Just as my fingertips brushed the edge of the swirling light, the door creaked open behind .
The sound broke whatever hold the lullaby had on .
In a blink, the blue shimr vanished. The air around returned to stillness, and the warmth that had wrapped around disappeared like it was never there.
I stood frozen, my hand still reaching forward.
Sothing inside churned. My chest felt heavy, like I had lost sothing important, even though I wasn’t sure what it was. The room felt colder and emptier.
Slowly, I turned around.
Damon stood by the door, watching . His eyes weren’t angry... but they weren’t soft either. It was a look I couldn’t understand, like he wanted to say sothing but didn’t know how.
Neither of us spoke for a while. My heart was still racing, trying to hold on to what I had just seen or felt. I wasn’t even sure it was real anymore.
Then his voice broke the silence. It was calm and steady. "I released Caroline and Lydia."
I blinked, confused. "What?"
"They’re free now," he said. "But they’ll serve three months of punishnt."
I stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. "You really let them go?"
’Is the world coming to an end or sothing? Mr. Psychopath really let them go?’
He nodded. "They’re being moved to another part of the estate. You’ll see them soon."
A small breath escaped my lips. Relief swept through so quickly it almost made dizzy. For the first ti in a long while, sothing felt right. A weight I’d been carrying quietly had finally started to lift.
"Thank you," I whispered, aning it.
I turned toward the door. I needed to see them. I needed to leave this strange, heavy room and go find them. I had a lot to tell them.
But before I could step forward, I felt his arms wrap around from behind.
I stopped, my whole body froze in my spot like a statue.
His hold wasn’t tight or demanding. It was careful, hesitant, like he was afraid I’d pull away.
I stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. His warmth pressed against my back. I could hear his breathing, but there was sothing shaky in it too. Like he was trying to stay calm.
"Why?" I asked quietly.
There was a pause. Then he answered, his voice low and hoarse. "I don’t know."
He didn’t try to explain it, or give excuses. And sohow, that made it feel more real.
I stared ahead at the fireless hearth, my thoughts still caught sowhere between the portal I nearly walked through and the man now holding .
My arms stayed at my sides. I didn’t lean into him... but I didn’t move away either.
Because even though I didn’t understand what this was, even though I wasn’t sure if it ant anything at all... I just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.
’Am I being selfish or clingy?’
Then, he pulled away from the hug, before walking towards the bed. "Co, take off my shoe."
My brows arched in confusion, It had been a while since he commanded to do things for him. I swallowed nervously, before moving towards him.
Getting to where he was I squatted down and began to unlace his shoe.
"I have been good to you haven’t I?" he said mockingly.
"Yes master, you... You have been very good to ."
’Was this a way of showing that I was nothing more than his pet. My heart clenched... why is he cold one mont and the other mont he becos flirty? Am I a toy to him?’ I bit my lower lip in anger.
"Stop biting, how many tis do you want to tell you?" he clicked his tongue, his gaze brooding over .
I quickly release my lips from my teeth. "Master... I’m done, is there anything else you want to do?" I asked politely and formally.
’If this was what he wanted then I would happily play along with him.’
"Undress ." His voice was husky and his gaze drooped slightly as he watched from underneath his lashes.
’Wait a minute, all these things were what we did the first ti I ca to the blood shade pack. Why is he re-enacting it again?’
I blinked at him, before I stepped closer to him, my hands unbuttoned his shirt one after the other, but this ti my hands were not trembling like leaves anymore.
"You have beco skilled in this."
He did not remove his eyes from . It was like he was trying to bore a hole through .
I remained quiet, not knowing what to say.
"Doesn’t this look familiar to you?"
"It does master... this is exactly what happened on my first night in this room," I replied rembering those days that felt like torture. Now looking back at those tis, it felt bittersweet.
"Then you must rember we didn’t finish what we were supposed to because soone was so skinny, a living skeleton precisely."
My breath hitched in my throat, and my hands trembled slightly. I found it difficult to unbutton the last one.
"But this ti, you have already gained so weight... You are manageable now." he leaned in closer to , our faces only inches apart. "What do you say?"
My heart stuttered in my chest, my lips parted but I couldn’t utter a word. It wasn’t like I cared about keeping myself... I don’t mind doing it.
But if I did, isn’t that like tying myself to him? Then I wouldn’t be able to live my life freely. But if it is just one night. Who will care about that?
But if I said yes, isn’t that too cheap of ? And besides this body belongs to the real Ember, what if this was sothing she would not like to do?
"Ember... What do you say?" He pulled closer to him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)