Page 60 of His to Claim
I don't answer her. I just stare at her for a moment before saying, "Just leave me alone."
She gets angry and grabs my arm. "You can't just ignore everything that's happening. You can't become Anil'ha's mate looking like that."
I force her back and shout at her, "Leave me alone!" She stomps her feet in frustration and leaves. The door slams shut behind her and she's gone. I feel like shit for shouting at her like that but what else can you do when someone is forcing you into something against your will? I can't let Anil'ha take Dhakar away from me. What will I do without him? The thought of never seeing him again is too much to bear.
I get dressed slowly and try to calm myself down as I wonder what is going to happen tonight. Anil'ha is such a big jerk. He doesn't even care about whether I want to spend the rest of my life with him or not. All he cares about is forcing himself on me. I need to get away from him soon. It's only a matter of time until he kills Dhakar. So what choice do I have? I must become Anil'ha's mate... to save him.
The female servant returns again. "I've brought you some new outfits. They are very beautiful." She places them down on the bed and walks out of the room. I quickly take the clothes she left and put them on. I pick up one of the dresses and examine it carefully. It looks like a simple white dress with a lace neckline, sleeves, and bottom trim. There are no buttons or zippers. To get into it, I unclip the front of the dress and pull it down over my head. The material is soft and drapes over my body.
"You look beautiful," Azara, the female servant, says as she enters the room one more time. She smiles at me and lays a box on the table. She takes out a special comb. "Let's do your hair."
I sit down in front of the mirror and allow her to brush through my long hair. I see that she braids it tightly, then wraps it around the top of my head. She picks up pins and uses them to secure the braid. The result is a tight bun on top of my head with a few strands coming loose to frame my face. She places a small piece of jewelry on my forehead and the final touch is a red gemstone tucked under my right earlobe.
When she finishes, she gives me a warm smile. "There, now you look like a true mate of Anil'ha."
"Thank you," I say quietly, not wanting to embarrass myself by crying in front of her.
She nods and walks out of the room without another word. I finish dressing and slip my feet into a pair of sandals. I'm ready. I'm ready to be tied to Anil'ha forever. The thought of him touching me makes my skin crawl, but I know I have to do this. I have to become his mate.
Azara leads me out of the bedroom and into a large foyer. A few other servants join us and we walk down the hall into an enormous living area.
"I want to ask you something," I whisper to Azara.
"What is it?"
"What's the mating ritual?"
She stops walking and turns to me. "It's the ceremony where you become mated to Anil'ha."
I gasp and my stomach twists in knots. "But... I don't want to be his mate."
She frowns and shakes her head. "This is our way of life here. If you refuse, there will be consequences."
My eyes water up and I sniffle. "Please, I don't want any part of this ritual. Please."
She sighs and shakes her head again. "You must do this, Emma. You can't run from your destiny." She reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder. I lean into her and sob."What's the ritual like?" I plead. "Can I please skip it? I don't want to do anything with him."
She looks at me sympathetically but says nothing. She just walks with me down the hallway to a different room. "Please tell me what it's like," I say to her. "I'll do anything."
Azara turns to me and smiles. "The ritual involves many things. It starts with binding you to Anil'ha so that he can claim you as his mate and you cannot escape him." She holds up a red cloth. "We will start with this."
"Bind me? No, I don't want to be bound."
"Emma, you must accept the fact that you are destined to be his mate. You must choose whether to fight against your fate or embrace it."
I wipe my tears away. "Anil'ha is a monster. I hate him! He hurt me when I tried to leave him. If I become his mate, I won't be able to escape him. I'm terrified of him." I turn my back to her. "Please let me go."
She takes my arm and pulls me around to face her. "Emma, you're not going anywhere." She grabs my chin and forces me to look at her. "If you want to live, you will submit to Anil'ha. It's either him or death. You can't escape him."
"Just leave me alone!" I scream at her.
A hand clamps over my mouth and I feel a sharp pain in my neck. I try to cry out, but Anil'ha presses his lips to mine. His tongue pushes inside my mouth. I flinch and pull away. He grabs my arms and pulls me closer. He kisses me harder, forcing his tongue deeper, wrapping it around mine.
"Get away from me," I shout at him.
"Tonight, I will claim you." He licks his finger and wipes away my tears. "You will be mine, Emma."
He releases my arms and I stumble back. My body trembles and my hands tremble as well. I need to calm down. I shouldn't be scared. But his words make me afraid.
