His world.
As if it were some magical place that didn’t exist in this world. As if it were separate. A world in which he ruled. A world in which he was king.
“And yet,” he purred. Azrael went quiet for a moment. “You’re swaying on your feet, little sinner, show me your favorite position.”
The way his voice curled around those letters,little sinner, warmed my skin just as much as his eyes did. My favorite position?
“It’s not standing, not today anyway,” he said, almost to himself. “You haven’t slept in almost three days, so if you don’t have a favorite position, put yourself in one you’d rather be in.”
A positionIwould rather be in?
A choice.
He was giving me a choice.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had a choice.
Yes, I could. It was the day I picked my name.
I stilled, my breathing going shallow. I didn’t want to break the rules.
“We are under my rules now,” he reminded me. “Mine. You will do as I say, and there will be no other voice in your mind but mine, is that understood?”
I remembered, but it didn’t make it easier. I could still feel my muscles tensing, my heart skipping, my stomach twisting. But I understood his command, so I tapped my finger anyway.
“Then do as I ask.”
I stood there for another second or two, but the truth was, I was barely able to continue standing as it was. I’d be grateful to just sit for a few minutes.
I lowered myself to my knees, spreading them out so I could sit on my ass on the ground. During my stretches, I had discovered that this position not only felt nice on my hips, but also on my spine and the joints in my knees. I smoothed out my skirt all around me, slid my hands over my thighs, and felt the muscles in my body begin to relax.
They never relaxed much, but in this position, it was like my body could breathe.
My eyes fell shut again, the exhaustion sweeping over me.
I heard a shift in the seat, the warmth of his eyes spreading across my skin, my chest, my waist, my legs. “This is your favorite?” he asked, something shifting in his voice.
I did like it the most, and isn’t that what ‘favorite’ meant? The thing a person liked the most?
I tapped my finger once.
“Why?” he asked quickly. “No,” he corrected himself. Azrael went silent, but the air had changed, and I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t think I had done anything wrong. I had followed his rules, but I could feel the difference like a blanket on my skin.
He was quiet for so long, I felt something I hadn’t felt in a long time slide through me. I felt the urge to look. I wanted to see him. I wanted to see why he had gone silent. I wanted to see what had made the air change.
I didn’t hear anything except for our soft breathing. There were no zippers being drawn or panting or grunting. He was sitting in front of me, and that was it. Both of us just…sitting.
“The thing is, little sinner, I don’tgetparanoid, but I also don’t believe in coincidences. Everything is a choice, everything is said, done, breathed, acted on, for a reason.” He paused. “You were brought here for a reason. I don’t care whatthingyou put behind it, whether it be your God or the universe, you were given to Thomas Masters for a purpose, and I have found it.”
A purpose?
My purpose was to be Thomas’. It was to marry him, have his children, and be given back to the church. That was mypurpose.
“But I won’t tell you what it is until it is necessary. Tell me, what is Thomas’ purpose? His plan. To marry you? To breed you?”
I tapped my finger.Thatwas my purpose, there was no mystery about it. I was to have five children that he would take away from me, and then I was to be donated to the church.
“That was a test,” he told me. “I saw you in the hallway, little sinner. I saw the good Pastor fondle you. I heard what they had to say. Trust requires the truth, which you have given me.”
