His gaze drifted over her face and then her body. Her nipples, to her absolute horror, peaked under his possessive stare. He looked up at her with raw hunger on his face. She felt the answering hunger deep inside. Her leopard leapt toward the surface, as if she felt it as well.

“Please,” she whispered softly. She didn’t have the strength to fight him. She needed to shore up her defenses, and she didn’t want to feel the things he made her feel.

Siena wrapped her arms around her middle, one hand sliding protectively over her womb. She knew the baby was there, but she still wasn’t quite ready to admit it aloud. She didn’t want him to say anything, not until she’d had a chance to process everything. Her mind still shied away from that. It was barely allowing her to manage her grandfather’s death, let alone her guilt in how it all came about.

A knock on the outer door of the bedroom startled them both. Elijah stood and whipped around in one fluid movement, his body instantly between her and the door. He cursed under his breath. Siena realized he hadn’t heard someone approaching. He’d been that caught up in what he was doing to her—feathering light healing kisses up and down the wounds on her body.

“I’ll be right there,” Elijah snapped, impatience in his voice. He took her arm, his grip gentle but very firm. “Let’s get you in bed.”

She moistened her lips. She detested being naked in front of him even though he didn’t look at her like she was something out of a horror film. “I need clothes.”

“Can you tolerate soft fabric against your back?”

She nodded, remaining perfectly still. She wasn’t strutting around naked. Doc had told her she could expect that the lacerations would heal fairly quickly because she was leopard. There was a lot less pain. Especially on her face. That wound hadn’t been quite as deep as the others. Even her ribs were less painful. The four furrows running down her back hurt, but not like the terrible wound that had almost been to the bone on her leg. Paolo had really hurt her. She’d run from him and he’d brought her down, slamming her facedown in the dirt and digging a claw into her hip.

She closed her eyes, feeling that terrible moment. The excruciating pain ripping through her body. The need to curl into the fetal position and protect her belly was so strong she’d done so, leaving her back and face exposed. She’d been more terrified than she had ever imagined possible, even more than when she’d been kidnapped as a child. A soft sound escaped. She jammed her fist into her mouth to stop the whimper of fear, of memory.