River collapsed against Torak. She was shocked when he suddenly pulled away from her and climbed out of the pool. River watched him fearful. He had his back to her and still hadn’t said a word. It was the silence which frightened her the most. Normally when he was mad at her he would yell or tell her she couldn’t do something, never had he just not said anything.
River watched as he picked up a towel and walked into the bedroom. She slowly climbed out of the pool picking up a towel and blotting the water from her hair before wrapping the towel around her body. She nervously picked up a brush and followed Torak into the bedroom. Torak had dressed and was walking out of the room when she came in.
“Where are you going?” River asked quietly.
“There are things I must take care of. I will return later. Do not wait up for me.” Torak replied without turning around. A moment later River heard the door close to their living quarters.
Chapter 18
It was the night before the dinner and Torak still barely talked to River, only answering direct questions with the least amount of words. River was a nervous wreck. She had not been allowed out of their living quarters. Jo and Star had not been heard from since their last faithful day in the training room. The two elite guard members who had been at the training center had been replaced with two others who looked like they had eaten a load of sour lemons. Every time she had tried to leave their living quarters the warriors had stood in front of her silently shaking their heads. By order of Lord Torak, River was to stay inside they told her. They would gently push her back in and close the door.
River had tried at first to get a rise out of Torak but he had remained silent turning and leaving. When he had returned River had been asleep. She had woken to find herself being made exquisite love too. She had screamed out her release as she felt Torak pulse his own deep inside her. Afterward, he had pulled out of her and left her again returning after she had fallen into an exhaustive sleep from crying. When she had woken in the morning he made love to her again. Afterwards, he had pulled out of her arms ignoring her cry to stay for just a little while.
This had been going on for three days, although it seemed more like a lifetime. River hadn’t been sleeping well and had lost her appetite. This morning had been the last straw. She couldn’t continue like this. The silence between them was killing her. She knew he enjoyed the sex as he came to her several times a day, making love to her without saying a word and leaving as soon as they had both found release. Her heart was breaking and she didn’t know what to do. She had no one to talk to. He wouldn’t let her out of their living quarters and apparently Jazin and Manota were not letting Star and Jo out either. River knew she had to do one of two things, break the wall between them or give up. It hadn’t helped that for the past two days she had been very nauseated when she had gotten up. She figured the stress of everything was finally getting to her.
Wiping a tear from her cheek, she decided she would play out her part tomorrow night at the dinner then present Torak with an ultimatum: talk to her or let her go. She was slowly shattering into little pieces not knowing what to do. River swayed taking deep breaths as another wave of nausea washed over her. Placing a hand to her stomach, she turned heading for the bathroom. Maybe a shower would help her feel better. She had only made it halfway through the bedroom when she was struck with a wave of dizziness that clouded her vision. She tried to make it to the bed but another wave struck her and darkness descended like a blanket, closing in around her falling form.
Torak sighed throwing the data screen he was holding across the desk. He had been holding the damn thing for the past hour and couldn’t have told a single person what was on it. He hated the silence between him and River. At first he had just been too angry to talk. He had made love to her in the bathing pool, his body desperate to know she was okay. He had to leave right after that because he would have taken her again and again. He could feel himself losing control as the fear he felt at almost losing her again washed through him with such a violence, it had almost felt physical. He didn’t want to hurt her. Afterwards, he had wanted to punish her. It broke his heart when he came to bed and saw the evidence of her tears on her face or heard her plead with him to stay and hold her after they had made love. He couldn’t stay with her but he couldn’t stay away from her.
Groaning, he felt his body stir again as he remembered the feel of her sweet body wrapped around his this morning. She was so responsive to his touch. Getting up he gave a disgusted groan. He wanted, no needed, her again. He had taken her over and over the past few days thinking he could work her out of his system. He had even thought for a brief moment to go to another female for relief, to see if that would help but he couldn’t imagine touching another.