Page 15 of Shattered Silence

To her surprise, the Sergeant didn’t grab her or hit her. He just hooked his finger under her chin and tipped her face up, forcing Layla to meet his gaze.

What she saw in his red eyes scared her, a lot.

He regarded her the way one might look at an insect—with complete and utter indifference. He could crush her under his boot at any moment and he wouldn’t lose sleep over it.

Creepy bastard.

The Sergeant’s grey lips curved into a smile that failed to reach his eyes. He uttered a soft command to his men as he released her, taking a step back.

Two soldiers stepped forward. One of them held something in his hands—a device of some sort.

As they moved toward her, frantic thoughts flashed through Layla’s mind. She could try and make a run for it, but where the hell would she go? She could pull the knife at her back and try to defend herself, but these guys would easily make mincemeat out of her… they could even kill her. She could scream her head off and cause a hell of a commotion, but that would be pointless and stupid, and it would just piss them off.

Besides, they moved so damn fast, and she had no chance to react as a large, rough hand encircled the back of her neck and applied a cruel amount of pressure.

“Voruk,” he said softly, pushing her down.

Layla got an inkling of what he wanted her to do.

Are you fucking serious? Unable to help herself, she looked into his golden eyes, questioning the command. A chill spread through her, and it wasn’t just because the air flowing in from outside was fucking cold.

No, it was because she suddenly recalled something about Kordolians enslaving just about every other damn race they came into contact with. That meant she really was nothing more than an insect to them.

Right now, they outmatched her in every possible way—in numbers, weapons, power—and they wanted her to accept her fate through one simple gesture.

“Voruk!” Now it was a whipcrack of a command, harsh and laced with the promise of pain.

Layla could guess the meaning of the word.

Kneel.

If this is what ordinary Kordolians were like, then who the fuck was Enki, and why were they his enemies?

She was tempted to drop his name just to see if they would react, but she didn’t want to give them any warning he was coming, so she kept quiet.

“Ugh!” Suddenly, excruciating pain shot through one of her ankles. Caught off balance, Layla collapsed to the floor, landing on all fours with a heavy thud.

The soldiers laughed.

Bastards! One of them had kicked her foot out from under her, his boot smashing into the bony part of her ankle. Pain shot through her ankle and her injured rib, bringing tears to her eyes. Her breaths came out as great choked sobs.

Something closed around her neck, something hard and cold and tight, momentarily restricting her breathing. Layla’s vision dimmed. She almost blacked out.

Soft laughter echoed around her, and Layla decided then and there that she hated Kordolians.

The hard device dug into her neck, and she realized it was something utterly abominable.

A collar!

“Shuk!” The Sergeant turned around, crooking his finger. The meaning was clear. Come. That same cruel half-smile played across his lips, making her feel as if he’d done this sort of thing a thousand times before, making Layla hate him even more.

Despite the her complete lack of power, despite the obvious risks to herself, Layla just couldn’t bring herself to obey.

Strong hands hooked beneath her arms, and Layla was hauled to her feet.

The Sergeant waited expectantly. He gestured toward her again. Come.

Knowing he had complete control over her.

---