Mine Part II

He woke, blinking groggily. He???d had such a lovely dream. There???d been a pretty, kind angel who???d come to take him away. As he became more aware, he realized that he felt decidedly odd. He wasn???t cold anymore. And there was something soft around him. Much softer than the cold, unyielding concrete he???d grown accustomed to.

He looked around, finding himself in a room consisting of rich, earthy browns instead of the horrifying white of his snow covered alley. And, upon further inspection, he noticed a fire glowing in a hearth, sending a reddish orange glow across the room, and that he was lying on a cot with a thick, red blanket atop him.
Was he still dreaming?

Someone opened the door. He sat up, eyes widening as he recognized the angel who???d taken him away. Her words came back to him.

Somewhere special??? Where he would be loved. And cherished???

Bella knelt beside the cot, offering him a bowl of steaming liquid. ???Eat up, Love. Bella wants you to get nice and strong.??? He took the bowl, delighted to find a flavorful beef and barely soup. Bella stroked his hair as he began to eat, purring, ???That???s right, Love. You belong to Bella now. Bella loves you.???

If anything had seemed off about the first part of the phrase, it was immediately disregarded. She loved him.

She told him he was loved.

A warmth spread over him that had nothing to do with the fire or the hot soup. No one had ever loved him before. At least, no one that he could remember. Unconsciously, he leaned into her touch. No one had ever kept a promise to him, either. But she had. She???d promised she would help him, and she had.

???Do you like that, Pet???? she asked. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt her breath on his ear. He relished the closeness. It made him feel wanted. Loved. Cherished. ???Pet?????? she mused. ???I like that. Would you like that to be your name, Love???? Her lips brushed against his cheek as she leaned closer to him, her voice dropping to a sultry purr as she asked, ???Would you like to be Bella???s Pet????

An unintelligible sound and a nod was his only answer.

A name.

She had given him a name.

He???d never had a name before.

He took another mouthful of soup, and Bella breathed again, ???That???s right, Pet. Eat.??? He narrowed dark, charcoal colored eyes in pleasure. He didn???t know there could be so many different flavors and textures in a single bowl of soup. It was without a doubt the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted. And Bella was by far the most wonderful person he had ever met. ???My Pet,??? she crooned.

He liked that.

Her Pet.

She would take care of him. No one had ever taken care of him before.

She took the bowl, asking cheerily, ???All done, Pet???? It was a pointless question. There was nothing left in the bowl.

The boy licked his lips, savoring the remnants of flavor, and nodded, answering, ???Uh-huh. Thanks.???

Bella smiled at him. It was a strange, smug sort of smile, as though she knew something he didn???t. However, the boy didn???t notice. No one had ever smiled at him before. How was he to know what a proper smile looked like? Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder, urging him to lie back down. With the same, strange smile on her face, she tucked him in with the thick, crimson quilt and murmured, ???Go back to sleep, Pet. You need your rest to get nice and strong for Bella.???

She leaned over and planted a soft, feather-light kiss on his forehead before turning around and walking away, leaving him to fall asleep to the snapping and crackling of the fire.

Crack-snap, crack-snap, crack-snap

The boy???s last conscious thought was that the sound was very warm and comforting.