Laurann Dohner - Fury

Ellie relaxed, understanding why he made insane demands now. “You want to clean me up to treat my injuries? That’s all?”

His eyes narrowed. “Would you prefer I send one of my males inside here to strip you down? Your security is still trying to retain order.” He snorted. “We might be here for a while. One of us is going to remove your clothes and clean you to see if you are hurt and how badly. Decide now if it will be me or one of my men. I don’t want to waste time and that’s what you’re doing.”

Ellie clenched her teeth. He could be such a rude bastard at times. She’d just gone through the worst trauma of her life and he didn’t need to be so abrupt. “I think I can manage.”

“I caught you before you fell. You can’t even walk.”

“I just killed two men, could have been brutally raped, and they were going to murder me. Excuse the hell out of me for being a bit weak-kneed.”

He moved closer to her. “You killed two? I didn’t search the house since I heard you struggling and knew where to find you. I just rushed to your side.”

“They didn’t trip and kill each other.” She trembled still. The reality of what she’d done to survive sank in. The blood drained from her face and a wave of dizziness made her sway where she sat. “I killed them. I really killed them.”

Fury growled out a soft curse. “It was self defense. Don’t go there, sweetness. You had no other choice and they had it coming. You did the world a favor by taking them out. They would have killed you without a second thought.” He closed the remaining distance until only inches separated them. He grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked it up until her shirt peeled from her body. It made it easy for him to do with the back already sliced open. “Do you understand? They aren’t worth that haunted look in your eyes. Argue with me, talk to me, but think about something else. Don’t fall apart because I can’t stand to see your tears. Call me names instead and get angry.”

She blinked her tears back. He was being kind and it only served to draw her emotions closer to the surface. He had the most beautiful eyes in the world. The urge to throw herself into his arms and cling to him became almost overwhelming. He tore his gaze from hers before she could act on it.

“I need to get you cleaned up now. I really can’t stand smelling their stench on you. It’s a New Species thing but it makes me have to fight my rage.” He paused, glancing at her. “I have instincts that were a side effect from what they did to me and sometimes I have to fight those urges. It’s worse when I’m angry, agitated, or afraid. If that stink isn’t gone from you soon I’ll be obligated to go out there to rip their heads off.”

“Okay.” She nodded. “As much as I wouldn’t protest someone doing that to those jerks, I don’t want it to be you. You’d get into trouble.”

Ellie realized her bra had been sliced along with the back of her shirt and made a grab with both hands to cup and cover her bare breasts. Fury grabbed her wrists before she could hide them from him and yanked her arms out wide. He didn’t look at her chest but instead inspected her bloody hands.

“Don’t touch yourself with their blood. Get down and face the sink. I will clean you.”

Fury’s soft, husky tone made her relax and not fight with him when their gazes met again. She inched off the edge of the counter, not wanting to argue with him. He tried to distract her from the pain of reality and she realized it was almost sweet. She also hadn’t missed the fact that he’d used an endearment by calling her “sweetness”. It warmed her a bit from the shock she suffered.

Her feet touched the floor and her legs wobbled. Fury turned her until he hovered at her back and released her arms. He reached around her waist and waved his hands under the faucet, activating it to turn on again. He gripped her wrists gently and shoved them under the cool water. Ellie looked down to watch the water change color as blood washed from her wrists and hands. She closed her eyes tightly to fight the sick feeling that gripped her at seeing the water turning red.

“Why the hell don’t they have showers down here?” Fury growled.

“We have our own private bathrooms with showers inside our apartments. No one ever thought the dorm could be breached.”

He sighed. “Well, you need one now and all I have are these sinks.”

Ellie kept her eyes closed, grateful that he kept her mind busy by asking questions. Fury leaned against her bare back, his clothes a bit scratchy, and his arms brushed against the side of her ribs while he rubbed the blood from her skin. He ordered her to bend forward and she didn’t hesitate. He kept cleaning her by spreading water up her arms all the way to her shoulders. Water trickled down her body and soaked her pants. There was nothing to be done about it, nor did it matter since her clothes were already soaked with blood.

“Kick off your shoes.” His voice whispered near her ear.

Ellie complied, toeing off her slip-on flats that had once been white but were now bloodstained. She’d slid in blood in the kitchen, crawled through it, and knew her shoes were destroyed. She forced those thoughts away. Fury’s hands eased her cotton pants down a few inches but then hesitated.

“I’m just cleaning you. Be strong for just a while longer. You’re safe and no one will hurt you, Ellie. I won’t allow it. They’d have to go through me to reach you and it wouldn’t happen.”

She believed him. “Okay.”

She kept her eyes closed to prevent seeing if Fury stared at her body. His hands were gentle when he tugged her pants the rest of the way down and hooked her panties with his thumbs to remove those too. She lifted one leg and then the other to help him when she realized he wanted them totally off her body until she stood naked. Fury turned the water back on and dumped water over her body with cupped hands. When every inch of her from the neck down dripped with water, he used wet paper towels to softly scrub at her skin while Ellie held unnaturally still.

“That’s the best I can do,” Fury said in a deep, tight voice. “You’ll need a shower but I can’t see any more blood. You managed not to get it in your hair from what I can see and smell.”

Ellie opened her eyes finally when he didn’t touch her in any way again. Her gaze instantly found his image reflected on the mirror and her mouth opened in shock. Fury had his back to her while he removed his vest and unbuttoned his shirt to peel it from his broad shoulders.

“What are you doing?” Surprise sounded in her voice and she hated it.

“You need something dry and clean to wear. I thought I’d give you my shirt and briefs.” He glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze in the mirror. “Do you want to leave this bathroom naked?” Dark eyes narrowed. “I won’t allow it so don’t even think about it. If you’d told me to send in another male to help you get undressed that wouldn’t have happened either.”

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her breasts to hide them from his view. “Please lend me the shirt and your briefs. I’d appreciate it.”

He turned his head away. “You don’t have to watch me strip.”

Ellie realized she stared as he unbuttoned his shirt and removed it to expose a tan, muscular back. She squeezed her eyes closed, her only choice since she faced a mirror and turning around would just be facing him in the flesh. She listened as he undressed and it seemed like forever before he finished and spoke.

“I’m decent. Here.”

Ellie opened her eyes to find Fury closer, nearly touching her back. He faced away and held his shirt and a pair of blue boxer briefs over his shoulder toward her. Ellie turned and reached up to take them from him. She noticed again how much taller he stood than her.