Page 37 of Blood Spilled
“Shh ... you are safe with me. You may not believe me, but you are and always will be. You did so good for me. You're so fucking perfect.”
With him still in my arms, I lower myself in front of a large tree. Repositioning him in my lap, tugging my coat over his body. I continue rubbing his back. He buries his head into my neck as we rock back and forth against the tree. I cover him in more kisses, and he relaxes against me. He releases a soft sigh when I begin singing him the song he always sang to himself while in the cage. It settles him the same way it did then. I run my hand through his hair, massaging his scalp.
“Te amo.” I whisper in his ear and can feel him smiling against my skin.
Twenty-five
Santiago
My mind is caught in a haze and my body still feels like it's coming down from the clouds. I stay wrapped in Angel's large arms and it's as comforting as it is grounding. He sings to me and the words are familiar and so is the melody. It takes time for my mind to connect to the dots and for me to realize it's the song my nanny used to sing to me when I was little—the same song that calmed me to sleep all those nights alone in the cage.
I bury my face into his chest, basking in his scent and warmth. I never knew it was possible to feel the things I felt tonight, or that things with Angel could be any better than they already were. I fall into a calm and sated state, everything is quiet, and my mind is at complete peace. It’s both magical and freeing. As I was coming down from a higher plane earlier, Angel was there to steady me when everything got too overwhelming.
I didn't think he'd come today, but now that he's here, I don't want him to leave without me and I hate that. No one shouldhave this kind of power over me and that's why I never gave it to anyone before. He holds me tighter, wrapping his jacket further around me and whispering sweet things into my ear. For a minute, I swear I’d heard him tell me he loved me, but that can't be right.
How could anyone ever love a person like me, let alone someone like Angel? I close my eyes, feeling suddenly exhausted, allowing myself to drift off.
When I wake up, I'm still in Angel's arms and he's proudly smiling down at me. “Hey there, little mouse. Have a nice nap?”
I sit up in his lap, letting the jacket fall off me and then cling to it when I realize I'm still naked from the waist down. All I have on is my white button down and my tie hanging loosely around my neck. “Yeah. Where are we?”
He laughs and its light with no sign of maliciousness to be found. “We are outside your house, in your secret garden.”
I roll my eyes. “There is no garden, so I don’t know why you keep calling it that.”
“Fine, we are in your secret hideaway then.”
“It’s hardly a secret if you know about it,” I huff out.
“It can be our secret.” He presses his lips to mine, slipping his tongue inside my parted mouth. His kisses travel from my lips to each cheek and then my forehead. “I should go now.”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“I can’t stay here, mi mascota.”
“Then take me with you. I don’t know who I am here.” My eyes widen when I realize I’ve said those words out loud. It’s dangerous enough to think them.
He presses his forehead against mine. “Not today.”
I crawl out of his lap and run toward the swing, unable to move in a straight line with my mind still hazy. He stays by the tree watching me as I tug on my pants and pull on my jacket. Igrab my gun from the ground and point it at him as I walk back toward the tree.
He looks up at me smiling. “What are you doing now? Don’t be stupid, pet. Put the gun down.”
“I’m not your fucking pet, not out here. You are in my world now and you are the one who has nowhere to go. I should kill you, and then maybe I can be rid of you. Maybe then I can separate you from my mind and be rid of this sense of loss whenever you aren’t here. You already won, you got what you wanted. You ruined me like you had promised you would, and we've only been apart two days, but still I wander around my room lost. I hate you for it.”
“You were always lost. It’s just recently you’ve been found. You aren’t ruined.”
He gets up from the ground and slowly inches toward me. He reaches for the gun and I stay frozen, allowing him to pull it from my hand. He tugs on my tie, yanking me toward him. “You’re perfect, and you’re mine.”
I close my eyes, sighing against his lips. The warmth of his breath is enough to drive me out of my skin. “I’m not anyone’s. You should go before I kill you.”
“I’m the one with the gun in my hand. If I wanted to, I could drag you to my car, and throw you back in your cage.”
“Why don’t you then?” I shove against his chest, putting some distance between us. I hate how much I can’t stand the empty space resting there.
“Because you don’t belong in there. You never did.”
“Where do I belong then?” I ask with shaky words. He’s already seen me at my most vulnerable state, it’s too late to go back now.
