Page 13

He stopped in front of me, his hands cupping my breasts, his thumbs brushing over my nipples. I gasped, a mix of fear and unwanted sensation coursing through me. He leaned in, his mouth capturing one nipple, sucking hard.

He released me, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “You taste sweet, little bluebird. Just like I knew you would.” His hands moved lower, tracing the curve of my stomach, the flare of my hips. He grabbed my ass, squeezing hard, pulling me against him. I could feel his erection pressing against me.

“You feel that, little bluebird?” he whispered, his voice hot in my ear. “That’s what you do to me. That’s how much I want you.”

I nodded, my breath coming in short, terrified gasps. “I feel it, Malakar. I feel you.”

“Good. Now, lie down on the bed. Spread your legs for me.”

I hesitated for a moment, then moved to the bed, lying down on my back. I spread my legs, feeling a wave of shame and humiliation wash over me. He stood at the foot of the bed, his eyes fixed on the most intimate part of me.

“Wider,” he commanded, his voice rough. “I want to see all of you.”

I spread my legs wider, tears streaming down my face. He climbed onto the bed, positioning himself between my thighs. He ran his hands up my legs, his touch rough and possessive.

“You’re so beautiful, little bluebird,” he murmured.

He leaned down, his mouth pressing against my inner thigh. He kissed his way up, his stubble scraping against my sensitive skin.

His mouth reached my center, his tongue flicking out, tasting me. I gasped, my body tensing. He looked up at me, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

He buried his face between my thighs, his mouth and tongue working me with a forceful intensity. I cried out, the sensations too much, too overwhelming. I tried to squirm away, but he grabbed my hips, holding me in place.

“Don’t move,” he growled.

I forced myself to lie still, my body shaking with sobs. He continued his assault, his mouth and tongue relentless. “Malakar—too much, it’s too much.” I couldn’t help it, the words slipped out, and he snapped his head up.

“Too much? I’m too much? I’ll show you what too much feels like.” Malakar got off the bed in an instant and yanked the drawer to the nightstand open. He reached in and pulled out duct tape.

“Please—no! I’ll be good, I’ll be so good!” I tried to move away from him, but he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me closer. Before I could scream, he bit off a piece of tape and put it on my mouth.

“I’m tired of your whining. Always fucking whining. I feed you, I bring you into this room, and this is how you repay me? With whining? You’re just like the rest, just like mother, just like all the ones who left.” Malakar grabbed my body and pushed me onto my stomach. He straddled my ass, took my arms, and taped my hands together behind my back.

I was completely helpless. All I could do was hope I could stay alive.

But wouldn’t death be so much nicer? Maybe this is for the best. I can be at peace. I won’t suffer anymore. Maybe death is what I need.

To my horror, he didn’t kill me. Instead, he yanked his belt off and folded it in half. He leaned down, his lips close to my ear. “You’ll learn to love me, my Starla darling. Until then, I have to teach you how to behave.”

Malakar leaned back. With one hand, he pushed my head into the mattress. I couldn’t even turn my head to look at what he was about to do.

There were a few moments of stillness. Once that stillness evaporated, the pain came. He brought the belt down onto my back and whipped me. I couldn’t even scream. I tried. I tried so hard, but my voice was taken from me.

Muffled sounds came from my taped mouth. He brought the belt down again. It slapped against my skin, leaving a stinging pain. It was as if I was being sliced open with a thousand knives. He kept whipping me, over and over. Harder and harder. The metal part of the belt made contact with my skin a few times, and I’m sure I began to bleed.

But even the blood was not enough for him to stop. Not even when it began to leak onto the mattress, not even when I became limp. He just kept giving lashes, one after the other.

Finally, he stopped. His breaths were coming out in uneven rhythms. Shock coursed throughout my body, so immense to the point where my flesh was numb to the pain.

He flipped me over onto my back. His eyes were darting everywhere, his whole body was shaking. My blood covered his hands. The fabric rubbed against my wounds, but I barely felt it.

“You made me do this. Fuck, I didn’t want to. I had no choice, I didn’t want you to leave, you’re my special darling, and I had to do something!” He was rambling wildly. He looked like he was under some sort of spell. A spell of darkness.

For a moment, I hoped he was done. Maybe he was feeling remorse.

Foolish girl, monsters don’t feel anything. They’re dead creatures.

“I tried to be gentle, but you clearly don’t appreciate my gentle nature. They never do, they’re always so scared. Always trying to fucking run.” He shook his head violently. “No, I won’t let it happen. I’ll break you, my Starla, I will. I’ll make sure you don’t fly away.”