Prison of Tides

Chapter 8 - Investigation

Caspian's Point of View 

     Jasmine slept peacefully on my chest and I held her close, admiring her dark eyelashes against her creamy skin. As carefully as I could, I slipped out from underneath her and replaced my form with a pillow, not wanting to disturb her rest quite yet.

     Royal jumped onto the bed and curled up on the pillow with her. Jasmine was her favorite person, and Royal had been particularly demanding while she was missing.

     I slipped my robe over my shoulders and went to the door, grabbing the tray of food the chef had prepared and brought it to bed. As much as she needed her rest, I knew she needed to eat as well. I set the tray on the nightstand beside her before pressing my lips to her shoulder, stirring her in her sleep.

     Her hand reached out for me and her eyes opened slowly, those green eyes enticing me as I remembered how they'd looked up at me earlier while she'd taken me into her mouth. I'd known it would feel good, but nothing could have prepared me for the feelings she brought to me.

     I hadn't expected her to do it. I'd thought we would pass out together, even without release for myself. Showing her what it should be like, taking care of her, was all I'd set out for, despite my overwhelming desire for her. But as always, she was giving, she loved me as I loved her.

     "Caspian," She murmured, her voice sleepy. Her hair was a mess from my hands finding their way into it earlier. I handed her one of my shirts and I'd never seen such an erotic sight as when she slipped it on, stretching from her nap.

     "You need to eat, my love."

     I lifted the silver food cover and revealed strawberry French toast with melted cream cheese, her favorite. There was also scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and lingonberry jam. Breakfast for dinner. I dipped a strawberry in the cream cheese and brought it to her mouth. Biting into it, her eyes closed and she savored the sweetness.

     She ate like she hadn't eaten all week. The chef had provided far more than we needed, and as I noticed the remaining strawberries, an idea formed in my head.

     No, Caspian. She's had enough of that for the day.

    Oblivious to my thoughts, she laid back down, no idea the effect she had on me as my shirt rode up on her, just enough to tease me with her smooth, thick thighs. 

     I was rock hard.

     I resisted the urge to spread those legs and have all of her. She wasn't healed yet. I could hurt her. We would wait until our wedding night. Even touching her, I could damage her further, hinder her healing. 

     I went to the bathroom and took care of myself, thinking of her the whole time.

*

     Waking with Jasmine the next day was beautiful. Her smile was contagious, and I kissed her nose.

     "Good morning, handsome."

     "Good morning, gorgeous. Let's go get breakfast, yes?"

     She nodded, standing up. I immediately regretted my decision to suggest leaving the bed, missing her warmth beside me, and I pulled her back to the bed. She laughed.

     "Caspian, what are you doing?"

     I hadn't thought that far ahead.

     My hands were on her body, tickling her, making her giggle and squirm. 

     "You're evil!" She laughed and hit me with a pillow.

     "Not as evil as you, leaving me cold and alone in bed," I let up and kissed her, getting out of bed.

     She rolled her eyes. "You told me to, your highness."

     "Uh, Caspian?" She looked around. "What am I going to wear?"

     I opened my closet. "I had some of your clothes brought here for you. There's new stuff, too, that I thought you might like. I didn't know if you'd want to be here or not. Since you do, I'll have the rest of your clothes brought here."

     "Thank you, my love." She disappeared into the closet.

     She emerged wearing a dark green dress that ended a few inches above her knees. A brown belt cinched her waist and showed off her curves, the V neck giving me a glimpse of her large breasts. Her thighs seemed to beg for me to touch them, but I thought of other things. It was an outfit I'd picked out for her. Seeing her in something I'd chosen turned me on. The next few weeks would be very difficult.

     We made our way to the kitchen and ate breakfast, fully expecting my parents to be waiting, but they were in meetings all day. They had a lot to catch up on. Almost no work had gotten done while Jasmine was missing.

     "So Jasmine," I took her hand in mine across from the breakfast bar. "When are you going to let me marry you?"

