Status Updates From Sarda (The Ladyships, #0.5)

He expected her tiny fists to pummel him, but her hands remained limp, trapped against his stomach. Her first tremble broke his heart. The next one tethered his soul to her suffering. Her sobs transformed his purpose, restructuring him into her shelter. He'd gladly be her barricade, taking on the battering of the whole universe so that she never felt another blow.