Blood pools in my mouth. My neck snaps left, my vision swimming and everything goes temporarily black as the world dulls around the edges. I lose my footing and hit the ground on trembling legs.
The only sound that can be heard in the room is my angry, ragged breathing, and hard rise and fall of Rafaelโs chest as he watches me shake off the effect of the blow.
Through the blur, I see his eyes widen. And then he drops to his knees in front of me and reaches for me tenderly. I flinch, scrambling back, but there is nowhere to run and my spine hits the bedframe.
He touches me any, grabbing my jaw and forcing it forward until our noses nearly touch. "I am trying to be patient with you, Valka, but you do not leave me with much of a choice." He jerks my head to the side forcefully, eyes narrowing where my eyes have begun to swell shut. "Do not think that my soft spot for you means I will not discipline you when needed. Your tantrums will be rewarded with punishments. Your defiance will be greeted with pain. For every fight you bring my way, I will break you harder, deeper, until you very well understand what I am to you now. You are in my cage and I hold the keys to your life. I *own* you."
Tears brim in my eyes. "You cannot own what was never yours."
He flashes me a crooked smile. "No, but I have no problems stealing it. Besides," His breath teases my cheek and it curdles my stomach. I shove at him, but he catches my hands like weโre playing an intimate game. "I had you first. And I intend to keep you. I mourned you, do you know that?"
"Get away from me," I cry, leaning back from his lips as they begin to skim across my skin, along my jaw.
"Weeks," he groans. "And you still reek of him." I begin thrashing against him when his mouth brushing my ear, catching my skin between his canines.
Nausea swells inside me and I force it back, tears trickling from my eyes as I begin to thrash, kick and resist his grip. Iโve never felt this weak in my entire life. And while I know it has everything to do with the collar and the still healing wounds in my belly and all the poison in my veins, I despise it. Myself.
Rafael drawls back, brushing up my hair and he growls at the sight of my arched ear points. "They have turned you into a monster." He touches the pointed arch. "But I will fix you. You will be perfect."
To no one in particular he says, "Send them in."
My eyes coasts to the door and five maids enter, their gazes lowered to the ground. Theyโre all blondes. Slight in figure. As short as me, with varying shades of brown eyes.
"Prepare her for the feast," he says, lips curving. "I should like to introduce my prize to Court."
***
They file my fangs until my gums began bleeding.
They dress me in sheer clothing that exposed every inch of my naked skin underneath to the world and then, they bound my wrists and ankles to the chain attached to my collar. My skin is painted in oils, my hair coiffed.


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