(Mila)
"Where have you been?" Rowan growled angrily, glancing at the warrior that was with me, his eyes cold and dark.
"I just needed some fresh air." I spoke quietly, feeling like I was unable to look him in the eyes. His words still stung as he stepped towards the guard once more.
"And why was he here?" He spat, mere inches from the man's face.
"I asked him to escort me. He was kind enough to show me outside." I looked up now, showing Rowan that was all, and it was the truth.
"Leave us..now..before I do something I regret." He roared fiercely, causing the guard to bow and walk away. I noticed the man hesitate by the door briefly and then go inside just as quickly.
Suddenly Rowan stepped towards me, his hand reaching out as he gripped the nape of my neck.
"Why were you out here alone with that man." I could feel the jealousy seeping off of him. His eyes blazing as he stared at me.
"I needed to go outside and I didn't want to bother you." I explained, looking up at him, seeing a new side of Rowan that I didn't know existed. And I thought he was jealous before..that was nothing compared to this.
He stepped closer, his hand still on me, holding my mark possessively as he looked down into my eyes.
"Why did you really come out here?" He asked firmly. I saw no point in lying, I had no reason to.
"Because I heard your conversation and it made me upset." I spoke bluntly, too exhausted to hide anything.
Rowan blinked rapidly, looking down at me as his other hand now came up, wrapping around my waist possessively.
"What did you hear?" He looked worried, his body only mere inches from mine.
"That my father was no better than a rogue." I admitted, letting him know the worst of it first. That way he knew the extent of my hurt.
"Mila, baby, I didn't mean it like that.." he breathed, lifting his arm and sliding his fingers through his silver hair before dropping his hand down to my back and pulling me flush against his chest, holding me tightly as if I would simply disappear if he let go.
"Fuck Mila..you have to understand..me..your mate hearing how he broke your fucking ribs..your own father. Can you not see how messed up that is?" He peered down into my eyes desperately as I turned my head, feeling ashamed.
"He is my father though.." I whispered, feeling embarrassed about this whole thing. How they must see me..remembering their eyes and how they all looked at me with pity..how pathetic I felt.
Rowan's hands went up to my cheeks now, pulling my head back and caressing me.
"I know baby, and that's why I regret what I said. I would never do anything to hurt him because I know how much that would hurt you. But you have to realize how wrong it is..I know it's what you grew up with..but I have to ask..and please don't hide it from me. Has your father ever hit you any other time?" He studied me carefully and I looked away, my response enough to answer his question.
"My father loves me..and I love him. He isn't a bad man, he just wanted to keep me safe. To teach me how to be able to protect myself if anything happened." I whispered, defending my father. My stomach clenched, the way this conversation was going made me feel uncomfortable.
"I know baby..but picturing you as a small child getting hit." He couldn't finish his sentence, his eyes flashing black as he quickly closed them tightly. I could see him hurting, I could tell how the mere idea made him furious.
I reached up now, cupping his cheek with my palm as I spoke softly.
"It wasn't that bad, I promise. The times it happened were so few and he would regret it. You have to understand, my father was scared..after my mom was killed he thought they were going to hunt us down. Can you imagine losing your mate and fearing they would take your child next? It messed him up Rowan..please believe me..he is a good man. He cared about me..he loved me." Tears began falling from my eyes, the memories of my childhood and the times my dad was angry. It had to be because of that..it had to be because he cared too much..right?
Rowan's eyes snapped open, looking down at me as sadness filled him.
"Of course, he loved you..of course, he did..I'm sorry.." he gripped my face, his mouth crashing down onto mine. His kiss was filled with desperation and remorse.
"I'm sorry baby.." he whispered into my mouth, his tongue gently stroking mine as I melted into him. Warm tears slid down my face as he held me so tight I could hardly breathe.
"To think of how alone you must have been..how scared at times." He gasped, his emotions filling my own as we held each other.
"I'm sorry." I don't know why I was apologizing..maybe because I felt bad for bringing this into our relationship. For not having a normal life or understanding basic things. Rowan didn't deserve that..he deserved the best and at this moment..I felt far from it.
"Don't..don't ever apologize to me for something like that. I love you Mila..I love you so much that it almost hurts. To think of you there all of those years by yourself. I should have searched for you..should have found you somehow." He whispered, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Rowan...I know it's hard to believe but I always thought my life was pretty good. My father wasn't mean or cruel..he was just strict and wanted me to be the best that I could be. That was why he trained me that way, so I could be prepared. He wanted to make sure I would survive. I promise, that's all it was..you will see when you meet him.." I looked into his blue eyes, his head nodding softly as his hands continued to touch me.
"I shouldn't have gotten angry like that...I'm sorry, I just have that image of you, when I found you in the cell..seeing you so broken and beaten...Mila, I can never let something like that happen to you again." He added firmly.
Seeing how much that stuck with him, I was surprised, considering it was the first time he had ever seen me and how he was already so protective even then.
"As long as I'm with you nothing like that will ever happen again." I assured him, knowing I was safe with Rowan, that he would never let me get hurt like that.
He bent down, his lips finding mine as relief began to fill him. My words brought him comfort as he kissed me gently. His hands wrapped around my waist, his body pressing into mine.
"I love you with everything I have Mila..everything that I am is yours..please forgive me." He whispered. Feeling through our bond that him hurting me was hurting him just as much.
"It's okay..I forgive you..I know you were just upset.." I breathed, barely able to even speak from these overwhelming emotions.
Just as he began to pull away, a cool breeze blew by, causing a shiver to run through me as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms, trying to warm me.
"Let's get you back in the house." He whispered while looking up and brushing my hair behind my ears as he delicately grazed his thumb against my cheek.
"You are so beautiful.." he breathed, grabbing my hand as he began to walk us back to the house. I could see she wanted to say something else..something that was still bothering him.
"What is it baby?" I asked gently, peering over at him. He let out a sharp breath and closed his eyes briefly before opening them once again, meeting my gaze.
"Seeing you out here with Ian, him sitting in front of you like that..it made me feel crazy..having another man comforting my mate.. I know it's wrong, and I am trying to control these emotions I promise. But it's so fucking hard sometimes.." His words were gentle but his tone was serious.
So that guard's name was Ian..he was nothing but nice to me but I know that's all that it was..there was no ill intent but I could see how it could make Rowan uncomfortable. If I found him alone outside with another woman, I probably would have been just as upset too.
"I know you didn't mean anything by it..but Mila, you don't understand the effect you have on people. How men see you.." he brought his thumb over to my bottom lip, brushing it gently as he looked into my eyes.
"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen..and I'm not the only one who thinks that." He bent down, kissing my lips gently.
"So please, just tell me if you need to go outside next time. I can have Tristan escort you or something. I would prefer it be me but I trust Tristan more than anyone." His words were firm and made his point clear.
"Okay, I understand." I spoke softly, looking into his clear blue eyes as he slowly relaxed.
"Let's go back inside, I just have to handle that one last thing and then we can go to bed..okay?" He asked softly his arm wrapping around my waist protectively as I nodded my head. The feeling of just wanting to sleep filled me, but maybe spending time with Laura will help clear my head..I just didn't know what to think or feel right now.