Chapter song: Ghost of Love by Marie Fisker

He couldn't possibly mean what I think he means. He is an alien. I am human. My body would have rejected his blood. Back home I was told that if something ever happened to me, it would be hard enough finding blood for me because I was blood type O, and that was living among humans! What he was talking about simply wasn't possible.

"By blood transfusion you mean…" I said, feeling more confused by the second.

"The blood which runs through your veins is the same as mine," he said sounding irritated.

My mouth dropped open at his words. Well, never mind then.

"You would not have lived otherwise," he said quietly before looking back down at the floor.

"Not only did my blood heal you, but it enhanced your human anatomy, as well," he said after a few seconds of silence. "Your strength, durability, and reflexes will continue to improve," he said proudly as he turned to face me.

He frowned slightly when he looked at my face. I felt like I was going to faint at any second. Honestly, what did he expect? This kind of news was a little overwhelming.

"Did you know what it would do to me? Am I going to turn blue?" I asked seriously. The corner of Ronan's mouth twitched at my last question like he wanted to laugh.

"I am almost certain you will not turn blue," he said slowly under his breath. "And truthfully, I did not know what would come to pass, but it was the only viable option. Clearly, I made the right choice," he said confidently as he watched me take it all in.

"So," I began quietly. "What's going to happen to me now? Am I going to wake up one day with arms like yours?" I asked, laughing nervously as I poked his arm. His face seemed to relax at my small jester.

"You need not worry about that," he said smirking. "Your appearance shall not change. Your strength will reach a plateau after the blood has penetrated every cell in your body. It should not be much longer now. Also, you should be pleased to know your body is no longer susceptible to poisons, toxins, or disease," he said casually, as if this wasn't a big deal at all.

"One of the many advantages of being a Kree," he said with gleaming eyes as he watched my mouth drop open once again.

"Wow," I whispered with shock. This was absolutely, fucking crazy. How was this even possible? Was I even considered human anymore? I continued sitting there with my head in my lap, trying to process everything he just told me, while Ronan sat quietly next to me.

I began trying to recall everything that happened since the night of the meteoroid, and a horrible thought crossed my mind. Only a couple of nights after I woke up from the crash, I began developing an attraction for Ronan. Was that because of his blood? Even at this very moment I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. It has to be the blood. That would explain why I jumped so eagerly into bed with him. If that was true, did he know all along? Was this some trick to get me into bed with him?

But…

Maybe he didn't tell me because it would prove he did care for me after all. Why else would he save me and lie to me about it? He filled my body up with his blood for crying out loud. That went beyond personal – and that was not something to be taken lightly. Then again, this is a man who destroyed an entire planet and killed billions of people, so maybe I was expecting too much from him. Maybe he really was tricking me after all, and maybe I really was an idiot for believing he cared about me.

"Silvia," Ronan said quietly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I turned my head to look at him and saw his brow furrow with worry as he examined my face. I noticed I was breathing quite heavily from the anger and betrayal I felt. Just looking at him made me feel even more furious.

"You took advantage of me," I said, jumping up from the bed in a heated fury.

"What?" He muttered as he stared at me with blatant confusion.

"Your blood somehow manipulated my feelings for you, didn't it? That's why you didn't tell me! You tricked me into your bed," I shouted, my voice breaking at the end with emotion. I angrily wiped my tears away as I turned to run to my room. I had to get away from him.

Before I could even take five steps, Ronan quickly wrapped his arm around me from behind, successfully pinning my arms to my sides.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I yelled as I struggled against his hold.

In response he tightened his grip around me, causing my back to dig into his armored chest. I could feel and hear his hot, angry breaths above my head as he pulled me tighter against him, and I felt myself become instantly frightened. When he began pulling me backwards to the bed I began kicking and screaming madly.

"No! Let go of me!" I screamed, my anger suddenly replaced with fear. A second later I was roughly pushed to the bed with Ronan pinning my arms at my sides.

"How dare you accuse me of such deceit? Do you truly believe your feelings would have stopped me from forcing myself upon you?" He hissed vehemently into my face.

"I have no reason to manipulate your mind. I could take you right now if I so wished, but I am not the monster you believe me to be. Your feelings for me are of your own doing. Do not be a fool, Silvia," he said seriously as his eyes burned angrily into mine.

