Claiming Carina Read Online Free Page B

down the side of his big beautiful scaly face and
felt the same jolt of awareness flow through her body as she had when she'd
first touched Hart. She slowly sank to her knees and turned. Carefully, she
leaned against his side, near his front leg. As she settled against his warm
scales she watched as Phelan and Hart slowly crept toward her. They both lay down
with their heads on the blanket near her. She raised her hands to stroke both
their snouts. She felt the now familiar sparks fly up her arm as she touched
Phelan for the first time. She noticed his eyes briefly close, like he was
feeling the same thing as she was.
    "You three
are so gorgeous. Just being near you makes me feel relaxed and calm. I—I
haven't been able to relax in over ten months. To take a deep
breath without feeling pain inside."
    She felt a tear
leave her eye, and all three dragons pressed their heads against her. Denver
partly covered her with his wing, embracing her shoulder and upper body as
Phelan and Hart nuzzled their noses against her legs. She felt so safe,
surrounded by these three gentle giants. Her mouth started to move, words
pouring out without her consent. She spilled the entire story of that horrible
day, more details than she'd even told her friends. She wanted to stop. She didn't
want these men to know her weakness, her shame. But she had no control. Her system
needed to purge the event so she could move on and heal.
    "They
wouldn't stop. I begged. Pleaded for them to stop hurting me but they didn't
care. They told me to shut up and take it because I'd asked for it. It was my
fault, for walking past, leading them on. I was just walking home from
university. I didn't even notice them until it was too late."
    She turned into
Denver and cried against his leathery chest. She felt him cocoon her with his
wing as the weight of the others' heads nuzzled into her legs again. She
couldn't stop the tears. They came from a never ending spring inside her. She'd
been battling to survive ever since the attack. She felt one dragon's weight
leave her before a bright light flashed, Denver lifted his wing, and suddenly
she was being held in Hart's gentle embrace. She stiffened for a moment as she
waited for the fear and repulsion to sink in, but it never did. She inhaled his
fresh masculine scent and looked up into his gentle green eyes.
    He ran his knuckles gently down her cheek. "It's going to be all
right, Carina. Lean on us. We can help you heal."
    As she looked
deep into his eyes, she felt so lost. Her tears kept coming, dripping off her
chin.
    "They hurt
me. So much pain. I begged them to kill me."
    She buried her
face against his shoulder and shook with the ferocity of her sobbing. She
didn't want to see his pity or his anger at her words.
    " Shhh , baby doll. No more pain, it's all over now. And we'll protect you and make sure
you never get hurt like that ever again."
    With her face
pressed against Hart's skin she didn't see the flash, but a second set of hands
began massaging her shoulders and soothing her. She raised her head when she
felt it darken to see Denver had lowered his head to her and wrapped his wing
over all of them, embracing them all.
    "But I
don't think I can heal. I'm too broken. You are all virile men, and you need a
woman who can—” She blew out a breath. "A woman who can
do things. Things I can't anymore."
    Phelan gently
laid a kiss on her shoulder. She flinched away on reflex and wept harder as she
felt the loss of his touch and realized she truly was damaged beyond repair.
    ****
    Phelan pulled
back from Carina when she flinched away from his kiss. He closed his eyes tight
as pain assailed him. His poor Desired. She'd been so hurt. Her injuries ran
deep, all the way to her heart and soul. Her words about having begged her
attackers to kill her sliced his heart into pieces. He wanted to go hunt down
the bastards responsible. To hurt a female was unthinkable, but to hurt her
like they had, it was one of the most horrendous