19: green tea b!tch
1117 Words
Kiara's POV:
Was I that gullible?
As I sat in the steaming bathtub, the smell of herbs swirling around me and stinging my injuries, I wondered what the hell Alex saw in me that made him think he could flat out lie to my face.
I stared off into space, my thoughts caught between anger and something else.
Sure, right now I'll finally get my revenge on Gregg. It has the royal seal. But on the other hand, I can't help my quiet annoyance. Back in that room, I wanted to claw my fingers into Alex's eyes. That slap satisfied me deeply.
I readjusted in the water, wincing as my aching butt brushed the tub. Some of the water sloshed over the edge and splashed on the floor.
My rebirth was for a purpose. Revenge. That's the most important thing to me right now. Everything else is secondary. If it meant sleeping with a beast....then fine. After all it's done, and there's nothing I can do that'll erase that fact.
"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry I took so long!" Someone exclaimed, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps.
"Be careful, there's water on the floor." I turned to the woman. She was one of the women who had cleaned me up the last time I was here. The last time being yesterday.
She smiled at me, guilt reflected in her eyes. "Of course. My colleagues are bringing some ointment for your injuries."
My face burned, and I wasn't the hot water. "Of course."
They showed up a few minutes later and got to cleaning my body. They handled me like I was an egg.
"It's a miracle that you are alive, miss." One of them said as she gently washed my arm.
"Yes. Especially after he..." Another started to say and trailed off, coughing to hide her voice.
"After he f****d me." I completed for her.
"Yes. You're still alive. No one has ever survived it. At this point, you could be his fated mate."
I scoffed. "That is not true at all. I just want to get clean, please."
"Alright." They said at once. The rest of the bath went hitch free.
****
Okay.
I severely underestimated what happened.
After the through scrub down, I was shown to a room and given some clothes to wear. The room had a full length mirror, one I was currently standing in front of, fully naked.
My skin was a mass of discoloration. Bite marks on my abdomen and my lower back. Marks and scratches all over my arms, thighs, neck and chest. And to crown them all, the mark on my neck. I looked like a canvas of pain. At least the ointments helped numb the pain, but it did nothing for the discoloration.
I got dressed, making sure to hide every mark. As I was finishing up, a knock sounded on the door.
"Kiara? Are you in there?" Alex called from the other side.
My expression turned sour. "No. Get out."
"Just open up for a second, please."
I scowled at the door. This is currently all his fault. The bond that's pulsing in my chest right now, it's his fault. If he had come clean from the start, I doubt I would have agreed to help.
But, then what?
I was all alone, about to sleep on the roadside. With not even a dollar to my name. I would have been way worse if I didn't come here.
Alex knocked again. "Kiara,"
I inhaled deeply and brushed my hair back with my fingers. Though it's something I would never say out loud but, staying here is definitely the better choice. I get free accommodation, and my revenge. A win, right?
"You'll be good." I said to my reflection. She didn't look too convinced, but whatever. I turned and handed to the door.
Alex knocked again. "Kiara, please. Just open—"
I pulled the door open and came face to face with him. "What?"
He took a step back, shock briefly crossing his eyes. "Are you hungry?"
"I don't want to speak to you." I said and folded my arms.
He opened his mouth to say something then paused halfway. "Alright. I just wanted to check in on you, I'll be back later."
I nodded wordlessly. He waited for a second, then two, the he walked away. I went back inside and slammed the door shut.
An hour later, the growling of my stomach hot louder and louder. I tried to remember the last time I had eaten something, and nothing came up.
I left the room, retracing my steps to the living room. Just as I came down the stairs, I saw a woman in the living room with the king. She jumped into his arms and kissed him full on the lips. He held, kissing her back with as much passion.
"Wow." I said, pausing at the foot of the stairs. At the corner of my eye, a maid walked up to me. "Who's that?"
"That's the king's girlfriend."
I folded my arms, glaring at them. His girlfriend. Oh right. The one who was oh so conveniently away while her boyfriend was killing women he f****d.
My hunger forgotten, I turned to leave.
"Kiara! There you are." I heard Jared's voice call out. My shoulders went stiff. Shoot. I had planned to sneak as quickly as possible.
I slowly rounded to face him and flashed a smile. "Hey, Jared."
"Who's that?" The girlfriend asked, distending from the king's arms.
She faced me, her eyes narrowed in scrutinity. I won't lie, she's gorgeous. She had long pale hair and dark green eyes. She looked like a supermodel, tall and slender, with an air of self importance around her. She stared me from top to bottom, distaste filling her eyes.
"This is—" Jared started to say.
She walked up to me and outright sniffed me. Her brows knitted together. "Why do you smell strongly of my boyfriend?"
I glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend. He met my eyes for a brief second, and had the audacity to roll his eyes at me.
"Take a wild guess?" I said to her.
"This isn't a mere brush up...don't tell me," She laughed briefly. Her eyes cut to my neck, and I knew what she was looking at, "did he mark you?"
"Yes. I did." He said and walked up to her side. "She'll be staying here for the time being and the mark stays."
I folded my arms across my chest. "Not that I want to." I grumbled under my breath.
The woman stepped back, raised her hands up and shouted, "Absolutely not!”
- Writer
