His Innocent Sera

Dave punched Nate hard, making him stagger backward. Nate calmy wiped the blood trickling from his split lip, ready for his another blow. Dave didn't hold back, he knocked him over several times but Nate didn't retaliate.

"You deserve even worse than this," Dave spat, fixing him with a hateful glare.

"You should know better than to touch her," Nate responded, drawing out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. Dave had managed to put some bruises across his face.

"She was crying," Dave answered, staring into the sky stretching wide before the glass window. Dae exhaled a sigh before turning towards him.

"Don't you think you're going too hard on her? She is just a child," Dave asked, frowning in disapproval.

"She isn't a child," he stated. That was all his response.

"Why are you here?" he asked, fed up of his habit of ignoring his questions. Nate ignored his question again. But his silence was the answer.

"It's her," Dave figured, disbelief lacing his voice. Nate clenched his jaw, only confirming his doubt. He snatched the cigarette from Nate and took a quick drag of it before giving it back to him. Nate could only stare at him in confusion.

"Damn it!," Dave was still no able to believe it. He didn't know if he should be happy for his friend or sad for Sera.noveldrama

"What's wrong?" Nate questioned, frowning.

"Nothing," Dave replied. He wasn't going to tell him that he was falling for his prey. It was for him to realise it himself. Besides, the day he'll realise it would be the day Sera's fate will be sealed forever. The girl needed some air to breath before that happened.

After recovering from the shock, Dave looked at him. His face serious.

"You do realise you are only pushing her away by doing this?" Dave said, making his frown turn deeper.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Have you heard the story of the vine and the rose?" Nate's clueless expression gave him the answer and he began, "A lonely vine searched the wild to find something that he can call his own. It is then he saw a blooming rose and fell for its beauty. He crept closer, convinced she needed his protection to survive in this cruel wild. The tender, vulnerable rose welcomed him, considering him a friend. He curled himself around her with devotion, determined to always keep her in his safe arms. However, his obssession to keep her close grew over time. He became envious of the wind for touching her or bees, birds nearing her. Jealous, he wrapped around her, leaves, petals, stems, caging her in his embrace. The rose protested, cried, pleaded but he didn't listen. He kept twisting around her until no part of her was visible to others. What he didn't realise he was stragulating her. The day came when rose culdn't breath and died. Her color faded, her scent dimmed. By the time Vine realised it, it was too late. He finally loosened his grip, hoping she would bloom again..." after saying that he turned to Nate and said, "but she was already gone."

"Her once beautiful petals fell to the ground, her stem broke, her essence gone. She was dead," Dave explained, looking meaningfully into his eyes.

Nate wasn't a fool to not understand what he was talking about.

"Wanna play some game?" Dave asked, changing the topic and hoping his friend had learned something from the story.

She felt the mattress sink beside her, his signature scent wrapping around her. A pair of arms locked around her waist, slowly pushing her up against the solid warmth of his chest. His hot breath ghosted over her nape, sending chills down her spine. Morals and boundaries were just meaningless words for him; all he cared about was his indulgence. She remained still as he peppered kisses all over her nape. His kisses felt like burning embers scorching her skin. She squeezed her eyes.

"I know you are awake," he murmured against her skin, all traces of anger gone. Gently gripping her shoulders, he turned her to face him. She opened her eyes and met his.

Instead of the anger she braced for, his eyes brimmed with warmth... and something else, something entirely unfamiliar.

"You are so beautiful," he admitted, making her eyes go wide in disbelief. A innocuous smile lit up his face upon seeing her comical expression.

"What?" he asked as she kept staring at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Are..are you drunk?" she dared ask, searching for any sign of inebriation. The question didn't offend him if anything it amused him.

"On your beauty? yeah," he replied, pressing a tender kiss on her parted lips and murmured ever so gently against them, "You intoxicate me, Seraphina Diaz."

Sera heart hammered against her chest. He was behaving weird. Never before he had complimented her, let alone call her beautiful. Something was terrible wrong with him. Or..or he was scheming something.

He climbed over her, craving more closeness.

"You still want to go that excursion?" he asked. Sera tensed up.

" No," she answered, aware if she said yes he would make her suffer more.

"You're lying," he called her bluff. She shook her head, desperate for him to believe her. She didn't have the strength in her to endure more of his punishments.

"No. I am not.."

"If you want to go. You can go," he spoke over, stunning her into silence.

"What?" she asked, a moment later, convinced she had misheard. His expression was still gentle, eyes soft but hers screamed suspicion.

"You can go to the excursion," he repeated.

"But I don't want to..I will.." he silenced her by covering her mouth.

"This is not a trick. I want you to go and enjoy your birthday," he assured her in agentle whisper. His lips brushing against hers with every syllable he uttered. She gulped, still searching for his true intentions. He was letting her go...just like that?

"But there is one condition," he said and paused to gauge her expression. Her brows furrowed

slightly before he added, "I know net

there is no other boy there. But still, I want you to remember who you betong to. His voice softened, yet there was an unmistakable edge beneath it. "You'll remember that, won't you? You won't hurt me." His gaze bore into hers, searching for the answer he needed.

She stil thought he was up to something.

"I am sorry. Please don't.."

"I am not playing any game, Princess. Now tell me, will you remember who you

belong to?"

She nodded, dazed.

"Words," he prompted, gently running his fingertip over her delicate lower lip. How someone can be this delicate, this fragile, he wondered.

"I'll remember," she said,

"What will you remmeber?" he asked, gazing longingly at her juicy lips.

"That I..I belong to you," she answered, bringing a pleased smile to his face.

"Good girl," he praised. "Now kiss me," he instructed, eyes locked on her lips.

She hesitated for a moment but as he dipped his head, she reached up meeting his lips halfway. She kissed him and he reciprocated with all his heart, body and soul. Her kisses, even reluctant, were like balm to his soul.

She wasn't a rose and he wasn't a vine. Not even death can tear them apart.