Prisoner To the King

Brand

I have plenty of time to ponder it, not noticing the small shuffle of him standing up.

Before I can comprehend what's happening his lips are on mine once again. They move against mine softly, very different from his last one. Either way it makes me sick and I force myself not to gag. This time I can not push him away in fear of giving myself away.

I struggle to keep my eyes closed, holding back the urge to vomit as my mouth is forced open.

To make it worse he begins to move on top of the bed slowly, inching his way on.

I can't stop my eyes from flying open, looking at him fearfully. He sees me but doesn't stop, smiling against my lips. I am shocked to see that he is not surprised, smirking at me with ruffled hair.

Maven finally pulls away, whispering into my ear.

"It's not nice to pretend to sleep when your king is in the room waiting. That's equivalent to lying, and I am not one to tolerate such individuals."

The words send shivers down my spine and I shove him off quickly, scrambling to sit up. He's known I've been awake.

I curse mentally, my skills lagging because of the Arvens. Crossing my arms, I put up a barrier of some sort between us.

I can't help the tears that well up, but I can stop them from falling. I refuse to let him see that.

I huff, breathing hard as he had not allowed me to breathe in between the forceful 'kisses'. We stare each other down, breaths heavy.

"Like what you see," He responds to my glower. "Or should I say taste?"

In fear of my voice revealing my feelings of violation, I can only manage one sentence.

"Why force yourself on me?" I throw him a watery glare.

"Simple. I was seeing how long you would pretend to be asleep. How much you would put up with before you 'woke up'." He replies with a grin.

"I knew you were awake, you were eavesdropping. Waiting for me to whisper something you can use, or say something you weren't supposed to hear. What were you expecting me to say? 'I love you'?" He jokes, chuckling. It is a calculated move, he knows that it will cause turmoil in my head.

He's right, because despite my hatred for him, I can't help but feel hurt: my eyes betraying how I feel.

Maven notices it instantly and his sly smirk grows bigger.

"Awe," he purrs, moving towards me slowly. "The little lightning girl wants me to love her."

I back up, having to get off the bed to get away. Within seconds he has me cornered.

"No," I snarl. I have to say something but I don't know what. "I...I don't..." I trail off, cheeks turning red with embarrassment. I turn away from him, mad that I have no idea how to tell him I don't want his love without sounding needy.

I put my hands up to stop him from getting too close as I back away. He grabs a wrist in each hand and I push against him, trying to get him to let go.

Maven squeezes them tightly as he leans down close.

"You, Mare Barrow, will never be loved," he growls. "No one wants to, you are indecisive and only care about yourself, as your brother's death proves it."

Blood rushes to my face and I spit on him. How dare he blame Shade's death on me.

In response he slams my body against the wall. I swear I hear a crack, and whether it was the wall or my spine I don't know.