008
1466 Words
RAVAYA
I shot upright, choking on a gasp. Pain tore through my spine. Sweat stung my eyes. The nightmare was a vivid reminder of my mission. I could still remember everything. Smoke. Blood. Screams. Gunfire. Knives. Bodies dropping.
My jaw tightened but the tears slipped anyway. I wiped them off my cheeks, furious.
The truth was that I never let myself grieve because I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to pull myself out of it. So I hid behind sarcasm and humor. When in reality, I was just being a coward.
Kael's words slammed back into me, my body tense.
Could there be something I was missing about the attack?
A sudden knock on the door startled me. I looked up, furrowing my brows as I got out of bed.
Kael and Evander would never knock.
This meant that my visitor was someone different.
"Who is it?" I asked, and a soft feminine voice spoke.
"Please get ready. Make sure you're clean and presentable," she said, and I frowned, uneasy.
That sounded terribly ominous.
Still, I gave her a response. "Got it."
I glanced at the digital clock on the wall, my frown deepening when I saw that the time was 03:45AM. Too early.
What the hell do I need to look presentable for?
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I headed to the bathroom to have a shower. A little while later, I was wearing a simple light blue dress, which I'd taken from the closet.
I didn't know what was really going on or if I needed to wear something super fancy and apply makeup.
So, I kept my long silver-blonde hair down.
And waited.
Finally, the door beeped and creaked open. A young woman wearing a simple black and white dress (awfully similar to a maid's dress) stepped in.
She flashed me a casual smile, her blue eyes warm.
"Let's go, Ravaya," she said, and I nodded, the feeling of unease waxing stronger inside of me.
We both left the room together, and she led me down a long corridor and stopped in front of a door, which I easily recognized. Because I'd been there before.
Evander's room. s**t.
I clenched my fists, my heart thumping faster as she knocked on the door and moved to stand behind me. The door jerked open, and there stood Evander.
He was wearing a pair of black sweatpants now and those same...pink flip-flops.
I was instantly hit with the sense of déjà vu.
He smiled at me and stepped aside to let me come in. I hesitated, my stomach knotting up. Just how long do I need to put up with this lunatic?
"I don't bite, Ravaya. Not unless you ask me to," he said, amusement shimmering in his eyes.
Gripping the fabric of my dress, I shakily stepped inside, and he instantly shut the door.
My heart was pounding faster now, my breathing quickening.
Now I understood the way a mouse felt when it got cornered into a freaking trap.
"Why did you summon me?" I asked, and he pouted.
"You sound like you're mad at me," he said, and my eyes widened.
What the hell was wrong with this psycho?
"Just go straight to the point, Mr. Draven," I said, and he sighed, lowering himself onto the edge of the bed, his muscles flexing. He patted the space beside me, his gaze meeting mine.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I shuffled across the room and sat down beside him, putting a little space between us.
But Evander had no respect for space. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
"I wanted to talk," he said, his hand lingering on my waist.
I kept my focus on the wall or anything else inside the room, refusing to give him the satisfaction of having the entirety of my attention.
"About what?" I replied stiffly.
"I acknowledge that I went too far when I was punishing you earlier. I'm sorry. You see...I...I dissociate sometimes, and when that happens, things get bad."
I stiffened, wondering why he was telling me this.
He placed a hand on my thigh, and nausea washed over me. I felt revolted.
Unnaturally so.
It had to be because I had already met my mate.
"I truly want to know you better, Ravaya. But I also can't wait. I'm under a lot of pressure," he said, and a lump formed in my throat.
Can't wait for what?
Was this it?
The moment he tries to own my body?
"I don't...understand," I said through gritted teeth. He lightly squeezed my thigh, leaning in close.
I could smell him. I could feel the warmth of his body. But everything about him made me want to barf.
"Technically, you and I are...already married," he stated, and my eyes went wide.
How?
When?
I definitely did not give my consent. Wait...the contract?!
"The mating ceremony..." I started to say, and he beamed.
"About that...it's happening in three days...but I can't wait."
My stomach churned.
He leaned in to kiss me, and I flinched on purpose. His eyes darkened.
"What are you doing?" He demanded.
I should be asking you that, you snake!
"I don't... I haven't...." I croaked with extra dramatic flavor.
His hand moved higher, his fingers greedily closing around my breast. My pulse spiked in disgust. Where he expected a moan, he got the sharp intake of my breath as bile rose in the back of my throat.
"You're a virgin. That makes it all better," he smiled, and my heart sank.
"I'm not ready. I can't—"
One hand brushed along my side as the other lightly squeezed my boob.
"Sh...I'll take good care of you," he whispered softly, pressing a kiss to my pulse.
My stomach lurched violently, and I pulled away from him, barely making it to the bin by the door before throwing up. Every part of me itched, a raging headache blinding me. It felt like I was having the worst kind of allergic reaction.
For a moment, Evander simply watched me, his gaze blank. Then suddenly, he shot to his feet and punched the wall, leaving a massive crack across it.
"Do I disgust you that much?" He demanded.
Didn't you already know that, you animal?! I wanted to scream, but I said nothing, only leaning against the door, making myself as small as possible.
"Or did Kael ask you to act like that?" He asked, and I froze.
I had a bad feeling about this.
If he knew that Kael was my mate, I was about to go from the frying pan to the fire.
"N-no. I don't—"
"That's enough stuttering, you b***h!" He roared, his eyes glowing with rage.
"Fine. I'll give you three days to prepare yourself, doll. Three days until I bury my c**k deep inside you and fill you with my seed. Three days until I have you screaming my name while I claim your body and everything that you think belongs to you."
I stared at him, awed.
This man was a monster.
A terrifying one.
Was this the reason why Kael had been so sure that I would run to him in three days?
"Come here," Evander suddenly told me, and I rose slowly, feeling lightheaded.
"Get on your knees, doll," he said, and I gripped my dress so hard, I nearly tore it. Even so, I quietly obeyed while plotting all the ways I would make him pay for humiliating me.
He thought he'd bought himself a pretty little pet.
He would know soon enough that there is a repercussion for every disgusting thing he does to me.
From the nightstand, he lifted a strip of black leather, the polished silver clasp gleaming under the light. My breath caught. A collar. He leaned in, his fingers brushing my throat as he buckled it into place, each click of the metal a nail in the coffin of my freedom.
He's going to die. I'll chop off his balls and make him eat them. I'll make sure his generation of monsters dies with him.
I wanted to laugh in his face.
But I needed him to believe that he could tame me.
"From this moment on, doll," he said, leaning over until our gazes were locked. "You belong only to me."
Yeah, right. We'll see about that.
"There's a birthday party tomorrow, my mother's. You only have two roles," he said, and I nodded slowly, keeping my gaze locked on him.
"One, you mustn't leave my side. Two, at all costs, you must stay away from Kael."
Oh?
"Do you understand?" He asked, and I blinked at him with a blank expression on my face.
Then a slow smirk spread over my lips.
- Writer
