Fate War: Alliance Read Online Free PDF Page B

need to know and understand you don’t have to be afraid of me or afraid of me doing something you don’t want. I’m not going to touch you unless it’s okay with you. Do you understand that?”

    She didn’t. Samantha couldn’t understand. What he was saying was such a foreign concept it might have been another language. But she held his gaze, and his eyes spoke in a language anyone could understand. His eyes said he was going to take care of her and keep her safe. Not breaking the comforting hold of those eyes she nodded her head.

    With an uncertain smile he broke the connection and retrieved the mug from the desk. He walked towards her as if approaching a spooked horse and held out the mug. Samantha took it and looked at the contents. It appeared to be a normal dark tea, but it did not smell like tea. The odor was quite pungent, and she wrinkled her nose in response.

    “Can you drink it?” Although it was formed as a question Samantha could hear the underlying command. She really didn’t have any reason not to, so she took a sip. Now she had a reason not to. The tea was bitter and burned her tongue slightly. She tried to hide her disgust and took a few more sips out of courtesy and then reached to set the mug on the nightstand.

    “Please?” Cole said and pushed the mug back toward her. “Please drink it all.” Again, more command than request. Samantha read the sincerity in his blue-green eyes and choked down the foul liquid in small ladylike sips. It left her lips feeling slightly numb. He took the mug from her and placed it on the night stand.

    “Thank you.” Cole shifted a little uneasily on his feet. “I’ve drawn you a bath. If you will allow me to help you in, I think you’ll find it…comforting.” He held his hand out to her.

    Allow. This one word had Samantha so disoriented her hand responded on its own to take his, and she stood to follow him to the washroom. She still puzzled over Cole asking her to allow him something when they entered the washroom. It was probably a large closet or small changing room at some time in the past, but had been converted to a utilitarian washroom with toilet facilities on one wall and an oversized claw foot tub on the other. The pipes and other plumbing had evidently been added later in the ancient castle’s history as they were secured visibly against the stone walls. The fixtures and the room itself were well appointed with gold accents and clean white towels and washcloths

    Samantha vaguely considered the size of the boiler needed to supply hot water for such a large castle before her attention was drawn to the contents of the tub. Instead of clear water, bubbles or even floral bath salts the water looked like the dark tea which she had just forced down. It smelled like a rich dinner, a meal with copious amounts of garlic.

    Cole must have sensed her aversion. “It’s an herbal bath. It will be quite soothing,” he assured. Samantha was skeptical, but he continued with an encouraging smile. “It will also help to encourage healing and discourage infection.”

    Samantha simply stood, not knowing how to react or what to say. It was hard for her to think.

    “Uh, do you need help undressing?”

    She felt her face flush, but nodded. It took three women to lace her into the bodice of her dress. There was no way she would escape it on her own. Cole unfolded a towel and held it out for her, which she gripped tightly to her chest. He circled behind her and began tugging at the straps of the bodice. Each tug caused an exquisite release of pressure and allowed her lungs to fill more completely. The feeling was so blissful, she forgot to be nervous that there was a man undressing her, until Cole’s gasp reminded her. Although it made her anxious, she was beginning to feel a little more at ease with him. Apart from the Verification, he had treated her surprisingly well and even seemed to be giving her choices, some power in the relationship. His actions