The dark lord knew that he could not love anyone, it was something that became clear to him while he was at Hogwarts. Somewhere deep down he had always known, but during his fifth year, he became certain of it. He did not try to fight it but learned to use people's desire for love to his advantage. It was just another thing that made him superior to everyone else. Now this was not to say that he did not have feelings, but he did not have those kind of feelings. Which made the decision he had made much more complicated. When Bella was freed from Azkaban he promised her that she would be rewarded. In the months following her release she proved time and time again how extremely valuable she was. She was his most loyal lieutenant, his right hand and possibly the most powerful witch in all of Wizarding Britain. Bellatrix was the only person who he had ever known whose powers truly rivaled his own and her loyalty was one of a kind. He knew that he would never have another person who could live up to everything Bella was. Simply put, she was an asset he could not afford to lose. Coming up with a way to reward that seemed impossible, but it was really so disturbingly simple it infuriated him that it took so long to figure out. The only thing she had ever wanted had been staring him in the face from the moment he recruited her. The only problem was that he could not truly reward her like she deserved. He would never be able to love her, and certainly not the way she loved him. Bella's love was unconditional, there was nothing he could do that would change her love for him. She loved him more than she loved herself and even more than he loved himself, which was really a statement.
He might not be able to love things per say, but he loved power; he loved her power. Watching Bella become one of the most powerful witches in the country was something he had enjoyed over their years together. She was his creation, molded by his teachings into a very powerful witch. To say he was proud would be an immense understatement. Bella was brilliant, certainly the brightest of his death eaters, mastering anything he could throw at her. Then there was the bloodlust and madness she was born with. These were things she had hidden fairly well before joining the ranks as a death eater. She mastered the cruciatus curse quickly, enjoying the torture of her victims. All of the unforgivable curses came easily to her, but the joy she got from torturing people was unique. Then she had her first kill, a member of the order, which she celebrate late into the night. None of his other followers celebrated kills like Bella did. That was in the beginning, though, she was different now. Azkaban had brought the madness within up to the surface for everyone to see. Sure she was crazy to begin with but now she had reached a whole new level of lunacy. You could see it on stranger's faces, she truly frightened people. Even when she would train with other death eaters, they were all just waiting for her to snap. She was a ticking time bomb ready to explode in a moment's notice. In reality, she had always been this way, but it was certainly more evident now. She commanded a room's attention and demanded fear and respect. Sometimes she was almost too like him. She was not afraid to be herself, no matter what that was. Always the first to volunteer for any task, eager for anything he asked her to do. How could he not love that about her?
If he could love, it would be her. In his own way maybe he did love her. It was nothing compared to the way she loved him, but maybe it would be good enough. He would always take care of her and when he discovered the secret to immortality he would share it with her and her alone. By creating a Horcrux for her, he had already taken the first step in making sure he could bring her back if anything happened to her. In fact, he was considering making another one, just in case. All though a good reason, having the ability to bring her back was not the only reason he did it. Keeping a piece of her soul with him let him feel what she was feeling. He could not feel everything, just glimpses. Those glimpses were something special, to feel her power and bloodlust coursing through him was a treat. After he figured out immortality maybe he would work on his inability to truly love her. There had to be a way to change the curse his mother bestowed on him. If that's what Bella wanted then he would find a way. There was not much that Bella could ask for that he would not give to her. He would spend the rest of his life, as long as that may be, trying to reward her for everything she did for him. It was the least he could do for his most loyal lieutenant.
He allowed a small, content smile play across his lips as he mindlessly ran his fingers through Bella's thick hair. She was sound asleep, curled up in his arms under the emerald sheets of his bed. The fire was still roaring, keeping the winter cold at bay. He would need their quiet retreats more and more as they began to widen their reach through the rest of Europe. There was so much to do, but none of that mattered while they were locked away in his room. She was happy and that was what mattered right now.