"Wow. This is really good," she finally said, taking another bite. Strangely pleased that she enjoyed my cooking, I could only stare at her.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Hmm?"
One eyebrow lifted as she looked at me. "Your dinner? Are you going to eat it?"
Picking up my fork, I joined her. We ate in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds the scrape of forks on plates and Luna's little sounds of pleasure, but I wasn't oblivious to her presence. Quite the opposite. The woman beside me demanded all my attention to the point where if someone had walked in and put a gun to my head, I didn't know that I'd notice.
"Can I ask you something?" Luna said after taking a sip of tea.
I tensed, the forced casualness of her tone immediately making me wary, but nodded for her to continue.
"Why did you bring me here? I mean, I get that you want to keep me safe from Gino. But, why me? You don't even know me. Why go through all this trouble for someone you barely know?"
Her eyes were searching as she looked at me, genuinely confused. It was a good question. And one I still didn't have an answer for.
Taking her had been an impulsive decision, to hide her here, where her sick father would never be able to touch her again. I'd acted on pure instinct, without reason or logic.
"I don't know."
"That's not much of an explanation," she pressed.
I put my fork down, leveling her with a look. "Would you rather be back at Gino's? Being raped by your own father?"
She shrank back at my harsh tone, dropping her gaze to her plate. The pale skin above the neckline of her shirt flushed red,and I watched as it crept up her throat and jaw to color her pale cheeks. I instantly regretted snapping at her.
I tried again in a softer tone. "There are things you don't understand. Things I never want you to experience. I couldn't leave you there, Luna." I waited for her to look up. To stop hiding from me. When she didn't, I continued. "I know my methods may not be what you consider normal. But I'm not trying to punish you. I'm just trying?—"
"To keep me safe."
"Yes."
She didn't respond, merely nodding as she pushed the last few bites of food around her plate. The silence stretched between us again as the comfortable companionship of a few moments ago disappeared. I searched for something to say to break the tension.
"How's your leg?" I asked.
"Awake now that I've been able to move around some and sit in an actual chair," she answered without looking up, but there was no heat in her tone.
We lapsed into silence again. I noticed she was still playing with the food on her plate, but none of it was making it to her mouth.
"You should eat more, Luna," I admonished gently.
"I'm not very hungry."
I studied her down-turned face, noting again the dark circles under her eyes. She looked exhausted, the toll of captivity showing in her slumped shoulders and lackluster mood. A heavy weight settled over my chest as something akin to guilt gnawedat me, but I shoved it down. I was doing this for her own good, even if she couldn't see it.
I finished eating, and then I gathered up the dishes and quickly washed them, hyper aware of Luna's presence behind me. I heard her chair scrape against the floor, and when I turned back around, she was hovering uncertainly by the table, twisting her hands in front of her.
"What?" I asked her.
She let her arms fall to her sides and lifted her chin. "I don't want to go back in there. Please, Tristan. Don't make me go back tonight."
I stared at her, unsurprised by her response but unsure of what to do. Every instinct I had screamed at me to put her back in the cell, where I knew she'd be secure and I'd be able to get some sleep. But the desperate look in her eyes tore at me.
"Please, Tristan," she said again, her voice soft and desperate. "I swear I won't try to run. But I can't take another night on that damn hard floor. And the boredom is killing me, with nothing to do but stare at those weird drawings of me on the walls all day."
I hesitated, warring with myself. She seemed sincere, but how could I trust her when I knew she didn't truly understand why I'd brought her here? Why I had to keep her safe? Hell, I didn't even understand. I'd never shown this much interest in another person before. Not even Luca and Enzo, the two people closest to me. Of course, I didn't want to fuck either of them.
