Defender (Battle Born Book 4) by Cyndi Friberg Read Free Book Online

what other handy gadgets the IG has given you.”
    It also meant she had to make this work because Akim had no intention of allowing her off his ship.

Chapter Three
     
    Chandar sat on a chair in her bedroom, legs drawn up to her chest. The rumpled bed mocked her, made her feel weak and useless. Beds were supposed to be places of comfort and rest. Or passion. All she seemed capable of was fear. She couldn’t make herself lift the covers and crawl back onto that mattress. Memories waited in the darkness. She could sense their insidious pull, their need to reassert their influence over her mind, her life. Her eyes burned and her eyelids drooped as fatigue dulled her senses. Her head jerked forward, startling her, and she knew the fight was lost. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally spent. If she stayed in this room, sleep would claim her. And she wasn’t ready for another visit to the outer ring of hell.
    She left her bedroom, but the sitting area wasn’t much better. It was too quiet. There was nothing to stimulate her mind or hold her attention. So she eased her main door open and checked the courtyard. Everyone else had gone to bed. Good. She wasn’t in the mood to pretend everything was fine.
    Snatching a fringed throw off the back of the sofa, she draped it around her shoulders and walked out into the common area. The fountain burbled and simulated stars twinkled from the domed display above her head. Even a gentle breeze with a hint of pine and the faint scent of flowers had been programed to make it feel like she was outdoors. She lifted her face to the night and savored the silvery starlight, closing her eyes to better absorb the tranquility. She didn’t care if it was an illusion. Reality held little appeal right now.
    “Why aren’t you in bed?”
    Her heart lurched as she heard Raylon’s question. She hadn’t made a sound. How had he known she—her eyes flew open and she looked at him. “Were you spying on me?”
    “You’re a lot more upset than you want anyone to know. I’m sworn to keep you safe. Sometimes that means protecting you from yourself.” There was no apology in his tone or expression. He’d pulled on a shirt and pants, but the shirt hung open from his broad shoulders, displaying a tantalizing hint of sculpted chest and rippling abs.
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
    Before she could finish the sentence he crossed the courtyard and placed his fingers against her lips. “Stop doing that. You have nothing to apologize for.”
    She held perfectly still, thrilled by the simple brush of his fingertips. No, it was more than that. He stood so close she could reach out and touch him and he insisted on putting her wellbeing above his other concerns. He made her feel important, safe. And security was a treasured commodity in her life right now.
    Without explaining what he intended, he gently took her hand and led her across the courtyard. He didn’t take her back to her suite, as she’d expected. He guided her into his.
    Her pulse throbbed in her ears as they crossed the threshold. Why was she so anxious? She’d spent the first week after her rescue in his cabin. But things were different now. At least for her. He still saw her as a wounded victim in need of protection, while she was ready for more. Ready to reclaim the person she’d been before her captivity, ready to move beyond the darkness.
    He paused, his gaze gravitating toward the bedroom. Would he take her there, hold her in his arms as she pressed against his side, imagining all the things he wanted to do with her? For one breathless moment, she thought he would, hoped, and ached for that outcome. But, predictably, his nobility took over and he led her to the sofa.
    They sat side by side. He angled his body toward hers, while she folded her hands in her lap, feeling intrusive and out of place. “You have a meeting in a few hours,” she said. “You should be sleeping.”
    “I’ll sleep as soon as you do, so get