Earth Bound by Christine Feehan Read Free Book Online Page B

of his soul, it belonged to this young woman.
    â€œTell me,
solnyshko moya
.” He kept his tone soft, coaxing, as gentle as he knew how to be. He’d never felt gentle or tender toward anyone, he hadn’t known he was capable outside of faking it, yet he actually
felt
those softer emotions toward her.
    â€œI’m sorry you had to shoot those men. I know you did it to save me. You had no idea who I was. I didn’t mean a thing to you, but you still shot them both and you didn’t have to. It must have been terrible for you. I’m sorry I put you in that position.” Her apology came out in a little rush.
    He didn’t even know how to respond. She meant every word, he could hear the sincerity in her voice, and see it on her face. She left him speechless. Completely enamored. She was winding herself around his little finger, his heart and probably his soul. That brand had been stamped into his bones, not just hers.
    â€œLevi warned me not to go outside the existing boundaries of the farm, but I just couldn’t help myself,” she continued. “I wanted to really take some time and look over that acreage to see what I could do with it. By being so selfish and careless, I put you in a terrible position, and I’m really very, very sorry.”
    He had the unexpected urge to kiss her. The compulsion welled up strong and was nearly impossible to ignore. He was grateful for all the years of discipline. Lexi Thompsonwould run like a rabbit if he made one wrong move. He held himself still, his gaze drifting over her, more possessive than he would have liked, but then she was shifting her weight anxiously from one foot to the other, waiting for him to say something and not paying attention to the fact that he was a tiger with teeth and not the lamb she thought him.
    â€œI’m not going to lie to you, Lexi. It didn’t bother me in the least to shoot the two bastards. It’s what I do. I exterminate rodents. You’ve been around my brothers enough to know what we did. I’ve been at it a few years longer than they have. I started when I was fourteen years old. Don’t think for one moment that you put me in a bad position. I had a choice, and truthfully, it didn’t bother me. They were going to kill you.”
    Relief showed on her face. In that moment, he realized just what Levi had been trying to tell him. Lexi had been taken at the age of eight and beaten into submission. Her family had been murdered. Everyone she loved had been taken from her, and her life had been one of subjugation to a criminally insane man. She was more than fragile.
    She’d gone from a government safe house to the farm. She knew no other way of life. Here she was beginning to know who she was and little by little was gaining self-esteem and confidence. Now he came along, and she was going to have to make new changes and adjustments—ones that might be more difficult than he first considered.
    Gavriil sighed. He couldn’t change who he was. He was as cold-blooded as a man could be and still actually call himself human.
    â€œYou’re very nice to say that. Are you hungry? Do you want to lie down for a while? I can get back to work . . .” she offered, her voice fading shyly.
    She didn’t need to be going back to work, not after the trauma of the morning. He ran a hand through his hair. “Stay with me. I haven’t talked to anyone for a long time, and I like the sound of your voice.”
    He found her soothing, her voice reminding him ofperfectly pitched music softly riding on the wind. He held out his hand to her, afraid going into the house would be too intimate. She needed care. Great care. He approached everything logically and intellectually, thinking things through thoroughly so that he could come at a problem or a job from many different angles, and he was prepared for anything. This was going to be his most difficult and, hopefully, his most