     She smiled, squeezing my hand as she swallowed the last bite of her bagel. "As soon as possible. What is the appropriate amount of time for a royal wedding?"

     "Whenever we want, my love. As long as you're healed. We could have everything ready this weekend, if you wanted to."

     "Two weeks. Let's set the date, two weeks from now. Does that work?"

     Leaning across the bar, I kissed her. "That's perfect."

     We were interrupted by Chief Bennett, here for more questions, I assumed.

     "Hi Prince, Jasmine. How are you doing today?"

     "Much better, thank you. Happy to be home. The pain medicine is helping a lot."

     "Good. I'm very glad to hear that. Is now a good time to continue our discussion from yesterday?"

     She took a deep breath. "Yes, it is. Before we start, though, Caspian, could you get my anxiety medicine?"

     I retrieved the klonopin from my bedroom, and she took a pill with her orange juice.

     "Alright, I'm ready." I moved to sit beside her. I wanted to be there if she were to become upset again. I didn't want her to feel alone when she talked about this. I knew she felt ashamed of the experience. I wish I could make her understand that none of this was her fault. No one judged her. I'd done some research while he had her, trying to prepare myself for the best way to help her when she returned. Even if he hadn't drugged her, the body reacts, even if the mind does not want to. The effect was simply more intense because of the drugs.

     The chief opened his notebook as I positioned myself beside Jasmine, taking her hand in mine.

   "When we left off yesterday, you mentioned something about measurements and an exam of some kind. What can you tell me about that?"

     Another deep breath. She looked down. "Take your time, my love. We're here whenever you're ready." I brushed her hair out of her face.

     "After he spanked me, he told me he was going to conduct an examination and take some measurements. He made me kneel in front of him while he measured my chest with a tape measurer. He wrote down how big my breasts were. Then, he asked what I wanted him to examine next. I couldn't talk. My underwear was still in my mouth."

     She started to breath heavily and I rubbed her back. She looked back up at me and I kissed her forehead. "It's okay Jasmine. It's over now. He will never hurt you again."

     She continued. "He said he was going to examine my... holes." She shuddered a little. "He took my underwear out of my mouth. He put a metal ring in place of it, and tied it around my head. He said he was going to start with my mouth."

     She was trembling. "Chief, is it really necessary to make her talk about this?" I asked.

     "Unfortunately, the more details we have about exactly what he did to her, the better chance we have of a stronger sentence."

     "It's okay, Caspian." I put my arm around her shoulder. "He put a plastic tube in my mouth. It had lines indicating inches on it... he was between my breasts. He kept sliding in between them while he made me suck on the tube and shoved it down my throat. I couldn't breathe." She put her hand to her throat.

     I remembered her saying she wanted me to have her in all the ways he had her, to know she was really mine. Maybe it was better we discuss this. I would know what she needed from me. Maybe that's why she had taken me in her mouth the night before.

     "He finally pulled it out and let me breathe. He wrote down how deep it went. Then he put me onto the bed and tied me up, the same way I was when you... when you found me." Her face was red. "Except he had the bar tied to the headboard, so I couldn't move at all."

     Gods. The things he'd subjected her to made my blood boil.

     "He said he was going to start with my... he said cunt. He said he'd already claimed it has his, so he'd start there. He had that thing the doctors use, to open you up. He put it inside of me. He said that he would reward me after he finished with the exam. I remember crying. There was nothing I could do. He had this vibrator that had measurements on it. He put his finger in me, then the vibrator. He said my.. f**k holes... were perfect and just a little small for him, so he could have fun stretching them out. He said he liked how I was too small, and how he'd wanted me to be, because I was a virgin. He wrote down how... deep.. I was."

She was breathing hard and shaking. "After he wrote it down, he put the stick in my butt. He... used it on me, for a minute, and he wrote down the depth again. Then he turned it on, and made it vibrate."

     Her eyes looked glassy, as though she were somewhere else. She seemed a lot calmer now. The medicine must have kicked in.

