Free Refugee (The Captive Series Book 3) by Erica Stevens

recoiled at the reminder of all of
those things. She felt the blood drain from her face but somehow
managed to keep her chin up as she glared at him. “And I left you
in that palace Braith. My pride wounded us both when I left with
Jack. I didn’t believe in you, and because of that I drove you to
those slaves; I drove you to your lowest depths of depravation. How
do you forgive me for that?”
    “You didn’t almost kill me.”
    “I shot an arrow at you!” she
snapped.
    His head tilted to the side, his dark
hair spilled across his forehead. “That hardly counts.”
    Irritation flared through her, she
clasped the towel to her as she knelt on the bed to face him. “Then
give me another one and this time I’ll make it count!” His grin
infuriated her. Huffing a little she clutched the towel as she
shimmied her way inelegantly off the bed.
    He grasped hold of her arm before she
disappeared into the bathroom; he held it tenderly as she glared
angrily up at him. “Aria…”
    “Love isn’t about perfection Braith!
It’s about understanding and forgiveness, it’s about giving and
taking in equal measure. I gave my blood to you. I forgave you for
things that you are struggling to forgive yourself for, because I
love you. I know that you have done some awful things, and you have
hurt me, just as I have hurt you. You gave up a life of opulence,
grace, and a vast supply of blood for a life of deserts and
fighting and starvation for me. I willingly gave you my blood
because I would do anything for you also.
    “That is love Braith. I’m seventeen and
even I know that. Maybe you should learn.”
    She jerked her arm free of his
slackened grasp and didn’t look back as she stormed into the
bathroom and slammed the door. She gasped in a breath as she leaned
against the door; all of her pleasure from earlier had evaporated.
He was such an infuriating ass sometimes.
    She realized only too late that there
were no clothes in here for her. Crap, she thought as she released
an aggravated breath. She had just blown up on him, and now she was
going to have to go back out there to ask him for clothes. It was
humiliating.
    She remained leaning against the door,
reluctant to face him again. A low knock reminded her that it was
impossible to hide. She opened the door to find his large and
imposing frame standing before her holding a dress which looked
tiny in his hands.
    “I thought you might require some
clothing.”
    She scrunched her nose as she nodded.
“I do.”
    “Gideon had it sent up while you were
sleeping.” She eyed the dress warily as he stepped into the room.
She hadn’t worn one of these horrible garments since her time in
the palace, and had hoped to never have to wear one again. She took
the dress from him, barely meeting his gaze as she draped it over
her arm. “I’ll button it for you after you slide it on.”
    He turned away as she dropped the towel
and slipped the dress over her head. His fingers were gentle as he
buttoned the back with surprising ease. Pulling her hair over her
shoulders, he covered the fresh marks upon her neck with it as he
turned her around to face him.
    “I need you to know I’m not a complete
monster.”
    She started in surprise, that’s what
this was about. “I know that Braith, I never thought you were.” She
sought to give him comfort as her fingers wrapped around his
wrists. “The past can’t be undone, but it doesn’t define you. It’s
our future actions that will show who we really are, what we’ll
become.”
    “I hope so.”
    “They will,” she promised him. “I’m
sorry I yelled at you.”
    He smiled wanly. “I deserved it.” She
wasn’t going to argue with that. He kissed her forehead soothingly.
“I never had anyone to teach me about love before.”
    Her hands constricted on his forearms,
tears burned her eyes. He was stronger than her, faster and more
powerful, his life had been one of pleasure and luxury, hers one of
struggle and starvation, yet she realized