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"Shut it, Ella." I strode over, my hand lifting her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. "I won't hurt you. Not now, not ever."
"Promises, promises," she whispered, her breath a caress against my thumb.
"Believe it." The intensity in my voice surprised even me. "Because no one fucks with what's mine."
"Yours..." Her lips quirked. "So, you meant that then?"
"Damn right." I dropped my hand, the space between us charged with unspoken words and unresolved desires. "Eat your food, Ella."
"Sure thing... sir." Her tone was laced with sarcasm, but she complied, eating slowly.
I watched her, the conflict within me a raging inferno. Protect her or possess her? The line blurred, and I wasn't sure which side I'd fall on when it came time to choose.
"Fuck," I muttered, raking a hand through my hair.
My chest was a fucking battleground, heart hammering like it wanted to break through. Every once in a while, I'd hear a sniffle. Guess reality finally sunk in. I was going to have to train her. One way or another, she was going to hurt. Every glance at Ella, with her eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears, was a punch to the gut.
"Tomorrow," I muttered, more to myself than to her, "shit's gonna get real."
Ella pulled her knees closer, wrapping her arms around them. It was a useless gesture; we both knew it. Nothing could protect her. Her defiance from earlier, that fire in her eyes—it had dimmed but hadn't died. Yet.
"Training," she whispered, voice cracking like thin ice. "What does that... entail?"
"Survival," I snapped, my words clipped as bullets. "Do what you're told, when you're told, how you're told. Simple." It tasted bitter on my tongue, but fuck if I'd sugarcoat the hell waiting beyond these walls. Yesterday was to gain her trust. Tomorrow will be to destroy it.
She flinched, and I cursed under my breath. Hated this shit. Hated making her a part of it. But Priscilla had her claws in deep, and neither of us was escaping anytime soon.
"Can't promise it'll be gentle," I said, locking eyes with her. "But I'll be the bastard holding the leash. No one else."
"Is that supposed to comfort me?"
"Take it how you want," I growled, fists clenching at my sides. "I'm the best chance you've got."
Silence stretched between us, thick as the tension that knotted my muscles. I wanted to reach out, touch her, reassure her somehow—but what good were the hands of a monster?
"Sleep," I commanded, ignoring the ache in my throat. "You'll need your strength."
"Like you care," she shot back, but her voice was losing its edge, weariness seeping in.
"Care more than you know, little ember," I murmured, but didn't elaborate. Letting her in anymore wasn't an option. Couldn't afford that kind of vulnerability.
I turned my back, staring at the door. Tomorrow loomed over us, the storm I’d tried to delay. And I was the motherfucker playing both sides of the game.
"Hey..."
Her voice cracked the silence, fragile as glass. I didn't respond, couldn't trust myself to. Just grunted some semblance of acknowledgment.
"Thank you," she said, so damn quietly I almost missed it.
"Save it," I replied, tone harsher than intended. "What the hell are you thanking me for? You'll be begging me for mercy tomorrow."
The truth was a twisted knife—I'd drag her through hell, teach her every fucked-up thing they expected of her. But I'd do it to keep her alive. To keep her mine.
"Get some rest," I ordered without turning around. "Shitstorm's coming at first light."
Leaving her there, in that tiny sanctuary of hers, felt like ripping off a limb. But it was for the best. She needed to sleep, and I needed to plan. Because tomorrow, the training would begin, and I'd be the one to test her limits, push her boundaries. Further than normal people enjoy. But Gustov wasn't a normal person. He was a demon wrapped in scars.
"Fuck," I hissed once I was out of sight. This game, these moves we were making—playing protector and captor—it was fucked. I could only let her get so close before I had to pull away. Every crack of the walls that held the flood in check, was going to cost me heavily. The more entrenched I became, the bigger the chance I fucked up and cost her her life. And mine.
