Page 76 of Deviant

She’ll get no rest without me.

She’ll have no reprieve.

He wakes before I do. How I manage to sleep at all, I don’t know, but I guess my body is so exhausted that even the monster beside me cannot keep me awake.

He shuffles around, moving in the semi-darkness while I lay still, and then he disappears into the dressing room before coming out in a suit.

“Stay in bed,” he instructs like I’ve now morphed into a lady of leisure with a dozen other options on how to spend my day. “Gabe will bring you breakfast.”

I don’t react. Don’t even open my eyes. Oh, he knows I’m awake, but it all feels pointless. It’s not like I want to wish him good morning, to smile, to say I hope he has a greatday. Whatever business is pulling him away at this hour I don’t know, but I’m pretty certain I’m happier here, in ignorance and alone.

Once he’s gone, I physically relax, my body seems to calm. Everything seems to ease. I stay still, I lie almost content in this bed and by the time the butler comes in, I’ve fallen into a deep sleep and jerk awake in shock.

He gives me that fleeting sympathetic look as he holds a tray, and the whiff of food makes my stomach growl so loudly.

I drag my body up, grabbing the covers to keep myself decent and he places the tray on my lap like this is all perfectly normal. Like this is the new normal.

I can’t get my head around it. I can’t process what the fuck is happening.

But the food looks too good to care and in this moment, I decide to take the good where I can.

I’ve been given bacon and eggs and some French toast on the side. I gulp down mouthful after mouthful, not bothering with the cutlery, just using my bare hands like I truly have become savage. Once the plate is clear, the butler, who I’m guessing is Gabe, takes it away and I curl up once more in my captor’s bed.

Only, my eyes keep darting to the door. And my mind keeps drifting to question where Magnus is.

What is he doing? Is he planning something, something awful to do with me? Or is he going to wait until my leg is healed and then he’ll parade me out, dress me up once more, and then lay me out for his friends to rape and abuse?

By the time he comes back, it’s dark. He must have eaten dinner somewhere else because Gabe brought mine up on a tray.

And as he lingers by the door, I don’t know whether to feel relief or fear. He’s back, at least I can stop second guessing what he’s up to. But now he’s here, I can no longer hide either. I can no longer shut my eyes and pretend this isn’t just an awful figment of myimagination.

And worse, so much worse, as he steps closer, I can feel the goosebumps, I can feel the way my body is reacting. Will he fuck me? Will he pin me down and brutalise my body? Or does this new gentleness extend to that aspect, too? Will he murmur nonsense into my ear, will he caress my skin? Pretend that he’s making love and not raping me?

I don’t know what would be worse, to be loved by this man or hated by him?

He scoops me up, carries me back into the bathroom just like he did the day before.

Only, this time, once I’m submerged in the water, he doesn’t take liberties, he doesn’t touch me in any way other than to clean.

What the fuck is he doing? What is this? Am I his plaything still? He can’t care for me. No man can do the kinds of things he’s done to me if he had any feelings for me.

No, that’s not it. It can’t be it.

So what the fuck is this? What the fuck is going on?

Her confusion makes my lips quirk. For days now I’ve left her alone, coming back only at night to bathe her, take care of her, and then sleep beside her.

At first, I thought I imagined it, the way her eyes seemed to almost sparkle when I walked into the room and in truth, it could have simply been her fear but now, now I’m certain there is more.

She’s cracking. The bitch is finally cracking.

I shouldn’t feel the way I do at that knowledge, I shouldn’t feel so enthralled by the idea that she now wants me.

But I let out a slow rumble of amusement as I rub that beautifully scarred skin on her back.

“What’s so funny?” she whispers, just loud enough for me tohear.

The shake of my head is all I give her in reply. It’s another thing I’ve learnt. Don’t speak. Don’t actively engage. Just keep taunting her with this supposed kindness.

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