Page 116 of Blood and Thorns

She was like a vice as she shattered again, and I caught her scream with my lips, my own release following with a vicious intensity.

Arabella was like a missing piece of my soul, not justsomeone who could endure me at my worst, but someone who stood her ground against it. She didn’t flinch in the face of my demons; she made them hers.

Arabella sagged against me, her body limp with exhaustion as I gathered her in my arms. She reached for my neck, her lips brushing mine so tentatively it stole the breath from my chest. It was the first time she’d initiated anything, and I felt it like a spark beneath my skin. I took it as her silent agreement.

Her unspoken surrender.

Chapter 51

Arabella

This was the first time I’d spent an extended period alone in Sebastian’s bedroom. I would’ve escaped to my own, except Sebastian had scowled and demanded I rest specifically in his bed. I would have protested more if he hadn’t placed the gentlest kiss on my lips before leaving. And now even after returning to my own room to get dressed, I found myself back here unsure why my heart was thudding so harshly, or why my chest felt tight.

My hips ached, the bruises throbbing. But when I thought of them, I didn’t think of the man, I thought of Sebastian, and how he’d made them his own.

I’m not calling youbellebecause of your name.

I refused to acknowledge this change between us, as if the dynamic had shifted into something more… intimate. So instead of sitting with the weight of it, I pushed it aside and reached for his drawers, letting curiosity get the better of me.

There were no hidden weapons, or something else equally as nefarious tucked away. It was almost a little disappointing.

Ignoring the art on the wall entirely because I didn’t have the mental capacity to deal with the sex print just yet, I looked over his side of the bed in his nightstand, pausing when I realised he had a row of books tucked neatly away in the little cubby hole.

Slipping to my knees beside the bed, I picked up the closest one and flipped through it. They were mainly thrillers, a little fantasy, and even some fiction in French that I barely glanced at. But what caught my attention was the large black device that had been placed down beside them, the word‘C-pen’written across it. I’d noticed something similar in his office, and frowning, I held the power key and clicked ‘reader.’

“Scan text,” a small robotic voice came from the device.

Picking up one of Sebastian’s books, I followed the instructions, delighted when the device started reading out loud the same text I’d just scanned.

Placing it back where I’d found it, I opened another drawer, pausing when I realised that was where he’d put my phone. Turning it on I placed it on the bed beside me, the battery flashing red, but still the screen filled with missed texts ranging from several weeks to days old.

Gabriel:

You have no idea what you’ve done, baby.

You should’ve just agreed to stay mine, and then this wouldn’t have happened.

Your dad misses you. I miss you.

Let me handle this, okay? I’ll save you.

Why aren’t you answering your fucking phone?

Is he the reason you’re not answering your phone? Because you look pretty fucking happy being his prisoner, Ara.

I swear, if he’s touched you, he’s fucking dead.

Last warning, baby.

Three hours ago.

Dad:

I’m sorry about everything. Just call me.

My finger hovered over his contact, my chest tightening at just the thought of talking to him. Swallowing the sudden metallic taste, I clicked call, expecting to go straight to voicemail.

“Ara?”