GRAY pov
I wake up feeling warm. My side is cradled to a mattress much softer than the ratty sleeping bag I usually sleep on. I crack my eyes open and see that I'm in a strange place. Then I remember last night. I'm supposed to be dead. Crap.
I'm in a giant bed with charcoal bedding. The room is very modern. The ceiling is high and black. It looks semi-industrial. There are heavily tinted windows that go from floor to ceiling and I'm guessing I'm in the city in a high rise apartment. This doesn't look like heaven but it is nice.
I stretch my limbs and sit up in bed. The walls are white. The modern black leather chair in the corner is empty just like the rest of the room. I see an open door to the left and walk to it. Thankfully it's a bathroom. I relieve my aching bladder and wash my hands while avoiding the mirror. I know there's bruises on my face. They're three days old now but I still feel them when I open my mouth wide.
I make my way back to the bed and sit on the edge. I lean my head back and close my eyes. I breath deep and try to relax. It's harder than it looks.
"Hello Miss Perrin." A voice says and I jump. I scan the room but see no one.
"Do not be afraid." His deep voice tells me.
"Are you the one who took me last night?" I ask hesitantly.
"Yes I am."
"Where are you?" I ask.
"Look up to the right. There is a speaker and a camera." I look and see the tiny camera and small speaker.
"What is your name?" I ask. I hate not being able to call him something. I hear him chuckle.
"For now you can call me by my nickname. Most people call me Death. Although I am not the Death you may be thinking of." He laughs again but it sounds slightly evil and muffled.
"Are you going to kill me then Death? Can I at least see your face first? I've had enough pain. I cannot bear anymore." I say and I find myself crying. I sit and let the tears fall. I wipe at them angrily. Death is quiet. He's probably just watching me.
After what seems like ten minutes. I hears footsteps on the hard floors. The bedroom door opens and a man walks in. He's maybe in his late 20's. He's not just any man though. He's tall. Over six feet. He has tan skin and wide shoulders. His jaw is square and his lips are semi-full. He's wearing a black suit with a white button down underneath. He's well groomed. His black hair slicked back. His black soulless eyes hold no emotion. His face gives away nothing.
"Death?" I ask in a whisper.
"Yes Miss Perrin. It is me."
"You're so handsome..." I say dumbly.
"Evil can hide behind any pretty face. The mask of Death is his greatest deception." He says.
"I know of monsters...Death. I know a monster who wears a mask..." I say while trailing off. The stupid tears flow again at the thought of my dad.
"Tell me Miss Perrin. Did the monster give you these bruises?" He asks me. I try to hide my legs in the sheets.
"Don't hide your body from me!" He shouts.
I stop moving and nod. He's closer now. Only a foot away and his eyes are taking in my face. My body shakes with fear.
"Do you believe this monster deserves to die?" He asks me. I barely find my voice but I decide to answer him.
"He has done many bad things but he is the only family I have left. If he dies I want to die as well." I try to say this with confidence but my voice comes out small.
"Would you take the monster's place Miss Perrin and give your life so this monster could live?"
"I hide behind a fake name and a painful smile...I am already dead. But killing me won't stop him." I state. He moves to the chair and watches me. His eyes narrow slightly but he remains quiet.
DEATH pov
I sit and stare at this girl. She is a mystery to me. Earlier, I sat in my office and stared at the love video feed from my computer. I watched the pain sweep across her face as her tears began to flow. I hated how that shit made me feel. So I decided to let her see my face.
She has so much sadness. The air is thick with it. I register the fear on her face. I remind myself that I can't f*ckin' fix her. She's so naive. I'm a killer. I end peoples problems with a bullet through the head. But I know killing her wont satisfy the man who hired me to kill her father.
When I woke up beside her this morning I pulled myself out of the bed quietly. I wanted to look at her. Her face had yellowing bruises on it. Her arms had fingerprint bruises on them as well. She is tiny. I wonder when the last time was that she ate a f*ckin' meal.
One thing keeps running through my mind. She is beautiful. I hope that f*cker didn't touch her. If he stole her innocence than killing him wont be enough. I don't torture but I would make an exception for this f*cking monster.
