11. Siderus

It should feel good to be home. After my little escapade with the Liaric family, I left Amaya with my guards while I spent a week with the Grand Duke. After all my work, I have earned a moment of rest.

But, being home will not be so simple this time. Not with Amaya there waiting for me.

It'll never be the same between us. The passion and energy from our first night together is gone. After what I did to her family, it may never return. I've avoided it for the past week, but I know that going home means facing her again.

Home is where I have kept her locked away while I was on my business. Home is where she has been left with nothing to do but hate me more and more. Now, home is where I must face her again.

When I close my eyes, I can still feel her lips on mine. I can still feel her soft skin against the tips of my fingers. I can still remember the way her hair falls in the heat of passion. I still hear her moans of pleasure. I'll be lucky to ever experience any of that again.

While she hates me now, she will likely hate me even more soon. Once I reveal what her new status will be at my mansion, what she will have to do to survive another day. After she learns that, her anger will only grow.

Pet slave. Those are the exact words I'll have to use. Fuck.

"Pet slave." That is a status no one strives for. But, it is what she will have to become if she wants to live. It is the simplest way to explain why I have a human in my mansion. Anything else will draw too much attention.

It has already drawn too much attention. My grandparents have already begun asking questions. Questions that I know they will not like the answer to. Pet slave is the easiest and safest answer.

"Fuck!" I yell to myself as I walk through the grand entrance of my mansion. I grab a small footstool and hurl it across the room. It shatters against the wall.

"Clean that up," I say to no servant in particular. In my anger, they all might as well look the same. I continue towards the stairs.

I am a Duke. I should not be having these problems. Everyone should be falling over themselves to do my every bidding. Everyone should be happy to serve my every whim. If I want to have Amaya locked in my mansion, I should be able to. The only reason I should need is that I desire it!

Of course, that is not how it works. Yes, I am a Duke. But I don't have any real power. I realize that now. The power I do have is only mine because my uncle grants it. This is my uncle's world, everyone just has to get used to it. That includes me.

He makes all the decisions that actually matter. If he tells me to frame the Marquis for rebellion, I have no choice but to listen. Despite the consequences and pain I knew it would cause with Amaya, I followed his instructions.

Now, on my uncle's orders, I have to hurt her even more. Fuck. I allowed this all to happen. I should've been smarter about this. I am smarter than this. I can't believe I let it get this far out of hand.

I truly only have myself to blame. I know how my uncle is, and I've followed his orders for a long time with no issue. But with Amaya, it's all different. I want it to be different. I can make it different.

I just need time to figure out what to do. There is a way I can keep Amaya safe and make her happy. Unfortunately, for now, that means making her my pet slave.

I hurry up the stairs, making my way through my mansion to my room. Usually, I'd be basking in glory while celebrating my recent victories. However, there is no time for that.

"No sense in waiting any longer," I say softly to myself. I place my hand on the doorknob to my bedroom, where I left Amaya. I steady myself. I forcefully open the door and confidently stride in. It's for the best if she still sees me as the strong man she first met.

I immediately spot her. Amaya stands at a window, admiring the beautiful view. I get a beautiful view myself. A week away has done nothing to dampen my lust for her. Her curvaceous body and curly brown hair, now disheveled from a week locked away, beckon me forward.

Amaya turns to face me, and for a moment, I think she's happy to see me. Any part of her expression I confused for joy disappears in an instant. She charges me with a fire that would rival my own powers.

Even in all her anger, Amaya looks beautiful. She manages to keep her typical grace while charging at me. Her dress and hair flow behind her.

Once she reaches me, she begins to hit me. Her soft fists slam into my firm chest. I let her do this. Best to let her tire herself out.

"I hate you! I hate you," she yells. Each time she says hate, she times it with another hit to my chest. "Let me leave!"

"I can't do that," I say calmly back. She continues to hit me. She is lasting longer than I expected. Her soft fists continue to hit my chest without slowing down.

I look down at her. Her wild and curly brown hair flies around her face in a fiery halo. Through the tears on her face, her beauty continues to shine.

It's time to end this. I have to get it over with. She needs to hear what I have to say.

I swiftly grab her arms at the wrist and hold them still. Amaya struggles against me. She continues to cry and scream at me.

"Stop it," I say firmly. She stops, knowing better than to let my temper get out. "You need to listen to me… If you want to survive."

The anger on her face morphs into fear. "Are – are you going to –?" Amaya says in a low voice. She starts to slink away from me.

"No, I won't kill you," I say confidently as I pull her back towards me. "But I may not be able to protect you."

The fear lingers on her face. "Who is going to kill me?"

"I'm a Duke, Amaya," I say, looking directly into her striking green eyes that are swimming with tears. "Word has gotten out about the human I have in my mansion. My uncle will not stand for it."

"Then what are you going to do, if not let me leave? Hide me?"

"In a sense," I concede, although it is hardly the whole truth. "I'll hide you in plain sight."

"What do you mean?" Amaya says. The fear on her face is almost stuck there, not leaving for even a moment. I doubt it'll leave any time soon.

"You must become my pet slave." I do not break away from our eye contact. She needs to know how serious I am. There is no room for confusion.

"What?" Amaya responds. Once again, she takes a step away from me. I hold her firm and still, not letting her get away.

"If you want to survive, you have to become my pet slave."

"No!"

"Yes!" I declare as loudly as I can. "This is the only way."

"No, you can do something else! You can let me go! Just let me leave!" she yells and falls to her knees. I let her.

"You have to understand," I say as I get down on one knee, as close to her face as I can. She refuses to look at me. "This is the only way I can keep you safe."

I stand up. I place my hands on her shoulders and pull her to her feet. She doesn't resist but refuses to look at me.

"If I let you leave, I won't be able to protect you," I explain. "And if I let you continue to stay here as you have, we'll both be in danger. Making you my pet slave is the only choice."

"What even is a pet slave?" she says with less anger than I expected. It's as if she is too scared and sad to be angry anymore.

"Well, you'll have a new set of rules to follow and a new set of tasks to carry out each day," I explain.

She finally looks back at me again. The fear has only worsened on her face.