badly I can't even explain it.
Still, I haven't felt this desperate, this dark inside, since the days after my parents were killed. It feels like everything is crashing down again, like my whole life has been a downhill spiral and now that I've hit rock bottom, there's no climbing back up.
There is no escaping this safe house , I've realized, defeated. I'm trapped in here, possibly forever.
But on Wednesday night, marking two weeks since I first arrived here, that all changes. Or at least, it changes a little.
I'm sitting on my bed, thinking about what it would be like to dance in front of my parents again, to perform and let everything else melt away, when Sebastian comes over to me and says, "I want to show you something, my angel."
I sit up and turn around.
He'd just come out of the shower, and right now he's wearing nothing but a towel. He runs a hand through his wet dark hair, those blue eyes transfixed on me. Steam pours off of him as he closes the bathroom door behind him, and he looks so incredible that it makes my skin tingle.
"Nice shirt," I say to him, unable to stop staring at his perfectly chiseled abs. They're long and lean, and his biceps ripple with muscle, the kind of muscle you don't get from working out at the gym, but from pure, real-world fighting.
He gives me a crooked little smile. "I thoug ht you might like that."
I watch him as he moves over to me, slipping on a shirt and then, unfortunately, pants. I love the way his body looks and moves, love how his muscles tense when he's nervous, love how looking at him makes my skin feel hot and tense and causes traces of a blush to creep across my cheeks. I am infatuated with his body, with every visible inch of him, and as much as I wish I weren't, as much as I want to hate him, I just can't.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask once he walks back over to me, the fear starting to creep in. I don't trust Sebastian. Not at all. I still think he is going to do something bad to me. But I can't deny the connection I feel for him, the irresistible draw he gives me.
He grabs my hand and leads me toward the door. "Just somewhere," he says, more to himself than me.
He stops once he reaches the door. My stomach tenses up as he puts his key into the lock, then swings it open as soon as it clicks. Sunlight pours into the dark room, and even though it's cloudy outside, it feels blinding.
I haven't seen sun in weeks.
I hesitate as soon as he motions for me to step through. "You… you're letting me go?" I say. My voice trembles, but I can't help myself. I know I should be rushing out, pushing past him and trying to get the hell out of here, but I'm too stunned to move. "After everything? You're letting me go? Just like that?"
Sebastian shakes his head. He has a perplexed look in his eyes, and his dimples grow like he's about to smile. "I'm not letting you go," he says, raising his voice, his eyes burning into mine. "I'm taking you somewhere, you'll see where. I trust you, angel, but I won't let you escape until I'm sure you're safe. You're still my prisoner, and don't ever forget that. I own you. I'm not your knight in shining armor. I'm trying to save you, from myself and from those men, but I'm not going to sweep you off your feet. I'm just going to protect you, and that means locking you up." His voice sounds is rough and urgent but oddly sincere, and I stare back at him, frozen, trying to read him. I can't tell if he really is just trying to save me, or if it's all part of some elaborate lie to gain my trust. It shouldn’t matter either way, because who the fuck locks up someone to save them? But it does matter. I hate that it does, but it does.
"Okay," I say slowly, watching him closely. I take a deep breath as I step outside and into his arms for the first time in weeks.
The sun is so blinding that I have to squeeze my eyes shut almost immediately. I can't see where I'm going, but Sebastian steers me forward, his hand placed gently on my back. His chin
Still, I haven't felt this desperate, this dark inside, since the days after my parents were killed. It feels like everything is crashing down again, like my whole life has been a downhill spiral and now that I've hit rock bottom, there's no climbing back up.
There is no escaping this safe house , I've realized, defeated. I'm trapped in here, possibly forever.
But on Wednesday night, marking two weeks since I first arrived here, that all changes. Or at least, it changes a little.
I'm sitting on my bed, thinking about what it would be like to dance in front of my parents again, to perform and let everything else melt away, when Sebastian comes over to me and says, "I want to show you something, my angel."
I sit up and turn around.
He'd just come out of the shower, and right now he's wearing nothing but a towel. He runs a hand through his wet dark hair, those blue eyes transfixed on me. Steam pours off of him as he closes the bathroom door behind him, and he looks so incredible that it makes my skin tingle.
"Nice shirt," I say to him, unable to stop staring at his perfectly chiseled abs. They're long and lean, and his biceps ripple with muscle, the kind of muscle you don't get from working out at the gym, but from pure, real-world fighting.
He gives me a crooked little smile. "I thoug ht you might like that."
I watch him as he moves over to me, slipping on a shirt and then, unfortunately, pants. I love the way his body looks and moves, love how his muscles tense when he's nervous, love how looking at him makes my skin feel hot and tense and causes traces of a blush to creep across my cheeks. I am infatuated with his body, with every visible inch of him, and as much as I wish I weren't, as much as I want to hate him, I just can't.
"Where are you taking me?" I ask once he walks back over to me, the fear starting to creep in. I don't trust Sebastian. Not at all. I still think he is going to do something bad to me. But I can't deny the connection I feel for him, the irresistible draw he gives me.
He grabs my hand and leads me toward the door. "Just somewhere," he says, more to himself than me.
He stops once he reaches the door. My stomach tenses up as he puts his key into the lock, then swings it open as soon as it clicks. Sunlight pours into the dark room, and even though it's cloudy outside, it feels blinding.
I haven't seen sun in weeks.
I hesitate as soon as he motions for me to step through. "You… you're letting me go?" I say. My voice trembles, but I can't help myself. I know I should be rushing out, pushing past him and trying to get the hell out of here, but I'm too stunned to move. "After everything? You're letting me go? Just like that?"
Sebastian shakes his head. He has a perplexed look in his eyes, and his dimples grow like he's about to smile. "I'm not letting you go," he says, raising his voice, his eyes burning into mine. "I'm taking you somewhere, you'll see where. I trust you, angel, but I won't let you escape until I'm sure you're safe. You're still my prisoner, and don't ever forget that. I own you. I'm not your knight in shining armor. I'm trying to save you, from myself and from those men, but I'm not going to sweep you off your feet. I'm just going to protect you, and that means locking you up." His voice sounds is rough and urgent but oddly sincere, and I stare back at him, frozen, trying to read him. I can't tell if he really is just trying to save me, or if it's all part of some elaborate lie to gain my trust. It shouldn’t matter either way, because who the fuck locks up someone to save them? But it does matter. I hate that it does, but it does.
"Okay," I say slowly, watching him closely. I take a deep breath as I step outside and into his arms for the first time in weeks.
The sun is so blinding that I have to squeeze my eyes shut almost immediately. I can't see where I'm going, but Sebastian steers me forward, his hand placed gently on my back. His chin
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