Page 58 of Vow of Darkness
Gabriel walks around the wall and spots me instantly. “Aurora?” There’s honest surprise in his voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I woke up. I went walking around. I saw you come out here.”
“So you followed me.” He crosses his arms, making his biceps look bigger.
“Yes.” There’s no point in denying it now.
“Why did you follow me? This is my private time.”
“You always have private time,” I mutter.
He frowns. “What does that mean?”
“It means you keep your distance from me. You saved my life. But before that, you’re the reason I was put into danger in the first place. And then you tell me about your family. How they were killed right before your very eyes. And then you want to push me away again. You confuse me. You can’t blame me for wanting to know you. For following you out here. You don’t get to treat me like this, Gabriel. It’s not fair.”
“I decide the rules.”
“Who decided that you decide the rules?”
“I do.”
I stand up straighter, facing him down. I’ve always had to be brave when it comes to him. “No. You don’t get to make that decision for both of us. I am my own person. You will treat me a such.”
“This is just for me!” he shouts, pointing at the center of the maze. “It’s just for me.”
I slowly walk towards him until we’re toe-to-toe. “Why is it just for you?”
“I don’t have to explain myself.”
“Yes. You do. To your wife you do. You made me your wife. You now have to treat me as such.”
“Aurora, go back inside,” he growls.
“Or what? You’ll spank me some more? Touch me again? Confuse me? Make me care for you and then leave me alone, making me more upset?”
He blinks. Clearly, no one has ever spoken to him like this before. Good. He needs to hear it. “I am in charge.”
“What will happen if you’re not?”
“You will get hurt!” he shouts. His voice echoes through the maze.
I gasp, taking a step back. “I already got hurt, Gabriel.” I hold my wrist up. “What else can happen to me?”
“A lot. I have seen it. I have to keep my distance from you or you will get hurt.”
“So then why make me your wife in the first place?”
“Because I had to make you mine. I had to keep other men from touching you. It was the only way.”
“So you wanted me and yet… you don’t want me? It doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” he growls. “Your innocence calls to me. I want to make you mine so fucking badly. But I’ve also seen what it’s like to care about people and lose them all. I will not care for you.”
“Just because you’re worried you’ll lose me? You’ll let yourself be miserable and alone forever just to avoid heartbreak? Gabriel, that’s just… sad.”
“I don’t want your pity.” He clenches his fists, turning away from me. “Go back inside.”
“Why are you doing this? Why come out here? Why get shirtless?”
