Page 11 of Glass and Bone
The moon is bright, but it does little to illuminate the area after seeping through the canopy of the forest. He turns towards me, his eyes hungrily searching my body. He sucks on his teeth as his eyes trail down to my exposed legs. The tears return and I try to steady my breathing, blinking away the burn.
“Hm.” He says, both as a laugh and contemplation. “So many options.” He walks around me slowly, circling me like prey while fidgeting with his bottom lip. I take deep breaths to keep the nausea at bay, but I am so close to puking all over him. I lean to my left again, trying to alleviate pressure on my thigh.
“Please. I will do whatever you want.” My voice cracks and I take another deep breath, trying to breathe around my heart as it seems to be lodged in my throat.
“I know you will.” His voice grows deeper, huskier, as he comes back to stand in front of me, a satisfied grunt escaping his thin lips. I fight the urge to gag at the sound.
“I will disappear. I will go to any random country or continent. I never wanted this.” I will my voice to stay even.
“I don’t believe you.” His eyes narrow, brows furrowing.
“My father has held me captive my entire life. I have never been free. All Iwantis freedom, and if I marry the prince I will only be shackled to another king. I just want to break out of this cycle.” I admit. Honesty is the only thing I have to give. He doesn’t speak, he just stares. “I will do anything you want. I will become whoever you want. I will completely disappear.”
“And if I told you to become our spy? To marry the prince and do our bidding?”
“I don’t want to marry him.”
“You either die or become our spy. Pick one.” His voice is little more than a snarl.
“Please, if I marry him, he’ll be just as bad as you. Send me away. I don’t know what you are trying to prevent or what you are trying to accomplish, but I won’t be a party to it. I will disappear.Please.” My throat cracks as I speak, and he just shakes his head.
He lunges down grabbing my injured leg and pulling it out from underneath me, knocking me to the ground. My back slams onto the hard dirt, knocking the breath out of my lungs, and he’s on top of me before I can think of what to do next. My head is pounding, and I fight against the shadows creeping along the edges of my vision as my chest burns, and I take a ragged inhale.
“Stop!” I scream as I try to push him off me. Panic takes over, spreading through my veins like fire. His fist makes contact with my face and temporarily stuns me. I can taste the blood on my tongue as my teeth slice through my cheek.
“Don’t resist.” I can hear the clinking of his belt as he pulls down his pants. Evidence of his arousal is clear, and I force myself to look away. I push against his chest with my bound hands, clawing at any patch of skin I can find, but he’s too strong and holds me down with just one of his arms against my neck. I thrash and push, bucking my hips in a desperate attempt to get free, but his strength doesn’t falter. I become rabid, moving anyway I can to get away.
He’s too strong, save your strength.
“Get off me! You don’t know what this will do!” I cry out. He presses his chest against mine, his mouth right next to my ear. His hot breath tickles me as he inhales slowly, and I jerk my face away. His tongue flicks out and runs along the column of my neck and I try to squirm away from him but get nowhere.
“I know exactly what this will do.” He whispers, his nose trailing across my cheek before he presses his rough lips against mine. A shiver runs through me, and I grit my teeth. He sharply bites my bottom lip, pulling it hard before he releases it. He sits back before getting up on his knees and grabbing my thighs, pulling them apart. He adjusts himself in between them before stilling. “Look at me.” His eyes fix on mine, waiting until I focus. “Look at me!” It’s hard to keep my eyes open. The pain from the bruises and cuts marring my body and the delirium from blood loss is clouding my vision. I kick out again, my legs going numb.
“Please.” I whisper, weakening by the second. Begging one last time for him to release me. A smile spreads across his face as his eyes leave mine to look in between my legs.
With a single thrust, he buries himself inside me. I scream out as the blinding pain courses through me. I can feel my flesh ripping from his touch again and again. I kick out at anything, but there is nothing around besides dirt and rocks. My bound arms stretch and can feel the friction of dry skin against dry skin as his pelvis slams into me. It burns and I can’t do anything to get it to stop.
“Stop!” I scream as his grip on my thighs tighten before he slips out of me. He flips me over so I am on my stomach. His hand finds the back of my neck as he bashes my head into the dirt, rocks grinding into my skin, before he thrusts himself inside me again. His pace quickens as I cry, his breathing becoming labored,excited. His fingers are tight against my neck, crushing my windpipe. I fight to inhale clean air but choke against the dust and debris entering my mouth instead.
Desperation and defeat fight for their place in my mind, coating my skin like grease. I try to crawl away, but his hold is unforgiving. He starts to groan, and I slam my eyes shut, digging my nails into the ground waiting for this to be over. I can feel them cracking against the rough forest floor, the mud and dirt caking beneath them. The fullness, the pain, it’s too much.It's too much. I grit my teeth, willing myself to focus on anything else.
Focus on the stars, the sun, the future I’ll never have. Focus on bioluminescent green eyes and the sound of Scarlett’s laugh. Focus on my mother, her smile and gentle touch. I can almost hear her, telling me that everything will be okay, but I don’t believe her. She isn’t here to protect me.
His loud groaning fills my ears and I flinch against the sound. He thrusts one more time before he stills inside me as he finishes, as heruinsme. I can feel his seed emptying deep inside me, dripping out down my thighs. He pulls himself out, his hands leaving my neck. My hips and stomach fall to the ground and I kick out, trying to crawl away from him.
“Get away from me.” I cry out through my sobs. I struggle to slide away as his hand grips my ankle, pulling me back towards him, my nails gouging lines in the dirt. He flips me onto my back again and leans over me. His eyes are filled with satisfaction, a lazy smile creeping over his face. He reaches between my legs, and I freeze, but he just unsheathes his dagger from his pants.
Sliding it up my body, much like Jeremiah did, he rests it on the hollow of my neck. The tears have stopped running down my cheeks and I feel numb. Everything is over. He’s ruined me, and more than likely going to kill me. All I can feel is the pain his assault caused, both physical and emotional. My limbs burn, my vision hazy. I just want this to be over.
My life flashes before my eyes as if I am looking through a book of paintings. I see my mom’s outstretched hand and her soft smile, beckoning me to join her. It would be easy to just let go. It would be easy to just let him kill me, but life has never been easy for me. I won’t give him the satisfaction of being my end.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, princess.” He smiles, if I didn’t know any better his smile would seem inviting, genuine, but this man is a monster.
“Who are you?” I croak out, my eyes meeting his.
“Aleksander.” His voice is curt, emotionless as he answers me, wetting his lips with a brief flick of his tongue.
“Why did you do this to me?” I ask, but I know the answer.Because he can.
