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But for now, I knew I needed to survive. And so, as he waited, ready to slash me again for impudence, I merely said, “Yes, Master.”
And then he was gone, like a thief in the night, and I was alone.
Hanna hurried in to get me, even as I curled in a ball on the floor. One look at her face and I knew she’d witnessed everything. She mutely offered me her arm and I leaned on it while she led me back into the chamber. I could barely walk, and blood trickled down my inner thighs, which were rubbed raw from the roughness of his hair.
“Get the collar off, please.” I tugged at it, but she shook her head.
“The Master fixed it with magic. It won’t come off. I’m sorry, Camille, I’m so sorry.” She had drawn another hot bath.
“How long . . . how long was I with him?” It felt like forever.
“Half the night, my dear. Here—it will sting something fierce, but the water and herbs will help you heal. Get in the tub.” She stripped away my clothes and tossed them in a corner.
I couldn’t even manage to step over the edge of the tub, I hurt so bad. Hanna bit her lip and helped lift me into the water. I let out little whimpers of pain, but then a slow numbness began to seep through my legs and stomach, and I welcomed it in. Hanna must have put some sort of anesthetic in the water.
I stared mutely into the water, at the bruises and scrapes that covered my body, and all my resolve dissolved in a flurry of tears. My stomach twisted and I quickly turned to get on my knees as I leaned over the side of the tub. Hanna noticed my difficulty and brought me a basin. I vomited everything I’d eaten earlier. She held my head, stroking my hair, wiping my forehead and the back of my neck with a damp cloth.
When I was finished, she gave me a drink of water and I rinsed my mouth, and then she settled me back in the tub and handed me a mug of hot tea. The fragrant scent of berries rose to calm me.
“Thank you.”
She bit her lip. “I want to do more. I want to do more . . .”
“Your son. I know.”
“It’s not right. I was born a warrior woman. Now I serve an evil dragon who blackmails me with my kin. I’m a coward.” Her eyes were filled with shame as she fetched a wash-cloth and a soft soap. She motioned for me to lean forward. “I think I have some choices to make,” she said softly, washing my back with the soap and cloth, taking care to go gently over the bruises and cuts.
“I will not ask anything of you. But if you decide to help me, babe, I can sure use it.” Bleakly, I sipped the tea. It calmed my stomach and began to unknot some of the pain that Hyto had thrust onto me.
Smoky had never treated me this way. We played our bondage games, but they were love games—consensual, joyful, with pleasure rather than pain.
Hyto had invaded me, violated me in a way I’d never before experienced. In Otherworld, long ago, my boss—Lathe—had tried to blackmail me into fucking him, but I’d managed to squash that little game with Trillian’s help. But this . . . this outright assault . . .
I thought of Menolly and what she’d endured at the hands of Dredge, and the thought made me stronger. Hyto had hurt me, yes, and he would probably kill me, but he wasn’t going to turn me into a vampire. And so far, I’d been able to bear the humiliation he craved. I’d learned to be strong over the years.
Seeking comfort in the thoughts of home, of my loved ones, of everything we’d been through, I cemented my resolve. Hyto might kill me, but he wouldn’t win. No matter what, he wouldn’t win against me. And come what may, I’d at least make the cocksucker hurt like a house afire before he took me out.
Chapter 12
After my bath, I was able to step out of the tub on my own, though I was bone weary and ready to crash. Hanna wasn’t able to take off the collar, so I had to wear it. It reeked of Hyto, his musky scent filling my nostrils.
“Please, do you have anything to take away the odor?” I gestured to the leather. “It smells like him.”
She quickly fetched a bottle and I rubbed a little of the ointment under my nose. It was almost like Vicks . . . and strong enough to block the smell of the dragon without angering him. Relieved and wrapped in a thick blanket, I let her lead me to the table, where I saw that she’d prepared a light meal of eggs, applesauce, bread, and honey.
“This should settle on your stomach without too much problem,” she said, handing me a glass of wine to go with it. “You must eat to keep up your strength. But . . . before you do, I hate to embarrass you.”
“What?” I asked, thinking there wasn’t much she could do to further humiliate me beyond what Hyto had already done.
“I need to put a salve on your thighs and . . . your privates. The Master roughed you up pretty badly, my dear. And we don’t want the skin to get infected.” She held up a jar.
Blushing, I nodded and leaned back, spreading my legs. She was quick, with a light touch, and she spread the salve on the injured parts of my body. She also spread some of it on the purple blossoms spreading across my back and stomach.
“It will work for the bruising, too. There now, eat and then you must sleep. We have no idea when he will call for you next.” She fixed the blanket, tucking it around me again as she might tuck in a child.
“How long . . . how often . . . did he call for his other toys?” I glanced up at her, not wanting to know how many women had suffered over Hyto’s lifetime.
She swallowed hard. “You are the first who’s returned from his chamber.”
