Page 57 of Heartless Prince

15

Tatum

I wokeup in a cold sweat of shame and regret. Oh, god. It was happening again…

I tried to stay strong last night, tried to resist Elias and all his dark lures, but he’d broken me down once again. He made me beg for the whip, made me beg for punishment, made me admit that I needed it. That wasn’t the worst part, though.

The worst part was that I loved it.

I wanted more. I craved it, thirsted for it, needed it.

I’d often fantasized about this sort of scenario in the past, wondered what it would be like to have someone dominate me and control me, but I never thought I’d actually enjoy it in real life. Especially against my will. Yet here I was, plunging headfirst into the darkness whenever Elias so much as issued the smallest command.

I’d officially lost my mind.

“Good morning, Doll,” said a soft voice from my right.

I rolled over, my eyes wide with surprise. Speak of the devil… Elias was right here in my cell.

“Are you here to take me to the gym?” I asked. Usually a guard arrived each morning to escort me upstairs for exercise and a shower, but no one had come to get me yet.

“No gym today. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Only Elias King could make the word ‘surprise’ sound ominous. My heart began to race and tremors shook my hands. “A surprise?” I said in a low, terrified murmur.

He smiled. “Relax. This isn’t some sort of punishment. I….” He paused for a second, emotion flashing in his usually-cold eyes. “I think I may have been a little rough with you last night. You might belong to me, but that doesn’t mean I should abuse you beyond your limits. I should care for my belongings. I’m going to make it up to you today.”

I gaped at him, pure shock reverberating through my system. Surely this was some sort of cruel game. He didn’t really want to make anything up to me. No way. He loved the idea of hurting and abusing me. He thought I killed his best friend, after all.

Besides, last night didn’t go beyond any limits for me… did it?

Or maybe it did.

Maybe this place had driven me so crazy that I couldn’t tell anymore. Maybe I didn’t really love or crave the pain of that whip, or the black leather tendrils trailing over my skin, teasing and tormenting me. Maybe I was simply succumbing to some sort of Stockholm syndrome where my brain tried to convince itself that it loved the treatment as a coping mechanism.

Elias frowned at my shocked expression. “Get up. I promise this isn’t some sort of joke. I want us to have a good day today, so please don’t make it difficult.”

“Um. Okay.” I stood up and tentatively stepped over to him. Then I realized I’d once again forgotten to call him Master. I reflexively cowered away, thinking he might suddenly lash out at me. “Sorry, Master. I keep… I keep forgetting.”

He simply smiled again and placed a firm hand on my left shoulder. “Calm down, Doll. It’s okay. I understand this is still very new and raw for you. I’ve been far too hard on you, and I regret that. It’ll take time for you to remember the rules, so I’m going to be more lenient from now on. Got it?”

I stared at him again, my eyes wide. This had to be a dream. Why else would he suddenly change his mind about the way he wanted to treat me? It didn’t make any sense… unless he genuinely felt bad for the way he’d acted toward me so far.

Perhaps underneath those cold eyes and arrogant features, Elias King actually had a soul.

“Why?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why now?”

He rubbed his chin. “I’m not too proud to admit when I’m wrong, and I think my behavior last night was definitely that. I stayed awake all night thinking about it. I took it too far, and I hurt you.”

I felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to comfort him and tell him it was fine, tell him I wasn’t hurt badly. I even liked it. But then the rational part of my brain whispered ‘Stockholm syndrome,’ at me, and I kept my mouth shut.

I had no idea what was right. No idea what to think. No idea what to feel.

I was going crazier and crazier with each minute that passed in this place.

I let Elias lead me out of my cell naked. I didn’t care if anyone else saw me like this anymore. I was past the point of feeling shame over my body. Besides, the daily exercise and bland food over the weeks had been good for me. As awful as it sounded, my figure had never looked better. I noticed it yesterday when Mellie was helping me change into the gorgeous purple gown.

Elias took me to the first floor and led me into an enormous room with large curtained windows. A third of the room had been sectioned off into a large open-plan bathroom with white and black marble-tiled flooring and a large claw-footed bathtub.

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