"No," I said, shaking my head in defiance. "I gave you my virginity and I hardly even know you. That's not like me at all! It has to be the blood," I said stubbornly as I turned my face away from him.

"No," he said gruffly, letting go of my arms to grab my face with both hands.

"You desired me when you first laid eyes upon me. Do not deny it," he hissed as I slightly shook my head. "I could practically smell your arousal that first night, even as you cried pitifully at my feet," he said smugly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the thought.

"Even now you desire me," he said confidently as his fingers trailed down my neck. My eyes naturally closed at his light touch and my head slightly tilted to the side to give him better access. Damn him and his magical fingers, I thought.

"Do not try to blame your attraction for me on my blood. Believe me when I say I have researched the subject, and it is not possible. I will not let you run from this, Silvia," he said in a low voice as he continued to stroke my neck.

I remained silent as I was unable to come up with something clever to say back. His fingers were really distracting me at the moment.

"Your body yearns for my touch," he whispered seductively. "When I kiss you here…" he said before pressing his lips to my lower neck. "…your heart skips a beat," he said as my breath hitched in my throat.

"And here…" he said as he lowered his mouth to my collarbone. "…I can feel you tighten around me," he said, his voice rough with lust.

Sure enough, I felt my core become achingly tight, causing me to shudder. I had to admit it was actually a major turn-on watching Ronan play my body like an instrument. He seemed to understand it better than I did myself. As I felt my panties become wet, I opened my eyes to look up at Ronan. He had his eyes closed and his nostrils were slightly flared as he deeply inhaled.

"Your sweet, wet slit is begging for me to ravage you," he said darkly as his eyes roamed my body. He was staring at me with burning desire, looking as if he wanted to rip my clothes off, and I was certain that was exactly what he intended on doing.

"No," I said slightly dazed. "I can't do this anymore, Ronan," I whispered, pulling myself out of his seductive trance. His mouth twitched in annoyance at my words.

"These mind games are driving me crazy. I know you care about me. You wouldn't have given me your blood if you didn't. Please, just tell me," I said quietly as my eyes began to tear up again. I watched as Ronan's mouth frowned with displeasure and his body became tense all over.

"No," he said in a stern voice as he grabbed my wrists again, pinning them by my head. "You are my prisoner and a fool if you believe otherwise," he said becoming angry.

"No! That's bullshit! You didn't tell me what you did because you knew it would give your secret away. You do care about me. You're just too afraid to admit it. You say you won't let me run from this – well I'm not letting you run either," I said loudly as Ronan glared at me from above.

"I am afraid of nothing and I do not care for you. I'm warning you –," he growled, lowering his face so it was only inches away from mine. I could almost feel the heat radiating from his eyes as they burned into mine with fierce, biting rage.

"You are a lying coward!" I yelled angrily, interrupting him as tears escaped the corners of my eyes. Ronan roughly grabbed me by the front of my shirt and lifted me off the bed, holding me in front of him.

"Call me coward again, and you will be sorry," he hissed harshly into my face, causing me to cringe. I could feel the sleeves on my shirt beginning to rip from his tight grip.

"Why won't you admit it, Ronan? Everything you have done just proves I am more than a prisoner to you. I sleep in the room next to yours – you saved my life TWICE – you filled me with your blood – oh, and I suppose you fuck all your prisoners, too?" I said bitterly, shaking slightly from anger.

"Your desperate attempt to find affection where it does not exist is disgusting," he said, spitting the last word with contempt. I shook my head in disbelief at him.

"The only thing disgusting here is you, you fucking coward," I said bravely as his face contorted with rage. I honestly didn't know why I was provoking him, and I instantly regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth.

His eyes widened, revealing his now darkening purple irises, and I unknowingly began to tremble with fear. He bared his black teeth at me in a furious scowl as he slung me by my shirt, instantly ripping it from my body in the process, and I went stumbling a few feet towards the bathroom. I quickly regained my balance and scampered into the bathroom, swiftly closing and locking the door behind me. Looking around the room, I could easily see there was nowhere for me to hide. When I reached the left corner of the bathroom I heard a loud, splintering crack as Ronan kicked the door down with his foot.

He stormed into the room and headed straight for me, glaring at me with his head tilted downwards, looking absolutely terrifying.

