Page 63 of Heartless Prince

Elias roughly dragged me to my feet and pushed me back up against the wall, his eyes blazing. “You’ve always had a very fucking twisted concept of what an accident is, haven’t you?” he hissed through his teeth. “You raise your hand and very purposefully slap me, and you call it an accident. You push a man off a cliff out of anger, and apparently that’s an accident too.”

“Please,” I whimpered. ”I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant…” I trailed off, sobs replacing my words as he dragged me toward the door.

“You’re going back to your cell and you’re staying there. You will not leave for any reason until the Bonding tomorrow night, and after that you’ll be there for another three days. No exercise, no shower, nothing,” he said. “I was actually going to keep you here with me for the rest of the day and night, but you’ve just proved that you can’t handle it yet.”

I shrieked as he pulled me along. Now that I’d seen the nice room and been in it with him, I couldn’t bear the thought of returning to my cell. Especially if I would be left alone for days on end again. I’d had more than enough of that. One more day might just push me over the edge into pure insanity.

“No, please, I’ll be good! I’m sorry!” I cried as Elias pulled me roughly down the hall, toward the elevator.

He ignored my pleas. When we reached my underground cell, I refused to go in, planting my feet as firmly as I could on the concrete floor outside. “No! I can’t be alone again!” I said. “Not anymore. I can’t do it. Please, Master…”

My voice was broken, heavy with emotion. Elias simply stared at me with cold eyes, unlocked my door, and pulled me inside with him. No matter how hard I struggled, his strength would always outmatch mine.

I fell to my knees again, begging and pleading, clutching at his legs. “Don’t leave me here. Whip me again, do whatever you want to me. Just not this again!”

He still didn’t respond, and I felt my face turning hot with desperation. “Please, please, please,” I sobbed, lowering my head. “Elias, you’re all I have….”

It was bleak but it was true, as much as I hated to admit it. The guards never spoke to me, and I wasn’t technically allowed to talk to any of the other girls here, so conversation with them in the gym was always whispered and sporadic. If I was kept in my cell for the next two days straight, even those short instances would vanish.

Elias was the only one I could have real conversations with, as long as I was good, and he was the only one I could spend time with. My only proper human contact. He really was all I had in this place.

Now I’d gone and messed it up. He didn’t want me, didn’t even want to be around me.

Bad girl. Bad girl. Bad girl!The awful chant started in my head, growing in pitch. Guilt and shame swirled deep within, making my guts churn.

Elias looked down at me, his eyes flat and emotionless. “I really tried with you,” he said softly. “How many times did I say I wanted today to be good for both of us?”

“You said it a lot,” I said, wiping my cheeks and nose as tears leaked down my face.

“And what did you do?”

“I messed it up. Please, Master, I’ll make it good again. Just punish me like you did last night and take me back to the room with you. Don’t leave me alone.”

He smiled, a cruel smirk. “I’m not going to whip you. For one, you aren’t entirely healed from last night. You’re covered in welts, and I don’t need my toy to get infected and broken,” he said crisply. “And two, I’m not going to give in and give you what you want. I know perfectly well that you can’t stand the thought of being left alone in here again, not after all the little tastes of freedom and luxury you’ve been given. This is the worst punishment you can imagine right now. So it’s what you’re getting.”

I wailed and begged, but he ignored me and stepped out of my cell.

I cried hysterically as I waited, hoping this was just a test, but he didn’t return. Still sobbing, I crawled over to the corner and pulled my body into a tight ball, rocking back and forth.

At some point, I must’ve crawled up to my bed and fallen into a fitful sleep. I didn’t remember doing it, but when I opened my eyes again, I was under the blanket, and my cheeks were finally dry.

Something caught my eye, and I sat up and looked. There was a tray sitting by the slot in my door. A familiar silver cloche tray…

I got out of bed and padded over to it, lifting the lid. Beneath it was the remaining part of my lobster roll from earlier, along with another brand new one. Warm, buttery, delightful.

There was a note on the tray as well. My eyes scanned the scrawled words. I’m not a monster.

Fresh tears sprang to my eyes, and I crumpled back to the floor and sobbed, this time out of relief. I was right this morning.

Despite it all, Elias still had a soul.

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