She didn't respond, just held tight to her backpack.

There wasn't time for talk. There wasn’t time for asking questions; all he had to do was get that guy off of her. She was putting up a hell of a fight. But she was small. The fucker was trying to take her backpack and simultaneously shove up her skirt. Jesus Christ.

Zephyr tackled him. The guy was nearly as tall as he was but heavier, so it was an effort. He had no idea what the guy might be on, but he fought back like a madman.

Malia was no damsel in distress though. She slung her backpack on her back then pounced on her attacker with him, raining blows as the guy tried to bite, claw and hit at Zephyr.

At one point, the guy kicked Malia in the gut, and all Zephyr could hear was her coughing and wheezing. Unfortunately, that fragmented his attention and the shithead got him square in the jaw, managing to roll him off.

And then the massive hulk of a guy was on him, hands around his throat and squeezing. Zephyr kicked his legs, tried to claw and work every jujitsu move he'd ever learned, but fuck, the guy had thirty pounds on him. And he'd already started with lower air capacity. The guy released one hand and he reached for something.

A rock. When he raised it up above his head, Zephyr fought even harder. He wrenched a hand between their bodies and shoved the guy’s chin back up, but he had no leverage. He had no access to any of the good pressure points.

No eyeballs, no sensitive cartilage under the nose to attack. Lips were dangerous, because behind lips were teeth. And his vision was graying on the edges. Stay awake. Open your eyes stay awake because you don't know what happens to Malia if this guy hurts you.

That was it. That was all he needed to bring his focus back. Malia. She was hurt. She couldn't breathe. She—

Hurt or not, Malia was still one hell of a fighter. She jumped at the guy’s back and grabbed his arm with the rock in it, giving Zephyr enough time to get a little bit of leverage and hit the bastard with a direct jab to the nose.

That sent the guy sprawling to the side. Unfortunately, he pinned Malia down by falling backward on her.

Zephyr didn’t let that stand though. He picked him up by the collar and then shoved him against the wall holding the memorial plaque for the bench. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

The guy didn’t feel like talking though. No, he just felt like fighting. He spat in Zephyr’s face and then tried to wiggle himself to keep the fight going, but Zephyr was done. He was tired of fucking around. He was plain tired. Besides, he needed to check on Malia. He head butted the guy, and his head cracked back against the stones. And then he sagged. Zephyr didn't dare look away from him. The guy was way too big to be underestimated.

"Malia? Are you okay?" he called out.

Behind him, she panted. "Yeah. I—I think so. Oh my God. I don’t know what I would've done—"

"You're fine. Everything is fine. Grab my phone. It’s in my back pocket. Call the police, okay? Tell them where to meet us. I have to keep my eye on this guy because I don't trust him."

"Yeah. Okay."

He could tell her hands were shaking badly when she shuffled up behind him. Later, he would think about how good it felt to have her close. But right now, all he could think about was what would have happened if he hadn’t run by.

Behind him, he could hear Malia giving the police instructions as to where they were. "Yes, Memorial Park bench, Ryland Field Park. Please hurry. We have the assailant. He appears to be knocked out right now. But we don't know how long that will last."

When she hung up, she slid his phone back in his pocket.

"Malia, are you okay?"

"Um. I don't know. I think I might be in shock."

He cursed low. "It's really cold out here too. Listen, come over here; wrap your arms around me. I'll keep you warm. But I want you to stay away from this guy, okay? So just stay behind me."

He spoke in soothing tones, assuring her, saying anything that he needed to get her to come over. He didn’t know what the fuck he was doing. All he knew was that for shock, everyone tried to keep anyone who was in shock calm and warm. So that was what he was going to do. Then the cops would get here, and they would have a conversation.

"Malia."

She was behind him now, tentatively wrapping her arms around him. The moment her arms made contact around his waist, Zephyr sagged with relief. Jesus. She was okay. "Malia, what are you doing out here? It’s nearly midnight."

"I —" She cut herself off.

"You can tell me, okay? I know I fucked up in a hundred different ways. But I do know that you have more jobs than is probably good for any one person. So I find it pretty hard to believe you were out here in Ryland Park at midnight to buy drugs or something because that’s the only thing people usually do in deserted parks in the middle of the night."

She kept her arms around him, but she went stiff. Yeah, way to go Donovan. "I'm not here to buy drugs. I’m not a drug addict. I'm not an alcoholic. I was here to sleep."

