“Sleep …” he mumbles, snuggling into my hair.
Goose bumps scatter over my body as he holds me tight. I couldn’t move if I wanted to or even if I tried. The calmness he exudes causes me to close my eyes, and I fall into a deep sleep with a smile on my face, knowing that I fulfilled my purpose here … And that Graham might finally let me go.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Accompanying Song: “The Stray” by Ramin Djawadi
Cage
Waking up with Ella feels like a dream. We’re still in the bedroom on the soft bed, my hand still wrapped around her. She’s turned around in her sleep and huddled close to me, curling up against my chest. Heat flows through my body looking at her naked skin, her sexy curves, as I think about how I laid claim to her yesterday.
She’s my woman—completely mine—and I adore every inch of her sweet body and that beautiful smile.
However, when I gaze down to admire each little nook, I notice a red stain on the sheets. My eyes widen, and I lean up to inspect it, trying not to wake her. It’s right between and below her legs too.
Fuck.
I nudge her away to take a closer look and dab the sheets with my hand. It’s wet … and it looks like blood.
“Ella,” I say because I wonder if she knows what this means.
Her eyes open slowly, the salt still in her eyes as she blinks. I point at the blood pooling underneath her. She doesn’t seem entirely awake, so I grab her shoulder and look deep into her eyes. “Pain?”
“What?” she mumbles.
I point between her legs again. When her eyes follow and see the blood, they widen and she sucks in a breath.
“Shit!”
She clambers out of bed as if she’s seen a dead body, almost falling over her feet to stagger away.
I throw off the sheets to reveal more blood that has seeped through. If this came from her… she must be wounded.
Fuck.
Was I too rough? I wanted to go slowly, ease her into it, but I couldn’t stop myself from ramming into her with all my pent-up lust. Did I go too far this time?
Fuck!
It’s my fault. It has to be. Just thinking about it makes me want to punch the wall, so my fist instantly responds.
Ella jolts back from my sudden outrage, and I immediately regret my decision. I try to approach her, but she leans back. I hate when she’s fearful of me because I will never, ever harm her.
“Come …” I say, wanting to inspect her for injuries.
She shakes her head and looks down at her own legs covered in blood. “Shit.”
“Blood,” I say, and I look at the camera in the corner. “Come, now!” I growl at it.
I know he’s watching, so I’ll keep yelling until he comes. I want him to look at her and see if she’s okay.
“No,” she says, shaking her hands. “Please, don’t call him.”
“You’re bleeding …” I growl, and I shout back at the camera again. “COME HERE!”
My voice is so loud it makes Ella inch back again until she reaches the door. It clicks open, and she rushes through, back into her cell.
I know I’m scaring her, and I know she hates Father, but I need to know if she’s okay. It doesn’t take him long to get here, though. I follow her through the black door, which closes behind me just seconds before Father arrives.
He barges into the room and screams, “What happened?”
I point at the red stain on Ella’s legs.
His eyes follow, and soon it clicks. A smile slowly creeps onto his face. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
He reaches into his pocket and takes out a device with buttons. I know just what it is, and the mere sight of it makes me do a double take.
“No,” I say.
“You know it’s necessary,” he says. “Get back into your cage.”
The black door opens again, but I want to go to Ella instead. I hold out my hand. She doesn’t budge, despite me trying to get her to come with me. “Come,” I say.
She shakes her head, her eyes alternating back and forth between me and Father. She doesn’t understand that I want to protect her … and right now, I don’t know what he’s going to do to her if she stays.
“Come. Now,” I say, wanting to grab her hand, but she flinches.
“Get back into your cage!” Father yells, and he shows me the device. “Or do you want me to press that button?” His finger hovers over the one that makes me stop in my tracks. The one that causes immeasurable amounts of pain. The one I want to avoid at all cost.
I swallow and slowly step away from Ella.
“Get back …” Father says, pointing at the door.
I creep toward it, never taking my eyes off Ella, wishing she’d come with me. But she’s frozen to the floor as he forces me to back away from her.