He dragged the knife down her skin, leaving shallow cuts across her arms and legs. "Such a shame, your skin is so beautiful." Her sobs grew louder, leaking through the walls of the room. His grip tightened. "Shut up." He hissed.
𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓡𝓟 𝓦𝓲𝓽𝓱 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼!
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Sterling heard the sobs, though they were faint. His gaze snapped in the direction they’d come from, and he slowly, silently started to make his way over.
He swore under his breath. "Just remember love, you're mine and if he dares to touch what doesn't belong to him, there will be hell to pay." He growled before dropping her and disappearing down the hall. Now that she was free, her sobs were unrestrained.
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The crying grew louder, and Sterling hurried over. He managed to eat into the passage thing and saw Cassandra on the floor.
“Oh my gosh, Cass… Cassie, honey, I’m here… Gosh, I’m so sorry I left you,” he murmured as he picked her up and held her close. “I’m so sorry…”
She knew this wasn't over. It wouldn't be over until she returned. Then maybe, just maybe, Niall would leave Sterling alone. Her? She'd be done for the second she stepped in the building. Marked as a traitor and executed. But at least he'd be alright.
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“I’m never leaving you alone again… Okay? I’m going be here with you, making sure you don’t get hurt,” he promised softly.
No…that'll only make your torture worse… She wanted to speak but her throat was choked up by tears.
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Sterling sighed and kissed her forehead. “I’m going to carry you back to your bed. Is that okay?”
She nodded slowly. She trusted him. Trusted his heart, his voice, his touch. He wouldn't hurt her…would he?
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Sterling carefully picked her up better and made his way back to her room. He closed the passageway door behind himself and set Cassandra in her bed gently.
“I got you those cough drops and some ice, if you want it,” he offered quietly.
She nodded again. Her throat felt like it was on fire, irritated and swelled with the recent events.
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Sterling hurried over to grab them and gently set the ice in her neck. “I’m going to grab some bandages from the bathroom. I’ll be back I two seconds.”
She tensed but relaxed slowly. Her voice was gone, her throat too inflamed to use.
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Sterling kissed her cheek before hurrying to the bathroom. He grabbed what he needed and made his way back to her bed. Sitting down beside her, he gave her a small smile. “Are you okay with me doing this for you?”
She swallowed thickly before nodding. She trusted him. She loved him. That's all she had to hold on to.
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“Okay,” Sterling said softly before taking out some Neosporin. He gently cleaned off her cuts before spreading the gel onto them. As soon as that was done, he bandaged them up the best he could without hurting her further.
She curled up slowly, burying her face in her knees. Her mind was scattered, she just needed time to collect her thoughts and she'd be fine. At least, that's what she thought.
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Sterling sighed and set the supplies on the floor. He leaned back against the headboard of the bed and looked over at her worriedly. “If there is anything else I can do, just let me know, okay?”
She didn't answer. She wasn't sure she could. Her throat burned, her cuts stung, her bruises ached. How much pain had he caused her just in the past day?
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“I know it must hurt to talk, so… Just, like, tap me or something, and you can put whatever it is into my phone,” Sterling suggested, glancing at her worriedly.
She curled up tighter. All she wanted was some stability. Her hands were shaking, the panic was setting in. No…not now…
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Sterling looked over her, saw her shaking, and gently wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay, Cass… I promise…" he whispered.
It had been a long time since she'd had a panic attack, this was strange. Usually she had panic attacks from stress over jobs or losing an innocent life that she could've saved but anxiety over Niall? That was unexpected.
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Sterling continued to softly murmur gentle things to her, hoping that, combined with his warmth and embrace, would help her a little, if at all.
His voice broke through her panic, slowly soothing her jacked up nerves. She took a couple deep breaths and relaxed.
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"That's it… There you are… It's going to be okay, Cass… I promise," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
She tilted her head up and captured his lips on hers. She just needed the comfort. The sense of immediate peace and relief.
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Sterling kissed her back softly, as if afraid she would break if he pressed any harder. He didn't want to hurt her, and if he had to refrain from kissing her the way he wanted to, the so be it.
And as if by magic, it all faded away. Everything melted until it was just the two of them. And that's all she needed right now.
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He didn't want to stop, but he knew he had to if he didn't want to accidentally hurt her. So he pulled away, just enough that their lips were less than a breath away.