“What?” His question came out as a croak.

“You heard me.”

She released him then. He wished he could see her face. He needed to see it. He needed to watch her eyes. He put an arm out and eased her around the guy in front of them. And then he forcibly put himself between her and the passed out idiot. But then he turned his attention to her. "Talk to me. I'm begging you. I can't help you if you don't."

"You act like you want to help me, but I know you don't. You’re just going to judge me."

"I don't know you well enough to judge you. All I know is that I found you in the park. And this guy was at the very least trying to steal from you. And God knows what else." He shook his head. "I really hate to think about what would've happened if I wasn't here."

Her mouth fell open and she choked on a sob. "I—”

“Please explain. The only reason you'd be sleeping out here is if you're homeless.” He frowned. "But you’re not homeless. You have an apartment. You live in Monroeville."

“I had an evil roommate. Last term. Then I got kicked out of my place. So that meant me on the street. I managed over the summer. Shelters mostly. Trust me, it's safer on the street. Then I took shifts at night so I could sleep during the day. I thought I could figure it out this year. I couch surf when I can, but tonight it wasn't an option.”

He frowned. “But you work all the time.”

She shivered. “I have to send money home to my aunt who looks after my sister. So to get my own place is kinda expensive."

"Where do your friends think you sleep?"

She ducked her head. “Please don't tell anyone."

He stared at her. "Are you insane? You were out here sleeping. God knows what could have happened to you."

“Trust me; I know better than you what could have happened to me.”

Fuck. This was wrong. He shifted his stance so he could look at her and keep an eye on the guy on the ground. "Look, I don't know what to say. I'm not going to say anything. But you can't keep sleeping out here."

"You think I don't know that? It was sort of my only option, so I had to take it. What am I supposed to do, Zephyr? My parents are gone. Every dime I have is sent home so my aunt will take care of my sister. My parents were awesome and they paid my tuition for all four years with one of those funding accounts, you know? I can only use the money for school. And there’s only enough for four years for tuition and meal plans. Explain to me, Mr. Cushy Apartment, what do I do?"

He stared at her. Tears were streaming down her face, and sobs were racking her body, and he sagged. "I'm sorry. I had no right to judge you ever. I have no right to do that now. But I am going to help you. You're coming home with me."

"God. What is it with you and your white knight syndrome? It’s not going to work."

"You let me worry about what's going to work. For now, you at the very least need a very hot shower, a change clothes, and some food. For a couple of days, or as long as you need, you can crash at my place."

"But the program … I can't."

"Stop telling me you can't. Right now you're telling me all the reasons why you don't want to. I’m not expecting anything from you. I swear to God, I won’t lay a hand on you. I'm just offering you a couch, okay? If you want, just stay one night; we’ll figure it out the morning. But no more fucking park benches, not after today."

Her gaze darted between him and her attacker. Zephyr wanted to pummel the guy all over again.

"Okay."

Her acquiescence was so quiet, he wasn't entirely sure he heard it. But he saw the defeat in her eyes. And he knew. "Don't worry. I'm going to help you figure this out." He just hoped he could keep that promise.

* * *

The police were almost as terrifying as her attacker. At least to Malia, they were. She followed Zephyr’s lead though. But there were so many questions that she couldn't answer, not truthfully at least. But every step of the way, Zephyr was there with her, his arm around her, pulling her in close. And she hated to admit it, but it was the first time she'd felt safe in over a year.

What the hell was wrong with her? She didn’t need anyone’s help, especially not this guy’s. Who are you kidding? You need all the help you can get. True but she didn't like having to rely on him. But right now, she didn't have any options. And she was exhausted. Hiding and lying and having to try and find a safe place to sleep for just a few hours was exhausting. She didn’t want to do it anymore. Oh yeah, like Zephyr Donovan is your savior.

Maybe not her savior, but he was saving her life tonight. And that was all that mattered. She’d figure that other shit out tomorrow after she had some sleep and was dry. Oh God, dear Lord, blessedly dry and out of that goddamn uniform. She just hoped she’d be able to clean the uniform again to be able to use it. Her boss could be a nightmare about the uniforms. She would just about lose her shit if he tried to make her pay for the cleaning and expenses on it.

