Hideout

E X C E R P T

"Please, just leave me alone. You've done enough tonight."

Leo caught my arm when I turned to go into my apartment, his eyes guarded. "You know, I understand your situation a lot more than you think. You'd have a safe place under my roof - you wouldn't have to go through that ever again." I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking away. "We'd take care of you."

"That's what they promised me too."

He frowned at me, touching the birthmark on the side of my face, and I grimaced. No one touched me, not usually. Especially there. His fingers pushed my hair out of my face slowly, looking at the different colored skin curiously.

"I keep my promises," he said intensely. "Especially promises I make to beautiful girls."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't. Don't say that."

"What? Don't call you beautiful?" Leo tested in amusement. "I have never heard a girl ask not to be called beautiful."

"I don't want to be told lies," I hissed under my breath. "I've had enough of those in my life."

Leo was silent for a while, following me into my apartment. "What have they done to you, princess?" The way he was walking toward me was almost predator-like. And I was the perfect prey: scared, cornered, and lacking confidence. I shrank against the nearest wall, Leo moving to stand over me, his hair falling into his eyes as one of his hands disposed of my glasses and threw them onto my bed across the room, his other coming up so his thumb could brush over my bottom lip slowly. 

"You should go," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut as the glove on my left hand was pulled off, Leo pulling my hand to his mouth and kissing the ugly, unnatural skin.

"Let me stay the night."