Lucian

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The soft echo of dripping water infiltrated my ears and I was instantly hit with a powerful wave of sharp pain. As the frightening memories of my master's fury flashed at the forefront of my mind, I released a long, muffled scream and my eyes shot open to the unexpected sight of Princess Leandre who hovered above me with a wet towel in her hand. 

Since my system was still filled with residues of adrenaline, I failed to register she didn't pose a threat and stupidity attempted to jump off the bed.

"Hey, hey...it's all right. It's all right," she comforted, restraining me and gently pushing my body back onto the mattress. "Lucian's not here. It's only me."

Her reassurance should have been enough, but remembering how my tormentor had appeared out of nowhere the previous night, I scanned the room in a panicked state, fully expecting to see his treacherously beautiful face. When I finally accepted he truly wasn't there, I released a brief sigh of relief and peered up at the princess.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," I apologized in a weak hoarse voice, feeling ridiculous.

"Don't worry about it, Raven," she said and placed the wet towel on my sweaty forehead. "Your reaction is only natural after everything that happened."

"Thank you," I breathed through a lump that suddenly built in my throat.

Her eyes met mine and I could instantly tell they were filled with an immense amount of worry and sadness.

"You're most welcome," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

I drew in a long breath and bit hard on my lower lip to control the approaching panic at the realization I was as weak and as defenseless as a newborn baby. I was sweating with a fever. My feet burned and ached like they were pierced with dozens of shards of sharp glass. The bitemarks on my neck turned itchy and swollen and the brand on my arm pulsated like it was about to explode and leave a huge bleeding gash in my flesh. Besides that, I was completely disoriented, mentally defeated, and exhausted. But above all, I was frightened to the core, dreading the inevitable moment I'd have to face my master.

Your Highness, I'm scared.

The words were at the tip of my tongue. I wanted to share my troubling thoughts to get at least some of the burden off of my chest. But the sad, concerned look on Princess Leandre's face made me give up on the idea because I knew it would only make her feel worse and, just as the day before, she could do absolutely nothing to protect me from her brother.

"Better," I muttered, hoping the lie wasn't too obvious.

Her wandering gaze froze on the stinging brand on my upper arm and then traveled to the bite marks on my neck. She released a shaky sigh, as though horrified, and then shook her head.

"Look what that bastard did to you!" she exclaimed with palpable anger. "I can't even begin to imagine how much it hurts."

"It's not as bad as it seems," I choked out and swallowed hard, trying to hide how unbearable the pain truly was.

Her expression brimmed with sympathy. "No. It must be even worse. If he drank your blood, that means he also..."

"No, he didn't," I muttered and my face flushed because I knew exactly what she meant. "I don't know why."

"Raven, it's okay," she reassured softly. "You don't have to be ashamed. I know how my kind operates. He wouldn't have spared from that you after everything else he'd done to make you suffer...and he certainly wouldn't deny himself the pleasure."

"But he has," I breathed in a heavy tone. "He threatened it would happen, but he didn't even try in the end."

Her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. "Are you sure?"