Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Getting inside her room shouldn't be easy for someone of Angel's build. He was hard to miss, but he was a predator; skulking was in his blood. While Nadia–seemingly unbothered–strode down the hallways. Angel skittered after her until they got to her door. She unlocked, pushed the door open and waited for Angel to walk in before she followed and then locked the door behind them.

Angel looked around the spacious room, noting how exquisite it was. His heart tightened when the picture of where he stayed with the rest of the captives, flashed in his head. Nadia wrapped her fingers around his wrist, and he looked down at her small hand holding on to him before he lifted his cold gaze to meet hers. Nadia swallowed, feeling his cold withdrawal.

"Please, come with me," she said in a soft whisper. When he continued to hesitate. She moved to stand close to him, looking up into his face, she repeated, "Darling, please—" Angel blinked and she saw the coldness melting from his beautiful eyes.

"Lead the way," he said in a low gruff voice. Nadia nodded, turned and urged him forward. This time he followed.

The bathroom was equally spacious with white marble with grey streaks covering the floor and the walls. A wall-sized vanity mirror was embedded in the left wall and a Jacuzzi with a shower stall was at the far end of the room.

The white coffered ceiling was high up and a medium-sized chandelier dangled at the centre of it. When Angel stepped on something that felt different from the hard and cold marble flooring, he lowered his gaze to the grey-coloured area rug in the middle of the room. A large, three-setter, butter-coloured buttoned tufted leather chair was to his right. Angel had no doubt it was genuine leather. He clenched his jaw in exasperation.

Nadia came to stand in front of him and he blinked as he noted she was naked now. She avoided his gaze as she raised her hand to his tattered pants and pulled it down his body. His breathing quickened. The act blurred his annoyance about the opulent interior of Antonio Rufus's house.

He stepped out of the ruined pants and watched her pick them up and walked to an adjoining room to the left end of the room. He then heard the start of a machine and walked naked, unashamedly, down the length of the room to see what she was doing.

Nadia quickly powered her mini washing machine, throwing her bloodied clothes and Angel's inside. When she turned around, she was startled to a stop upon sighting Angel there in his naked glory, watching her. She couldn't help trailing her eyes down his long, delicious body. Covered in blood and all, he still looked magnificent. She swallowed hard.

She tried to force her eyes not to linger on his well-endowed cock but it was quite an effort. She left the room with the machine doing its thing and shut the door, walking back to join him. She looked up into his eyes and gestured to the shower as she reached for his hand again. Angel allowed her to lead him into the glass cubicle. She regulated the water, twisted the faucet to open it and then reached for a bottle of scented soap on a silver petal-shaped soap stand. Angel stood there watching her every move.

His chest quivered when she pulled him under the water and stood behind him to start to soap his body. The water was warm and the feel of it on his skin made him shut his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had the luxury of a warm bath. A wave of despondency washed over him, but Nadia used that same moment to press a kiss to the centre of his back. He trembled from the effect of it. The ugly feeling dissipated and was immediately replaced by the desire to have her again. Taking steady breaths, he shut his eyes and allowed her to wash his entire body.

"Darling, could you … Uhm kneel? I can't reach your shoulders and I want to wash—"

Before she could finish, Angel lowered to his knees and sat down on the floor. Nadia's eyes fell on the long ugly stitches from the front of his head to the nape of his neck and tears welled in her eyes. Her chest shook as she released a shaky breath, imagining the horror they must have put him through. She lowered her head to press a kiss atop his head, causing Angel to shut his eyes tightly and clenched his fist as he let out a shaky breath, forcing himself to stay still and contain his emotions. She then lathered his head and washed him down to his broad shoulders, allowing the water to sprinkle and wash off the soap. The dirt and blood mixed with the bath water, moving into the drains. Angel took a steady breath.

"Let's get you soaked in the bathtub…" Nadia said. Angel got up and stood under the shower with his open palms pressed to the walls for a minute more. He could smell her sadness and tears and it got to him. His wolf was restless, he wanted to comfort her, but he knew he mustn't let him out and scared her shitless. And to compound that, his entire being craved her body. He took steady breaths, taking his time to respond to her request. When he turned around to face her, she searched his eyes with an anxious gaze, trying to gauge his mood.

"Shall we?" he said simply. Nadia gave him a small smile. Angel didn't smile back. He tried not to lower his eyes to her full chest and the pink beaded nipples taunting him. She nodded and turned. Angel followed her and stepped into the Jacuzzi as she directed. She made him sit in the therapy seat. Angel sat back against the ceramic frame, resting his head over the soft head pad, and noted how soft it was like a pillow.

He shut his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he felt Nadia entering the tub as well and opened his eyes watching her lift up one of his legs to place over hers, close to an extended port by the frame of the tub.

Her long curls were wet now and covering her breast. Angel didn’t like that. He wanted her on total display for his eyes alone. Her face was bare of any form of makeup. Her rosy full lips seemed more pink and luscious, her eyes were more intense and beautiful. She looked like a goddess --- his goddess; his Luna. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

A clip clip sound made him direct his eyes to his foot and saw her clipping off his overgrown nails and cleaning the dirt buildup under them. He didn’t know why she was bothering with that when she knew he would still walk barefoot back to the pit. Antonio Rufus never bothered getting shoes or sandals for them. He said it was a waste of money since they would ruin it whenever they shifted anyway.

The thought of her eventually finding out about the full reality of how they were treated somewhat made him feel ashamed. It plunged him into doubt, making him feel unworthy of someone of her status. He seriously doubted a beautiful woman such as her—who could have just about anyone she wanted—could settle for a nobody like him, not to mention being stuck with him – a half-human half-beast with no money to his name for eternity. He clenched his jaw. Even back then in Ohio when he was a teen and back home with his family he still would not have dared to think of dating a woman of her status.

His mind drifted to the land he had inhabited with his family and pack members. The whole eight acres of rich vegetation and a massive main building for his family at the centre of it. All the members of his pack had had their own home in the expansive space, beautifully structured for privacy. His family had owned a winery. They had made their own special fruit wine for the humans. And it had been the very best cover for their kind. Their land had been secluded away from prying eyes yet trouble had found them. He wondered what had happened to the land and if it was still there. The last image he had of the place was of bodies littering the grounds. He swallowed and shook his head to dispel the thoughts.

"Any music genre preference?" she asked. Her voice was soft and sultry.

"I used to like heavy metal…" he said and watched Nadia grin. He thought the gesture made her even more beautiful and sexy.

"Typical…" she muttered. His lips tweaked with a ghost of a smile. "I love classical music and slow jams…"

"Typical. .." he said. Nadia giggled, raising her eyes to hold his.

"I used to love hardcore metal too… I passed the phase…"

"I wasn't given the chance…" he said. The smile died on her face and she stared into his intense eyes.

"How long have you been here?" she asked in a small voice

"A decade or more … It's hard to keep track," he replied. Nadia lowered her gaze, she could not bear to look into his eyes to see all the pain of the sufferings he was subjected to emitting from them.