Page 20 of Marked for Redemption

“Anything else happening to you?” Searching what I could see of her, I noticed nothing drastically different. Sure, her features changed, but I already knew that.

“I… um… a couple of days ago, I was bleeding here.” She pointed between her legs. Though confused at first, it clicked shortly after.

Human. I’d never been with her like this. Not before the curse, during, or even now. She smelled different. Alluring. I leaned close and felt the stir in my groin. A woman’s heat came before the bleeding, right?

“Go into the bathroom. Let’s… Let’s get you bathed.” I tipped her head up to look at me.

“Thank you, Master.” Renee kissed my hand and darted away.

I walked behind her, smiling at the affection. Then kicked myself for allowing myself to feel anything.

“I’ll be back,” I added cold water to the tub first and then poured hot water to raise the temperature.

When she climbed inside and closed her eyes as she relaxed, I left her to have privacy. After a while, I came to check on her and she was sniffling as she worked to comb her hair. Clumps of it were in a pile on the floor.

“Why won’t it stop shedding?” She asked tearfully. I leaned down to help her sort her hair and noticed how big and beautiful her eyes were. No longer green, they were a light brown hazel tint with dark flecks of green around the iris.

I helped her detangle her hair and there was a lot of damage. I went to find scissors and suggested cutting her hair where her hair seemed to break off.

“Do it.” She stated firmly.

Once it was cut, she washed it, cleaned herself, and got out of the tub. I handed her a towel and watched as she dried off. As Zendaya or Renee, vampire or human, she was beautiful. It took every ounce of willpower to not touch her the way I wanted. No mind fucks, mental games, or lies between us.

I didn’t know if I could trust that she didn’t remember any of her life as Zendaya. The way she’d tortured me and then showed me affection was like day and night. Which one was she? What was true and what wasn’t? Was I a traitor to my clan?

The answers were hidden inside her, and I couldn’t get them without worrying about her intentions. Going to my bedroom, I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. There was too much at stake for me to be considering anything about her. Protecting her was more than I wanted to do for a woman I was unsure about. My heart and conscience needed to keep their distance.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked from the doorway.

“I need to replace the shipment of humans that we lost. If I don’t, I won’t be able to keep you. Even if I turned you, you’d be in the same predicament as me. You’ll need food. I’ll have to go out. That means you’ll need to go too. Don’t pull any shit like you did the other night. Head down, keep quiet.”

“Yes, Master.” Renee walked into the room and climbed on the bed. I watched her carefully as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you for the bath and haircut.”

She murmured the words near my ear. When I turned toward her, we were so close that we could kiss. Fighting the urge, I nodded instead of verbally responding. She placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

“I meant what I said before. I am sorry for everything, my love.” She crawled down and disappeared to the couch.

There was a war happening. One that stirred my mind, my dick, and my soul. Remember what she did to you.

I heard it but when she’d shown me nothing but sweetness since she’d been here, holding a grudge, and even some things I said to her felt wrong. What if she was being truthful and didn’t know what she’d done? Could I forgive someone who tortured me for weeks? Everything that she said and did that I held true was done only to manipulate me. I couldn’t even make her understand how wrong it was if she didn't know what she’d done.

I closed my eyes to push everything aside so that I could rest. It was something I hadn’t done since the last time she’d been inside my mind.

RENEE

“No!”

The sound of Colton shouting jarred me awake.

“Fuck! What do you want from me?!” He yelled.

I ran into his room, prepared to fight an army of men. There was no one but him. He tossed and turned, fighting himself.

“Colton, no!” I shouted.

I touched him and he pounced on top of me quickly, ready to tear me to shreds. I screamed, and he froze moments before he was going to rip my throat out. Sliding to the floor, anxiety coursed through me quickly. He moved to come close, and I cowered, slinking into a corner. I wasn’t ready for any kind of punishment from him. My heart was still caught in my throat. I’d never known the fear that I’d just experienced.

When it passed, I stood up slowly, hoping that he was calmer, too.

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