"Wait," I said panicking, holding my hands up in surrender. As he continued advancing towards me, I dashed to his side in an attempt to run past him, but was quickly grabbed by the back of my neck.

Immediately I began trying to escape, but his grip around my neck was painfully tight and unbreakable. He held me with his arm fully extended so I was unable to reach behind me to hit him. The fact that I couldn't see what he was doing was making me more terrified by the second.

"Let go of me! You've proved your point, Ronan," I grunted as his fingers dug into my neck. He began walking to the middle of the room, forcing me to stagger along with him, and a few seconds later I heard water running in the tub behind me.

"What are you doing?" I yelled as I tried harder to run away. His tight grip made it impossible for me to even turn my head a centimeter to the side. I really didn't like not being able to see him.

"You're scaring me! Let go," I cried, hearing only the sound of water filling the tub.

After a couple of minutes Ronan roughly grabbed me by my hair, causing me to yelp in pain, and directed me towards the tub. He growled frustratedly when I placed my feet against the side of the tub, preventing him from pulling me any closer.

"Stop it!" I cried as he pulled harder on my hair, causing me to lose my footing on the tub.

I saw that the tub was almost completely full as he pushed me forward, leaning the top half of my body over the edge. I stared wide eyed into the water as my hands clung desperately to the side, preventing me from falling over. I felt his grip tighten in my hair to the point where I was sure he was going to pull my hair out, and I began whimpering in fear. I could hear him breathing noisily behind me with suppressed rage as he continued holding me above the water by my hair.

"What are –," I began screaming, before my head was plunged into the water. My sinuses instantly burned as water forced its way into my nose, sending me into panic mode.

Immediately I began fighting and kicking like mad, but his grip on my hair prevented me from moving much. I knew it was futile to fight against Ronan, but my survival instincts were not going to let me give up. My fingernails clawed at his hand as hard as I could and immediately Ronan slammed my face into the bottom of the tub, causing me to gasp in pain. At that moment, I accidently inhaled water, instantly causing my body to cough to expel the unwanted fluid. As my lungs began burning for air, I was unexpectedly pulled up from the water by my hair. I began coughing loudly as the water worked its way out of my system and I took deep breaths as Ronan continued holding me above the water.

"Rona –," I yelled, before once again being plunged into the water.

Again, I struggled against him as hard as I could, but my attempts were useless. Even as I dug my nails into his hand for the second time, he only pushed my face harder into the metallic tub until it felt like my cheekbone was going to crack. As soon as I stopped digging into his hand, he stopped pushing down on my head. The only thing I could do was kick at him, but my legs were so short that they weren't even touching the floor as I was bent over the deep tub. I desperately pulled at his hand as my body began convulsing for air, and soon I heard myself begin to make unfamiliar groaning sounds. Right before I thought I couldn't hold my breath any longer, I was once again roughly pulled out of the water. I gasped loudly for air, inhaling greedily as soon as I was able to, and attempted to steady my breathing.

"Please st –," I begged, again being cut off as my head was forced under water.

I screamed underneath the water with renewed frustration, all the while wasting precious oxygen. After only twenty seconds or so my abdominal muscles began convulsing as I fought the urge to inhale. I groaned underneath the water in desperation and stopped moving to conserve the remaining oxygen in my body, but I knew I wouldn't last much longer. Five seconds later, when I was certain I was going to drown, Ronan pulled my head from the water. Again, I gasped for air and clung desperately to the edge of the tub, although I knew it wouldn't stop Ronan from pushing me under again. My heart was beating frantically in my chest, causing me to breathe faster than normal.

"No more, please," I cried as my face dangled above the water. I heard Ronan exhale angrily before he once again pushed me underwater.

This is it. I am going to die. Here in this bath tub, I am going to drown to death. Thoughts like these circulated my mind as I writhed underwater, fighting to keep my mouth and nose closed. My hands pushed against the bottom of the tub, but it did me no good. I was utterly helpless against Ronan. I was at his mercy. He could do whatever he wanted to me, and I couldn't stop him – even if my life depended on it. I had never felt so worthless in my life. He continued holding me under water well beyond the point when my body started convulsing, and I became convinced he really was going to drown me this time. I inhaled after I could no longer hold my breath, and instantly my lungs and throat felt like they were on fire. Almost immediately Ronan grabbed me by the back of my neck and lifted me from the water, forcing me onto my knees in front of the tub.

