“Worse?” he repeated with a frown.
“Beaten, tortured… Raped…”
Kairen’s expression grew darker with each possible outcome she mentioned, so she stopped, biting her lip nervously. Cassandra was still unable to figure out how he thought. He always seemed either indifferent or angry.
Right now, he was pinning her onto the bed, holding her wrists, exposing her and looking at her like no one else ever had, it was too overwhelming. His eyes were sweeping down her body, ignoring the dress, but taking in the numerous scars it left exposed. His expression grew even darker.
“Who did this?”
“My…previous masters…”
Why was he interested in her scars all of a sudden? She had gotten so many over the years; the worst were the freshest ones. Lyria was horrible to people she didn’t like and never spared her efforts in punishing her slaves. The dramatic, red lines still ran over Cassandra’s limbs, threatening to tear open again at any moment. She could still vividly remember the feeling of the lashes of the whip where it had cut the deepest.
She had experienced way too much pain to not be scared of punishments again. It was much more terrifying than death...
“...What is your name?”
His question caught her off guard. Why would he be interested in her name? Most masters didn’t even care enough to know if she had one! She was only called “you” or “slave” in her past years of servitude. Blushing a bit, she spoke it, that name she hadn’t uttered in years.
“...Cassandra.”
“Cassandra. Look at me.”
It wasn’t an order she could disobey. Gathering her courage, she looked up at his two obsidian eyes, like two voids she might get lost in.
“From now on, you are mine. If someone touches you, I’ll kill them.”
His expression was so serious she didn’t know how to respond. Was that a promise? Or a threat?
But somehow, something in her heart mended from hearing those words. Could she trust this man? He was twice as scary as anyone else, yet she felt something indescribable when looking at him. Something that felt like… safety. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded, still looking at him.
“Say it,” he ordered, his eyes dark.
“I’m… Yours,” she whispered.
His expression changed slightly, his mouth opening with heavy breaths. She could feel the arousal build on his dark skin.
“Say it again,” he ordered, his voice getting deeper.
“I’m yours…”
The last word got buried under Kairen’s lips connecting with hers.
Completely unnerved, Cassandra felt his rough kiss before she could even react. What was going on? The Prince’s hot mouth on hers was forceful, unpredictable, and ruthless. She tried to breathe as his tongue entangled with hers. She could feel his body pressing on her, overpowering her effortlessly.
When he finally retreated from her lips and descended to her breasts, she caught her breath.
“Ma… Master…”
She was entirely unable to think straight. His large, warm hands on her skin were exploring and invading everything. Like a wave, his strength was crashing over her, holding her under him while she was subjected to his caresses.
Cassandra had never experienced anything like this before. Her seventeen years of inexperience were cruelly showing, as she had no clue how to respond. Kairen was in total control of her body, his hands firmly holding her. All of a sudden, he tore her dress, exposing her bare chest to his gaze.
“My Lord! The dress…”
They had just borrowed it, too! Cassandra was mortified, thinking about what she had to do in order to get this dress and how it was now torn to shreds… But Kairen obviously didn’t care. Without warning, he sucked on one of her nipples, and she couldn’t hold back a surprised moan. She felt her body reacting, her stomach tingling with an odd sensation. Unable to think straight, she reached out for him, running her hands through his black hair, shivering under his tongue’s movements. He had grabbed her other breast now, playing with both at the same time.
“Hmm… My Lord…”
