Chapter Twenty-Four
" Y ou're going to do what I say, you stupid bitch," the man growls in my ear, and slides his hands down my body. I'm tied to the ceiling and to the floor. My legs are spread wide open and the man yanks on my hips from behind until my butt is in his crotch. Thank goodness he has jeans on. They are rough and chaffing against my body, but I have never been more thankful for a barrier between me and someone.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Another person growls and I shiver. Now two of them. They haven't sexually touched me yet. Sure they've groped me and made lewd remarks, but they haven't entered me.
"Exactly what it looks like. I'm about to let this fucking whore get a taste of a real man." The man behind me snarls at the other and I want the earth to rip open and take me away. There's no way I can handle being with this man. His stench of alcohol and sweat is nauseating.
"Get your hands off her," the other man growls as he steps into view. He's missing one eye, but he stares at me and I shiver. There's death written all over him and I want no part of it.
"Oh, come on. We haven't been able to leave the compound in days. I need to get my dick wet."
"No," the one-eyed man says as he pulls out his gun. "Get away from her or you're dead. We have strict orders not to violate her."
I'm ashamed to say I'm grateful for a semi-morally conscious person, but he looks at me and I see the evil in his eyes, too. He wants me, and if he wasn't under direct orders, he would have me. I can tell it.
"Aribella, come on now. It's alright." The voice isn't the same as the men in the room. I yelp as I yank myself from the person holding me and look up to see Vincent.
"I'm sorry." I blanch at the idea of him knowing I have nightmares. That I'm not mentally alright and that I hoped he would save me so many times. He's still the beast of my story and I don't know how to rectify my feelings against knowing he's the reason I'm so conflicted.
Getting up, I turn away from him as tears run down my face. I hate being weak and right now, I'm the weakest I've ever been. "I..."
Vincent comes up behind me and I stiffen. He must notice because he turns me around to face him. "Aribella, look at me, mi reina ."
How I get the courage to move my head, I don't know, but I do. "You've been through some things I can't even imagine. And while I want you here with me, and to let me love on you, I won't force you."
He rubs my shoulders, and for the first time I see something different in him. There isn't the harshness of how he was before. Sure, there is a dominance there, but it's overshadowed by concern for me. Wrapping my arms around him, I sink into his warmth.
"Can... can you hold me for a few minutes?" I sniffle out, and he kisses the top of my head.
"Of course I can." He doesn't say anything else as he holds me, rocking us back and forth.
It's so different from how he's always been that I almost convince myself I'm dreaming. After a while, he pulls back and I look up at him. "Are you ready to eat, mi reina ?"
I nod my head, not ready to talk. I'm embarrassed by how I'm acting. And it's not without warrant, but I feel like I should be stronger than this. That Vincent would want me to overcome this quickly. Unfortunately, I don't believe that's going to happen anytime soon.
We sit back down and this time, Vincent pulls me into his lap. It's intimate, but he's not pressuring me to do anything.
"Let me feed you." That's all he says before he picks up a fork full of pasta. "Nice and slow, Aribella." This makes me smile and I open my mouth for him.
"There's that pretty smile of yours." A blush pops up on my cheeks and Vincent continues to feed me.
Silence comes over us as we eat and enjoy the sun. I've realized I enjoy being out in the sun a lot. At the Powers, once I was healed enough to go outside, I was out there every day. The idea of seeing another dungeon or basement again scares me.
"I can't eat anymore," I tell Vincent and he puts the fork down. Taking a small sip of the wine, I look at him. "Do we really need to have a new housekeeper?"
Vincent runs his hand through my hair as he continues to hold me. "Miss Terrington wasn't just a housekeeper, but also a vital part of this household. She kept secrets and guarded some things for me. I cannot always be home to do so myself. So yes, we need to have a housekeeper."
That makes sense. "Alright. What is their name?"
"His name is Jorge. He's married to Raul and together they have four sons and two daughters. All adopted. They've moved into the house that sits to the west of the main house, near the barn. Raul is the head groundskeeper now. His oldest son, John, is a botanist and I'm going to let him have free rein of the garden."
