The Thorns Which It Bears

Love Me (Part 4)

What's this? An update within a calendar year? lol. We'll be bumping up the rating to E now. And also adding that dub-con/non-con tag I warned about in early chapters. Nothing crazy or violent.

Sarah struggled to sit in her bed as her sheets twisted around her legs. Her fingers rubbed the sore spot on her disheveled head. It still hurt where she had pulled out of his grasp.

Pain. She'd always heard you should pinch yourself to see if you were dreaming. In her case, maybe it was the key to taking control. To waking up. There had been times in the past when a scraped knee or stubbed toe would wake her. Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? She could use this to keep herself from danger.

She was so close to getting answers. He said the ballroom was her design. She huffed as she laid back on her pillows again. That couldn't be true. Could it? He had to be lying. Manipulating her for some sick reason. But was he?

Staring at the popcorn ceiling, she counted the textured constellations with her gaze. Images of the dancers flashed in her mind ruining her concentration. She couldn't possibly want that. Her cheeks burned as another image took its place. Fair hair against dark.

She could concede that she found him attractive. She always had. Who wouldn't? But he had hunted her down...hadn't he? She was wrong about him killing her friends. Was he pursuing her for different reasons altogether? There was only one way to find out.

Letting out a deep exhale, Sarah closed her eyes. She concentrated on loosening the muscles of her body starting from her feet up to her head. Her body went lax, feeling heavy as she allowed it to melt into the mattress.

"Back so soon, dearest?" Jareth drawled, leaning against a column. He knew she would return tonight.

The bodies around the perimeter of the room were now in various states of undress. Bare skin reflecting in the candlelight from above.

Jareth took Sarah in his arms. Having her disappear so suddenly was like a wound ripping open. His body screamed for her and now she was his only salve. Healing that which had been torn asunder. She felt different though. Stiff and determined. She kept her gaze firmly on him not allowing herself the temptation to be distracted by their lascivious surroundings. He, on the other hand, was perfectly willing to allow themselves the indulgences the room provided. But his ruminations were interrupted.

Squaring her shoulders, she asked, "If I control the Labyrinth, why did it trap me?" She needed to know. To finally understand.

Jareth knitted his brows in consternation. Ever the stubborn heroine it would seem. Though she would still not appreciate the answers she sought. "I didn't say you were controlling it. It gives you your desires. You were caught because you wanted to be caught." He cupped her chin, tilting her head up. "You still do."

But she was ready. Her teeth pierced her bottom lip before he could press his lips to hers. The tang of iron touched her tongue as she blinked once more in the darkness of her bedroom. Rolling to her side, she pressed her lips together in an effort to stop the pulsing of the broken skin that raced with her heart. She had escaped safely this time and she knew now that could do it again.

She needed to keep asking questions while he was so generous with his answers. Why was he being so generous? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Sarah. She decided on her next question. Would she even be able to fall asleep again? She closed her eyes and the glaring Goblin King that was once more before her was all the answer she needed.

Jareth's grip was tighter than he intended but he needed her close. She held his gaze and he saw the determination spark to life behind the green irises. Her bravery and bravado were once more alight. A sight that stirred more than nostalgia in his hardened heart.