Bella
I lay there silently on the verge of death with tears streaming down my face, too weak to fight back as he extracted his teeth from my skin before pulling back to glare down at me. His eyes moved over my face slowly, taking in every little twitch of my muscles. His hand shifted on my throat so he could press his thumb over the spot he bit, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. I let my eyes flutter closed as dark shadows twirled around me. The shadows of goodbye filled my vision, making it impossible to stay conscious as I prayed for death.
While I drifted between various states of unconsciousness, I felt his hand loosen around my throat until it lay beside my head, while he breathed deeply. Moments later, he climbed off me, and I was lifted off the bed. I didn't know where he was taking me. It didn't matter. I was going to die. I knew it. It was only a matter of time.
After I was laid on something soft, he positioned my arms on my stomach before brushing my hair back, shocking me. "He can't have you," he murmured. "I meant it when I said you were mine. You will serve me for all eternity. You will live and breathe my orders. You will stay in my quarters now, so I know you're not disobeying my orders." He paused as he ran his fingers over his bite mark again. "I may not want you, but he can't have you either. I'll make sure of it."
Edward
I gazed upon her, lying there, pale and trembling, her chest barely rising and falling with each shallow breath. The defiance that once burned within her had now faded, leaving behind a fragile, shattered soul. It was a stark contrast to the fierce determination that had ignited her eyes when she first crossed my path. Yet, there was something about her that continued to tug at the corners of my mind, a persistent whisper that refused to be silenced. She belonged to me. How could this delicate human be mine? I could not fathom it, but she was undeniably mine. Perhaps it was the resemblance to Ara, long gone and buried, that stirred something within me, transforming me into the Beast. Or could my Beast want her for himself?
I could never love her in the way she or Arnold, my loyal head guard, might have hoped. Not in the way of mortal affections or human connections. No, she was my servant, my possession. I did not desire her in a romantic sense, not in the way that men yearn for women. Such emotions required a tenderness that I had long forsaken. The mere thought of her in the arms of another, the mere suggestion that Arnold could claim her, manipulate her to his will, ignited a primal rage within me. She was mine, and mine alone!
She stirred ever so slightly, her lips parting to release a shallow breath. The sight of her in such a weakened state, vulnerable and dependent, should have satisfied me. But instead, it stirred within me an unidentifiable ache and a raging fury that I could not contain.
Running my fingers over the bite mark on her neck, the faint bruising mocking a claim, I was overwhelmed by her scent. It whispered fear and deceit, or perhaps I was deceiving myself, wanting to believe she had betrayed me.
With a sharp exhale that reverberated through the quiet room, I accepted the inevitable. What was done could not be undone. She was now mine for eternity, to be kept under my watchful eye. Arnold would undoubtedly make another attempt, his desire firmly rooted within him. But I was not one to surrender, especially not to him. Though he may have bestowed his kingdom upon me in exchange for my vengeance against Ara, it would have been mine regardless once my child was born. Even if my Beast were capable of love, I would never allow another woman to suffer as Ara had.
"I may not desire you," I murmured, almost to myself. "But that does not mean you will ever belong to anyone else." That was the truth…the only truth I could muster right now. I needed to contact the other sides of myself, but they weren't speaking to me. As I gazed at Bella, I knew why.
Her eyelashes fluttered, a fleeting moment of consciousness before her body sank back into the bed. It was a sight that brought a twisted sense of satisfaction. A confirmation that she would survive, that she would endure. I needed her to. Her life was no longer her own. It belonged to me.
As I stood and made my way to the door, I couldn't help but steal one last glance at her. The dim light revealed her delicate figure, her once dark hair now a pale tangle against the shadows of the bedding. What power did this mere mortal hold over me?
With a derisive snort, I pushed the thought aside and shut the door behind me. The guards outside flinched as I passed, their eyes fixed on the ground. They knew better than to question my actions. And soon, she would learn the same. She had no choice. Our fates were now intertwined, bound together in a twisted dance of darkness.
Now, neither of us would be alone in the shadows. And perhaps, just perhaps, her spark would soon ignite a fire that would consume us both.