Wrecked Palace by Catherine Cowles

Author:Catherine Cowles [Cowles, Catherine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The PageSmith LLC

25

Caelyn

I sighed as I shut the door. “I never thought they’d go down.”

Griffin gave my shoulder a squeeze. “They’ve been through a lot today. It’s understandable.”

I nodded woodenly. I wanted to lean into Griffin’s touch. To let the warmth of him swallow me whole. As if he sensed it, Griffin pulled me into his arms and simply held me. My cheek pressed against his chest, and the steady beat of his heart calmed something inside me.

Griffin’s chin rested on the top of my head. “You’re safe here. I promise.”

“I know.” I never felt safer than I did when I was with Griffin. I wanted to battle against that feeling. To hold tight to my autonomy as protector of my family. But I was exhausted. And scared out of my mind. If that brick had hit one of the girls in the head, they could’ve been killed.

I shivered, and Griffin pulled me tighter against him. “What is it?”

“It could’ve been so much worse. The girls could’ve been badly injured. Killed. And their faces. God, Griffin. I promised them that they’d never have to go through what they did when they were younger. But here we were barricaded in a bedroom. Again. I broke my promise.” Tears spilled over, tracking down my cheeks and onto Griffin’s shirt. He only held me tighter.

“They’re strong, Caelyn. They’re going to get past this. Sure, they’ll be scared for a few days, but kids are resilient. And they have you. You make them feel safe.”

I sniffed into Griffin’s shirt. “I’m not so sure about that. Mia wanted her giant.”

Griffin chuckled, the sound reverberating in his chest. “I guess sometimes it comes in handy to be tall. She thinks I can scare all the bad guys away.”

I released my hold on Griffin and forced myself to step back. “Thank you. For everything. I’ll never be able to repay—”

He scowled at me. “Quit it. You don’t owe me anything.”

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the sternness in his expression. “Okay. No owing. But I can still thank you.”

“If you have to.”

“I do.” I reached out and patted Griffin’s chest, the planes of muscle a physical manifestation of how steady and strong he was. “So, you’re just going to have to figure out a way to endure it.”

Griffin’s lips twitched. “I’ll endure it.” His hand captured mine, and he gave me a gentle tug. “Come on. I need to show you a few things.”

Instead of releasing me when I began to follow, Griffin linked his fingers with mine, weaving them together so we were one force moving through the house. I’d wanted the feeling for so long. The deep knowledge that someone had my back. A partner who would face all the trials that life brought alongside me. I tried to shake it off. Because Griffin was my friend, not my boyfriend or partner or lover. He was simply a man with the kindest of souls.

Griffin came to a stop outside his office. “How good is your memory?”

My brows drew together.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.