Princess Of Hellfire

Chapter 24: Vows and Nightstands

{Eddie's POV}

{Dani's Bedroom}

{10:24pm}

You could hear a pin drop, Dani stared at me in silence as I held this dress.

I thought she was going to yell at me for snooping, but she didn't, she didn't even look mad.

After a moment, instead of being furious, she smiled, speaking softly. 

"I haven't seen that dress in ages, it was my moms, Bethany Walker." 

I was holding her mothers dress. 

She reached into her nightstand drawer and held up an old photo. 

Dani motioned me to her and I slowly walked over, sitting next to Dani on her bed. 

The photo looked like it was taken many years ago. 

In it was a woman who looked exactly like Dani, she was wearing the dress. 

Except she had short brown hair, and she was standing next to a man. 

They were smiling, and the woman was holding her hand up excitedly.

Those people were Dani's parents.

"This is what my mom wore the day my dad proposed to her." She smiled down at it, I looked up at her but her gaze never broke from it. 

She looked beautiful when she admired things, I could tell that family meant a lot to her. 

"My dad gave it to me after my mom and brothers funeral, I've never worn it because it's not my typical style, but I hope one day I can." 

She spoke in a gentle voice, I realized I had never seen this side of Dani. 

She was always so outspoken and confident, but she trusted me enough to see her like this. 

She was vulnerable and emotional. 

In that moment, I realized how deeply I had fallen for Dani. 

I stared at the photo with a smile, vowing in my head to her mother that I would protect her.

It felt like her mom could hear me, so I promised that as long as as I could help it, I would never let another thing hurt her. 

Not now, not ever again. 

We sat there for a while.  

"I..I had no idea." I spoke, breaking the silence. 

"Well, now you do." She said, smiling at me. 

"I'm so sorry I was, like, stalking your closet." I said, still feeling guilty. 

She giggled and kissed me gently. 

"It's okay, now you know something that no one else does." 

I stared at her in shock. "No one? Robin? Steve? None of them know?" 

Dani shook her head. 

"They just never asked. I mean they know my dad now. A working drunk who has made the smell of beer intolerable." She shrugged. 

She continued to talk about her old man's drinking problem, and how alcohol scared her to death when she saw people she loved drinking it. 

I didn't mind, I loved to listen.

I smiled, just relieved she wasn't mad at my curiosity. 

I set the dress on her vanity chair with caution to not wrinkle it. 

"Well, how about those pajama's, sweetheart?" 

She put the photo back in her nightstand, and nodded. 

"Yes please." She said, already taking off the shirt she had on. 

I turned around when I saw her doing it, I already creeped about her moms dress.

I didn't need her thinking I was a perv too. 

I heard a laugh from behind me, "Eddie, I'm your girlfriend now, you can watch me change." 

I felt my face get red as I slowly turned around. 

I thought she looked beautiful. 

"Plus, you're still holding my pajama shirt." I looked down and saw the Metallica tee in my hand. 

"Shit.." I walked over and handed it to her, she sat up a little more, turning her back to me. 

"Can you help me undo this?" I stared at the clasps of her bra. 

"Yes princess, of course." I sat down behind her and heard the satisfying clicks of them coming undone. 

"Not bad for only having one hand." She said, sounding impressed. 

I just laughed. "If there was more at stake I could do it with my teeth." 

Dani laughed as she slid it off and for a moment I just admired her bare back.

I reached with my good hand and traced my hand up her spine gently.

"My beautiful girl." I said softly as I kissed her shoulder. 

I saw the side of her face, she was smiling, and I recognized those rosy cheeks. 

I helped her with the shirt from behind her, making sure nothing got caught or messed up. 

I pulled down the shirt and she turned to me, she lifted up the bottom of her shirt and started to undo her shorts.

My stomach swarmed with butterflies. 

She was struggling pulling them down so without a word I leaned her on her back and started to pull them down. 

She smiled down at me, I couldn't help but smile back.

Once I got them off I noticed the scrapes on the side of her leg and hips from landing on the ground today. 

The scabs were red as the dried blood rested there. 

My face dropped and immediately I crawled on the bed over to them. 

I heard Dani's breath become hitched, I didn't want to cross any lines.

So I carefully leaned her legs to the side so she had a clear sight of what I was doing. 

I kissed the marks tenderly.

"I promise Danielle, I will never let anything hurt you again." I said. 

She smiled down at me, reaching down and grabbing the collar of my jacket up to her. 

She pulled me in for a long kiss and I never wanted to pull away. 

"Don't you need to sleep too?" Dani said. "I don't want to cuddle your vest and jacket, I want to cuddle my boyfriend." 

I smiled, my heart skipped a beat when she called me that. 

I nodded and began to take off my layers. 

Rings, socks, chains, vest, jacket, shirt and jeans. 

I looked over and realized she had watched me take all of that off. 

I was just there, half naked in front of Dani. 

She smiled when she got caught but said nothing, just pulled the covers back as an invitation. 

I crawled into bed as she turned off her lamp. 

I couldn't see much but I felt her move closer to me, I laid on my back as she contorted herself to mold her body comfortably against mine. 

She leaned up and kissed my cheek. 

"Goodnight, Eddie.." Dani said in a tired, sweet voice.

"Goodnight, angel." I said as I kissed her head gently as I shut my eyes.