Damsel (Slowly Rewriting)

chapter 6

Lacey

         We stood there for a few minutes, me holding his head to my stomach, his large, strong arms wrapped around my waist as he stood on his knees. Occasionally, I'd run my hands through his soft hair, or rub his broad shoulders in a comforting way. At this point, I had no idea why I was comforting him. A part of me felt uneasy at the fact that he was so deeply hurt due to my actions. Hell, we had only known each other for two days.

The silence was deafening.

"It's not your fault, Xavier." I said, my voice quiet yet strong.

"Yes, it is." His usual soft, comforting voice growled out. He stood up, his eyes black. A chill ran down my spine at his suddenly angry state of being. I tried not to back away in fear, knowing that it would only make him more angry.

"I didn't protect you. It's my job to protect you, and I failed. And you took it out on yourself, Lacey. That's what hurts so fucking much." Xavier choked out, while standing up to his full height. His eyes were black, and I could feel his body heat radiating off of him.

"It's in the past now, Xavier. There's nothing we can do about it. It sounds harsh but it's true." I said quietly, pausing. "You're here now, okay? You can protect me, and I can guarantee I'll let you if that's what you want." Truth be told, I was still terrified. Thus, I tried to comply with everything he yearned for in order for me to stay safe. I mumbled to him, smiling shyly to try and lighten the mood.

He walked away from me, inhaling and exhaling loudly. He runs his hands through his hair for the umpteenth time. I started shaking slightly when he pounded his fists into the wall.

My chest started to cave in, and I found it incredibly hard to breathe as he punched multiple holes into the wall, getting all of his anger out.

"P-please stop." I whimpered, so only he could hear. He turned around, his black eyes turning to a shade of gold when he saw me.

His face relaxed as I hesitantly walked towards him, placing my hand on his bloody knuckles as I tried my best to soothe him. His next punch could easily be delivered directly to my face. I felt a chill begin to run down my spine at the mere thought of him inflicting pain onto me. He was much bigger than my father, much stronger. I can only imagine what he could do to me.

He swiftly grabbed my waist, and brought my smaller frame to his muscular, tall frame.

Xavier deeply inhaled my scent that he seemed to adore, possibly to calm himself down. He raked his long fingers through my hair, and I physically felt his heart beat go down.

"I'm so sorry, Lacey. I'm so fucking sorry. I regret not being there so much, baby. Please know that. Please." He said, his voice still quiet and slightly groggy from crying. What was wrong with this man? One minute he was punching walls and yelling obscenities, the next he was holding me close to him like a human teddy-bear.

I grabbed his face, and looked him straight in the eyes, hoping he would hear me out on this. I had already dealt with enough trauma regarding senseless violence to last a life time. I wasn't going to let this makeshift kidnapper make me feel fearful.

"Listen to me, Xavier. I'm not mad or upset with you, I will never be. I know you care. You're here now, right? Y-you can protect me." I said shakily, hoping he would understand. He nodded stiffly, making me want to sigh in relief. He was absolutely unpredictable, he ran both hot and cold.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked looking down at me, wincing when he saw me rubbing my scar covered thighs-- a habit I had started doing whenever I became nervous. My palms felt sweaty against my skin, almost sticking to me.