Mine Part III

He had moved to another room. He liked this one even better than the last. This one was Bella???s room. He loved her carpet. It was so nice and soft??? At night, he slept curled up on the plush, white rug, beneath the crimson quilt. She was good to him.

She said she loved him.

He was well fed there. Now that he was well enough to get out of bed, she let him eat by the table with her. He knelt beside her chair, and she fed him from her hand. Did other people who cared for someone do that kind of thing? He didn???t know. No one had ever cared for him before.

But, he imagined that they did.

Because Bella cared for him, and he imagined she acted the way others did.

He liked the way she made him feel cared for. He basked in her attention. No one else had ever paid attention to him before.

Presently, Bella sat in a chair by the fire, and the boy sat at her feet. She had a distant, dreamy look on her face. He heard her murmur, ???Mm??? Snap-crack, snap-crack, snap-crack?????? He guessed she liked the friendly sound of the fire as much as he did. He didn???t notice the flicking motion of her wrist, or if he did he missed the implication.
He fixed his eyes on the fire. It was so warm??? He inched a bit closer to it. So inviting??? He liked the fire. Bella asked innocently, ???You like it, don???t you, Pet???? Her lips twitched faintly as she said, ???You can touch it, you know. Go ahead, Pet. Touch it.???

The boy didn???t know any better. He???d never had someone to caution him to stay away from fire. All he knew was that it was warm, and he liked being warm. And Bella used it to make food, and he also liked food. Nothing that kept him warm and fed could be bad, could it? Foolishly, he reached out to touch the dancing, orange flames.

He let out a shout of surprise as it burned his fingertips.

He jerked his hand away, turning to look at Bella, who was smiling benignly. ???You have a lovely voice, Pet. Did you know???? she said calmly, ignoring the blistering burn on his fingers. She carded her hand through his dark hair, murmuring, ???What a wonderful Pet Bella has.??? Tilting her head, she asked, ???Pet, will you scream again for Bella????

The boy thought it was an odd request. But, he complied. He watched as her large, blue eyes narrowed faintly, her lips curling in a smile. It was nice when Bella smiled. It made him feel warm and happy. He liked pleasing her, because she was so kind.

She commented, ???Perhaps a reward is in order.??? She selected a bit of cheese from the plate she had set on the arm of the chair and held it out to the boy, who took it gingerly from her hand. She ruffled his hair. ???Such a lovely Pet.???

He leaned back against her, forgetting about the burns on his fingers and the way she???d giggled when he???d hurt himself. She must not have known the fire would hurt him. Bella would never hurt him on purpose. His Bella was kind. His Bella loved him.

The thought coaxed a contented sigh from his lips, and he felt warm inside. He liked being loved.

Bella pet his cheek and caressed his neck, purring, ???You???ve recovered well, Pet. I think you will be ready to play, soon. Tell me, Pet, would you like to play with Bella???? Bending down to lean closer to his head, her voice dropped as she added, ???It would make Bella very, very happy. And you like making Bella happy, don???t you, Pet????

The boy nodded vigorously. Oh, yes! He loved making Bella happy.

Grinning, she stood and said, ???Come on, then. I do believe it is time for bed. When you wake, we shall play.???

She extinguished the fire in the sitting room and led the boy into her bedroom. She lit another fire there and knelt beside him as he curled up on the rug. She tucked him in with the crimson quilt and murmured, ???Sleep, Pet. That???s right. Sleep.???

He closed his eyes, snuggling into the rug and falling asleep to Bella???s gentle croon and the snapping and crackling of the warm fire.