Chapter 10
Bound at Sea
ROHEN
Groaning, my fingers twitched beneath me, brushing against what felt like damp wood.
A coldness welcomed me. The scent of mildew followed, assaulting my nostrils with its pungency.
Above, rain drummed incessantly, becoming a metronome that summoned me from the depths of my subconscious.
With a throbbing headache, I forced myself upright, taking in my surroundings as an impending doom settled in my stomach.
A small sliver of light came in through a porthole higher up.
Nothing but lifelessness greeted me, damp wood surrounding me on all sides.
Crimson was the only color painting the walls, marking them with the unimaginable lives lost in the cell where my fate now resided.
The gaps between its steel bars would have been the only way for me to examine the space beyond, but the lack of light prevented me from catching even the slightest glimpse.
The chains swung overhead with the fluidity of the tide, clattering against one another with the craving of confinement.
Crawling forward, the floor's frigidity threatened to strip the skin from my knees. A shiver rocked my frame, my teeth chattering as I pulled myself upright. With my palms coiled around the metal bars, I tugged as hard as I could, but not even the slightest creak followed. Instead, wood groaned from the blackness beyond. I stopped immediately as a flame ignited, illuminating the face I feared I’d see when I woke up.
The orange highlights it cast over his skin highlighted the scar I’d spotted.
His crimson glower seemed to brew with the same fire, gleaming with a challenge and searing hatred.
Even knowing Jaskor had spited me, I couldn’t help but devour Caspian’s expansiveness with my gaze.
Having discarded the light linen shirt he’d worn, a deep scarlet one replaced it, only adding to the appeal he managed to emanate—an appeal I knew I shouldn’t have found alluring.
“Glad to see my little siren is alive and well,” he crooned, setting the candle down beside him on the bench with a slowness that had my attention landing on his wrapped palm. “It took you a whole seven days to wake up, though. Seems you’re just as fragile as I expected.”
Seven days?
What the fuck? Was my dream with Ellira… real?
“Go fuck yourself,” I hissed.
“Oh, I already did.” Pushing himself up, he walked toward me. “After I stitched myself up. You know, had you been just two inches over, you would’ve punctured a lung.”
Pursing my lips, I feigned a pout. “What an inconvenience.”
“Isn’t it?” He dropped to a squat and leaned in, his lips twisting into a cruel grin. “It’s a shame that, even as the cunt Malrik prefers to dip his prick into, he never thought to teach you how to wield a blade properly.”
Seething, I gathered a mouthful of saliva and spat in his face. “The soldier whose dick I cut off would painfully state otherwise.”
“Aw, were you in that much dire need of a new toy?” He ran a hand down his face, an amused chuckle leaving him and echoing off the walls of my containment. “If you wanted to play, you could’ve simply asked. I mean, hell, you already matched one of my kinks.”
He brought his fingers to his lips, lapping up my saliva as if it were the fountain of life.
Twirling his tongue around each digit, he worked with meticulous care.
It was as if he were cleaning up something far more intimate; it was an unspoken promise of all the pleasure I instinctively knew he could provide.
With his divulgence, lust danced in his irises, something that would’ve consumed any other woman.
I was far from his usual meal.
Crawling toward him, my fists closed around the bars as my knuckles whitened with every attempt to contain my building wrath.
Leveraging the steel frame, I pulled myself forward, grabbing hold of the collar of Caspian’s shirt.
With our noses inches from each other, nearly brushing even with the steel separating us, my lips lifted into a hate-filled snarl.
“I will kill you as soon as the opportunity presents itself.”
He smirked, his swoon-worthy smile lines making their increasingly annoying appearance. “Is that a promise, little siren?”
“It’s a fucking vow.”
His chest rumbled with yet another chuckle. “Good, keep that fire. You’re going to need it for what I have planned for you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to—”
His hand cupped over mine, the callousness of his skin a near-match to his demeanor.
As soon as the connection happened, something within me stirred, awakening from a deep slumber and igniting in a way I’d never experienced before.
It was as if he were the match to my kindling, encouraging me to detonate in ways I’d only ever dreamed of.
Ways I yearned to.
But as quickly as the warmth he brought bloomed, it vanished, replaced by a bone-chilling cold as his nails dug into the back of my hand.
Trying to tear myself free, I hissed under my breath as his hold became nearly unbearable, my blood pooling to the surface beneath his touch.
His natural ease in leaning into cruelty revealed the depths of his soul, the cracks in his mask shining brighter than the appeal that incessantly radiated from him.
“Your ability to listen is just about as useless as your mouth.” With a shove that felt too effortless—too natural—he sent me sailing back onto my ass, feet away from where I’d been.
Pain erupted through my spine, forcing me to bite my lip hard enough that the sharp tang of iron greeted me.
Swallowing the cry that threatened to fall, I watched as he placed his hands on his muscular thighs, pushing himself up to stand.
As he stepped back, I rested my hands flush against the floor, scooting myself further from the bars and away from him.
“Let me remind you of something, Rohen Levitte.” The corner of his mouth curled, and the enjoyment that emanated from him, along with the knowledge he revealed, caused my stomach to drop.
“You are nothing but a cunt I purchased for my men’s pleasure, with a hefty amount of coin, might I remind you.
So, you’re going to be an obedient little bitch and do as they wish when they wish.
Because believe me, the last thing you want is me finding out that you’re causing issues. ”
My shoulders rocked, a manic laugh rolling from my throat to fill the space. “Oh no, I’m so scared. What’re you going to do, Captain, kill me?”
A darkness consumed his irises, causing them to shift from their usual vibrant crimson to a shade far closer to black.
He craned his head to the side, bending down just enough to grab the candle from its position on the bench, most of the wax having melted during our engagement.
With his glower pinned on me, he smiled, raising the flame inches from his face.
“Oh no, my little siren. What I have planned for you when it comes to defiance will have you begging Elaros for even the smallest moment of reprieve.” His tongue trailed over his lips as he savored every word he spoke.
“You’ve kissed the earth beneath Malrik’s feet for quite some time, but I can promise you that the ways in which I handle things will be far more unbearable than any ‘punishment’ you’ve experienced from his hand.
“I am not gracious. I am not kind. And I am sure as fuck not gentle. In all honesty, compared to your previous owner, I am vexation and wrath reincarnated. Where Malrik is brutal, I am unforgiving. My presence is feared in ways you will never be able to comprehend. So, if I have one piece of advice, it’s to avoid pushing me toward the abysmal depths of my subconscious.
Because once I get there… There’s no going back. ”
He blew out the flame, leaving us in a sea of never-ending shadows, his rasped tone amplified by my lack of sight.
“I mean, sure, you can run, but you’ll never be able to hide from me again.
Our souls are intertwined like overlapping oceans, little siren.
And because of that, escaping me is no longer a viable option. ”