I’ve never hurt anybody in my life, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so horrified as I was when I saw the blood dripping from his temple. But I was little more than a wild animal at that point, fighting for my life. My freedom. Whatever waited outside these grand walls for me.
Then he came in here and flipped everything on its head with his offer. It was so much money. So easily disposable to this powerful man, like it would mean nothing for him to write those checks every day. But it comes at a cost to me. To my soul. And I still can’t believe I said yes.
For the entirety of his absence, I have debated whether I’ve lost my mind, swinging wildly from one extreme to the next. I should tell him I changed my mind. But every time I consider that I imagine the sanctuary… gone. Olivia bankrupt. Animals without homes.
Is it really so awful to give myself to this man for two months? The same man I dreamed about in this way? I’ve already imagined him inside me. I’ve considered what he’d taste like, how his hands would feel on my body when he touched me.
I don’t have to like him to enjoy his touch, right? And it’s easy to reason that he couldn’t do anything worse than what I’ve already experienced at the hands of Narcissa and her daughters. He could hit me, bruise me, torment me, and it wouldn’t be anything outside the realm of what I’ve already lived. But he can never truly hurt me. Not where it counts. Not if I steel myself to withstand whatever challenge he throws at me. Except, the truth is, I don’t know what to expect from this wicked prince. Because I have never been touched by a man; the kiss he gave me this morning was my first. It was dark, and it was violent, and still, shame lingers within me as I squeeze my thighs together and feel the sticky residue of my arousal there.
How is it possible that I could be so affected by my fight with him? There must be something wrong with me. That’s the only conclusion I’m able to draw.
Logical or not, what he’s offering me is too good to be true, and I can’t turn it down. Not when it means I could save the sanctuary.
The lock on the door turns, and my head whips toward it, the breath catching in my lungs. Is it possible that anyone else has a key? Or is it him? I don’t know which possibility is worse, but when the door opens, and Prince Thorsen’s shadow falls over the floor, a strange sense of relief floods my muscles. Better the devil you know, I guess.
Across the room, his eyes capture mine as he shuts the door behind him and turns the key in the lock. His shoes clip across the floor as he comes to stand in front of me, a towering amalgamation of flesh and bone.
“Have you learned anything in my absence, little fire-breather?” He reaches out to caress my face.
I bite my lip and hope I’m not betraying myself when goose bumps break out along my skin. How long has it been since I’ve felt human touch? How long have I been starving for such a simple gesture of affection that I would lean into the very palm of the man who has taken me captive?
“I asked you a question.” His voice is a warning. “And I expect an answer.”
“My arms are numb.” I force the words from my dry lips. “And my feet hurt. I’m thirsty, tired, and hungry.”
“Good girl.” He reaches down to pinch my nipple between his fingers again, and I arch back into the frame of the cross. “I’m going to let you down in a moment. But first, tell me who Charlotte is to you. And before you consider lying to me, remember that I have your phone.”
Shit. My phone. How had I forgotten about that? Has Charlotte called me? Will she start to worry when she doesn’t hear from me? These are things I’ll need to address, but first, I have to deal with the man in front of me. The man who holds my fate in his hands.
“She’s my friend,” I tell him. “We met at school.”
“And does Charlotte know you spend time at the sanctuary?”
I don’t understand why it matters, so I nod.
“Good. Then she won’t have any problem believing you’ve gone away to earn money.”
He begins the task of removing my arms from the restraints, carefully examining my wrists and rubbing them as blood rushes back into my fingers. It feels like a thousand pins stabbing me at once, and I fight back a grimace as he soothes the pain that he inflicted. How can one man be so divided by darkness and light? How can he possibly soothe the wounds he caused? I don’t know, but I’m more nervous than ever about our arrangement when I look up into his eyes, getting lost in those desolate pools.
“Will I be able to talk to my friends myself?” I ask.
“Olivia will receive a letter from you in the morning,” he informs me. “The same goes for your friend Charlotte. As far as both of them are concerned, you’ve found a job overseas to help the sanctuary, and you went to work on a ship where you won’t have any service. A limited opportunity presented itself, and you didn’t have any time to allow a proper goodbye.”
My heart palpates as I consider what he’s telling me. “You sent that letter before I even agreed?”
“Like you wouldn’t have.” He flashes his teeth as his lips curl into a sinister smile. “Ella, we both know you were never going to tell me no. In time, I think you will even come to realize that it’s the last thing you want to tell me.”
“I’m here because I care about the sanctuary.” I glare at him. “But I will never derive pleasure from your twisted games.”
He laughs, dipping his head to my neck, inhaling me before his lips graze the shell of my ear.
“Mark my words, gudinne. You’ll beg for my cock. My touch. My violence. And when I’ve finished with you, you’ll wish it had never ended.”
A shock of pain spreads through me, and it takes me a moment to realize he bit my ear. On instinct, my hands come up to shove him away, but he catches my wrists, pinning them between us as he leans into my body.
“Think twice,” he warns. “You won’t like the consequences.”
“You already punished me.” My lip quivers as I dare to meet his eyes.
“Punished you?” He arches a brow. “I haven’t even begun to punish you yet.”
Fear licks along my veins, and my nerves come to life as he removes the last of my restraints and drags me over to the bed. I don’t know what to expect when he pins me face down in his lap, holding me in place with one hand clamped around my thigh while the other pushes into the center of my back.
“Tell me, little fire-breather.” His palm comes to stroke the curve of my ass. “Are you a virgin?”
I bite my lip, resolving not to answer that question, only to yelp when he smacks my ass so hard, I swear I see the bright lights of heaven just ahead. Before I can even gulp in another breath, he smacks me again, forcing my legs apart when I try to squeeze them together. It isn’t just the pain, but the fact that he can see all of me that’s terrifying.
“Ow!” I hiss.
“Does it hurt already?” he mocks. “I’m just getting warmed up. Now answer the question.”
Another slap. I jolt in his arms, desperate to get away, but he rains down blow after blow, smacking my thighs, my ass, and even my pussy at one point. When he drags his fingers over my back and smears my arousal into my skin, the humiliation threatens to swallow me whole.