As Vincent talks about Jorge and his family, I notice a sense of fondness and realize how much he wants me to be happy with his choice of staff. "They sound nice." That's all I can muster at the moment. Miss Terrington was the only person I knew I could trust, well, Mossimo too, somewhat.
"About your college and other requests," Vincent says, and I stiffen. He's probably going to tell me it’s not safe.
"Vinc..." He cuts me off with a gentle finger to my lips.
"You're free to go to college and to work. But I want to make sure your college and place of employment are within my reach."
My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"
He sighs and kisses me softly. "It's important that you aren't in enemy territory. Or somewhere I cannot cross lines. I want nothing more than for you to be safe, mi reina ."
"Well, I go to Groveton College and I would like to work in a doctor's office, if possible. The graveyard shifts at the diner were kind of killer. Oh, and my friend, I want to be able to see her."
I watch as Vincent's features darken, but he doesn't growl or make any sudden moves. It looks like he is counting, trying to calm himself down. "That's a lot to ask, Aribella. I just got you back and yes, I'm a selfish bastard because I want you to stay with me."
At his words, my lower lip begins to tremble. "Hey, sweet Aribella, I'm not telling you no." He peppers kisses along my face. "I just have to get used to it. I know I can't keep you here against your will. Those days are over. Remember, I want you here on your own accord."
He uses his left arm to keep me in his lap and his right hand to stroke my face. "Do you really mean that, Vincent?"
"Yes, Aribella. We will get you back in college and maybe not today, but we will find a time for your friend to come over."
My face hurts at how big my smile is. Hugging him, I thank him over and over for letting me have this. "Now, about the job. Instead of working right away, why don't we get you settled back into your classes? Once you are on your feet and not so fresh from what has happened, you can go back to work."
"That's fair." Heck, it's more than fair. I thought I would have to fight harder for him to agree to let me have any freedom.
Vincent chuckles at my words and kisses my ear. "You have to be patient with me, mi reina. I'm not used to someone winning an argument with me."
"We were arguing?" My mood lightens and I raise my eyebrow. "I mean, I could list the ways I deserve some freedom if you need me to?"
His chuckle turns into a belly laugh, and he suckles on my earlobe. "Stop it, mi reina. Take your win and let's get back to the house. I want you to take a long, hot bath while I take care of some business. Can you do that for me?"
What's going on right now? He's being way too nice. Is it wrong that I'm afraid the other shoe will drop and he will revert back to being The Beast again? Biting my lip, I nod. "I think I can do that. A nice hot bath sounds lovely. Maybe I will find my cat, which Mossimo has stolen again, and we can sit in the library for a little while."
"I think that's a solid plan, sweet one. Let's get you back in the house. Oh, and your medicine will be brought to you by Jorge. Be nice to him," Vincent warns me, and I find it kind of cute that he's worried that I will cause a ruckus with the new housekeeper.
Instead of letting me walk, Vincent carries me into the house and we are greeted by a man I don't recognize.
"Ah, Jorge, this is Aribella," Vincent says, and Jorge walks over to us.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Aribella." He extends his hand toward me and I look at it for a long moment, dipping back into my mind. God, why does everything have to remind me of my time away from here? Why can't I just let it go?
Blushing, I reach out to shake his hand not wanting to be rude. "Hi Jorge. It's... it's nice to meet you too." I shiver and Jorge looks at me with sympathy, which makes me feel weak again.
"It's alright, we will become fast friends, I just know it. I'll get you some water and your medicine will be on the bedside table. Mr. Mossimo has already retired for the night, but Espresso now has cat doors to all the rooms in the house. So I'm sure he'll make his way to you soon enough."
With that, Jorge bounces away and I realize I kind of like him. "See, I told you Jorge is nice," Vincent says as he walks us up the stairs.
"Did you really put cat doors on all the inside doors?" There's no way that this Vincent is the same as the one I’ve come to know. Where is my beastly king? And why would he care about the cat?
He laughs. "Yes, I really did. I wanted you to know this is your home, and that means it is Espresso's as well."
Once we are in the bathroom, Vincent sets me down on the counter. "Take your time in here, and rest." He leaves me as soon as the water starts to run. I'm left confused but happy.