I coughed violently as water left my lungs and sinuses, and inhaled loudly at the first chance I got. The inside of my throat was horribly sore, making it feel like I had the worst case of strep throat. I continued gasping and panting for air as Ronan tightly held me by the back of my neck, preventing me from looking at him. When I was finally able to breathe normally again, Ronan tightly gripped my hair, instantly turning me into an emotional, hysterical mess.

I began sobbing harder than I ever had before in my life as Ronan pushed me back over the edge of the tub. It felt as if I had been reduced to nothing more than his toy to play with. His property. No, his prisoner. I wailed in utter defeat and humiliation, feeling as pathetic as I sounded. I continued crying uncontrollably as I waited for him to push me underwater, but it never came. He pulled me back and forced me onto my knees so I was kneeling next to him, and turned my head in his direction. As soon as I saw his face I began crying harder and closed my eyes in shame.

"Open your eyes," he demanded harshly as he kneeled next to me. I slowly opened my stinging, puffy eyes as my body shook with sobs I couldn't suppress.

"Please," I wailed desperately. I wasn't sure what I was asking for; I just knew I didn't want to go back into the water. I didn't want Ronan to be mad at me. I didn't want to be in pain anymore.

His eyes scanned my face, his own reflecting no ounce of emotion whatsoever. He looked cold and calculating, as if he was completing an important task. His eyes lowered to my trembling lips, and he quickly pushed me away from him, causing me to fall backwards onto my side.

"Leave, now," he said in a deep voice, standing up so he towered over me. I lied on the cold floor in just my bra and shorts, crying and shaking in relief when I realized he was done tormenting me.

"Get out!" He shouted angrily when I didn't move.

I hurriedly began to stand up, only to fall back down to my hands and knees when I slipped on the wet tile. I continued crawling away from him until I could regain my footing, and quickly ran to my room and slammed the door behind me.

He is wrong.

He is a monster.

And I am an idiot.

I sat in my bed and stared at the wall in silence, feeling completely stupid for believing Ronan would admit his feelings for me. I truly was desperate for affection. That was the one thing he was actually right about, and I should have listened to him. Why did I have to go and provoke him like that? I should have known better. Even after today, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. I knew he was trying to prove I meant nothing to him, but if that were true, then he should have killed me.

What was wrong with me? Why was I still trying to find the good in him? He was cruel. Perverse. Unforgiving. Vicious. Dangerous.

I should hate him, but I didn't. I couldn't.

It felt like I had been sitting on that bed for hours when Nebula walked in carrying my dinner. She looked at me curiously as she placed the tray on my nightstand and promptly walked over to my side of the bed, stopping in front of me.

"What happened?" She asked with an annoyed sigh. I looked up at her from the bed and saw her cock her head to the side in interest.

"He told you, didn't he?" She asked seriously, her voice growing quieter. I nodded my head slightly. She quickly sat down next to me on the bed and turned her body towards mine.

"Tell me," she said urgently as I stared straight ahead.

"He gave me his blood," I said shakily, unable to hide the sadness I felt. I turned to watch Nebula's reaction, expecting her to look surprised or repulsed, but she appeared more annoyed than anything else.

"I should have thought of that," she muttered irritably. Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought as she looked at me.

"I would not speak of this to anyone tomorrow," she said seriously. "In fact, do not mention this ever again," she said quietly.

"Tomorrow… what's happening tomorrow?" I asked, my brow furrowing with confusion. Nebula rolled her eyes at my question.

"He really doesn't tell you anything does he?" She asked in a sarcastic voice. "We are going to Kree-Lar," she said tiredly. "It's the capitol of the Kree Empire," she added quickly when she noticed my puzzled expression.

"Get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day," she said unhappily, obviously not looking forward to tomorrow at all. I watched her walk out of the room and felt myself become sad all over again.

I was going to an alien planet tomorrow. A planet filled with other blue-skinned aliens just like Ronan. Great. Even though I had been living on a spaceship for a month, it still felt bizarre to think I was going to another planet. What would my parents think right now? Oh, no. My parents. They probably think I'm dead. Here I am worrying about myself when they are probably back home still looking for me, waiting for me to walk through the front door at any minute. I walked into the bathroom and absently began stripping my clothes off, feeling suddenly depressed about everything in my life.