     "He took the spreader out of me, and started to taste me. After a while, he took the vibrator out. Then he found another one, a lot thinner. He told me it would hurt, but that I'd like it. He put it inside of me, then he stuck it in my urethra."

      I couldn't even imagine how much it must have hurt.

     "He measured me there, as well. I didn't know it, but what he put inside me, it vibrated too. He eventually took it out. He was right. It hurt. Then he made me suck on something he called a butt plug. He put it in my center... then in my butt."

     She paused for a minute and leaned into me. I did what I could to comfort her, my thumbs rubbing circles on her arm.

     "He took me out of the restraints. He used his mouth between my legs. Then he raped me again. He wanted me to beg for it and tell him that he owned me. I tried to run away again. I made the mistake of saying your name, Caspian."

     I felt my body tense, and she gripped my thigh under the table.

     "He caught me. You guys saw the place. There was no where to go. No where to hide. He put my face in the ground and tied my hands and feet together with his belt. He had a paddle. He hit me. He said I'd never see you again. That you would never want me after what he was doing to me. That he would always own me and you would never feel me the way that he had."

     "None of that is true, Jasmine." I kissed her forehead and caught the tear that fell from her eye.

     She nodded. "I said your name again. I don't know why I did it. I thought about losing you forever. He just kept hitting me, over and over, in the most sensitive areas, with the paddle. Finally, he stopped. I thought he was done punishing me, but he raped me again. It was brutal this time. I think hurting me turned him on. I was against the ground. I just remember my body scraping against the stone, making my skin raw. And when he took out the butt plug, he replaced it with himself. It was awful."

      s**t. She was crying again. This time, I stayed with my arm around her. I let her continue without interrupting her.

     "I was screaming. He told me he was originally going to wait, but that I needed to understand that I was his property and he could do what he wanted with me. He said to stop crying about you. He said that you weren't man enough to take me when you had the chance. He called me a w***e and made me tell him I belonged to him. He was done using my... my behind. He pulled out, untied me and rolled me over. He said that I needed to understand I was his forever, and that I would never be with anyone else. Then he pressed into my center to c*m. He used his mouth again before passing out on top of me."

     I couldn't even imagine. That level of brutality. He claimed he loved her, and that's why he took her. But that wasn't love. I could never imagine making Jasmine cry, let alone scream because I was hurting her.

     "Jasmine, do you need a break?" The chief asked.

     "Yes. Just a few minutes. If you don't mind."

     "I'm going to use the restroom, and we can pick back up when I get back, if you're ready."

     She nodded.

     As soon as he left the room, Jasmine broke down, crying. I held her tightly.

    "Shh, Jasmine, it's okay. You're safe. It's over. You're safe now." She sniffed and wrapped her arms around my neck."I promise you, it's over now. You're with me, and I'll always take care of you. Always make sure you're safe. I'll never hurt you. You're safe." She nodded into my chest.

     "It was just so horrible, Caspian. Every day, it got worse. I tried so hard to please him. There were a few days where I went along with it, after he cut me. But then he said.. he said he was going to make me have his kids.. and I, I just couldn't. You saw what happened when I fought him. It was so degrading. Everyone saw me. Everybody knows. Everybody saw me have orgasms while he raped me. I've never felt so humiliated. Nothing was mine anymore. And I liked how it felt, but I hated that I liked it, and I hated it was him!"

     She sobbed into my chest.

     "Oh, Jasmine." My heart broke as she cried. "It's okay, it's okay my love," I kissed her forehead and wiped her tears away. "I love you. I love you so much. No one is judging you. The body reacts, regardless of consent. It's not just you. So, so many people who are assaulted feel the same way. It does not mean anything about you. All that it means is that he is a cruel, sadistic man."

     She nodded and looked up at me for a moment, sniffing. "But Caspian, what if I liked the control?"

     I thought for a minute. Thought about what it would be like to dominate her, to pin her down and slip inside of her, her thrashing underneath me and begging me for more.

