CHAPTER 76
Isabella watched, her heart still hammering against her ribs, as Caleb closed the distance between himself and the trembling girl.
She expected him to be harsh, or perhaps to demand something for his rescue, but his movements were agonizingly slow, as if he were approaching a wounded animal.
Bella was pressed so hard against the stone wall it looked like she wanted to disappear into the masonry.
Her breath came in ragged hitches, and her hands were still locked in a white-knuckled grip over the tear in her bodice.
Caleb stopped a few feet away, respecting the space she clearly needed. The "Crown Prince" persona—the untouchable, arrogant heir—had vanished.
In its place was a man whose eyes burned with a mixture of fury toward his brother and a strange, haunting sorrow for the girl in front of him.
"He is gone," Caleb said, his voice dropping to a low, soothing rumble. "He won't touch you again. I give you my word."
