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I parted my lashes later that night, finding the room engulfed completely in black.
Oh... how long was I asleep?
By the soft feeling under me, I knew I was on a mattress.
Elias must've carried me to bed again.
I tried to sit up, but I heard someone groan from behind me.
Huh?
I was then pulled back down.
I collapsed, letting out a surprised yelp.
Elias just tugged my back against him, burying his face in my neck. "No," he said sleepily. "Not allowed."
I just smiled. "Aren't you going to be a gentleman and ask me if I'm comfortable with snuggling?"
He just kept his position, muttering, "I am not a gentleman."
"Not a gentleman?" I teased. "Well, you held me nicely and calmed me down before. That's gentleman behavior."
"I claimed you," he said, slurring his words from sleepiness, "therefore you're stuck with me. Now shut up and let me sleep."
"But I'm not tired," I replied.
"Tough shit, you're snuggling with me."
"You claimed me without my permission," I continued, trying to annoy him. "So that means that I get a say in the majority of the relationship. And I'm a princess."
Elias just tugged me so I faced him, and I watched his black eyes glow with annoyance. "You cannot claim someone without their permission, princess. If you did not agree to your heart's desire, you would not feel that pain. And I would not feel so clingy right now, so shut up before I deicide to tape your mouth shut."
"Tape?" I said, brows drawing together. "What's tape?"
He just rolled his eyes. "Just shush."
I shut up then, smiling at him.
He shuffled toward me. "Come here."
"No," I said, giggling, "you told me to shush, not to cuddle. So shush, I shall. I will go make some tea. It's teatime."
Right before I could get up, he tugged me back down on the bed, making me squeal when I bounced a little.
He just rolled over me, eyes glowing in annoyance. "Why are you doing this, huh?"
I laughed a little, feeling the anger inside him falter. "You really don't like being irritated, do you?"
When I parted my lashes, his eyes softened.
"What?" I said.
He was silent for a moment. "Just there... I got dangerous for a second and you weren't afraid."
"Dangerous?" I echoed, giggling. "Dangerous is when you're about to kill someone. You just snapped a little because you're tired and frustrated. Which I instigated on purpose."
He watched me for a moment. "In all seriousness now, are you going to get up?"
I shook my head. "No."
He rolled off me and to the other side of the bed. "Did I make you uncomfortable? With the cuddling?"
"No." I smiled.
"Then why are you resisting me?" he said then.
"Because it's fun," I replied.
He just gave me an annoyed look, and I snickered.
"Alice," he said then, making me gaze up at him to find his expression soft, "come here."
I listened then, shuffling over to him until I met his form. "Are we going to sleep no—"
"Shhh..." he whispered, cupping my face. "Be honest with me, are you still hurting? Anywhere?"
I shook my head no.
He kept his gaze to mine. "Promise?"
I nodded.
He then pulled me against him, and I gasped a little when he wrapped his entire body around me. "Good... then I'm going to sleep."
"Elias?" I said.
He gazed up at me. "What?"
"Can we switch positions...?" I said in a small voice.
His brows drew together. "Why?"
"Never mind," I said then, cheeks burning a bright red. "I can stay like this, too."
"No, don't do that, miss shy," he said sarcastically. "Tell me. Spit it out."
I gazed up at him then. "I can't say it...."
"Why? Because it would hurt your ego?"
"No... it's... embarrassing."
He just smirked. "Are you on your period?"
"No!" I yelled then, making him chuckle. "Not... that embarrassing!"
"Spit it out, Angel," he said then.
I just looked away. "I like it when... you're...."
"When I'm, what?"
"I like it when... when you hold me... like cage me... it makes me feel... safe."
"Cage you?" he echoed.
"Don't make fun of me." I glared at him.
He smiled a little. "Who said I was making fun of you? I was just wondering what you meant."
I was silent, staring down at his chest.
He just tipped my head up, forcing my eyes to lock on his. "Why don't you show me?"
"Show... no... I don't... no."
"Alice," he warned. "I'm really tired right now, and I will get snappy if you keep this up."
I felt my face flush, and I shuffled over to him. "Uhm... like this."
I rolled him onto his side, feeling his eyes on me when I extended his arms and legs, finally shuffling closer to him and burying my face in his neck.
He seemed to get the gist and wrapped his arms around me, pulling his knees to my bottom and setting his head on mine. "Like this?"
I nodded.
