Several days had passed since Elias taken you, and though he kept your hands tied to prevent you from escaping, he was gentle, almost tender, and somehow, you didn’t feel afraid of him. You even was secretly missing him when he went away somewhere, and you waited for him alone. Because your wrists were bound, he’d taken it upon himself to feed you.

“Come on, sweetheart, open up now,” he murmured, holding a spoon to your lips. “There you go…” He reached up to softly adjust the hood on your head, his touch lingering as he coaxed you to eat.