Chapter 4 #2
Self-preservation kicked in for once, and I shut up, but it didn’t take long for my betrothed to open his mouth again. It was obvious that he loved to hear himself talk.
“Just as you check a horse before buying it, I’ll never get married without testing my bride-to-be. Only inspecting the goods just won’t do it.”
“What do you mean by testing me?”
Instead of an answer, Jelric spun me around and pushed me into a nearby wall, caging me in with his body as he pressed me against the rough building behind me.
I was frozen in place, unable to move as he stood way too close to me.
Jelric had me pinned, and I could feel his heavy breath against the shell of my ear. “I’m not obtaining a wife just because she’s marginally pretty. So, let’s see if you have the potential to be the perfect spouse for me, shall we?”
I was still rooted to the spot when my betrothed moved once more. Instead of letting me go, he pulled me through a wooden door located a few paces next to us.
The entrance led into a small building, and Jelric closed the door behind us.
It was dark inside, and if there were windows somewhere, they must have been so dirty that they didn’t allow much light in.
My nose told me we were in some sort of stable—the air was reeking of animal waste, and even though I didn’t mind pungent smells to some degree, I had to struggle to fight back the urge to throw up.
That was when the full gravity of the situation settled in: I was alone with a man I didn’t know or trust in a dark stable.
I had to get away before something terrible would happen. Everything Jelric had said and done so far painted an alarming picture of his intentions. But he was blocking the only exit I was able to see, making an escape impossible.
Jelric still fumbled around with the door—I couldn’t see what exactly he did—and only stepped away after the bolt had sunken down with a loud clank.
“I don’t like this place. Please, let me leave.”
“And I don’t care what you like or not, betrothed.” Jelric trailed closer to me, and instinctively, I retreated backward.
“Hmm. It seems that your tendencies to be difficult are real. Your father’s warnings about you being headstrong were not in vain, but don’t worry. Strict education and punishment will certainly change that quickly—and I’m not scared to put in a little bit of extra work to get what I want.”
“You can’t be serious. I’m a human being with my own opinions. You have no right to say things like that.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll soon learn that every right I want to have is mine when it comes to you. It’s you who’ll have no say and no power in this marriage.” Jelric smirked and took another step toward me.
“We aren’t married yet.” And the longer I interacted with Jelric Feroy, the more I knew I could never marry him.
“Oh, that changes nothing. You’re already mine. The choker on your neck is proof of that.”
Realization hit me as I peered into his leering face. He was basically giddy with excitement. He relished making me afraid, controlling me, degrading me with his words and actions, and the fear churning in my stomach intensified.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want to make you beg.”
“I won’t. Leave me alone.”
“Why should I? I told you I’d test you today.”
“Keep your filthy hands off me!” My back slammed into the uneven wall as my betrothed shoved me hard. I winced in pain as my still-sore skin started to bleed again on impact. My eyes widened, and Jelric’s smile became diabolical.
“You’ll be my wife, and I’ll be the benevolent god you submit your life to. I’ll govern over your very existence. Your every move, every breath, will depend on my permission.”
“That’s insanity!”
“No, it’ll be your reality. Although strictly speaking, you are already my property because your father signed the binding matrimonial contract.
The wedding is only a mere formality.” Jelric’s fingers touched the choker around my neck with more gentleness than I’d thought him capable of.
But then he pushed me harder against the wall, and I could feel his breath—a stench even fouler than the feces in this stable—hot on my face.
It didn’t come as a surprise that my father had already signed me over, nor was I shocked about him not informing me.
“And I can do whatever I want with my property.” Jelric leaned forward all of a sudden, and I gagged as he pressed his lips hard against mine.
Again, I was paralyzed, but as he forced his tongue between my lips, the spell broke, and I struggled against his touch, desperately trying to push him away.
Jelric’s unyielding grip on me tightened, and his tongue claimed my mouth relentlessly. I screamed against his lips and, in an act of desperation, bit down hard. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, and Jelric pulled away, fury blazing in his eyes.
“You’ll regret that.” He was fuming, and I realized that this momentary act of defiance had been a grave mistake. Jelric had me cornered, and there was no chance of getting away.
His hand collided with my cheek, so hard I saw stars. I was dazed, and he took this as an opportunity to throw me into an empty stable box onto a flimsy layer of dirty hay before lowering himself down as well, using his body weight to keep me pinned in place.
My adrenaline surged as I panicked, and I fought hard against his grip, but all my strength wasn’t nearly enough to free myself.
Jelric’s hands started to wander, groping my breasts through the flimsy fabric of my dress, and his foul breath accelerated. “I like these. Big and ripe and all mine.”
“Stop touching me!” I had no more doubts about what he was planning to do to me.
I screamed in panic, but he planted one of his hands over my mouth.
All my thoughts only centered on how to escape, to flee, to run, and I threw my head left and right in an attempt to get rid of the thing that was clamping down on half of my face.
“Stop struggling girl, and shut up. I’ll get what I want anyway. It’s up to you how good it’s going to be for you. So, just stay still and accept your gods-given duties.”
He suddenly removed his hand from my mouth. However, before I was able to scream for help, his lips claimed mine once more and swallowed every sound I made.
Tears pooled in my eyes, and I cried out when I heard a ripping sound. It took little for me to realize that Jelric had torn open my dress and was busy fumbling around with my underwear.
A sob escaped me. Although I wasn’t untouched by any means, I’d never slept with a man before.
Yes, I was aware of what happened in the bedroom between men and women, and so it was pretty clear to me what that hard thing poking my hip was.
Panic was spreading through my veins in hot waves, threatening to consume my ability to grasp even one rational thought.
Jelric groaned in triumph as he succeeded in taking off the bandeau keeping my breasts in place, and he was kneading my naked flesh with both hands before twisting my nipples hard. A flash of pain shot through me, and I sobbed.