He just chuckled. "Relax. You're stiffening."
I tried to listen, but I felt so nervous that I half-melted, and half-froze.
"I can live like this," he said then. "Do you feel safer?"
I nodded again.
"Good," he said gently, stroking my back. "May I ask why you don't feel safe? You're a killer, you know."
"I know..." my voice was small.
"Why do you feel unsafe?" he wondered. "Clearly it isn't from me."
"My father," I said then.
He was silent for a moment. "The king?"
I nodded.
"Is it because he hurts you?" Elias wondered. "I know he caused those wounds on you last night, and I know that he told you that you had to cut yourself all night." He brushed his fingers through my hair. "Why don't you kill him? You get revenge on every other person in the city."
"It's because they're smaller," I told him, playing with my fingers. "And... and weaker. They're like peasants almost, so I can get them. But my father... he's very weak and such but once I kill him... the entire town will go insane with no king. And then my mom would be queen."
"And what if you killed her?" Elias said.
"Then they would go berserk, and the lead would fall to someone else."
"Not you?" Elias wondered.
"No," I replied quietly, "I have to marry a prince in order to be queen. I cannot be queen without a husband. That's one of the reasons why father wants me to marry, so I could be his backup... and so the other people in that castle could fall in line to be king and queen."
"And... money," Elias said.
"And money," I agreed.
"So..." Elias murmured, "that's the reason why you can't kill him? I mean... yes town craziness and all that, but a lot of the townies are jerks. I didn't think you cared about them."
"I don't," I agreed, "there's another thing."
"What?" he wondered.
"Uhm... I can't... I can't kill him."
"Your father?" he said. "You can if you get rid of the fear of the townies."
"No," I urged, "I physically cannot hurt him."
Elias's brows drew together.
"Something..." I whispered, "some weird entity forbids me from touching him, it's odd... because he can hurt me but every time I try to hit him back, my entire body freezes and... I can't control it."
He stared at me for a moment. "That's... odd. That's angel magic of pacifism—you can cast it on someone else to protect yourself—but how could he have it...? There're no runes on him, right?"
"I don't know," I said, "I've never looked at my father naked. He's all... wrinkly. Gross."
Elias just watched me. "He hurt you."
I felt something cold overwhelm me. "I always get hurt. It's a part of life."
"And... I hurt you," he said this time.
I gazed up at him, heart pounding in my chest. "No, you didn't—"
"You were crying, Alice," he reminded me, looking a bit lost. "You were sobbing, shaking... crying... I'd never... I feel so bad, and I've never felt so bad before."
"Elias—"
"I was supposed to give you the numbing medicine first," he continued, "to help ease the pain when I bit you, but I was stuck in the moment, I didn't...." He sighed, closing his eyes tightly.
I just smiled and tucked my head into his chest.
I felt his eyes on me.
"You promised to make it up to me..." I said cutely. "And you said you'd stay with me... so stay."
"Alice, I was stupid," he said.
"It's okay," I promised. "I'm yours now... I've been waiting for this day to come... I've finally found someone..." I gazed up, eyes sparkling, "someone twisted like me."
His eyes locked on mine then, and he watched me.
"You're clingy?" I asked. "From claiming me?"
"Very." His eyes darkened.
I smiled then and curled up against him, snuggling my face into his neck as he gasped. "You wanted to cuddle," I told him. "And... I need to feel you for the first time, so please... give me the satisfaction."
He threaded his fingers through my hair, making my breath catch.
"I'll give you the satisfaction," he promised.
I smiled and closed my eyes, letting myself breathe as he held onto me.
But—finally—he spoke, "God... I'm so obsessed with you. And you happened to feel the same... what are the odds of that? We've only known each other for weeks. I've never... gotten what I wanted before, and now...."
"Your mine," I finished.
He just lowered his lips to my neck. "It's only been weeks, Alice. And you were obsessed from the beginning. You don't know what I do, how I act, where I go. But I know you. I know how you kill, how you think, how you behave... I know everything about you. I've been wanting you, and you just knew... Just knew from my eyes."
"I wanted you, too..." I said. "I just want you. From the beginning. And I know what you're going to say, 'obsessions fade,' but they don't!"
"They don't," he agreed. "Because your body let me claim you. Which means you're my soul mate."
I gazed up at him. "I am?"
"You are," he agreed. "And now that we're together," his eyes flashed red, "there's so much catching up to do."
63Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlm9P4zmwA