     "Jasmine?" I asked. "Maybe we could like it, together. Maybe I could dominate you." She stopped crying as she looked up towards me. "Only if you want me to," I blushed, not wanting to scare her.

     "Really? You... you'd do that, for me?"

     I wiped the tears off of her face. "I'd do anything for you. There's something called b**m. I looked into it, while he had you. A lot of what he used on you came from shops that specialized in b**m. We can talk about it more, later, after the chief has left. But if you want me to control you like that, I'll do it. You are mine and it's my job to take care of you, and meet your needs, no matter how you came to realize them."

    I lifted her chin up and kissed her. She returned it, and I held the back of her head, wanting more of her. Now, I knew I would have her, as soon as we were wed.

     Chief Bennet returned. "Are you ready?" Jasmine nodded and blew her nose before continuing.

     "When I woke up, I was in the bed. Two days had passed. He told me that he'd drugged me, so that I couldn't escape while he'd taken the boat out. I don't know what happened while I was asleep. I assume he raped me again. He had a picture of me tied up, with the vibrator in my urethra. I thought I would be sick, looking at myself that way. He took me to the bathroom. He told me to take a bath, that he had something for me, and that he would be back. When he returned, he had Cherry with him."

     Cherry. The other girl.

     "She had a collar on and he was dragging her by a chain. He wanted us to have s*x. He said he would leave us alone, but would be watching from the cameras. Cherry and I agreed that we didn't have a choice, and that we would close our eyes and pretend we were with someone else."

     She turned her eyes to me. I had been her escape.

     "She told me that he had taken her months before, and that her purpose was to be my own plaything. That he pretended she was me until he brought me there. That her entire existence had been about learning how to please me when I arrived. So we did it, we had s*x. He came back as soon as we were done and brought us back to the bedroom. He made her lay on the ground, and made me sit on her face while he was in my mouth. I tried to close my eyes and pretend it was you again, but he made me look at him."

     She would never have to imagine me again. From now on, I would be there.

     "He made me get on the bed and told Cherry to watch. He said that she would learn that no one could bring me true pleasure but him. He was jealous. I kept my legs closed. I was so sore. I didn't think I could take any more. He didn't care. He lifted my legs up and took me that way. I watched Cherry, anything to not see him. He told me not to look at her and that she was a w***e. He choked me and hit me. He said he knew I liked it when he hurt me. I closed my eyes again and tried to pretend it was you inside of me. But he made me look at him. I couldn't stop crying. He said to cry harder, and I did. It made him cum."

    Her eyes still had that glassy look to them. It was better than her crying, but I was ready for this conversation to be over. Still, I knew the discussion must be had, so I let her continue.

     "He told me that my tears tasted good. Then he told Cherry to use her mouth on me. I begged him not to. I couldn't stop breaking down, thinking of how I'd never see you again, Caspian. He told me to shut up. He had another gag, this one had a ball in it. He put it in my mouth. He spread my legs, so I kicked and scratched him. That's when he tied me to the bed. Cherry said she didn't want to taste me with his c*m inside of me, but he held her head between my legs until she gave in. That's when he said I needed a permanent reminder of who I belonged to. That's when he cut his name into my chest. It turned him on to see me bleeding and hurt. He licked the blood, then he stroked himself until he came on the cuts."

     If the trial didn't sentence him to execution, I'd kill him myself.

     "After that, I stopped fighting for a while. I accepted that I was his s*x slave. I accepted this was my life. Better to not fight it, just to go with it. Better to try and enjoy it. Even if I escaped, he had me convinced no one would want me after I had been soiled by his touch. The next few days, he wasn't too rough with me, but he was with Cherry. He said this is what it would be like for me, if I fought again. He had her use a strap on on me, then would rape me himself, to prove nothing would ever feel as good as he did. So I did what he said. I told him I was his. Until the day you arrived."

     She paused.

     "Do you need another break, my love?"

     She shook her head before continuing.