I was falling for a man who treated me like shit, I was probably never going to see my parents again, and I had absolutely no control over my life whatsoever. For the tiniest moment I thought I might have a chance at happiness, but Ronan quickly demolished that dream. I was like his little puppet and he was the puppeteer, pulling on my strings and directing me which way to go, and I couldn't do a thing to stop him.

Tears began to cloud my vision as I stepped into the shower, and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before my emotional hysteria caught up to me. My throat slowly began to tighten up as I fought back the screams of rage, defeat, and humiliation that begged to be heard. As the lump in my throat became more constricting, my stomach began to form a knot as well, and at that moment, I reached my breaking point. Almost out of nowhere, I screamed at the top of my lungs as if I had gone insane. It was a long, primal scream of loss and sadness, and it was terrifying to listen to. As the last air left my lungs, I inhaled loudly and immediately began wailing with a desperation I had never heard before. It felt as if my heart was breaking in two.

I leaned against the wall with my forehead resting on my arm, and listened to the sound of my angry sobs echo around the shower. The warm water from the showerhead rained down on me, thankfully keeping my face clear from the snot and tears that should have been there. I probably looked more pathetic than a lost puppy in the rain. I hated that Ronan could do this to me. I should be stronger than this.

Suddenly, I felt large, warm fingers tenderly brush my arm, causing me to gasp with surprise. My eyes instantly opened and I saw Ronan standing naked only a foot away from me. I backed away from him into the corner of the shower and mustered up what little courage I had left.

"Get out of here!" I shouted, sounding braver than I felt. I looked up into his face and saw him staring at me with clear disappointment. His mouth slightly turned down as he watched me tremble with fear before him.

"Silvia," he said softly as he stepped closer. I heard myself whimper before I could stop myself, and this caused Ronan to stop and sigh in a frustrated manner.

"I never should have allowed that to happen," he said seriously, slowly stepping closer to me. "I lost control, and I apologize for that." I began furiously shaking my head and held my hands up as he continued to approach me.

"No, Ronan. You can't just do whatever you want to me and expect me to forgive you," I said, my voice shaking with unexpected fury. "You've hurt me so much," I said, closing my eyes as my voice broke.

"I know," he said seriously, staring down at me with heavy eyes. He took another step closer and I immediately held my arms out to keep him from getting any closer to me.

"No! Go away! I've had enough of your lies!" I shouted at him angrily as I pushed against his torso. He continued advancing upon me, easily pushing past my weak barrier, and I began crying with renewed fear and anger.

"Get AWAY from me! No! S-stop," I cried desperately as he gently grabbed my face with both of his hands and tilted my head backwards. Through teary eyes I saw him staring at me with a look I had only seen once, a look of regret.

"I am sorry," he said softly, his brow furrowed and his face remorseful.

"Liar," I cried as I slapped him across the face. His facial expression remained the same, as if I had never even hit him, and this caused me to become even more furious.

I began punching and slapping him as hard as I could while I cried loudly with frustration. Ronan let go of my face and remained silent as I continuously hit him, my sobs growing louder with each strike. He closed his eyes and stood in front of me like I was his living punching bag, and I wondered why he was allowing this to happen. When I began growing tired and my hits became less often, Ronan opened his eyes to look down at me. I could detect the smallest amount of pity in his eyes as he watched me drop my arms down in defeat. His hands gently cupped my face once again so I was looking up at him. He slowly leaned in and pressed his forehead against mine, and closed his eyes.

"I am sorry, Silvia," he said quietly, his low voice barely audible in the shower.

"I know," I whispered sadly as I leaned into his chest from exhaustion.

I could not hate him.

Author's note: Surprise! I was able to update much faster than expected.

I know that was a little sad... but we all know Ronan is not the mushy, feely type :( To say these two are complicated is an understatement. In case you missed it, Silvia is going to see where Ronan works - Kree-Lar! Should be interesting.

UPDATE: I am sooo thankful for the reviews! I'm really happy everyone picked up on the whole Stockholm Syndrome case here. Silvia isn't behaving how you or I would in this situation - obviously, because we haven't been through what she has. Now as far as her forgiving him - technically she hasn't forgiven him. I left it off with "I know" for a reason. Things are not just going to be all sunshine and daises. I think the next chapter will clear this up for many of you.

Reviews are always welcome! Thanks for being so supportive :)