Page 35 of Bound by Vengeance
It was only half a lie. Vicky wasn’t overwhat happened to her, not completely, but she also knew she didn’tdeserve others being concerned for her.
“Somewhere out there, the loved ones of thewoman I killed are grieving their daughter, sister, friend,” shesaid for some reason she didn’t understand, but when he was gazingat her with that look of concern, she found herself wanting to openup to him, at least a little.
“I considered trying to locate someone tolet them know she was dead, but all I remember about the woman isher brown hair. How horrible is it that I killed someone and all Iknow about her is she had brown hair?” But she’d been too starvedin the beginning to take in many details, and too devastated bywhat she’d done afterward to look at the woman.
“I know you know this, here,” he tapped hertemple, “and I’ve told you this, but what happened wasn’t yourfault.”
“Hmm,” she murmured. “Perhaps not,but….”
“But you still blame yourself,” he said whenher voice trailed off.
“I always will.”
“I understand blaming yourself.” He restedhis hand on her back. “I should have been able to stop Joseph fromkilling my father.”
“Could you have stopped him? I mean, couldyoureallyhave done something to make the outcomedifferent, or do you justthinkyou could have?”
Nathan contemplated this for a minute. “Idon’t know. It happened so fast, and there were so many otherSavages there.”
Unable to stop herself, she set her handover his heart to feel the reassuring beat of it. She’d giveanything to take away the sorrow in his voice.
“What happened?” she asked.
Nathan hesitated. The only ones who knewwhat happened that night were the hunters who were there. He’dnever shared it with anyone, but this was Vicky. She’d shared herworst with him, and if anyone could understand his driving need tosee Joseph dead, it was her.
“We found some Savages in a boathouse. Therewere two of them for every one of us, but we were winning, or atleast I thought we were. Then, Joseph descended from the rafters.I’d already searched the beams; he wasn’t there when we firstentered. I have no idea where he came from, but there he was. Hefell on my father and broke his neck before any of us couldreact.”
Rage and grief turned his eyes an almostelectric blue. Reacting on instinct, Vicky lifted herself to kisshim tenderly before resting her forehead against his. When his handfell on her hip, she felt his palm burning into her flesh.
She’d been determined to protect herself bykeeping him at arm’s length, but she could feel him digging his wayinto her heart. As different as they were, they were also very muchalike and in need of someone to understand why they were sobroken.
Hatred simmered in Nathan as he recalledthose last seconds of his father’s life, the knowing look in hisdad’s eyes before all life vanished from them. Never had hebelieved it was possible to loathe someone as much as he didJoseph. That hatred had grown within him until killing Josephbecame the driving force of his life.
However, lying beside her, he realized hishatred wasn’t the ball of fire searing through his chest that ithad been for months. Not only did she shut out the rest of theworld, but she also soothed the rage-filled part of him that madeit so some days he barely recognized himself and feared what hemight become.
“So there was nothing you could have done,”she murmured.
“No, not really,” he admitted, “but I’llalways think there was.”
“I know,” she said simply. “What a trainwreck the two of us are, huh?”
He laughed and kissed the tip of her nose.“Maybe that’s why we’re so good at working together.”
Vicky forced a smile as her heart twisted inher chest. “Yeah.”
“I will show you how deserving of kindnessyou are,” he said as he ran his fingers lightly down her spine.“Until the day you stop stiffening at my touch.”
Don’t.The word choked in Vicky’sthroat. She didn’t know if she wanted to tell him don’t touch her,don’t find her worthy of anything, or don’t be so kind to herbecause it might make her fall in love with him.
Leaning forward, he kissed her temple. Shesmiled as she turned her mouth to his.
Nathan pushed himself away from her when hiscock stirred again. “How can there be any life left in you?” hedemanded of it as he rose from the bed.
Vicky laughed and rolled over. Proppingherself up on a couple of pillows, she watched as he walked intothe bathroom. A minute later, the shower turned on. She remained onthe bed, inhaling the tantalizing scents of their mingling aromason the air as she listened to him. She could get used to thisdomesticity between them.
Stop it!she shouted at herself.
She composed herself when the water turnedoff, and he reemerged with a towel tied around his waist. When hespotted her, he halted to gaze ravenously at her. Leaning backagainst the headboard, Vicky draped her arms over the pillows nextto her and smiled at him. She could fake casualness; she could fakeanything if she had to.
