Chapter 71
Elijah Vaughn
“If I were manipulating you… You wouldn’t have had any choice at all.”
1
Those words weighed heavy inside me, slipping over my mind like invisible chains.
He was right.
Because, in the end, I was the one who chose to stay.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment.
“Now, take your medicine.”
His voice softened again, gentle and soothing, but still carried that dominant undertone.
“It’ll help with the pain and inflammation.”
He lifted the water bottle to my lips, helping me drink. I swallowed the pills with some difficulty, the cold liquid easing the dryness in my throat.
Once I was done, he guided me back onto the mattress, his touch careful yet firm. A small groan escaped me as my body throbbed with every bruise.
‘Easy now… You’re lying down, my little bunny.”
A soft kiss landed on the top of my head before he pulled back slightly.
Then, he fetched a bucket of water and a clean towel.
“Now, I need to clean your body so I can apply more ointment.”
His voice was calm, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
‘I brought the water this morning and waited for you to wake up.”
I sighed, turning my face away.
‘It’s embarrassing… being naked like this.”
A playful smile tugged at his lips.
“For me, it’s perfect.”
He replied, his eyes devouring every inch of me.
‘Having this masterpiece under my care is something magnificent.”
Before I could answer, he leaned down and pressed A soft kiss against my chest before beginning to clean me.
The water was cold.
A shiver ran through me at the first touch of the damp cloth.
‘I know it’s unpleasant, sweetheart.”
He ran the towel over my skin with uncommon tenderness, his voice soft and low.
Chapter 71
“But just hold on a little longer.”
The way he touched me felt strange, contradictory.
It didn’t match the brutality I had witnessed from him the day before, yet it didn’t feel false either.
The care was genuine.
And it felt… good.
I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.
‘I could get used to this.”
He didn’t respond immediately.
He leaned down and pressed a slow kiss to my cheek, his warm breath brushing against my skin.
Then, a low chuckle escaped his lips.
‘I’ll only get more possessive about taking care of you.” His tone shifted, darkening with something more sinister. “So don’t give me that permission, bunny.
My breath caught.
‘Because if you do…”
His voice dropped to a low whisper as his fingers trailed slowly along the side of my face.
‘I might end up having complete control over you.”
‘I’m already crazy enough.” His voice dipped into an almost affectionate whisper. “Don’t test my madness.”
There’s no one out there waiting for me.
My family sees me as dead.
Dante is all I have left.
And he wants to take care of me…
Even if I know this isn’t love.
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