Chapter Fourteen #2
After a long moment, I take the jump and place my hand over his heart. I can feel it beating. Steady. But for a second, it becomes faster before slowing down again. I wonder what it means… if it means anything at all.
“Why are you like this?” His question startles me.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you have some trauma in your past I don’t know about?”
“Never. I was treated like a princess. My dad never abused me if that’s what you’re getting at. My mom has only ever protected me. I guess…” I sigh. “I felt so sheltered. So protected that I didn’t know what I was missing out on life. I still don’t fully know. You’ve kept me locked up in here.”
Is that guilt I see in his eyes or am I imagining it?
“You’ve awoken this inside of me,” I continue. “This pleasure. This need for… more. It’s something I never knew I needed until you. Now, I don’t want to let it go.”
“How is your body feeling? You still have some bruises left.”
“I feel better. Not much pain. Only on occasion. It could have been worse.”
“A lot worse,” he rumbles. “I never meant for Edward to hurt you like that. I never meant to bring him into your life. If I had known, I would have kept that fucker away from you.”
“But you kidnapped me, Dante. You brought me into this darkness.”
“I know. But…”
I suck in a breath. “But?”
“Never mind.” I see the moment he starts to pull away from me. Too much vulnerability. Too much exposure. Too much weakness.
“Do you care for me?” I ask. It’s a bold question. Probably the scariest thing I’ve ever asked someone before.
“Why do you ask? I don’t care for people.”
“You saved me after Edward hurt me. You wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t care just a little.”
“I am not a prince in a fairytale, Sienna. Don’t make me into one.”
I pull my hand away from his heart like he burned me. “I know. I’m not na?ve. I’m just pointing out the obvious. Do you care for me?”
“I don’t care for people as I said.”
“So then why not kill me? You’ve had so many chances. Either marry me, let me go, or kill me.”
“Or I can keep you and we can keep fucking forever.”
I sit up and wrap the blanket around me. Suddenly, all I feel is a deep, coldness seeping through my body. “You know you can’t keep me forever, Dante. Gabriel will find us one day and he’ll kill you and save me.”
He scoffs. “You have a lot of faith in Gabriel.”
“He’s been a good family friend all my life. I know he’s out looking for me.”
“Well, even if he does find you, I’ll kill him. I’m not going to let you go.”
“But we’re in this sort of limbo state and you know it. We can’t be together like this. Not truly. It’s not right.”
“Not right?” He scoffs again, sitting up. The sight of his naked body is distracting so I try to ignore it. “We just fucked like animals. How is that not right?”
“It’s not right because you’re making me crazy.”
“Then join me, baby. I want you to be as crazy as I am.”
“But I can’t be. Because I do have something to lose.
My mom. My best friend. You don’t have anything.
That’s how we’re different. And I can’t just forget about them.
I can’t be at war with Gabriel. That’s why it’s not right and you know it.
So just… make up your mind, Dante. I need you to do it. You’re the only one who can let me go.”
He grabs my hips. “But I don’t want to let you go.”
“So then stop playing mind games with me. Open up to me even more. Let me in. Marry me. Do the right thing if you don’t want to let me go.”
“I can’t let Gabriel win.”
“Then that’s your choice. But you’re making me miserable.”
“I just gave you an orgasm. You weren’t complaining.”
I huff. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Physically, you make me feel amazing and I still don’t quite understand why. But you do. But mentally. Emotionally… you’re hurting me.”
He rolls his eyes. “Who gives a fuck about feelings?”
“I do,” I say with as much strength in my voice as I can muster. “I care.” My mom would be proud of me in this moment.
Slowly, he releases his hold on my hip and gets out of bed. “We should call it a night. I’m tired.”
“So you’re admitting weakness?”
He flashes me a smile. “I’m still human. Humans get tired. It’s not a weakness.” He slips his clothes back on. Dante feels like am impenetrable force I don’t know how to breach.
“Do you have any weaknesses?” I ask.
His back tenses. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Do you?”
He’s quiet for a long moment. “No. I don’t have any.” I might not have known Dante for long but I can tell he’s lying. He hesitated too long and he’s not the kind of man who hesitates.
“Why are you torturing me? Your anger is with Gabriel. Not me.”
“I know. But you were more fun to take. To torture.”
“And now? Is it still fun for you? Knowing you hurt me every day you keep me here?”
He finally turns to face me and I see a wild look in his eyes. “You do ask a lot of questions. I never expected that from you. But then again, there’s a lot of things I never expected from you.”
“Please,” I whisper. “Dante. Just… please.”
He shuts his eyes for a second before opening them again.
There’s an even more hardened look to them.
“I am not letting you go, Sienna. You are my prisoner. I get to torture you how I want. There’s no space for feelings here.
There’s no love here and there never will be.
” He leaves the room and shuts the door behind him but I notice he doesn’t lock it.
He knows I won’t run. Not when my mom’s life is on the line.
But in this moment, I’m tempted to leave and never see Dante again.
While another part of my heart feels like it’s breaking at the thought of never seeing Dante again.