     "We were in the shower, and he was inside me. He said he couldn't wait to see me with child. Maybe it was the drugs. Maybe I was in denial. I'd never thought about pregnancy. I'd resigned myself to life as a s*x slave, not as someone for him to breed with. I ran away. I tried to escape through the tunnel. I screamed for help when I heard your boat approaching, but he dragged me back to the bedroom. I thought your boat had passed us. He tied my hands behind my back and used the bar to force my legs open. He asked how we were ever going to be a family when I kept running away. He put a vibrator in my urethra and began whipping me. He started to press the vibrator in and twist it around. It hurt so much."

     Her voice cracked.

     "We don't have to continue this now, if you don't want to. This can wait, or we can take another break." The chief spoke.

     "No, I'd rather go ahead and get this over with."

     The chief nodded. "I understand."

     "He wrapped the whip around my throat and started to strangle me before he was inside me again. He'd let up every so often so I could breath, but I was so dizzy. He put a bigger butt plug inside of me. He made me say his name while he raped me. I did, and he whipped me again. Everywhere. He made me beg for it. For him to c*m inside of me. He said he knew I needed him and couldn't live without him. He wanted me to tell him that I would let him get me pregnant. I couldn't do that. I said I only wanted your children."

     I remembered the sounds, her crying and screaming and moaning at the same time. The crack of the whip. Her breaking and saying he could impregnate her. He was a f*****g monster. He'd wrapped a whip around her throat and made her beg for him.

     "He whipped me harder until I agreed. He wanted me to beg, so I begged. He had a dildo. He put it inside of me and it vibrated. He put himself in my mouth. Once again, I couldn't breathe. He whipped my breasts. He talked about how all of my holes were filled for the first time. And what a waste it would have been if I'd married Caspian. Finally, he finished with my mouth and flipped me over. He tied me the way I was when you found me. He said he wanted me to see what he was doing to me. He took the vibrator out of the hole I urinate from... he put his finger in while he used his mouth on me... he put a bigger vibrator in there, took the dildo out and started to rape me again. And that's when you guys got there."

     She stopped. Her eyes held no emotion, but her hands had a death grip on mine.

     Chief Bennett closed his notebook. We sat in silence. Hours had passed since she started telling her story. I felt so many things. Anger. Despair. Guilt. Guilt that so much of the punishment had been caused by the mere mention or thought of me. Guilt that I couldn't protect her. Guilt that I hadn't went searching for her earlier at the party. Maybe if we had gone looking for her as soon as my mom wanted to, we would have found her before Raymond took her.

     Bennett broke the silence. "Thank you for sharing that, Jasmine."

     She nodded. Her grip on my hand tightened, her nails digging in deeper. I didn't think that was possible.

     Bennett's phone rang. "Just a second," He stepped into the hallway.

     "It's over now," I whispered into Jasmine's ear. I held her tight. She was shaking again. I'd known it was bad. I hadn't known it was that bad.

     "Sorry about that. That was my team. They just finished processing the crime scene at the cave, and there is something that I need to discuss with you both. A few things, actually."

     "Excuse me. I'll be right back." Jasmine ran out of the room in the direction of my suite. I excused myself as well. When I got into my room, I heard noises coming from the bathroom.

     "Jasmine?"

     I went in to find her bent over the toilet. "I'm sorry," She whispered. "I don't feel well."

     "It's okay, love. Why don't I get you in bed, and I'll see the chief out? Whatever it is he needs to discuss, it can wait until tomorrow."

     She nodded and I helped her up. She brushed her teeth before I carried her to bed, tucking her in.

     I heard her crying as I left the room.

     Approaching the kitchen once more, I saw Chief Bennett with his head in his hands.

     "How is she, really?" He asked.

     "She's not well. She was sick when I found her. I've put her in bed to rest. I'm afraid whatever we need to discuss will have to wait. I'll see you out." I started towards the door.

     "Your highness, with all due respect, it can't."

     I turned back. "What's so urgent?"

     "Sit down, Prince."

