Dark, tousled hair fell across his forehead beneath his hood, and shadows clung to his obsidian eyes, making them look endless and unreadable.
His gloved hand cradled the back of her head carefully, as if afraid she would shatter at the slightest touch.
"Stay with me," his low voice rumbled softly against her ear, vibrating through her bones. It was deep, calm, with an undertone of restrained fury that sent a faint shiver through her fading consciousness.
She wanted to ask who he was… why he was helping her… but her lips only parted soundlessly as darkness edged into her vision.
The last thing she felt was the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek and the soft warmth of his breath as he whispered against her ear,
"You are safe now...."
Then everything faded into black.
Warmth. She felt warmth on her skin, a soft cotton blanket covering her battered body.