I made another attempt to free myself. Since Jelric was distracted with my breasts and possibly thought I’d given up already, I managed to slip out from underneath him, trying to crawl away as fast as possible.
My escape attempt was thwarted, even though I’d almost made it out of the stable box. But then pain erupted in my scalp, and I was hauled back. Jelric had grabbed my hair, and to keep me from escaping, he wrapped it around his fist and pulled hard.
My throat was already raw from screaming, and more tears ran down my face.
I stopped struggling, not because I accepted my fate but because I needed to think.
However, the panic that rushed through my veins like wildfire made it almost impossible to think clearly.
Somehow, I had to escape this man who felt entitled to use my body for his pleasure.
My betrothed climbed back on top of me, his weight pressing down heavily on my body. I was helpless as my mind was about to shut down, and I couldn’t stop the constant stream of tears.
“You’re so pretty when you scream and cry. I’ll make sure you’ll never stop doing so.”
Jelric lowered his head and licked over my skin without warning, tasting my tears, followed by another flash of pain blooming in my face as his teeth bit down hard into the flesh of my right cheek. I felt my skin breaking under his bite, and another agonized yell left my throat.
Jelric continued his assault on my breasts, rolling and pinching my nipples, squeezing my flesh so hard and painful that I knew I’d be bruised all over tomorrow.
“Please…please stop. Please…I beg you to stop.” I urgently needed to find a way to break away, but panic and desperation had won me over.
My pleading had an immediate effect on Jelric—his breath became heavier, and the blazing lust in his eyes multiplied. “You have no idea how much begging turns me on,” he moaned, then freed my hair.
All of a sudden, he grabbed me by my throat and squeezed while he simultaneously ripped away the last bit of clothing still covering my lower body.
He was blocking my airways relentlessly. I couldn’t breathe anymore, and I stared at Jelric in panic. “Please…don’t do that to me. I…I don’t want that.” My voice was barely audible, and how I managed to articulate my pleas was a mystery to me.
Jelric was just panting hard while he was busy opening his belt.
Using his distraction to my advantage, I succeeded in freeing one of my hands, and I grabbed his wrist in an attempt to pull his fingers away from my throat, but it was in vain.
He was just so much stronger than me. I scratched his wrist, but a deep moan was the only reaction I got.
It was obvious that my desperation and struggle turned him on even more.
I whimpered and sobbed as Jelric opened the fastenings of his pants and freed his hard manhood.
Jelric slightly loosened his grip on my throat, and at long last, I was able to breathe in a trickle of precious oxygen. Nevertheless, my struggles became weaker and weaker as Jelric pushed his knee between my legs.
“I’m going to break you in. I own you—and I’ll make sure you’ll never forget.”
“Please stop…please, I don’t want this—”
“I give a rat’s ass about what you want. You’re just some pretty thing I own and will fuck as often as I want, however I want. And I want to fuck you now.”
His breath went heavy and labored, his hand around my throat tightened once more. He guided his manhood toward my center, rubbing it over my bone-dry skin.
A clear awareness surfaced in my mind. I was out of time. If I didn’t do something now—anything—Jelric would rape me within mere moments. Desperately, I tried to push him away once more as my lungs were screaming for oxygen.
My push was unsuccessful, and in defeat, I dropped my hand while saying a silent prayer to the gods.
Even though my thoughts turned sluggish, I noticed somehow that my fingers had brushed against something important on their descent.
A desperate hope bloomed in my chest even as black spots danced in my vision.
I could feel Jelric angling himself toward my entrance as he kept my legs forced apart with his body weight.
I fought against the dizziness and, with a final effort, wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the dagger I’d touched just a few moments ago.
Mobilizing my last strength, I pulled the weapon free from the sheath attached to Jelric’s belt and plunged the blade into his body just as he was about to thrust his length into me.
It didn’t matter to me where my attack would land as long as it would hit him somewhere and stop him from violating me any further.
Jelric’s lecherous grunts instantly transformed into screams of agony. His hand around my neck fell away, and I gulped in the air I so desperately needed while I was deep in some kind of survival mode.
It was nothing short of a miracle that I hadn’t lost my grip on the dagger. With a surprisingly steady hand, I ripped the blade out of Jelric’s body. Instinctively, I knew I had to stab him again to make sure he’d let go of me.
My sight was blurry, and I missed the shoulder I’d aimed for.
The noise leaving my throat bore more resemblance to the cry of a wounded animal than to the one of a human, and I stabbed in his direction another time—and another.
Jelric attempted to wrestle the weapon from me while cursing, but I miraculously held on to the blade.
I pulled the dagger free once more and blindly plunged it back into the monstrous creature above me. Warm liquid dripped on my face, and Jelric’s screams of panic and pain transformed into agonized gurgling noises.
My attempt to roll out from under him was unsuccessful, and before I was able to free myself, Jelric collapsed on top of me completely, his blood streaming out of a deep gash in his throat.
“Jelric?” My voice sounded timid and hoarse. Some of his blood trickled into my mouth, and I gagged at the salty, metallic taste as Jelric fell silent and ceased moving altogether.
“Jelric?” Repeating his name, I didn’t care about tasting more of his vital fluid. The relief that I’d stopped my betrothed’s attempt to rape me morphed into something horrible, something equally bad.
Shivering, I noticed how much of his blood was already staining my skin red, and when I saw his empty, wide-open eyes, I shrieked.
My panicked scream ceased, and I turned my face, vomiting right next to me, again and again.
Only when the heaving stopped did I direct my eyes back to Jelric. The creature who had tried to rape me. The monster I’d killed. And then I screamed as loud as I could—until I was too hoarse to make any more sounds.