to be. I survived. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," he growled. "You're injured. You had to run for your life, Giselle. Nothing about this is fine. You can't . . ." He shook his head, looking off. "There's no way I'm going to be able to let you go back. Not in a world where I can't protect you. You have to stay here. I worry enough about you being away, but now my fears have been exacerbated." His eyes dropped back down to hers.

"It was a fluke thing," she told him, trying to soothe his worries. "I'll be okay. If you're that worried, I'll get Hester and Selene to install a security system."

He held her tighter. "Not good enough."

Giselle sighed, resting her cheek against his chest once more. "How long have I been here for?" she asked. "It was nighttime when I left. What time is it now?"

"Nearly 06:30, I assume. I found you right at sunrise."

"What were you doing out in the woods at sunrise?"

He remained silent for three beats of his heart against her cheek before finally speaking. "I go out and check the tree every morning while I wait for the kettle to heat. Thank God I do, or else you would've been left out there." He sighed, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head once. "It was terrifying to see you like that." Twice. "You looked so lifeless and hurt, and you didn't stir when I picked you up. I thought . . . " he let his breath die out, kissing her head a third time just for good measure. "I woke Marguerite and had her attend to your wounds. She theorized that you were unconscious from exhaustion and the travel back."

Giselle nodded. "That makes sense." Just the mention of exhaustion had her yawning, like her couple hours of sleep weren't good enough.

"You can go back to sleep if you'd like," Will told her.

She shook her head. "No, I should get up," she said, "and you should start getting ready for work."

Will scoffed, the arm curled around her waist shifting her nearer to him. "No. I'm staying with you until you have recovered."

Giselle heart almost felt put back together when he nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck after swiping away the hair that laid there. We should have been doing this for ages, Giselle thought to herself.

"Will, I'm fine, really. It's just a bruise and a couple of scratches. Not life-threatening at all."

"I don't care," she felt him say against her neck, her body tensing as his lips grazed her skin. "I'm staying with you. Now, go to sleep."