Chapter 31
POV: Gabrielle?
My body felt weightless.
Everything inside of me felt like it was floating—-floating above the ground—out of his fortress of a house—and into the sky.
And I felt finally….what?
How do I even describe how I feel when I wasn’t certain if I should feel like this in the first place?
But the truth was—I felt finally…free.
Free of the weight that life held over me.
And I was standing, staring at the closed door, feeling the rush of adrenaline surge through me, I was yanked back into reality again by a hand on my shoulder. Dane’s hand.
My body relaxed—instead of tensed—it actually relaxed.
And, somehow, I found myself feeling at home here…like I belonged.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and his tone caused something inside of me to awaken.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be,” I said without thinking.
Dane laughed, and the laugh caused a part of me to laugh too.
I laughed so loud that it startled Dane even.
But instead of asking me why, his palm just tightened around my shoulder, as his other hand reached to open the door.
The light streamed in, and the air smelled amazing—-like freedom—the scent of pine and dirt traveled through the air.
But I continued to stand frozen in place—unable to take the first step forward.
“Belle,” Dane’s voice brought my foot forward.
He led me outside, carefully and slowly, each step methodical, and suddenly we were outside, standing on dirt, leaves and weeds, with nothing but nature around us.
“Are you alright?” he asked softly.
“No,” I said suddenly. “Not really. I don’t know what to make of this.”
He neared me, placing his large body behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist, holding me against him. “I don’t think either of us know.”
I looked up at him then, into his eyes, and the softness beneath them. “I don’t think we’ll ever know,” I said quietly.
Dane nodded in agreement.
“Go,” he finally said, waving towards the trees.
“Go where?” I asked, nervously.
Was he telling me to leave? Was this another one of his tests?
“Look around,” he said simply, as if it was obvious. “You haven’t been outside since your little escape attempt. This isn’t an offer to leave, not yet. I still have some..” he paused, his grip tightening around me. “More tests to run before you choose.”
But I knew he had run all of the tests he needed to.
I knew he could feel my blood boiling, my heart thumping.
I knew he could sense that some part of me loved him, even though I never spoke it.
I knew that he thought I had already made my decision.
The tests didn’t matter anymore.
But I didn’t know what I wanted.
When I was with him—-I felt free—I felt at home—I felt…loved.
And that scared me, it scared the shit out of me.
It made me even more confused. Because the truth was I hadn’t decided, not yet, not now, and I didn’t even know if I’d ever even really be able to make a decision.
As I took a step forward, towards the tall trees. But as my hand steadied on the bark, sliding across it, everything inside of me wanted to look back at him.
Because nature felt real and it felt free.
But it was nothing compared to the way his gaze made me feel.
That made me feel so fucking alive—like I walking on burning hot coals, like I was walking on water—like I was floating—flying in the sky.
I tore my gaze away from him, cursing myself as I did. Because this was the first taste of freedom I had in weeks and I still needed to look at him to feel…free.
I tilted my gaze upwards towards the sky and let out a deep breath before inevitably forcing my eyes open and stared up at the blue sky littered with clouds.
But even then, gazing up at the sky, feeling the breeze tickle my face, I didn’t feel free…not like I did when he looked at me. Not anywhere near it.
Don’t look at him, Gabrielle. Don’t you dare.
But as I often did—I ignored my own internal monologue and didn’t listen to myself.
I never did.
That’s what got me into this situation in the first place.
And like a fool, I turned towards him.
He was standing in the middle of the forest, about 100 feet away from me, and staring at me with a lopsided smirk on his lips. And his face said it all. He knew.
He knew what I was thinking, even when I didn’t.
I glanced over at him, studying his face first, then at his bulging muscles as my mind recollected the memories of us twisting into sheets, the memories of calling his name—the memories of him telling me that he loved me.
And I found myself walking towards him.
But not just walking. Running.