Ryan froze, and suddenly, realization dawned upon him. She was lying weak and vulnerable like this because she was drugged.
Drugged with an aphrodisiac.
His chest tightened, his fury flaring all over again. Those basta*ds hadn’t only tried to lay their filthy on her —they had drugged her, poisoned her body to strip her of reason and choice.
His jaw clenched so tightly that it ached. His knuckles turned white as the urge to storm out and finish those men once and for all surged through him.
But just then, Zenith’s arms found their way to his shirt, grabbing it and clutching it to tug him closer.
"Pl-please ... help me. I am not feeling good. I ... help me," she urged, trying her best to hold onto the silver of sanity she was remaining with.
Ryan’s brows drew tighter as he noticed Zenith —flushed, trembling, her hands fumbling weakly at her buttons as tears clung stubbornly to her lashes.
The storm inside him stilled. She needed him. And right now, nothing else seemed to matter.
Her top few buttons were already undone, showing the hint of her fuller cleavage. His Adam’s apple bobbed the moment he caught sight of it. But soon enough he realized his thought and he felt embarrassed.
"Stop!" Ryan ground out through clenched teeth, catching her wrists before she could undo more. His grip was steady but careful, strong enough to stop her but gentle enough not to frighten her any further. "Don’t. You don’t have to do this. Not like this."
Zenith whimpered, twisting her body as though she was fighting against herself. "I can’t —It’s burning —please ... I don’t want to ... but it hurts —" her words broke into sobs, raw in desperation.
Ryan exhaled sharply, dragging his free hand down his face before cupping her cheeks gently, but firmly enough to snap her out of her haze.
"Listen to me. Look at me, Zenith."
Her blurred gaze met his, drawing in panic.
"You are not going through this alone. Not while I am here, okay?" His tone was edged with steel, but his eyes held nothing but determination and care. "I will help you. I swear I will do. But not this way. Not the way those filthy animals wanted. I will never take advantage of you. Never."
Her tears spilled harder, but she nodded, trusting him even in her torment.
Ryan paused for a moment, thinking. Then he quickly shrugged off his blazer and brought it to wrap it around her frame, covering her and shielding her body from her own frantic hands. He tightened it enough around her from tearing at her clothes, then scooped her up into his arms.
She squirmed faintly. The drug was pulling her into torment, but when Ryan’s chest pressed firm and steady against her, her frantic struggling eased just slightly, like she could finally anchor herself in his warmth.
"Shh ..." he whispered, his lips close to her hair. "Hold on, Zenith. Just hold on for a while."
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