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My little lamb remained quiet on the drive home, and I trusted she’d learned her lesson. Once we’d arrived, I carried her to the bathroom, where I turned on the water in her bathtub. She stood before me, scratched and bloody from running through the woods in the dark. I gently removed the sticks and leaves from her hair, then brushed it through. I wondered if she knew how close I’d come to killing her. But something had held me back, and as hard as I tried, my feelings for her had overrun my dark thirst to hurt her.
Tracing my fingers down her neck, I removed the blanket from her shoulders. She stood obediently, allowing me to touch her.
“Little lamb, if you’ll embrace your destiny by my side, I can give you things you’ve never dreamed of. Stop fighting me. In due time, I’ll reveal myself to you, but not yet.” I placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder.
“Why won’t you tell me who you are?” Her voice cracked, heavy with exhaustion as she spoke.
I tested the temperature of her bath. Satisfied with the result, I turned off the water.
“Get in.”
Ella took my extended hand. She dipped a toe into the bath, wincing from the sting of her lacerations before she got in. Once she was as comfortable as possible, I knelt beside the tub.
“Get your hair wet.”
She stared at me, probably wondering if I was going to drown her. Ella tipped her chin up, held her nose, then submerged her head. She popped back up and wiped the water from her tired face.
Pouring some of her peach and vanilla shampoo into my palm, I lathered her long strands. My fingers worked into her scalp, massaging away the pain I’d inflicted only an hour ago.
She moaned, and her eyes fluttered closed as I continued.
“I will destroy you, then piece you back together to match me, little lamb.”
Her gaze landed on mine, her breasts moving with each breath.
“Rinse off,” I ordered.
Once the soap was gone, I applied the conditioner.
Over the next several minutes, I lathered her body, massaging her shoulders and caring for my queen. She had learned a hard lesson but earned her reward when she promised to stop digging into my identity.
After she was clean and her hair was rinsed, I pulled the stopper and drained the water. I collected the large, plush brown bath towel that was hanging on the towel rack and carefully wrapped her in it. I picked her up and carried her to bed. Sitting down on the edge, I pulled her into my arms.
She grabbed the front of my shirt and then slowly peered into my eyes. At times I hated the damn mask, but it was a necessity. It was a barrier between us, and just like her will, it would soon be stripped away.
“Why does a part of me like everything that you do?”
I forcefully gripped her chin, narrowing my gaze at her. “You know why you feel like this? Because a part of you knows that you and I are the same. We have both danced in the darkness, and now we are forever intertwined.”
Her mouth opened to refute me, but I cut her off. “No more lies. I killed for you in your own home, yet you never contacted the police or turned me in. What does that say?”
My lips curved in a hungry smirk as I pressed my forehead against hers. “Let me remind you: You’ve already had this conversation with me before, and now you want to deny it all. Not anymore. Tell me, Ella—what did they do to make you like this?”
Fear flashed across her features before she could hide it behind a stoic expression. Her jaw clenched as she fought the tears that rolled down her cheeks. “How do you know?”
Bringing my mouth close to hers, I felt the warmth of her breath on my skin as I whispered, “You have no secrets from me, Ella. It’s time for you to embrace who you really are. Confess your shame out loud and accept it.”
Still shaking her head frantically, she managed to choke out three words between sobs. “I-I can’t.”
My grin widened into a predatory smile as I moved closer until our mouths almost touched. “Say it, Ella. Give me your darkest secret. I can give you whatever you desire. All that stands between us is voicing the truth and embracing it completely. What did they do to you, little lamb?”
Instead of turning away, she buried her face in my neck, her tears marking my skin with her pain. I rubbed her bare back.
“Who were they?”
A deafening silence filled the room while I waited for her to speak.
“A family friend.”
