Lucian

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Stunned by his unabashed bluntness, I gulped and broke out in a cold sweat. Though I should have expected him to make such a cruel request, I wasn't even slightly prepared and my mind went completely blank.

The cold, emotionless glow in his eyes uncovered the full extent of his dark intentions and it was crystal clear nothing would save me from him. Common sense told me the only thing that might ease my suffering was to cater to his wishes. And yet, even though my life depended on it, I couldn't bring myself to follow through with his command. Instead, I just stood there and stared at him with widened eyes, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

"What is the matter, little mouse? You can't be that surprised," he murmured, brushing away a lock of hair from my numb face. "I was kind enough to give you one night to come to terms with your new circumstances and now I'm about to exercise my rights as your master. Did you think I would leave you untouched forever?"

Blood drained from my face and I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. Some distant voice in my head whispered he was doing this to assert his dominance over me...he was doing this because Prince Ettienne had laid his hands on me and then taunted him about it.

"M-Master...I swear I didn't welcome your brother's advances," I mumbled in an awkward tone, praying to reach him on some distant level.

But my attempt to pacify his temper backfired and resulted in a thing I feared the most. His anger.

"Speaking out of turn again?" His reprimanding voice sounded in my ears and the next thing I knew his hand was gripping my chin, commanding my attention. "Don't bring my brother into this, slave. Now get rid of that dress. I won't tell you again."

An acute blush spread along my face and I hung my head in shame but that did nothing to lighten his somber, black mood. Mentioning his brother was a grave mistake that I would never repeat again.

Afraid I might antagonize him further, I somehow found the courage to begin undressing and reached behind my back to untie the corset of my dress. Despite the efforts I employed to stay somewhat calm and composed, I couldn't stop my hands from shivering, nor could I stop the tears that burned my eyes like acid. As I fumbled with the stubborn laced-up knot, a couple of teardrops slid down my face and landed straight on my master's hand.

For a split second, I thought I felt him flinch, but as soon as he lifted my face and confronted me with that merciless icy cold gaze, I knew I must have imagined it. His other hand suddenly neared my cheek and I shuddered, expecting a blow. But instead of pain, all I felt was a light caress on my damp skin. The memory of his assurance he wouldn't beat me rang in my head as he broke the tension-filled silence.

"Such a fucking crybaby," he muttered, tracing the wetness on my cheeks with his knuckles. "I should punish you for those tears. They really do annoy me."

I drew in a shaky breath and continued gazing into those consuming grey eyes, waiting for him to snap and do something terrible. But rather than succumbing to his rage, he watched me struggle with that dress and a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

"Here, let me help you with that," he said in a feather-soft voice and took hold of the tangled-up knot, unfastening my dress in a surprisingly gentle manner.

As the gown slid down my body and fell to the ground, I remained standing in front of him in a flimsy, see-through chemise. His eyes turned heated and slowly lowered down my entire length before returning to mine. He didn't have to say a word. His intentions were obvious. Holding his expectant gaze that urged me to obey, I reached for the strap of the chemise and closed my eyes tightly shut.

All I could think about was that I was a mere step away from uncovering my nakedness; a mere step away from being tortured and violated. Nevertheless, it was better to do it myself than to wait for him to lose his patience.