Page 55 of The Doll and The Domination

“Hello.”

Up close, Kaspias is identical to Dessin. Same height, sharp jawline, same close-set brown eyes. But the differences make him another creature entirely. His lip and ears are pierced with spiked silver jewelry. Those frigid eyes are lined with black paint, and he has a well-kept beard.

I’m suddenly at a loss for words. Unable to remember why I approached him.

“Is that all?” he asks with grating annoyance.

I shake my head. Gulp. Study the charcoal plated armor on his shoulders.

Focus. Skylenna is hurt. You can do this, Ruth. You can be helpful.

“You can gawk at me from a distance. Get the fuck out of my face before I drown you at the Fun House tonight,” he barks.

There’s a Fun House tonight?

“Kaspias,” I breathe, blinking the panic away from my thoughts. “I need your help.”

This washes the aggravation from his features immediately. Something like hilarity hooks the corner of his mouth and twinkles in those empty eyes.

“Go on…” His head turns to the side, the same way Dessin’s does when he’s about to play a game.

“Skylenna…she’s hurt badly. And the kitchen staff is starving us out. I-I just need a small amount of food for her. Anything to help her get some strength back.”

The dark intensity of Kaspias’s stare burns a hole through my skull. I suddenly want to run away, break the connection that makes me feel empty, lost, hopeless.

“And what makes you think I want her to regain even an ounce of strength back? I’m the one who put her in that condition.”

“But—”

“Would you like to suffer the same fate, Ruth?”

“If it gets you to fulfill my request, yes,” I answer without a moment to think about it. I’d probably drop dead. I wouldn’t be able to use the special gifts that Skylenna has. I would be beaten to a lifeless pulp. “Yes,” I say again.

Kaspias narrows his eyes. “Yes?”

I nod. Warrose may kill me first. This is beyond idiotic.

“You would likely not even make it ten yards before my mammoths crushed you,” he muses without breaking eye contact.

“She needs food. Not much. And something for the pain and swelling.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s been in and out of hypothermic levels all night. She hasn’t had a meal in three days. If she’s going to last another day, she needs help.”

“No, I mean, why would you sacrifice your own life so that she may have a bite of food?”

I glare at him as if the answer is obvious. “That’s what family does.”

Kaspias blinks but doesn’t say anything.

“Dessin is your family. You weren’t raised together. And you’ve both been victims of cruel, heartless governments. But he’s your brother, Kaspias. And this is the woman he loves.” My eyes well with tears, and my throat aches to cry.

His eyebrows pull together with a look that almost edges close to sympathy. But after a second, he grins and breaks out into laughter.

“Look at this!” He swipes his thumbs over my eyes. I squeeze them shut against his calloused skin, jerking away from his hands gripping my head. “Tears? Have you really gotten this attached? You think the words family or brother mean anything to me?” He laughs harder, tasting my tears from the pads of his thumbs.

“Ruth,” Warrose calls from a few paces back.

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