His Innocent Sera novel Chapter 38

Dave punched Nate hard, making him stagger backward. Nate calmy wiped the blood trickling from his split lip, ready for his another blow. Dave didn't hold back, he knocked him over several times but Nate didn't retaliate.

"You deserve even worse than this," Dave spat, fixing him with a hateful glare.

"You should know better than to touch her," Nate responded, drawing out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. Dave had managed to put some bruises across his face.

"She was crying," Dave answered, staring into the sky stretching wide before the glass window. Dae exhaled a sigh before turning towards him.

"Don't you think you're going too hard on her? She is just a child," Dave asked, frowning in disapproval.

"She isn't a child," he stated. That was all his response.

"Why are you here?" he asked, fed up of his habit of ignoring his questions. Nate ignored his question again. But his silence was the answer.

"It's her," Dave figured, disbelief lacing his voice. Nate clenched his jaw, only confirming his doubt. He snatched the cigarette from Nate and took a quick drag of it before giving it back to him. Nate could only stare at him in confusion.

"Damn it!," Dave was still no able to believe it. He didn't know if he should be happy for his friend or sad for Sera.

"What's wrong?" Nate questioned, frowning.

"Nothing," Dave replied. He wasn't going to tell him that he was falling for his prey. It was for him to realise it himself. Besides, the day he'll realise it would be the day Sera's fate will be sealed forever. The girl needed some air to breath before that happened.

After recovering from the shock, Dave looked at him. His face serious.

"You do realise you are only pushing her away by doing this?" Dave said, making his frown turn deeper.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Have you heard the story of the vine and the rose?" Nate's clueless expression gave him the answer and he began, "A lonely vine searched the wild to find something that he can call his own. It is then he saw a blooming rose and fell for its beauty. He crept closer, convinced she needed his protection to survive in this cruel wild. The tender, vulnerable rose welcomed him, considering him a friend. He curled himself around her with devotion, determined to always keep her in his safe arms. However, his obssession to keep her close grew over time. He became envious of the wind for touching her or bees, birds nearing her. Jealous, he wrapped around her, leaves, petals, stems, caging her in his embrace. The rose protested, cried, pleaded but he didn't listen. He kept twisting around her until no part of her was visible to others. What he didn't realise he was stragulating her. The day came when rose culdn't breath and died. Her color faded, her scent dimmed. By the time Vine realised it, it was too late. He finally loosened his grip, hoping she would bloom again..." after saying that he turned to Nate and said, "but she was already gone."

"Her once beautiful petals fell to the ground, her stem broke, her essence gone. She was dead," Dave explained, looking meaningfully into his eyes.

Nate wasn't a fool to not understand what he was talking about.

"Wanna play some game?" Dave asked, changing the topic and hoping his friend had learned something from the story.

.....

She felt the mattress sink beside her, his signature scent wrapping around her. A pair of arms locked around her waist, slowly pushing her up against the solid warmth of his chest. His hot breath ghosted over her nape, sending chills down her spine. Morals and boundaries were just meaningless words for him; all he cared about was his indulgence. She remained still as he peppered kisses all over her nape. His kisses felt like burning embers scorching her skin. She squeezed her eyes.

"I know you are awake," he murmured against her skin, all traces of anger gone. Gently gripping her shoulders, he turned her to face him. She opened her eyes and met his.

Instead of the anger she braced for, his eyes brimmed with warmth… and something else, something entirely unfamiliar.

"You are so beautiful," he admitted, making her eyes go wide in disbelief. A innocuous smile lit up his face upon seeing her comical expression.

"What?" he asked as she kept staring at him as if he had grown two heads.