She let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing that no children were nearby.
“This way,” Alexi said as he roughly pulled her arm to follow him.
He led her to a small door and opened it. A large, shared-style bathroom with a row of empty showers lined the right side of the wall. He entered with her, grabbed a torn towel, a worn dress, and a small pair of shorts, like underwear, from a nearby shelf, threw them at her, and ordered, “Shower.”
He roughly closed the door behind them, remaining inside.
She walked to the nearest faucet and turned it on. Lukewarm water gushed from squeaky pipes. Alexi stood back and watched her with a wicked grin. She looked at him, refusing to break eye contact as she undressed. His eyes traced along her body when she was bare, and she saw him harden in his pants.
Disgust surged through her, making her stomach churn.
She stepped into the lukewarm water, pumped soap into her hands from the dispenser, and lathered herself. She washed everywhere as Alexi watched.
Let him watch. Let him see what he can never have again. The dried blood washed off Seda’s body, revealing her flushed skin underneath.
He unzipped his pants, pulled out his skinny cock, and groaned as he stroked himself. He stepped toward her, staringintently at her breasts, when the door shot open. A Rozzer walked in and looked at both of them, saying, “He is waiting.” The Rozzer quickly left without another glance toward Seda.
Alexi stepped back and grumbled, “Hurry up. At least those fucking eyes went back to normal.” He zipped himself back up.
Seda turned off the water, dried herself off, then pulled the scratchy dress over her head and put on her underwear. She walked barefoot to the door. Alexi opened it, and he pushed her from behind, directing her where to go as his fingers trailed over her body.
They approached another door and stopped.
Alexi knocked firmly on the door, which looked just like all the others, and then opened it. “She is here, Lord Mordred.” He pushed her inside roughly and closed the door, leaving her alone with the lord for the first time.
Seda cautiously stepped into the luxurious room, where rich leather and dark wood created a warm atmosphere. Mordred stood in the corner reading a book, then turned to look at her.
Her heartbeat pounded quickly in her chest, yet she compelled herself to remain upright and kept her gaze steady.
His eyes studied her, and the scars on his face deepened.
“I’m sure you have questions,” he said as he placed the book down on a nearby table. “I unfortunately cannot answer all of them.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, she had fucking questions, alright.
“I can’t tell you why you were chosen, as it would disrupt plans already in motion, but…” he picked up a crystal glass filled with golden whiskey and took a deep drink, exhaling loudly when he finished. “You will not be harmed while you’re here.”
What? Had she not already been smacked and subjected to horrors no one should ever witness in their lives? What about the others? What about Esper? What did he want?Why was she special?
“Why do you not actually protect our people, Mordred?” She tooka step forward and casually strolled around, searching for anything that looked like the dark stone Elco told her about, and running her fingers along the bookshelves.
“What are you looking for?” He asked, ignoring her question, and gently setting his glass on the side table. He stepped closer toward her and paused at his desk. She regarded his mangled ears and grimaced at the deformity. She now saw who he really was, and she hated this man, who was ugly both inside and out.
How could she ever have prayed to him before and looked upon his image with love?
“Are you looking for a dark stone, Seda Arbor?” he asked with an excited grin.
Her stomach lurched. Was she really that obvious?
She calmed her emotions and stared him directly into his eyes, noticing for the first time the color. Not crimson like she saw the other day at the Wyrd, but a soft amber.
He noted how she didn’t answer and hummed thoughtfully. “The stone you seek is powerful and used to control. The stone is more than that, though. The dark stone once belonged to the Mother Goddess. Her power is within, as well as in others. Her power was acquired when shebetrayed humanity.” His eyes burned crimson again, and he shook his head, his eyes changing back to amber.
“Why do you hurt the people of Joro and feed them to these monsters? The people you’re supposed to protect?!”
Gone was her trepidation over talking with him, replaced with surging anger that radiated through her bones. She felt her chest vibrate.
His eyes flared crimson again as he stared at her menacingly, the scars on his face crinkling. “Humanity is nothing but food, Seda. Humans must be farmed to ensure the monsters survive. Humanity became too confident a thousand years ago, thanks to the help of the gods. Humans and gods alike almost killed off the monsters,and theyalmost won, but when things got too difficult, the gods fled! Life requires balance, yet the gods left us with an unbalanced world. We had to make peace with the monsters. And so the dome was born. The dome, which protected humanity from being slaughtered all at once, continued the cycle of life.”
