Chapter 45 - You’re Mine

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(From Leandro's Perspective)

"No, you're not doing that. If you do, you can't bathe in my bathroom," I said. 

"What?" she asked, mortified.

"You heard me."

"Take it back, Leandro."

"No."

"Please. I will stink if I don't take a bath," she said. 

"Then listen to me. Promise me you won't do it."

"Come on, Leandro. You weren't like this. Why are you being cold iron all of a sudden?"

"Why are you calling me cold iron?" 

"You know, unbending," she mumbled. 

I looked at her in disbelief. Her back was pressed against my chest as my arm was around her tiny waist, holding her close to me as she kept talking. I had my nose buried in the crook of her neck, just in the way I liked. I was addicted to her, everything about her, every part of her body that I could touch and I could not touch as well. There were many times that I wondered what went on in that head of hers. She was unpredictable. Even though I could guess a few things about her, she still managed to surprise me in a way or another. The most interesting thing was she did not even need to try. It was just the way she was- unique and unpredictable. 

"I'll sleep now," she announced, faking a yawn. It was way too obvious. I had to struggle to hold back my laughter. The fact surprised me. Even a few days ago, no one could ever tell that I smiled. Everyone would always called me a cold-hearted grumpy monster behind my back. But now... I even had to try to hold back my laughter. This girl had brought too many changes to count in me. But how was she even doing that? I would not say it was her fault because she never tried. She was just being her own self and I was changing because of that, I was changing for her. 

"You can't sleep until you tell me what you want. Do you want to choose bathing or ringing that bell?"

"You told me to sleep a while ago. Why are you saying otherwise now?"

"You're not answering."

"I don't know... I really want to do it."

"Ring the bell?" I asked and sighed. "Listen, if you promise me that you won't do it, I promise that I'll let you ring that bell."

"When?"

"The time will come. Just promise me."

"But how will you do it? I mean, you live here, right? You can't go back to the castle."

"...yet," I said. "Just promise me, Ella and I'll make sure you get the chance, even if it's the last thing I do."

"You promise first," she said. 

"You won't promise if I do that."

"I will I swear."

"Okay. I promise that I'll give you a chance to ring that bell."

"Real promise?" she asked, pouting. 

"All my promises to you are real," I said. 

"To me?"

"Yes, to you."

"Alright then. I promise I won't ring the bell even though I want to, if my legs try to take me there, I'll hold them back," she said and I smiled quietly. Why was she always so adorable even when she was serious? 

"Sleep then," I said and stroked her hair. She did not object and I was grateful about it. Even if I could touch her hand, just a little bit of her, my heart would flatter in a way it never did before. The fact was very dangerous. I must not fall for someone. It would make my position weak and if somehow Nicklaus or Father found out about it, they would hurt her to take me down. Yet, I wanted to take the dangerous risk, just a little bit. I wanted to see how the risk tasted. I would not do anything without her consent and as long as she was okay with me doing anything to her, I would do that even if it would put my heart in a dangerous position. 

Her breathing came to even after a while and she snuggled closer to me. Did this girl not know the effect she had on me? It was risky for me to hold her like this. I feared I would lose control. But still, I pulled her even closer and my arm tightened around her slender waist in an attempt of feeling the heat radiating from her body. 

Just the moment I thought that she was sleeping and perhaps I would try to sleep a bit, she mumbled, "Do you care for me?"

I looked at her face and saw that her eyes were closed and I felt her breathing was steady as well. She was talking in her sleep. I stroked her cheek, feeling her soft skin against my knuckles. 

"Yes," I muttered. 

It was my mistake. I cared for her and it reached a point that even I could not deny it. She had become someone very special in my life. Just the thought of her getting hurt was enough for my monster to come out and kill everyone who had the thought of hurting her. 

This time I could not deny the fact that no matter what others said, she was mine. She was completely mine. I knew that even though she was trying hard, there was a part of her that wanted someone's care, wanted to be loved. I did not know if I would be able to love her because I had never thought about loving someone before. But I was going to try. 

I would not let anyone else take her. Now that I had chosen her, she was going to be mine and mine only. 

She slept peacefully all night. But I could not sleep. I watched her peaceful sleeping face, I heard the sweet tune of her heartbeat. This time I truly noticed how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Everything about her was an art. I never had a taste for arts, but she was the piece of art I would buy even with my soul and treasure it replacing my soul. 

"You're mine," I whispered into her ear, "little Ella." 

I was anxious about her going back to the castle. Even though I wanted my power back, the thought of putting her life in danger did not sit well with me. I did not want her to get hurt because of me. 

In the morning, I woke her up at 5:30. She sat there on the bed, wrapping the quilt around her tightly with her eyes closed. 

"What're you doing? Won't you take a bath?" I asked, crossing my arms as I leaned on the door. 

She did not reply but looked at me in a way as if she was trying to process who I was. She kind of looked cute.

"Ella," I said a bit loudly and she jerked awake. 

"What?"

"I've been calling you. Why aren't you taking a bath? You take so much time. You are going to be late."

"Why are you talking to me? Can't you see I'm processing the trauma of getting up?" she grumbled. 

I laughed slightly. "Do you always have those words ready to spit out?"

"It's just my brain works very fast," she said and got down the bed, almost falling on the process as her legs took her weakly out of the room. 

"We need to talk after your bath."

"Huh?" she asked, still dizzy. 

"Just take a bath," I said, giving up. 

She did not take long this time for a bath. She came out of the bathroom, but_ she still did not look fully cheerful. She had a grumpy expression on her face. I stood there as I watched her walking awkwardly to the bedroom. 

She was wearing her baggy shirt, but she was pulling it down with both of her hands. What was wrong with her?

She went to the bedroom quickly and then ran into the bathroom again with a little bag in her hand. For a split moment, I felt that I could smell blood. Did she cut herself?

Before I could ask, she closed the door again. After a while, she had come out, with a disgusted expression on her face. I had never seen her like this before. Not even when she saw blood. Seeing the blood, her expression was frightened. She was afraid of it. But this time, it felt that she was disgusted with something.

But I could not smell blood from her anymore. If she had cut herself somehow, I would still be able to smell blood. 

"What happened to you?" I asked. 

"You know what happened. Don't ask me," she grumbled. 

"How can I know?"

"You have a nose, Leandro."

"Of course, I have a nose. But what does this have to do with what happened to you? You look like you've seen something disgusting."

"Don't tell me you can't smell that."

"Smell what?"

"Blood, of course," she muttered. 

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