Her eyes widen in the mirror.
"But, I—"
"Yes?"
She shakes her head.
"Tell me."
"I thought we were...you said..."
"Said what?"
"You were going to...use me."
"Ah, Bellissima, I am."
I lean forward and bite her shoulder, and she moans.
"You will see the rewards that patience can bring, Elena. You will find that when you wait, the reward is much, much sweeter."
She exhales, and I turn her to face me, putting one hand on each side of her, trapping her.
"You think this is a punishment. But you are wrong, Bella."
I trail my fingers over her ribs, and she gasps.
"The true punishment would be giving you everything you ask for immediately, without teaching you what it means to earn it."
Her mouth drops open.
"That would be cruel, no? To not make you wait and suffer a little."
She blinks at me, and her mouth works.
"You can't possibly understand, Elena. Not yet. But you will. Soon enough, you will."
"What if I don't want to?"
"If you don't want to, we won't," I say simply and press a kiss to the tender spot under her ear. "I will never make you do something you don't wish to do."
"Really?" she asks.
"Of course not," I answer. "This isn't a game. It's about trust."
She looks up at me, and the look in her eyes is...something. I don't know what.
"And trust must be earned, hmm?"
"Yes," she agrees.
"Then we begin."
Chapter Twenty Six
Elena
We begin.
