Urag's hand moved slowly up to the back of her head, his broad fingers tangling deep into her newly washed, silky hair, drawing her head down until her ear was pressed directly against the heavy, thunderous beat of his heart.
The frantic, jagged energy that had spiked his blood slowly ebbed, replaced by an infinite, crushing wave of protectiveness that threatened to consume him whole.
He felt the trembling of her ribs, the fragile hitch of her breath, and it tore at something deep within his chest.
"It's okay... it's okay," Urag murmured, his deep, rumbling voice smoothing out into a low, hypnotic cadence designed to build an impenetrable fortress around her mind. "Go back to sleep, dark hair. I've got you."
He didn't stop holding her. Even as her frantic shudders began to ease, as her trembling fingers uncurled from his skin and flattened weakly against his chest, he remained entirely still, anchoring her broken weight with the unyielding, immovable strength of his body.
