Page 204 of Once Upon a Fable

Still there.

She was still asleep where I’d left her.

Thank God.

My ears pricked as she mumbled something softly.

Asleep but not for long.

My hands shook as I traded the long length of the chain for the leather belt at the end. The fact I wore no other clothes apart from the boxer briefs she’d dressed me in was convenient as I slipped the leather around my waist and snapped the padlock into position.

Gemma groaned under her pile of blankets. Her arm moved to rub her head.

Now.

Or it’s too late.

Rushing forward, I practically fell on top of her as I plunged to the floor, grabbed the leash still tethered to her ankle, and snapped the final lock into place.

I’d told her I was grateful she’d tried to remove it.

I had too in the past.

And we’d both realized it wasn’t removable without a key. She’d tested it and found the reality of her entrapment. Now, I’d ensured shecould move around Fables. She could continue caring for me, could go where I went, and help me fix the damage she’d caused with my vegetable patch.

We would be each other’s shadows as we prepped and prepared for a season change. We would be forever linked, and I could finally, finally relax. Finally trust that she was here to stay.

I wouldn’t have to keep her in the basement. I could harness her strength and borrow her hands in order to do the things I currently couldn’t do. All the while, she could continue enjoying sunshine and books and my twisted company.

We could walk and talk; we could learn and grow.

We could spend decades bound together, and she could never leave.

She’s truly mine.

Utterly and completely.

And she would hate me for every second of it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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I WOKE TO THE scents of carbonara ravioli. A creamy, hearty promise of a full belly and comforting warmth.

Pity it made me dry wretch.

Ouch.

My head pounded as more senses came back online. The light hurt my eyes. The cold floor bruised my bones. The world I’d woken in wasn’t the one I’d just left.

Wait...

Left.

I was leaving—

My heart switched from slow and sluggish to fast and chaotic as I blinked and exploded upright.