“Are you apologizing to your slave?” Zerlina scoffed. “Cyrus—”
“Do not—” Cyrus growled, interrupting her, “Presume to tell me how to handle my own human.”
Zerlina narrowed her eyes at him, darting to me before going back to glaring at him. “I am to be your wife and I refuse to have my husband treating slaves as something they are not.”
Zerlina should have realized her error in talking back to him as lightning began to crackle around his hands, but she held firm. I couldn’t help feeling admiration for her at that moment, even though she’d threatened me. I knew it wasn’t easy to stand up to him.
“Let’s get one thing straight, shall we?” Cyrus narrowed his eyes at Zerlina before he grabbed her by the hair, yanking it down until her knees hit the hard floor. He wrenched her head back, so she was staring up at him. “You will be my wife, yes, butnot my keeper. As your husband, you will be subservient to me, just as my slaves are.” Zerlina opened her mouth to argue, but he didn’t allow her a moment to speak.
“You will honor me. You willobeyme.” Cyrus commanded, reaching for his belt, he snapped it off like a whip crack. I nearly flinched from the memories of Tavarius that sound brought with it. My eyes widened in incredulous horror as Cyrus whipped out his cock, shoving it into Zerlina’s mouth as she sputtered and hit his thighs, trying to get a breath.
“What’s wrong, my darling betrothed?” Cyrus laughed. “I thought you were trying to seduce me?”
He pumped into her mouth with harsh thrusts, forcing her to take it as he fucked her mouth. Sympathy flooded through me. No one deserved this, I didn’t care if Zerlina had been horrible to me, I wanted to help her, to stop Cyrus. Knowing I couldn’t help her, I tried to leave once more, but Cyrus turned his head to me with a lazy smile that I knew was hiding his savage glee in causing pain.
“Asteria, come here.” Cyrus ordered, and I turned to him, my eyes pleading for reprieve. He shook his head. “Now, Asteria.”
I swallowed at the hard tone and did as he said, slowly walking over to where he and Zerlina were by the sofas.
“You women, always so obstinate.” Cyrus complained as he continued thrusting, fisting Zerlina’s hair in his hand. “Let me make one thing perfectly clear here. While neither of you wants to see me with another—” I raised a brow while he wasn’t looking, because he clearly had no idea how far off base he was.
I looked at Zerlina, catching her watering eyes, ones that looked completely broken. My own watered as I was forced to watch this strong, defiant Fae princess be degraded. I was sure that in her position, she’d never dealt with anything like this before.
“I’m sorry.” I said silently to her, and her eyes closed in response. When Zerlina opened them, the force of a tornado whipped through her eyes, her strength rising back from the bleakness she’d fallen into. Despite what she’d threatened before, she knew I was there with her at that moment, my rage rising to meet hers in a clash of flame and air that could spark an uncontrollable wildfire. Both of us were merely tools for Cyrus to use, and she finally realized that I wanted nothing more than to get away from him. I wasn’t here to get in her way or prevent her from taking a crown. I was a prisoner to his whims, and now, so was she.
Cyrus was an absolute bastard, able to bring some of the strongest people in this kingdom to their knees. I sincerely hoped the gods saw him damned to Tartarus forever. He deserved to feel the pain it promised for millennia.
Zerlina and I maintained eye contact when Cyrus resumed his little speech—after thrusting his hips several more times.
“But you both will have to adjust to the concept of sharing me with the other. I don’t care about your protests; you both belong to me now. And you—” Cyrus thrust in hard, and tears spilled down Zerlina’s cheeks.
“Will.” He thrust again and I tried not to cry myself as Zerlina gagged horribly on his cock.
“Obey.” Cyrus grunted as he used his grip on her hair to force her down harder on his cock.
“Me.” Zerlina’s head bobbed as his hips sputtered, finally cumming with a shout, spilling down her throat.
He pulled his cock out of Zerlina’s mouth, slapping it across her face. She blinked up at him, shocked by the added insult, but I’d come to expect nothing less. Cyrus smirked back at her, wholly pleased with himself.
“You’re both so obstinate.” Cyrus tutted, shaking his head in dismay. “Asteria here thinks she can deny me sex forever.” Hemoved behind me, slipping my hair over one shoulder as his arms came around my waist. He bent and nipped at my throat. “I will break her. One day very soon, I will sink into this delectable cunt and spend the entire day fucking her until she can’t walk.”
Zerlina appeared ready to explode, getting up from her knees in a fury. Already, she was back to looking at me with disgust, and I sighed quietly. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; I may not be an obstacle to Cyrus for her, but I was just a slave, nonetheless.
“I am aPrincessof Dawn Kingdom, and I refuse to be treated as a slave or whore! Your human is so far below me it’s not even funny, and you would treat us thesame?” Zerlina seethed, her fists clenching as the air around us began to grow thick and heavy, making me very nervous.
Cyrus growled threateningly, thankfully pulling away from me and stomping over to her. He took her by the neck, his hand sliding around it and squeezing.
“Youarethe same, my dear Zerlina. You will learn, that I promise you. If you want a crown on your head, you will obey me, or you will find yourself lacking a head.” Cyrus spat, and lightning joined the charged air in the room, until it felt like their combined powers might create a storm strong enough to obliterate everything in the room, including me. “Now, we have a plan for the afternoon, do we not?”
“Yes,” Zerlina gritted out. “We are to go into the city today, so the people can see their futureQueen.” She stressed the last bit, glaring at Cyrus, and I realized she was in denial about what had just happened. Maybe she thought if she didn’t face what Cyrus just did to her, it wouldn’t be real. I couldn’t blame her; I’d gone through my own stages of denial. But she would eventually have to admit what had happened, and that Cyrus wasn’t some fairytale prince who would make her queen—he was the monster who would see her ruined.
“Ah, good!” Cyrus smiled widely, his temper disappearing like fading wisps of smoke. “I need to check on some of my investments while we’re there. Before we leave though, Asteria, file these plans away for me.” He waved a hand toward the papers spread out on the table in front of the sofa. “I’ll escort Zerlina back to get ready and send Priscilla for you. My kingdom may be meeting my future Queen, but despite your many protests, they’ll also be meeting my future concubine.”
The blood drained from my face.What the fuck?Horror and rage battled inside me, unsure which should take first place at that announcement.
“I willnever.” I spat at him, unthinkingly. Shock causing my ruse to vanish into thin air. I winced, hoping he would see this as me not wanting to be second place to Zerlina.
It was my turn to have my hair yanked and pulled back, and I struggled as Cyrus forced my face to his. He claimed my lips possessively, his tongue invading my mouth as he tried to dominate me. I raised my hands to push his shoulders, ineffectively attempting to get Cyrus off me. This kiss was different from the ones that came before, this one felt like a violation. Not only did I not want him touching me, but he’d just forced me to witness him assaulting Zerlina, and then announced I would be his official concubine—that he was dropping the façade of choice, and I would soon be his in every way.