I snap back to reality when I see her watching me intently. I know she's waiting for me to speak.
"Miss Perrin. I am not going to kill you. I will not inflict pain on an innocent for the sins of another. You have my word." I see the slight relief but she quickly tries to hide it.
"However, we both know you are a part of this...situation. I cannot simply let you go free and return to the monster and flee." I lean forward and touch my fingertips together. " I don't like when my plans are altered." I say more to myself then to her.
"If you intend to hand me over to the bad men or sell me then I would rather you kill me." She says through tears. What in the f*ck? She thinks I'm going to turn her out or sell her off to some f*cker? I calm my seething anger as best I can.
"I will not give you over to anyone. You are mine. You will answer to me and only me and I promise to protect you from the damage done by your father!" I grit out the words and watch her flinch. I didn't mean to frighten her but she needs to understand that I may kill people but I do not watch innocent people get hurt.
"Do you understand me Miss Perrin?" I ask. My tone gentler. It sounds foreign to me.
"Yes. Thank you." She says through pleading eyes.
"What will you do with me?" She asks me nervously.
I contemplate my words. I intended to use her as leverage but now I am uncertain. I give her the simplest answer I can come up with.
"You will stay here until I say otherwise." She nods.
Once again her sadness pains me. She is full of fear and sadness but I do not think she know what I am capable of or maybe she doesn't care. When I carried her to my car, I felt her give up. She expected to die but instead she got...Death. She should be scared. Killing her would have been easier for both of us but she deserves a life.
I stare at her bony arms and legs. She needs to eat. I remind myself that I am not a monster and I can at least try to take care of this girl. It's not her fault that a**hole did this to her.
"All right Gray Perrin. Let's get some breakfast. Are you hungry?" I ask. I'm glad to change the subject. I watch her smile and it takes my breath away. It also does other things to my member straining behind my zipper.
I calm my raging hard on. I remind myself of her bruised body and my dick softens up pretty quickly. I stand up and walk to the closet. I pull out one of my tshirts from my drawer. It's going to be huge on her but at least It's clean and I wont have to see her a** half hanging out of her shirt.
"Change into this for now. I will get you some clothes of your own today." I say. Her face lights up as she takes my shirt in her hand. Either she likes the idea of wearing my stuff or she's excited that I'm planning on buying her new clothes. I doubt she had anything nice in that sh*tty apartment of hers.
"Come out to the kitchen when you are ready." I say.
"I can make breakfast if you want Death. I like making pancakes." She says while looking down at her feet.
"How about I give you a day off today and we can order whatever you want. I promise you can cook for me soon." I say with a half smile. I sound like a Deutsche but it puts her at ease. She nods and smiles back. I leave the room and try hard not to think about her getting naked in my bedroom.
GRAY pov
Death leaves me and I hurry and get dressed. I'm starving and slightly relieved knowing I don't have to cook. I have been cooking, cleaning, paying bills and getting groceries since my mom died and I am thrilled for a day off. Although I like cooking.
I slide his expensive grey tshirt over my head. It smells amazing and feels so soft on my bare skin. I take a few deep breaths and pull myself together. Death is a scary man and even though he said he wouldn't hurt me, I'm not going to let my guard down. I feel a slight giddiness wash over me and I push it away. Death has been nice to me but I have to keep my head together. He is a killer and I should be scared. I square my shoulders. No matter what happens, I can handle it. I have handled worse. I walk to the kitchen and am not surprised to find a huge open space with high end modern cabinets and plenty of stainless steel.
Death is standing with his back to the counter. Legs crossed. He took off his suit jacket and it sits over a chair at the bar. His white button down shirt hugs his broad chest. The top three buttons are undone and I can just make out the traces of a tattoo. He's very um good looking.
"What are you hungry for? I will order whatever you want." He says.
"Waffles...I haven't had them in so long. Yes waffles with syrup. Maybe some bacon and fresh fruit?" I ask. I'm nervous. I should be afraid of him.
"Absolutely" he says. He smiles and shows beautiful white teeth.
He gets on his phone and orders two of everything. I sit in silence. I have not been exposed to many men over the last four ears but Death is the most attractive and scary man I have encountered.