Officer Callahan pinned her with a direct stare. "So Miss Adams, what were you doing in the park exactly?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but Zephyr beat her to it. "Well, she's working late in one of the academic buildings. I told her to meet me here when I finished my run. It was stupid, and it’s really my fault. I should have just picked her up in the academic building. I figured it would be more romantic out here."

The cops looked at each other and then glanced at her and Zephyr. They didn’t look like they believed them. But it didn't matter because that was the story Zephyr kept pushing at them.

Officer Callahan nodded and made a of couple notes. “Uh-huh. So then what happened?"

This time Malia answered. “I don't know. I guess I dozed off. That guy came up to me, wanted my bag, and when I refused to give it to him he threatened to hurt me. When he tried to grab me and rip at my skirt, I screamed.”

Zephyr interjected. "I heard the screams and came running. The run took longer than I expected. I should have never asked her to meet me here."

Officer Callahan nodded. "Yes, you kids think the city’s romantic, but you could have gotten her killed."

Zephyr scowled and nodded. "I know. I'll be more careful with her from now on.” His arm tightened around Malia as if to punctuate that point. And she couldn't help but sag into him. For once, it felt nice to have someone else taking charge, someone else doing their best to protect her.

Officer Callahan looked back and forth between them again. "Ms. Adams, if we need to find you, what’s your address?" And there it was. The one answer she didn’t have. But apparently, it was one that Zephyr was already ready for.

"Her address is the same as mine."

Officer Callahan nodded. "Fair enough. We’ll be in touch."

When they were out of earshot, Malia turned to stare at him. "What are you doing? I don't live with you."

"Yes, you do." He put up a hand before she could argue. "Okay look, stay with me for a couple of days until you get yourself sorted out. But for the meantime, that’s the answer they've got. That’s the answer they need. Come on, let’s get you warm."

They took the offered ride from the police back to his apartment. When they reached his place, she was more than ready to pass out. She was so damn tired. All she wanted to do was sleep.

"You can have the bed; I’ll take the couch," Zephyr said when he let her in.

"No." Malia shook her head. "Look, I let you push me around back there because honestly, I can't think straight and I'm so tired. But I am not taking your bed. I was asleep on a park bench, so the couch is fine. I mostly just want a hot shower. Like really hot. I should wash all this stuff off. I have a change of clothes. I meant to change after class. I—" Shit, she was tired.

"It's okay. Shower is this way."

But of course she knew where the shower was. She had been cleaning his place. But right now neither one of them went into the wheretos and howfors of Saturday or of the way she’d run out of there like her hair was on fire.

Yeah, probably best not to think about that right now.

When she was in the shower, she stood under the steady stream of hot water. She didn’t even care that her hair was going to be wet or that she was going to go to bed with it wet, but, oh God, hot water. And it was not a hurried shower like she normally had to take in the gym, but a legitimate hot shower that she could sink into. It had multiple heads on the shower so everywhere got wet at once.

But the bonus was Zephyr’s shower gel. The moment she popped open the top, she knew she was going to smell like him and have an impossible time sleeping. But it would be the best kind of torture, because he'd saved her life tonight. And he was still saving it now.

After several minutes, she turned off the water and wrapped her towel around herself to dry off. She pulled out her small toiletry bag and frowned when she saw her conditioner was missing. Damn it. Hadn’t she just bought that? She searched under the counter and found a bottle of his. It would have to do. Quickly with her paddle brush, she ran some conditioner through her hair. Worked out the tangles, and then braided up her hair into a bun on top of her head. Hopefully it dried overnight. Then she changed into a T-shirt and leggings that she’d had with her. Tomorrow she’d go back to the locker room and grab more of her stuff, although the uniform might be done for.

When she came out, Zephyr was waiting for her on the couch. "You feel better?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for this, for earlier, for everything. I don't know how—" The emotion clogged her throat and she couldn’t speak. She cleared her throat again. "I don't know how to thank you."

Zephyr stared at her. "You don't have to thank me. Just get some rest, and we’ll talk in the morning, okay?"

She nodded. Except she knew that when he woke in the morning, she would be gone. She knew how it looked with her staying with him, even if he didn't seem to care. She wasn’t taking advantage of him. With a little sleep, she would have her mind screwed on straight again. She’d get a hold of Adrian so that when she came back, Malia could maybe crash with her. She wasn’t taking any more risks with her life, but she wasn’t going to impose on Zephyr either.