15

The Silas who was beating Ethan mercilessly, kicking him in the ribs, was a completely different person than the Silas who was sitting in front of me, with a first-aid box in his hand, looking at me with tender eyes.

He gently grabbed my hands and ran his rough fingers on my bruised arms, making me shiver. His eyes darkened when he saw the purple bruises on them.

My heart almost skipped a beat when Silas lowered his face and pressed a kiss against my forearms. The red, sensitive skin burned under his lips. He was kissing my bruises. No matter how gross it sounded in my mind later on, it sent waves of pleasure and a rabble of butterflies inside my stomach at that moment.

"Is it hurting?" He asked me, and I shook my head. It was hurting but somewhere I was finding it hard to feel the physical pain when Ethan had bruised me internally, traumatized me.

"You don't need to hide your pain from me, Bella. I hope you know that. It's futile, honestly." He said softly, removing an ointment t