Page 107 of The Queen’s Shadow

“I - Princess Vespara… I wasn’t -” I glanced up at Ash Nevra, who was just watching the interaction, amused. She wanted to see what Vespara would do to me. I knew there would be no help from her. She wanted to watch me suffer. She hated me so much she had decided death was too kind.

Vespara slapped me viciously across the face. The entire hall grew quiet as I cowered before her, the slavery bond tightening around me. It refused to allow me to even put up a hand to defend myself.

“Our Queen has been gracious enough to allow a filthy whore like you to live, and this is how you show your gratitude?”

“I didn’t do anything!” I cried, knowing it wouldn’t make a difference. Vespara forced my face in the direction of the poor female who was currently being forced to service a large male that served on Ash Nevra’s guard.

“Do you want to be her?” Vespara hissed into my ear. “You do, don’t you? A disgusting little whore like you would love that.” She dragged me by my hair toward the male, pulling the other female away from him and throwing me in her place.

I met the other slave’s reddened eyes. We exchanged a look of mutual empathy for the other, before I looked up, to find the male inches from my face. I could smell his arousal rolling off of him. Terror and nausea tore through me. I tried to move away but the slavery bond held me in place. “Maybe if you get the cock you so desperately crave, you’ll stop looking at my fucking brother!” Vespara screeched.

The male wrapped his hand around his shaft and pumped. My heart was in my throat, and I slammed my eyes shut. I fought against the slavery bond as hard as I could, trying to pull away from him. Every fiber of my being screamed no! But I didn’t want to open my mouth to speak the word, for fear of what would happen if I did.

“Open up, sweetheart.” The male ordered roughly, reaching his hand back to entwine his fingers into my hair. The bond forced my jaw open, and a sob escaped my lips, when suddenly, the male was gone.

There was a whoosh of air. I opened my eyes in surprise, and looked up to find Prince Zayne standing before me, looking down at me as if the sight of me made him sick.

“What are you doing!?” Vespara screeched at him, but he ignored her, crouching down so he was eye level with me.

“Were you looking at me?” He asked, his tone dangerous. I didn’t know how to respond. There was a threat in his voice that I didn’t understand.

“N-No -” I stammered, tears sliding down my cheeks. His expression changed from disgust to anger. I realized too late that I had answered wrong. He backhanded me casually across the face, sending me flying across the floor.

He had hit me much harder than Vespara had, and my head spun with the force of it. I stayed down, my hair covering my face as I stared at the ground. Maybe if I didn’t try to get up, he wouldn’t hit me again. Vespara squealed in delight and clapped her hands, no longer angry that he had interrupted whatever the other male had been about to do to me.

“Don’t lie.” He snarled. I heard him approach me, before he grabbed a fist full of my hair and forced me to my knees. Holding my face tightly, he looked me in The Eyes from inches away, the cruelty in his gaze made me shudder. “My sister is right. You’re a filthy little whore, aren’t you? Do you know what we do to whores like you at The Court of Greed?”

I shook my head; he was holding my face so tightly I couldn’t move my mouth to speak. He leaned closer, slapping the hand that wasn’t already holding my face roughly against the side of me. I gasped at the sting, more tears rolling down my cheeks. They pooled around his fingers and his lips curled in disgust.

“When I’m done with you, you’ll be wishing I had let that guard fuck you, Cerenah.” He threw me away from him as if the mere touch of me was repulsive. I cowered at his feet, as he turned to face Ash Nevra, who was positively simpering with excitement at the display before her.

“I want her as my reward.” He demanded, and my blood ran cold. No. I couldn’t go with him, with fucking Vespara. I wouldn’t survive it.

The hall fell silent. Ash Nevra looked as though she were thinking over Zayne’s request.

“No!” Vespara screeched. “I don’t want her anywhere near my Zayne.” She cooed. I watched through my hair as she cuddled into her brother, running her fingers down the front of his chest. Zayne glanced at her, taking her hand in his to stop her before her hand travelled too far south.

“Vespara, think about this. She will be ours to play with as we wish. Isn’t that what you want?”

She bit her lip in consideration. Zayne then turned to look up at Ash Nevra. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how she has sat at your feet these past few months. Your hatred of her prevents you from killing her, but you do not have the time to punish her as she deserves. As you secure your reign over The Dominion, wouldn’t you prefer to trust her torture in our hands?”

Ash Nevra narrowed her eyes at him.

“I will not part with her, she is mine.” She hissed. Zayne shrugged.

“So, lend her to me. You said it yourself, my Queen, that we are due a reward for how we have forced Envy to submit and claim allegiance to your rightful reign.”

“Please,” I begged, looking up at Ash Nevra from where I lay at Zayne’s feet. I would happily go back to being Ash Nevra’s silent pet, if it meant I didn’t have to go with Zayne to The Court of Greed. Ash Nevra’s eyes flashed. My plea had done the opposite of what I had intended. She saw how much the thought of going with him terrified me, and she liked it.

Zayne kicked me in the ribs, and I cried out as I collapsed further into the ground in pain.

“Did I ask you to speak? You will speak when spoken to.” He spat at me, before turning his attention back to the Queen. “See? The blatant disregard for hierarchy. She needs to learn her place. Let me teach her for you. When I return her, she will be such an obedient little pet, you will barely recognize her.” He promised. He was looking at me with a sick smile on his face, as if he was already planning all the different ways he could hurt me.

“Fine.” Ash Nevra said, and I forced myself not to scream. “I will allow you to take her as your reward for your recent success in delivering Prince Caspian and Princess Niamhara. However, I will be visiting in one month’s time. If I do not see an improvement by then, there will be consequences.”

“No!” Vespara cried. “She will seduce him!”

“Enough, Vespara. I do not care about your sick desire to fuck your own brother.” Ash Nevra spat. Vespara’s jaw dropped, and Titus looked stricken. Had they thought that it was a family secret? It was clear as day to anyone who came even remotely close to them.