He stared at the bare, cream colored wall and scrubbed a hand over his face. He stood and stripped out of his clothes and slipped into his bed naked. He let the darkness envelop him and wash away the memories of his former life.
Gaijryc woke the next morning on the cold, hard ground. He groaned as he pulled himself up, the smell of spilt liquor making his stomach turn in distaste. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth, the stubble on his cheeks scratching against his palms. He stumbled into the bathroom and blindly turned on the shower. His mind was fuzzy, the night before seeming hazy and unfocused. He stood in front of the mirror naked, his face seeming haggard and old. His head pounded and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t recall how he’d ended up on the floor of his bedroom, or even what went on before that. All he could remember was the ball. That awful, soul-killing ball.
He stepped into the spray of water, the droplets so hot they seemed to sizzle on his skin. He closed his eyes and let them slide down his back. He wished the pain would stop, wished the water would wash it away. He braced his hands on the tile in front of him, trying to remember what had happened. As the steam started to clear his mind, he kept seeing Helina’s face—his sweet Helina. His eyes snapped open, all those memories of the night before crashing through his brain, making his head hurt even more. He balled his fists up, all the anger he’d contained the night before gone.
He turned from the spray and slammed his fist into the tile in front of him, the stone crumbling and falling to the ground. He looked down at his knuckles, the water washing the blood away and turning pink. The wounds knitted themselves back together and he slammed his knuckles into the wall again. He watched his cuts again, the skin pulling together and becoming perfect. His anger was so monumental, his pain so great, all he wanted to do was roar to the heavens. He didn’t want the physical pain to leave. He wanted his body to hurt as much as his soul did. He wanted the inside to match the outside, wanted to know that what he was feeling was real.
He turned off the water and stepped out, drying off and slipping on a pair of loose fitting jeans and a button down shirt. He walked out of the bathroom, surprised to see a silver tray lying on his bed with an assortment of fruits, breads, and cheeses. A tall crystal glass stood next to the food, the bright colored orange juice making his stomach heave. A light tap sounded on the door and he wasn’t surprised to see Iena standing on the other side. “What?” He growled the word and started pacing.
She popped out her bottom lip in mock sadness and pushed her way through. She wore black leather boots that went mid-thigh, the lacing strung taut on the sides. Her black leather dress was skin tight, the hem not even touching the tops of the boots.
“I just wanted to say good morning to my future husband.”
“I could still choose another.” Of course he did not have that option, not if he wanted to protect Helina, but the very idea of getting under Iena’s skin was too much of a temptation to resist.
She turned around, her expression seeming like the very devil possessed her. “Listen here, Gaijryc. I could have killed your little slut last night, but instead, I chose to show mercy. It would do you well to watch what you say to me. Your mother wouldn’t like it very much if she were to find out her eldest was fornicating with a lowly human, or worse, having the desire to actually mate her.”
Gaijryc had his hand around her throat in the next second. Her body dangled from his grip as he pinned her against the wall. “No, you will listen to me. I may be forced to mate you for the protection of the one I truly love. I may be forced to spend the rest of eternity with you, but if I ever hear you say anything like that about her again, I won’t hesitate to skin you alive. Do you understand me?” He enunciated the last part, making sure she was fully aware of who was in charge.
“You know I like it rough, Gaijryc.” She speared her fingers through his hair and wrapped her legs around his waist before he could even blink. Before he could push her away, her mouth was on his and her tongue was speared through his lips. He tossed her away, her body flopping on the bed like a rag doll. She looked up at him, her red hair disheveled and her eyes dropping with arousal. She started to laugh, the sound making him want to rip her tongue out of her mouth. She walked toward him and whispered against his ear. “Mmm… You taste good, baby. I can’t wait until the night we are mated.” She slid off the bed, her dress riding up the rest of the way and showing off her bare pussy. He knew she did it on purpose, but the sight only repulsed him. “I will fuck you so hard you’ll forget about your little human.” Her hand slid along his chest as she made her way toward the door. “Oh and by the way, we are having the mating ceremony tonight. I talked with your mother and she didn’t see any reason to wait. Of course, we ran it by the king and he saw no problems with it as well. See you tonight, baby.”