Mine

Chapter 33

He laid beside her, propped up on one elbow, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest as she slept. The morning sun rose slowly outside, with the faint chirp of birds sliding in through the windows and the faint breeze scented with lavender from the garden.

He watched her with a silence that spread around them yet his mind was very loud at the moment.

So naive! How could you be so naive? And so secretive? How much longer will you take to expose her?

Just once I get my hands on Raven then I will stop chasing you babygirl. All you need to do is show me the way.

She nestled closer against his chest, her soft breaths warm against his skin. She had no idea, did she? No idea how easily she gave herself away. How easily she trusted the arms that were built to deceive her.

She looked so peaceful like this. So his.

His fingers twitched, resisting the urge to trace the outline of her lips. How much longer will she trust me? How much longer until she starts to question?

She thinks she is being careful? Thinks she is keeping her little world locked away from me, but I learned long ago how people expose themselves in the smallest of ways and you will too.

You can't hide her forever babygirl!

The name was an itch beneath his skin, an unanswered question that drove him mad. She was connected to Raven somehow, he knew. Somewhere in her little world was the key he needed.

The plan was working perfectly. He had planted every step perfect, every fear like a seed waiting to bloom. But he couldn't slip up, not now. He had her where he wanted her. Dependent. Safe in his arms, thinking he was the only one she could trust.

Soon, she will trust him enough to expose her, Raven! And, that's when Taehyung will stop! He will be done!

His gaze flickered to her phone on the nightstand. Another message left unseen. She'll check it soon.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, her body shifting slightly toward him. His thoughts stilled. Then, she blinked awake, her eyes hazy with sleep before they landed on him.

She smiled. A soft, dreamy kind of smile. "You're up already?"

For a second, just a second, something in Taehyung moved. He wasn't expecting that.

Caught in his thoughts, in his game, he hadn't prepared for the moment she'd look at him like this, like he wasn't the monster lurking in the dark corners of her life.

His heart shouldn't react to that, but it did.

Safe. If only she knew.

He swallowed the hesitation and returned the smile, pushing back into character. His hand reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "Couldn't miss this chance to watch you sleep."

She hummed, shifting closer, resting her head against his chest. "Sounds like a stalker work"

Taehyung chuckled, the sound low and easy, masking the sharp edge of his thoughts. His fingers traced slow, absentminded patterns against her back, as if soothing her but really, he was grounding himself. Keeping himself in check.

Stalker work? If only she knew.

His smirk deepened, fingers tightening slightly against her skin before he forced them to relax. "Maybe. But a handsome one, don't you think?"

She rolled her eyes but didn't move away. Instead, she sighed, her breath fanning against his collarbone. "Flattery won't save you from sounding creepy."