For the first time in her life, Cassandra felt utter hatred for someone. She took the little dagger at her hip, and without warning, slashed the man’s arm. Not too deep, just enough for blood to appear, making him yell in pain.
“You…you swine!”
“What? Aren’t you grateful? Isn’t this nothing?!” Cassandra yelled back angrily, with tears in her eyes. “Slaves get injuries like this every day! The only person I’m grateful to is My Lord, for not killing the abused goods that I am! For taking a liking to me, despite all the scars I carry!”
“Cassandra, enough,” said Kairen, taking the dagger from her shaking hand.
Gently, he put his hand around her, comforting her and kissing her wet cheek. Cassandra had never been so angry before. She couldn’t even express it correctly.
“It’s…Those men are…”
“Calm down,” he whispered.
He didn’t mind her getting mad at someone. He wouldn’t have blinked if she killed him, but he didn’t want to see her too worked up, not when she was pregnant. She was crying in anger and shaking. He turned to the man, glaring at him with a deadly look in his black eyes.
“The collar. Now.”
The man hesitated. Even if this Concubine was upset or whatever, the Prince was a member of the Imperial Family, someone with money to no end. Maybe he could get some more before freeing that slave for him.
“I can do it, but the binding contract, and the fee…”
This time, Kairen had enough. Without warning, Kairen grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him back to the entrance. The man screamed like a pig, terrified. He didn’t expect the Prince would get mad over a slave, or even a Concubine. Kairen’s apparent calm and composure had misled him to think Cassandra was the only one who was angry.
“Let me go! I’ll free her! I’ll free her right away! We have a key! A key that works for…”
Before he could end his sentence, Kairen threw him like a sack toward Krai. The Dragon, like a dog catching a ball, crunched him half-way. It didn’t even chew, just gulped the man down, ending his life in seconds. After that, it burped loudly, to everyone’s disgust. When Kairen walked back to his Concubine, Cassandra was frowning.
“Can Dragons get sick?” she asked.
“What would he get sick with?”
“Rotten meat,” she said with disgust. “It’s the second one today.”
Kairen smirked.
“His stomach can handle fire.”
He then turned to the other slave traders present, all of their faces had gone completely white with fear. Before any of them wondered how many humans a dragon could eat in a day, they all ran to Cassandra, each bringing some very odd key. Kairen kicked one that had come too close, warning the others not to overstep that range.
He grabbed one of the keys and gently turned Cassandra around. Her head was spinning a bit. Really, now? Was it…really happening? She noticed her own breathing was getting louder, her heartbeat ringing in her ears.
With a loud clicking, the two half-rings of metal fell at her feet. Cassandra looked down at the rings for a few seconds, stunned. It was more than just those pieces of metal, it was her neck, and the sensation of lightness, that struck her.
There would be no more constant heaviness around her neck, no more pain. She slowly brought her fingers up, touching her skin. It was gone, really gone. It wasn’t just the collar that was removed; it was like a hundred pounds of sorrow, fear, and pain had been lifted off her shoulders.
Cassandra silently started crying, hiding her face in Kairen’s shoulder. Her Prince held her close, caressing her back and neck, waiting for her to calm down.
With her cheeks still wet, she suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him without warning. The War God wasn’t expecting this. Never before had Cassandra been so passionate, demanding, and commanding. Yet, it felt so incredibly good. He answered her kiss, completely forgetting the world around them. It was like another woman had taken over her body, claiming him, hungry and restless. She caressed his cheek, his nape, keeping him to herself. Kairen was pleasantly surprised, his arms around her waist, hugging her until they parted, both of them out of breath.
For a while, they stayed silent, their faces close to each other, in a slight daze.
“Thank you,” whispered Cassandra.
Kairen didn’t answer, only wiping her tears and kissing her gently again, while Cassandra stood against his chest, her eyes closed. She was still trembling a bit, but he continued to hold her and turned to the slave traders.
“The others. Now.”
The slave traders looked at the large group, a bit hesitant, but all of them had seen or heard the sound of a man being eaten alive by a Dragon. No one wanted to be the main dish. They rushed toward the other slaves, each carrying one of the keys, and the collars fell one by one. People started crying, screaming, and laughing in joy. Some even hugged their siblings or friends, overwhelmed with relief. Cassandra only listened. She still had her eyes closed, leaning on Kairen’s chest; her Prince’s hands holding her tightly.
