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promised anything.
 Jade, stop it. You're going to hurt yourself. I
would never hurt you, sweetheart. Come on, honey.
Please try and calm down, Sloan said as he wrapped
his arms around her to contain her flailing arms; he
used one of his long muscular legs to trap both of
hers between his legs. He waited until she had
calmed down. He slowly released his hold on her
when she began to calm. She was still panting, but
she wasn't trying to hit at him or leave. He stepped
back from her, giving her more breathing room.
* * * *
Jade stood panting as she stared at Sloan. She
thought about what he had said, what he was. None
of the people living at Sloan's house had tried to
harm her, including Sloan himself. He had held her
while the Doc had removed the bullet from her
shoulder and helped her get dressed this morning.
He'd held her while she cried over the loss of her
mom. In fact, he had done everything within his
ability to see to her comfort and her safety. He was
still the same caring man he had been before, just a
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bit more.
 I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I ran from you; that I
got scared and hysterical. I know you would never
hurt me Sloan. I think I was in shock, Jade
explained.
 Ah sweetheart. You have nothing to apologize
for, Sloan replied, then he took her into his arms
once more.  Now, do you still want to see the
gatehouse?
 Yes. I can't wait to see where my mom grew
up, she replied.
 Let's go then, Sloan stated, holding his hand
out toward Jade. He gave an internal sigh of relief
when she didn't hesitate and took his hand in hers.
They walked slowly along the gravel drive, breathing
in the clean and smog free air. Jade could smell roses,
Jasmine and pine from the trees, plants and bushes
lining the driveway. They didn't talk as they walked,
just enjoyed the tranquility of silence, and each
other's company.
Sloan took a key from his pocket and unlocked
the door to the gatehouse. He pushed the door open,
then stood back to let Jade enter the house first. Jade
took a deep breath and stepped into the entry. The
entry way led straight into a living room. The
furnishings were draped with white sheets to keep the
dust from settling. She wandered the room, taking in
the old framed photographs still hanging on the
walls. She got to a more recent color photo of an
elderly couple with a young girl. Jade knew she was
seeing her mother as her features were similar to her
own. She felt her eyes tear up, knowing she would
never see her mother in the flesh again.
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 Sloan moved up behind Jade, wrapped his arms
around her waist, and gently pulled her back into his
chest. He could feel her pain and grief, as she stared
at the photograph. He knew by the young girls
features he was looking at Jade's mother.
 Ah, sweetheart. If I could take away your pain
and endure it myself, I would. Come on, I'll show
you the rest of the cottage, Sloan stated then he slid
his hands down her arms and turned her to face him.
He hated to see the pain in her eyes. He wanted to
change her frown of sadness to happiness and love.
He knew he was going to have to give her more time.
He wanted to tell her everything there was to know
about him and his kind, but knew she would run
scared again if he did. She was not ready to hear
anymore today. He released one of her arms and
gently enveloped her small delicate hand in his own,
and then he led her from the room.
They spent a couple of hours going from room
to room in the small gatehouse cottage. Sloan let Jade
take as long as she needed because he knew she was
trying to reconnect with her mother. They wandered
around the garden out the back and fed each other
some strawberries from the long forgotten plants.
Sloan decided then and there he would get one of his
gardeners to pull the weeds and tend to the neglected
garden. He knew once he and Jade ended up mated,
she would want to spend more time here, to feel close
to her departed mother.
Lunch was being served as they got back to the
house. The dining room was full to overflowing with
his pack members and their mates. Some of the
females mated to his pack members were still so new,
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they had not yet taken on the change. He wanted to
be able to lay down the law and tell his pack not to
give their wives a choice, but knew he could not give
such an arrogant command. He knew females had a
more emotional constitution and needed time to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]