The Beast's Possession

**Aife

pov**

As his gaze slowly traveled up and Bane leaned his head back so he could look into my eyes, my breath hitched and my heart... it skipped a beat.

I wasn't sure if this was excitement that bubbled inside me or raw fear.

My mother once told me to listen to my gut feeling, not the butterflies that danced in my stomach. That was a warning sign, butterflies were bad, an early fight or flight response. But if that was the truth, why did the butterflies start an atomic war inside me, why did they scream in my mind that I shouldn't look away, that I should give in?

The lust that burned in his eyes was new, but there was something more that caught me completely off guard.

Longing. Sadness and pain beyond measure.

There were so many conflicted emotions in his gaze that I didn't dare to look away, afraid I might miss something.

I hated myself for being this way. For always fighting myself every step of the way, desperate to find good in people who had wronged me times and times again. And now, I did the same with Bane.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that he had committed crimes worse than anyone. It didn't matter that he was more of a beast than a human, and that he had hurt me so many times. All I could think about was how much I wanted to wrap my arms around him and take the pain away.

No matter how evil the villain of my story was, he was hurting. Bad. And no one deserved the hurt that I found in his eyes.

"Shower," I whispered, sounding like someone else, but definitely not me.noveldrama

Bane kept looking at me. He didn't move a muscle, he didn't try to force himself on me or play some dirty tricks. He just gazed at me.

Funny how I was already used to his threatening glares and didn't pay attention to them.

But now that he just gazed at me as if I was something magical and beautiful, I couldn't take it. The pressure was too much.

And once again, I found myself wishing the old Bane would come back.

I already felt pity for this man, for whatever he had gone through, and it had to stop. I needed to hate him. I needed to despise him with all my heart, passionately.

The only issue was that my body wanted a different kind of passion. At least once.

"Bane, you said we need to take a shower. Your cooks are working downstairs, the food will be ready soon." I clung to any excuse I could think of.

A moment later, Bane shook his head and broke out of the odd trance. His eyes traveled to the nearest wall and focused on it. "Yeah," he cleared his throat and slowly raised to his feet. "Sorry, let's get over this. I'm sure you're tired." I nodded so fast, I was surprised I didn't get dizzy.

Unlike Bane, I didn't look at him while he was undressing. He might have enjoyed looking at my body, but I wouldn't return the same energy.

His touch was gentle when he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me inside the enormous shower. Bane ordered me to stay aside while he checked the water temperature, so I did.

My back was turned to him so I wouldn't have the temptation to look at him.

We didn't speak a word as he hummed a melody under his breath, one I hadn't heard before.

Then, I jumped when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me under the stream of water. "Hey, it's just water, it won't hurt you," he muttered.

All I could do was nod. I knew that sometimes I overreacted a little, but I wasn't the biggest fan of suddenly being pulled under the water, even if in the shower. Bane still held me tight against his body. He rested his head on my shoulder and muttered, "you are too thin."

On cue, I looked down. I wasn't too thin. In fact, I was at healthy weight, and even maybe a little over. He might be a beast, but Bane didn't exactly deny me food.

"I think I'm good," I replied without thinking.

A chuckle left him. "I didn't ask what you think, I stated a fact. You are too thin. I like my women with a little more flesh on their bones. In fact, the more the better. I'm not exactly a small guy as you see, so it's not like I can't carry around a woman even if she deems herself 'fat', while I disagree. I prefer if I feel the soft skin and flesh when I grab my woman, not her bones. And yours," he trailed off.

I held my breath as Bane slid his finger over my ribs and then down to my hips. His actions were intentional, but not forced.

"Yours are visible to anyone. Even when you're fully dressed. I can see your bones everywhere. You're too thin," he stated with a little more aggression lacing his words.

"I think I'm fine. Healthy weight," I muttered.

Honestly, I was dying to get out of here already. He claimed he wouldn't touch me, and yet, he did.

"You promised to wash my hair, remember?" I added, just to give him something to busy himself with.

For as long as he focused on washing my hair, not my body, I could still be somewhat okay with the weird change of heart.

"Yeah, I remember," Bane muttered as he turned his head and his lips slightly brushed my skin.

Wherever his skin met mine, it burned. I wasn't sure if it was a burn of disgust or something else, but I couldn't tell anyway.

I had been sheltered from many things in my old life, men included, so I had no experience.

At the end of the day, as much as I loved my father and looked up to him, I knew that one day he would use me as a business transaction. Unfortunately for me it meant that I was basically clueless about far too many things in my life. Bane stepped away from me so I leaned my head back and let the water soak my hair fully. From there, I let everything go and cleared my mind. I didn't want to think.

The beast did wash my hair. He was gentle and careful not to pull on it. Bane went as far as reading the instructions on the bottles like a true lunatic, just to know for how long he was supposed to leave the mask in my hair. When he rinsed me off and lifted me out of the shower, I shivered as the cold bathroom air licked at my skin.

Bane was there a second later, wrapping me inside a massive towel and carrying me into the bedroom. He set me on the bed and ordered me to stay.

Maybe he forgot I didn't really have a choice in it?

He returned with a massive T-shirt and a small bag in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked, eyeing the bag with suspicion.

"Panties and a bra. I sent a maid to the house to pack you some for now. Tomorrow we can go there and grab some clothes for you, but for now, this will do." Bane announced with a proud smile across his lips.

Just like he undressed me in the bathroom, he now pulled me to my feet and helped me get dressed. His eyes lingered on my breasts for a little too long, but I wrote it down as typical man behavior.

Once Bane pulled his shirt over my head, he whispered something to himself and scooped me in his arms again. "Where are you taking me?" I gasped.

"Bed," he laughed. Bane actually carried me the mere three steps I would have to walk to get in bed myself.

I stared at him in pure disbelief as he pulled the covers over me and handed me the TV remote. "I meant it when I said it's about time I treat you as what I claim you are," Bane muttered without meeting my eyes and left the bedroom.