CHAPTER 16
"Last night I saw upon the stair, a little man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today. Oh, how I wish he'd go away..." ~ William Hughes Mearns, "Antigonish"
Hazel paced back and forth in her room, feeling more anxious than ever about meeting Məhv Edən.
Why did she even want to see him? She wondered if she was getting used to being his captive?
She figured it must be some sort of a psychological defense mechanism, because there was no way she would be this concerned about the man who assaulted her every month.
But he saved me from Raib bin Wasib.
Hazel shook her head, trying not to see him as her savior because he was simply an oppressor, and she refused to let herself think otherwise.
Sitting on the edge of the bed with her back to the door, she stared fixedly at the unbreakable glass of the window.
Hazel recalled how she had once tried to break it with her body after he raped her for the first time. But now... now she was learning to accept and adjust.
She understood her dilemma. The mind cannot remain in a constant state of fight or flight. It has to protect itself by rationalising things so that the body can function as normally as possible.
She would go mad if she remained in a state of terror all day, every day, nonstop.
Plus the damn choker; Hazel was sure her rationalisation had to do with the compulsions laid in it. It was making her compliant and tame.
She longed to check on him to make sure he was alright. She wanted to understand why he had put himself in danger to save her, sacrificing himself as bait. But at the same time, she dreaded being near him.
Hazel despised the heavy, painful feeling of uncertainty weighing on her chest, as if her heart were being twisted into knots.
The sudden knock on the door startled her, making her heart race. The knob turned and Murata ushered the healer and Məhv Edən into her room.
Hazel could feel his presence uncurling and twisting its way inside. His cold, dark aura surrounded her as soon as he stepped foot in the room.
She knew it should frighten her, but why did it feel comforting? Like something she had grown accustomed to. Like something she had missed.
No, this is not right!
"Hello Ursa, I hope you're well."
The sarcasm in the healer's voice was not lost on Hazel.
She nodded stiffly, her back still facing them both.
"Could you please turn around? I need to assess your physical condition."
Hazel's hands twitched as she forced herself to face them. She did not dare look at him; her breath was stuck in her throat as she avoided his intensely burning gaze.
Why is he always so intense?
She could feel his eyes staring directly at her. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. She gulped, looking pointedly at the healer.
"Hmm, you look alright." The healer commented.
"You did not take the Fertility Enhancer last time, and look where it landed you. You're very lucky, I must say, to have wormed your way out of trouble."
Sibyan gave Hazel a discerning look before producing a small vial of purple-black potion from her bag.
"The last vial I gave you has expired. The shelf life of a Fertility Enhancer is twenty-eight days. This is a fresh vial I had specially made for you. I don't trust you to handle it again, so I've come to administer it myself. Now, open your mouth," she instructed, approaching the bed and towering over Hazel.
YOU ARE READING
WHISPERED SINS
Romance"I used your blood to bind you to me. There's no escape. You're chained to me until your last breath." She hated him so much that she wanted to poison him, rip the mask off his cruel face, and stare into his eyes as she plunged the dagger repeatedly...