I am stirred out of my thoughts when there's a knock at the door. I get nervous and hide in the kitchen where I'm not visible from the door. Death brings in the food and lays it out on the counter. He sets up mine in front of the chair and I cannot hold myself back any longer.
I rush around the counter and dig in. I catch Death watching me.
"Sorry." I say. I feel stupid. I'm not an animal just a very hungry girl.
"Do not be sorry Gray. Eat." He states. He sits next to me and we eat in silence. I finish everything but then my stomach starts to hurt. I grab my belly. Death gives me a questioning look.
"I think I ate a little too much and a little too fast." I blurt. He sets down his fork and reaches for me. I let him but my body stiffens up. He lifts me up with ease and brings me to the bed. He sets me down and props me up slightly with pillows. A blanket is pulled over my legs and hips and he walks away.
He presses a button on the nightstand next to me. All the sudden the wall in front of me opens up and a tv screen is revealed. I barely stop my mouth from dropping open. He sets a remote in my lap and his black eyes stare at me.
"Rest. Watch whatever you like. I will be in my office working for an hour or so. If you feel better when I am done. I will get you something to wear and I can take you shopping." He says. I only nod. I haven't had a tv in years. I flip through channels and settle on a chick flick.
After a half hour my stomach has settled. I know that I had eaten too much. I was ravenous and it tasted delicious. I relax into the comfy bed and enjoy the fact that I can have such a luxury. My life has been rough for some time. I didn't like it. I accepted it though. Too many nights I have gone to bed hungry or cold. Sometimes our electric was shut off and we had no heat.
I shouldn't feel safe here. In the bed of my kidnapper. A man who was sent to kill my dad. But I can't seem to stop myself from feeling safer than I have felt in years. He might look scary on the outside but he has been kind to me. A kindness I don't deserve.
I start wondering what will become of me. What does he see in me? Does he see a poor dirty child plastered in blue, yellow and purple marks? I lost my childhood when I found my mom dead. I had to become the adult. I'm not the once carefree child I used to be. Honestly, I have forgotten who I really am. Yesterday my name was Nikki Wilson. I hated the name.
I hear the doorbell ring and my body tenses. I'm afraid my dad might of found me or maybe it's the bad men coming to collect me as payment for my dad's debt. I know Death said he wont give me to them but can I trust him? I haven't trusted anyone in so long.
I hear footsteps and I hold my breath. I pull into myself and wait. Death arrives at the bedroom door alone. I think he sees my fear.
"Gray. It's alright. I had a few things delivered for you. I hope they fit." He says. He sits a bag in front of me along with a converse shoe box. I get up on my knees and open it while he sits and watches me. I pull out a soft pale pink sweater and a pair of dark skinny jeans. In the bottom is a simple pair of small pink panties, white socks and matching pink bra. In the shoe box is a pair of white converse shoes in my size.
My eyes fill with tears at the thought. I've never owned anything so nice. I run my fingers over the fluffy softness of the sweater. It must have cost him a fortune. I look up and wipe away the tears.
"Do you not like it Gray?" He asks. I quickly reply.
"No! No! I love it. Thank you. I have never had anything so nice. Thank you Death..." I stop myself. I'm acting like a child on Christmas. I hold the sweater on my chest and enjoy the softness on my skin.
"Um can I take a shower?" I ask timidly.
"Of course. Come on." He grabs the clothes and places them back in the bag. He then grabs the bag and takes my hand. He leads me to the bathroom and places my bag on the counter. He pulls out a clean towel and hangs it on a hook near the large walk-in shower. Then he leaves the bathroom and closes the door behind him.
I take the best shower I have had in my life. I scrub my body clean with Death's amazing smelling soap. I scrub my scalp until it almost hurts. I allow the hot water to beat on my back. I let myself relax and enjoy it. It might sound pathetic to enjoy such a mundane thing like showering but sometimes I never knew if I would be able to take a shower.
I soak in the heat of the water as I evaluate my position. I know I can't live will Death forever. For all I know, he could change one day and reveal a different side to me. Just like my father did. I cringe and goosebumps cover my arms at the thought. "I am safe for now." I tell myself although I'm not sure how convincing I sound.