Ruin (Rhodes #1) by Rina Kent

                             Mae twitches but doesn’t open her eyes.

                             “Clean the last room,” I say in a low voice.

                             “Yes, Sir.” He scurries past me.

                             I open the door to my bedroom and secure the lock with the hand under Mae’s legs.

                             The first thing I do is switch the lights on. Her fear of the darkness doesn’t need to mingle with her trauma.

                             I place her still-trembling body on the bed. Once I release her, both her hands clutch the sleeve of my dress shirt. Her eyes shoot open with a plea. She shakes her head in a frantic movement.

                             “I won’t be long.” I caress her hand.

                             She doesn’t release me, so I gently pry her fingers away. Bloodied skin glistens under her fingernails, an evidence of her fight. She did fight. That’s why she was beaten.

                             A wave of pride invades me at her bravery. A feeling I only had for Uncle Alexander and myself thus far.

                             I take a quick trip to the bathroom, fetch my medical kit, some warm water, and lots of towels.

                             Mae’s in the position where I left her. She releases a breath at my sight. I place the equipment on the night stand and kneel in front of her. “I will clean your cuts, all right?”

                             She gives a single nod.

                             Mae remains motionless as I remove the jacket and the remnants of her torn nightgown, leaving her in cotton underwear. She stares at the ceiling as if there lays a wonder of some sort.

                             I wet a towel and clean the clotted blood on her mouth and nose. Then her neck. A bluish mark stains the pale skin of her stomach. I grit my teeth. I should have killed that arsehole slower.

                             “I will use some antiseptic so the wounds won’t infect. It will sting.”

                             Her gaze meets mine this time as she nods.

                             She whimpers when I apply the ointment on her broken skin. Then I bandage some of her more serious wounds. I’m halfway through when a strangled sob pierces my ear.

                             I pause, my gaze wanders to hers. Tears flood Mae’s cheeks. Her lips tremble, causing her teeth to chatter.

                             “H-he... he... w-wanted... to... ” Her voice breaks as more tears gush out, seeming to flow from the recess of her soul.

                             “You don’t need to talk about it.” What the hell should I do? Except for burning Hampton’s corpse to ashes, I’m out of options.

                             Mae sits up, and before I realise what’s going on, she wraps her arms around my waist and buries her head in my chest. The warmth of her tears seeps through my shirt.

                             “T-thank you for k-killing him.”

                             Fucking hell.

                             She’s the first person who ever thanked me for killing someone.