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“You’ve caused a lot of people a lot of problems, Ravena Vrok. Derailed our plans of taking over this pathetic planet. Betrayed your own people for those savages.”
With each word, his voice gradually lowered into a whisper—ominous and filled with growing anger. Lorik removing his hand from my ass had my stomach knotting with anxiety and my breath growing short. Seconds later, a whistling sound followed by a loud slapping sound echoed through the room. I cried out as pain exploded on my rear where he’d struck me with what I could only assume to be a wooden paddle.
“Betrayed your own brother.”
Another blow followed the whistling sound, and a wave of agony radiate along my spine and down my legs.
“Captured him to be tortured.”
WHACK!
“Abandoned him to be executed.”
WHACK!
“You killed Varrek, you cunt!” Lorik yelled before raining blows on my ass and my legs.
Each strike resonated along my spine, making my stomach roil and churn. I felt like I was being flayed, the skin being ripped right off my flesh every time the paddle landed on me.
Goddess, he’s going to kill me!
In a flash of lucidity before I lost consciousness again, I realized who he was.
Rik.
Icouldn’t tell which had brought me back out of the blessed darkness that had sheltered me from my tormentor; the tortured moans that rose from my throat in a constant flow or the excruciating pain from my waist down. I was parched, my throat raw from having screamed so much. The shackles binding me to the bench were the only reason I hadn’t collapsed to the floor.
“Welcome back, Ravena,” Lorik said, his voice almost cordial.
My head jerked up, and I shuddered at finding him seated nonchalantly in a chair a couple of meters in front of me. Fear coursed through me as his green eyes bore into mine, his fingers absentmindedly caressing the paddle resting on his lap. Like Doruk, Lorik was a very attractive man with his brown horns, long and curly dark-brown hair, a clean-shaven square jaw, and full lips. Surprisingly, the right side of his face didn’t bear the tribal tattoos Guldans who shaved usually wore. But where Doruk’s beauty had been marred by his underlying malice, Lorik’s madness muddled his. He’d been so calm, quiet, and controlled that first night in Ravik’s Hall. Who could have guessed this love-sick stalker lurked beneath the polished veneer?
“Under normal circumstances, I would beat you to death for what you’ve done. I’d break every single one of your bones and get off on your screams,” Lorik said, his tone conversational. “But I have too many other purposes for you. Aside from ruining our plans, you’ve pissed off the wrong people who have requested the right to teach you proper respect. Those Braxian savages you’ve betrayed your people for don’t like people talking back to them. And you, my dear, have quite a mouth on you.”
He lifted the paddle and spun the handle. I stared in morbid fascination at the tool that had inflicted such horrible pain on me. That vermin, Hagan, had to be the person I’d pissed off. If he beat me with that paddle, he’d kill me. Deep-rooted hatred for me had burned in his eyes after I’d publicly humiliated him during last meal.
Paddle firmly in hand, Lorik rose to his feet and approached me. My stomach sank and my entire body stiffened, causing the throbbing pain in my abused flesh to flare up.
“You bruise beautifully, Ravena,” Lorik said, his soft hand caressing my ass.
I swallowed a whimper as his touch, although gentle, hurt horribly.
“You have no idea how badly I want to beat you again.”
His fingers dug into my left butt cheek, squeezing it savagely. I screamed in agony, the pain radiating up my back and down my right leg.
“Such a pretty scream,” he whispered, releasing his brutal hold on me.
My eyes pricked, but I fought back the tears and the sob that wanted to rise from my throat. I’d never felt so weak, so helpless… so hopeless.
“But I won’t beat you. At least, not for a while.” His hand resumed caressing me, but thankfully moved away from the battered area, sliding up my back as he circled around the bench. He stopped next to my face and crouched so that we’d be eye to eye. His green eyes were devoid of emotion as he studied my face for a moment before peering up at my horns. “They’re identical to his,” Lorik said, his fingers tracing the patterns on my horns. “He loved when I held on to his horns when he fucked me. I never got to fuck him. He didn’t take cock, only gave it. Before him, I’d never bottomed for anyone. But for Varrek…”
An odd mixture of wistfulness, longing, passion, and madness burned in his eyes. He stared at me, unseeing, his hand fisted around my horn and his thumb caressing the pattern. Heart pounding, I eyed him warily as he refocused on me. Lorik suddenly leaned forward, drawing my face towards him by my horn. Rubbing his cheek against mine, he inhaled deeply, and then pressed his lips to my ear.
“You smell like him, except for that stinky perfume you wear. Properly washed and with a touch of his Cologne, you’ll smellexactlylike him.”
My eyes widened in horror. Surely, he didn’t think…?
Lorik pulled away from me, his face inches from mine. “I have very nice, colored Xelixian lenses for your eyes; forest-green like Varrek’s. After we’re married, we’ll have to make some modifications to your face. Some nice chevron-shaped bone implants in your forehead to recreate his crihnin. Did you know that he hated it? The silly man. His crihnin was as beautiful as everything else about him,” Lorik said, caressing my forehead with his knuckles, the same wistful look on his face. “I’ve successfully completed the experimental phase of a new skin pigment. It’s going to hurt a bit, but after a few injections, you will permanently have his beautiful silver color. You’re going to be a masterpiece,” he said, cupping my face in his hands before crushing my lips with a short, but brutal kiss.
