40
Kaya’s POV.
My senses come alive, and a groan is released through my throat as I try to pick myself up from the ground. I can’t make sense of where I am for a while, as it is all dark.
My hands rub a side of my head, wincing at the pain resulting from the action.
“What...” My voice is a whisper that trails off into the air as my orbs shift around to make sense of my surroundings.
Following the rays of the dim light from the candles, I hear a rattle in the distance—no, close to me. Before is Aiden, chained to the wall.
His hands are above his head, tucked into the chains. My eyes flare as my brain reels back to what happened earlier, just before I got sucked into the darkness.
We were taken by the sex slaves. Clara hurled me off, and my head hit a tree, which made me pass out.
“How...? What...?” My head hurts hastily. I try to stand up, but two hands grab me at each arm of mine, stopping me from moving ahead.
“Leave me. Let me go!” I scream at them, my breathing ragged. There, I realize that the heavy sound that I’ve been hearing is actually my own breathing.
The two guards holding me did not say anything.
Grunting, attempting to kick them on their feet, or biting any of them proved to be inefficient. They will not let me go. That isn’t the order they have received, so it was all fruitless.
“Let me go this instance. You can’t hold me down...” I’m still trying to fight them until the chains gripping Aiden’s wrists above his head make another rattling sound and my body stops in a frozen situation.
I feel so powerless and unable to help him. “Aiden, please look at me. Tell me that you’re fine.” I’m literally begging because I would never forgive myself if he died because of me once again.
I can remember everything that Clara and Alana told me in the forest. They want me to suffer the pain of his loss, and that’s what’s happening right now. I can’t have that. He is innocent. He saved me from my death, so I cannot be the reason why he would die.
I can’t let that happen. I have to stop this event from happening at all costs. I must.
While frozen, watching as Aiden struggles to keep himself standing on his feet, even when he’s so weak and wants to rest or sit down, but is impossible. He has been deprived of his clothes so that his chest is bare, and his trouser is shred into a rag that flaps over his skin nastily, and he’s locked within the same cell as I am, except I am at a distance from him.
But that is only a peak of the horror when I turn my head at the sense of presence. It is Kade, walking gracefully into the room like he has deserved an award or isn’t causing two innocent people pain in here.
Behind him are his brothers, Kyle and Kieran. My sight is fixated on them, shifting with each walk they make towards the bar of the cell.
With just a wave of his hand, the gate is opened for Kade and Kieran, and they walk in. Kyle, on the other hand, remains outside. For a second, Kyle’s eyes drift down to mine, and he watches me for a while before he blinks away.
“Please, let him go. Take me instead.” I beg as soon as Kade and Kieran are inside the cage with us. Kade only shifts his gaze on me for a minute before he looks away.
“So, this is him.” He doesn’t sound like he’s asking, but Clara’s voice responds to him.
“Yes, sire.” My face snaps over to where she is, locking on Alana and Lyra, too. The three of them are standing far away from the cell, watching from the distance.
Cowards!
They don’t even have the courage to come near and see the damage they are causing.
Kade nears Aiden and grabs his jaw, causing the poor boy to groan. When I see blood dripping from one side of his lips, I struggle with the guards again. My strength, however, is insignificant compared to theirs.
“You can’t hurt him. Let him go. He didn’t even do anything. I’m the one at fault here. If you want to punish anyone, please let it be me. Leave him.” My voice is strong and pleasing, and my tears adjoin it, making it all real.
Kade turns to his back to take a look at me, but he didn’t step one inch away from Aiden’s body, which’s thriving to remain alive. “Trust me, little thing, we are still coming back to you. But for now, enjoy the space.”
And that’s all he’s got to say to me.
My lips part in surprise.
“Wait, aren’t you that slave gifted to our uncle?” Speaks Kieran all of a sudden, breaking the tension in the room for just a moment.
“True. It is him.” Kade adds in, and Kieran nods.
“Of course. Our uncle would be mad if he got to find this out. He’s had this slave for the longest time I know.”
Kade scoffs a small laugh that gives off an eerie vibe before his next words are directed towards Aiden: “You have gone against the wants of the triplets, touched what is theirs, and meddled with things far stronger than a weak being like yourself can handle.” As Kade speaks, I relax my body, listening to him.
“I swear, my Lord, I did not. I was only...” But Aiden wasn’t allowed to finish as Kade grabbed his jaw again, and his nails, turning into claws, ripped into Aiden’s cheeks. It causes more blood to stain his body as he whines out of pain.
His body is stained with sweat, dirt from the ground, and his own blood. His hair drapes over his forehead and is wet as well.
There’s nothing Aiden can say that would save him. The triplets are blinded; they don’t come to see reasons but their own, and they don’t care whoever they hurt.
And that’s when, out of the blue, I hit one of the guards with all my might on his foot, causing him to whine out of pain. As he does, I jab my elbow against the other’s jaw. Free from the two, I run towards Kade and grab him by the shirt.
My hearing ignores the loud gasps that came from the snakes outside this bar. My eyes are only focused on Kade’s face, who watches him from his towering position, his face having an amused expression in it.
“I won’t let you do this. You will let him go now, free, safe, and sound; no more injury; and I will agree to any punishment you want to inflict on me.” In my mind, I know I’ve suffered enough so that they can’t hurt me as much anymore. They’ve broken my body, my soul, and my mind, so there’s nothing more they can break.
“Is this thing giving me choices?” Kade shifts his gaze to his brother, Kieran, who chuckles before he folds his arms and places them over his chest.
“Let him go!” I scream at his face, which in turn causes Kade to squeeze his face. “What do you care to gain from this? Kill him so I can be broken? Have you not done enough? Haven’t you broken me enough? You took away my innocence and made sure to break every inch of my skin and body. You took everything—literally everything—from me, and now you want to kill another life for being a friend to me? How crazy can any of you be?” I take a few steps back, my eyes shifting to each of them.
I really want to understand at this point why they do all these? Is it all for fun? Like, they are some sadists who love to punish other people; see them suffer and gain pleasure from it?
“Really? Why do you all do these? Why? We haven’t even hurt any of you before, and we cannot, because we fear you all, so why? Why?” To be honest with myself, I don’t know what my “why” is about; maybe it’s about all that’s happening. Something of the sort.
I just want to understand every reason why they do all these things. Why they are so cruel. Why do they kill us off like we are pawns in a chess game? Or some livestock.
What is wrong with this world and with these people?
“You’re right, Kaya. We’ve allowed you to suffer enough. Now, I shall stop that.” Kade’s face is turned to one side; rather, it is through the corner of his eyes. “Although I would like to make this clear, We own you, Kaya, and you must begin to understand that your pain is nothing but all that you deserve.”
“What?” I deserve these pains. My nostrils flare out of anger, and I scream as I head towards Kade. I didn’t slow down my attack at all.
The next thing happening is my teeth latching onto his chest and my hands pounding on his face with as much force as I can strengthen myself with.
But his skin is only slightly damaged, my teeth having little effect as instantly, his skin closes back, and while still tasting his blood on my lips, the metallic effect is not awful to my tongue. Surprisingly, my body freezes all of a sudden.
It happened so fast. I can’t control my own body anymore. My knees are bending until they touch the ground.
“There’s much for you to learn, little thing.” Is the next thing he says before his next action made me wail out of pain.
“NO!”
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