Page 67 of Tainted Promise

Settling into bed, I couldn’t sleep despite the exhaustion weighing me down. Every time I closed my eyes, I longed for Gabriel’s arms around me. I’d gotten used to sleeping wrapped up in his warm embrace.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and I shot up in bed, my heart hammering in my chest. It was almost five in the morning. Usually everyone would have gone to bed by now. When I lived here, I didn’t see a soul before midday, which meant I’d forced myself to become an early riser, no matter how much I loved sleeping in.

The footsteps slowed in front of my door, and then the handle moved. I sucked in a breath, fisting my hands in the sheets.

The door opened, revealing Adrik, one of Aleksándr’s men. He wasn’t the worst of them, but he also wasn’t my friend. He followed orders and didn’t ask questions.

He was usually the one who retrieved me for my punishments and often carried them out. I shivered under his dead gaze.

I scrambled back into bed, shaking my head. “Please. No. I can explain why I’m back. You don’t have to do this.”

Adrik didn’t slow down or indicate that he’d heard me. Instead, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of bed. His grip was so tight I knew it would leave a bruise. He pulled me behind him without saying a word.

But he couldn’t talk even if he wanted to. They had cut his tongue out long before he’d started working here.

The closer we walked to Aleksándr’s study, the sicker I felt. When we reached his door, I was swallowing back bile.

I clenched my teeth together and huffed each breath through my nose, resembling a steam train. But I couldn’t slow down my breathing or stop my body from shutting down.

The door opened, revealing Aleksándr sitting behind his desk, a whip on the gleaming surface in front of him.

Shaking my head, I dug my heels in, turning back to the still-open door. “No, please. I’m so sorry I failed you. But I can make up for it. I’ll earn back Gabriel’s trust.”

Aleksándr nodded to Adrik, who walked me to the desk and bent my upper body over the surface. “You disappoint me, daughter,” Aleksándr seethed. “I thought you’d finally learned your place. But it seems you need another lesson.”

I hated the tears streaming down my cheeks. Hated the weakness they showed. Hated that I was crying in front of him even though I’d promised myself to never do so again.

Adrik ripped my shirt open, leaving my back bared. I shivered when the cold air hit my exposed skin. My whole body shook with tremors, my teeth rattling.

I’d been in this exact position more times than I could remember.

The first hit came without warning.

The second sent familiar agony rippling through my body.

The third tore my skin.

The fourth made me cry out in pain.

The fifth caused me to pass out.

* * *

“Why did you come back?” Marina’s strained voice penetrated through the pain and dizziness. “He’s going to kill you.”

Her familiar face appeared in my vision, complete with the usual frown line between her brows. She always worried. Unfortunately, for good reason.

She draped a cold towel over my back, then stepped back. I was lying on my belly in my bed, unable to move since every time I tried to do more than lift a finger, a wave of fresh agony tore through my body.

Marina’s face was tight, her eyes wide with worry. She held out pills to me and a bottle of water. “Can you drink this?”

A tear ran down my cheek. “Hurts.”

Her face crumpled, and she looked away. “Okay, honey.” Kneeling down, she took my hand in hers, careful not to jostle me. “You know you can’t stay here.”

“Nowhere else to go.”

“Yes there is. I called Caspar. He’s getting you tonight. But you have to take the pills so you’ll be able to walk and won’t pass out from the pain.”

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