Page 40 of Own To Obsess

Kardos left her sleeping while he visited the kitchen to get something for her to eat, then collected a healing salve from a cabinet in his bedroom. When she woke again he treated her bruises that had deepened to dark red, and fed her the soup. Although she winced at the pain and reluctantly agreed to have the soup, she remained disengaged the whole time.

“Tell me what happened,” Kardos said, his voice low as she lay back down on the bed. “I want to know what happened.”

She lay on her back with her eyes on the ceiling.

“Shaya,” he growled. “Tell me who did this.”

When she didn’t respond, annoyance burst within him. He climbed over her, blocking her view. “Speak to me. Tell me who did this.”

Shaya began to turn her head to one side, but he grabbed her neck and forced her face back to him, growling low. “Whoever did this needs to be punished. You will tell me now what happened and—”

“You can see what happened,” Shaya murmured miserably, her eyes lowering.

Kardos' jaw clenched, and he tried not to let his anger rise. “I want you to tell me.”

Shaya shook her head, tears trickling down her cheeks. She inched herself closer to him and pressed her nose up against his neck. Kardos encircled his arms around her, holding her tight and stroking his hands all over her smooth skin until he watched her fall asleep.

The next two days passed with little improvement.

Shaya refused to tell him, no matter how hard he tried. He treated her bruises until they began to fade and fed her as much as he could. The depressing feelings were still there, revolving and pulsing in the shrunken bond that was once a glowing sun.

Kardos couldn't figure it out. Surely she felt safe with him now; she must know that nothing was going to harm her? He was giving her everything she needed, and yet she wasn’t recovering. Shaya always bounced back from her suffering, and although this was different to suffering a controlled punishment, he knew she was strong. She had an inner strength that was tougher than anyone he knew—if that was now broken…

Rozalia knocked on the door on the third day, bringing with her some of her pastries, reminding him of the time they had spent together when Shaya was in her Haze.

After Rozalia left, he returned to the bed and lifted Shaya in his arms. She kept herself limp, closing her eyes to block out her surroundings. Maybe she didn't care where he was carrying her to, but he would most definitely be getting her to speak to him today.

He dragged the blankets for the bed and lowered down to the floor, to one of the spots he taken her during her Haze.

Shaya lifted her head from his chest, glancing around to see where they were and then finally looked at him.

Without saying a word, Kardos brought Rozalia's pastries to her lips, and she willingly ate, taking bite after small bite until it was finished.

Then she settled against his chest, and he stroked her arm, and her back, and purred for her.

Shaya sighed, and a thread of contentment twisted through the bond.

He continued to purr as he watched her fall asleep in his arms, ensuring sleep was sound without his weight.

When she woke again, he bathed her the same way he did when she was in her Haze, but when he washed her head, she cried again and the sliver of contentment within the bond dissipated.

After drying her, he wrapped her in the blankets from the bed, collected a number of pillows and brought her back down to their spot on the floor. It was time to make her talk. It didn’t matter what they talked about—it only mattered that she didn’t continue this silent depression. It wasn’t good for her, and he didn’t want any long-lasting negative effect on her or their bond. If he couldn’t make her talk to him while distressed, he wasn’t worthy of being her Alpha.

“I was hoping to hold you like this in the temple when I gained the seat,” he said, smiling ruefully.

Shaya’s eyes flickered open and caught his.

“And I was planning to ask you, if I could change anything in this Land for you, what would it be?” He watched her closely as he spoke. “This would be after you got to know the beauty of the Isles and its people, of course. I know it may seem very undesirable now, but I assure you there is beauty here.” He leaned in and kissed her nose. “Though nothing compares to the beauty in my arms right now.”

Shaya swallowed and licked her dry lips. “Why would I want you to change anything?” she said, hoarsely. “I am your trophy, my shinno. You can do with me whatever you want. That has been your treatment of choice.”

Disbelief blasted through Kardos as her eyes closed again. Trophy? Is that what she really thought? He jerked her up to his face roughly until their noses almost touched, and when she opened her eyes in shock, he spoke low and gritty. “What I want to do with you is stay here everyday and fuck you until your belly is round with my child. I want to see your smile every moment and hear your laugh every hour. I want to watch the ocean with you again and have you fly while my mouth is on your pussy. I want to see you in your gardens where you are most content. I want my father to recognize how special you are and for the rest of the Isles to accept you the way they never accepted me. And I want torip apartwhoever dared to even fuckingthinkthey could touch your hair!”

Shaya’s eyes were wide by the time he roared the last line and it was only the slight stirring in the bond that made him force himself to calm, but he remained in a locked gaze with her, breathing heavily until she lowered her eyes, thoughts clouding her face.

Kardos inwardly cursed. This was not going how he planned at all. Granted, he hadn’t always had time to explain everything to her, but she should understand that she was not a trophy. Yes, she had been hurt at the thought of being given away, but he told her she was his before she bit him. But at least she was finally talking.

He settled her back down onto his lap and took a breath. “When I first saw you while you tended King Malloron's wounds,” he began, “I thought you belonged to him.”

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