     I took a seat. I didn't like the look on his face.

     "Do you want bad, worse or worst news first?"

     I wasn't going to like this. Not at all.

     "Bad."

     He took a breath. "As you know, we've been searching the cave system Jasmine and Cherry were being held in. You also know we found evidence that Raymond's obsession with Jasmine goes back years."

     "Yes, I'm aware."

     "At his home, it looked like this started 4 years ago, when she was 18. But what we found in the caves has brought us to the conclusion that it started 7 years ago, when she was 15."

     "15?"

     "Yes. That's the earliest we found a record of, at least. He was 45 at the time." I was seeing red. "It could be that he was fascinated with her earlier, but didn't take photos until that point. We may find out during interviews, but he's been uncooperative so far."

     I nodded. She was a child. He was 30 years her senior. It made me sick.

     "Here's the bad part."

     "That wasn't the bad part?"

     He shook his head. "I wish it was. We ruled the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Belden, along with Mrs. Mitchell a vehicular accident. But we found evidence in the cave that he hired someone to tamper with the breaks before they went out that evening."

     "He... he killed his own wife, and Jasmine's parents?"

     "I'm afraid so. He kept journals from the time Jasmine was 15. Reading through them, his plan was originally to take care of her financially until she was old enough and dependent upon him, and then offer his hand in marriage. He wanted her trapped and thinking of him as a hero. But your parents stepped up instead. So he got closer to her, with hopes of wooing her. When she started to see you, he was enraged, but figured it was just a fling. As time went on, though, he realized your relationship was serious and started building a prison in the cave to take her to. In his journals, he revealed that he carried around the drugs to kidnap her at every location he suspected she'd be at for the past few months, but only used it when she announced her engagement to you."

     "He is sick. Killing three royal advisors is treason, no matter the reasoning behind it. He will be executed as soon as the trial is over."

     "Yes. Now, prepare yourself for the worse news."

     I'd forgotten that there was worse news. And that beyond that, there was worst news.

     "What could possibly be worse, Bennett?"

     "You know how Jasmine mentioned he had photos of her, and there were cameras set up throughout the cave?"

     I didn't like where this was going.

     "Yes..."

     "Have you ever heard of something called the dark web?"

     "Yes," My stomach was churning.

     "People were paying him for the videos."

     "What?! Who the hell has been watching this?"

     "We don't know. Our tech department is trying to track them down, but the dark web makes it difficult to do so."

     "How much?"

     "What?" Bennett's eyebrows raised.

     "How much was he charging for videos of him raping my fiance?"

     "They said it varied based on which videos they were. Anywhere from $300 to $3000.”

     "And how many people bought them?"

     "They said that each video had been viewed at least a thousand times, with the more expensive ones more so than that."

     I stood up, knocking the cutting board, the decorative bowl, the plants off the counter. I rubbed my forehead. I was ready to explode.

     "How many videos?"

     "They found 20 of Jasmine with Raymond. 4 of Jasmine with Cherry. 6 of the three of them together. There were hundreds of him and Cherry. Which leads me to worst news."

     "What could possibly be worse than 30 videos of Jasmine being raped circulating on the dark f*****g web, Bennett?!" I was yelling.

     "Remember how she said he drugged her for two days and she doesn't remember what happened?"

     "Yes. I remember vividly."

     "There are actually 42 videos of her. One of the sales on his website was an auction. He brought in men who paid to rape her."

     "Damn him! Curse him! All that talk about how he was the only man who could touch her, and he was selling her!? At least she was unconscious. "

     "Prince Caspian, sit down, please. She was not unconscious. Whatever drug he gave her, she was awake, but she doesn't remember. It didn't show up in her tox screen. More than likely some form of a date rape drug. She was wide awake for all but 3 of the videos."

     Then, when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I heard a crash from the hallway, followed by distressed meows. We went to investigate.

     It was Jasmine. She'd been listening, and she'd fainted.

     "Bennett? Call the palace doctor."