19. Ava

19

AVA

The quiet clicking of silverware on the plate is the only noise that can be heard in the dining room as I sit with Kiel. The staff prepared a beautiful breakfast. If I was sitting here with anyone other than this deranged devil, I might enjoy the incredibly savory meal currently placed before me.

My skin starts to itch as I stab another egg, popping it in my mouth. It's his eyes; he is feasting upon me. His intense gaze makes me physically ill. The delicious food tastes like dust in my mouth. I sigh softly. If I don't clean the plate, it will push some unknown button Kiel has and I just don't have it in me to deal with his shit anymore today.

Drinking a sip of my orange juice to wash the ashy taste away, I drift away with my thoughts.

I awoke this morning to Kiel's gentle hands drifting along my body, shifting at the tickling sensation. He looks down, a soft smile slips on his face. That disturbed light that constantly gleams in his eyes only seems to intensify each time I glance into them.

Cringing, I wait for the explosion of anger. The snap of his fury for the guard - the one left dead, bleeding out all over the pristine white kitchen tile. He continues to glide his hands up and down my arms, slowly shifting to my stomach and back up until he cups my face, turning so he can take my mouth.

I know better than to fight. I give in and continue with my game - I pretend to love this and want everything he is doing. Gently rolling me over, he proceeds with our morning routine of sex.

His goal so predominant in his mind that he is letting things slip. As he thrusts into me, I let out a breathy moan of pleasure. It does the trick and Kiel picks up the pace. His need for an heir is clouding his mind. Not taking notice of there having been a death in his house makes him susceptible to the attack I am planning.

I want nothing more than to take the knife from its hiding place and thrust it deep into him, over and over again until his breath stops and life seeps from his eyes. Stretching as if I'm enjoying his heaving rutting, I arch my back, putting my hands above my head. As my hand brushes the wooden handle, a flash of the stranger's words hit.

"Don't make any moves that risk your survival until you know it's the right time. Then do what it is you must to live."

Freezing, I seductively bring my arms into a wide sweep back to his thighs where I run my nails down his skin. I'm praying that he didn't see the intent in my eyes, the hesitation of my body. Thankfully, he doesn't notice a thing. So distracted with my train of thoughts, I don't feel Kiel stiffen. It's his groan that snaps me out of it.

A throat clears, bringing me back to now. "Does the meal not satisfy you, pet?" Slipping a serene smile over my still puffy lips, I throw on my mask, a veil of deception. A school girl giggle falls from my mouth.

"Just reminiscing." I hope that will be enough, but know it won't be.

"Tell me, my pet. What has your cheeks tinged pink and a delirious look on your face?" It was better to answer the question than to deal with the evil that eats Kiel from the inside out.

"I was thinking about this morning." I shift in my seat. A cheshire smile engulfs his face and he sits up straight, as though my words boost his pride, before he scoots his chair back, patting his lap.

Pushing my chair back, I walk to him and gently sit on his lap. Kiel begins his petting; his fingers trail up and down my arm. "Pet, I'm shocked at how much has changed these last few months. To think, not too long ago I was ready to kill you. But you are a gift. You brought me hope and will bring forth the future of this empire." His words are soft, filled with an emotion that I can't quite place. I get goosebumps where his fingers still lightly coast up and down my arms.

"If not for you, I don't know where I would be, my sweet pet." His fingers stop, only to give me a quick gentle squeeze and pick back up. "I can see us now, telling our little ones about our story, and one day sharing that same story with grandchildren. We will have a strong line. Our empire will expand, and we will become a united and unstoppable front." Kiel hasn't stopped stroking me softly, a tender look on his face as he weaves this unimaginable world.

My breath catches, heart beating frantically. This crazy sociopath has feelings for me. He is telling me, without saying the exact words, that he loves me. My breakfast fights to make a reappearance. Knowing that if it does, Kiel will take offense and make my life even more of a living hell, I force it to stay down. Kiel's not done professing his victory and love.

"Cal was nothing. He felt nothing for you. He was just a small inconsequential mistake for you, my pet. But do not worry, I will eclipse him. I will bring us into a new orbit." His voice hardens like steel. "Cal was a nothing schmuck, who used you for his purposes and promptly tossed you to the wolves." He chuckles. "Well, at least he unknowingly tossed you to THE wolf."

Thinking of Cal and what we had, I can't imagine Cal was faking. Hell, even if he was using me for sex, his feelings were real. I know with every breath I take that Cal and I, what we were was special. Two parts of a whole; a soul finding its match. To even question the validity of those few short times together is unthinkable.

Thinking that Kiel is right brings forth unexpected mirth. Trying to get my snort suppressed fails as it slips past my lips. Kiel's head snaps up at the sound of my merriment, and the crazy look sneaks back into his eyes. I wait with bated breath for the back hand or the ripping of my hair, putting me back into my place. But nothing happens.

Kiel clears his throat, irritation reflecting in his features. "Tonight. Tonight will be different, my pet." I freeze, the unknown with him can mean anything. He swings too far back and forth on the pendulum of sanity to insanity. I never know what to expect.

"You will come to me tonight. To my room." He rises from his seat, forcing me from his lap as he positions me to stand beside him. Once standing, he brushes my hair aside, kissing the curve of my neck. "We shall celebrate our new beginnings. Can't wait, my pet," he whispers before leaving the room, off to do whatever it is he does when he is not torturing me.

Sighing, I can slip back into myself. I don't even want to know what tonight will bring, but I do know that I will be ready. I wander languidly back to my room, a guard in tow. Nothing but awful memories and time on my hands, I opt to take a nap until the night staff brings me dinner. Better that than to fret all day, wondering about all the what ifs.

Hearing my door open, the distinctive sound of the dinner cart with rattling dome top wakes me from my afternoon nap. Sitting up, I wait for the staff to finish and leave. I walk over, eat the offering quickly but only just enough to take the ache away. I don't know what is in store for me, and I really don't want to tempt fate with retching it back up. I collect my long sleeve nightgown, wrapping it around my slim form before crawling on the bed to snatch up the knife. Making sure it's carefully tucked away, I knot the robe as there's the light tap of knocking on the door.

Opening the door, an unfamiliar guard is stoically waiting. He gestures for me to follow him. Slipping out of the door, I quietly trail him to Kiel's suite. So wrapped up in my thoughts about how I'll use the knife, I almost run into the guard when he stops abruptly. Peeking around, I notice a door so very similar to my own gilded prison. Standing here, staring at the frame, revulsion seeps into every atom of my body. One way or another, I am leaving this palatial jail.

Raising my hand, I quietly knock. Kiel opens the door with a flourishment of gestures to walk in. Following him, I watch as he strolls to the sleek contemporary styled bed. Unbuttoning his shirt, he turns to place his top on the black velvet chaise at the end of the bed. When his back is turned, I take the chance, snatching the knife from its hiding place.

Rapidly lunging for his unguarded back, I strike. Kiel deflects the blow at the last minute, hitting my arm with such force that it sends my precious weapon flying to the other side of the room. I hear the distinctive clinking noise as it bounces off the floor. Grabbing a fist full of my hair, Kiel attempts to wrestle me to the bed, but I fight for everything I am worth.

I scratch. I kick. I dig my nails into any skin within reach. I fight.

In the end, he wins. His ferocious roar of pure rage fills the room as he pins me down. In the blink of an eye, Kiel opens the nightstand drawer, pulling his own knife out. The glint of Damascus steel catches the light as it makes a haphazard downward arc. On the upward swing is when I feel it.

The blade is so sharp that the initial cut doesn't register immediately. Then, with the force of a freight train, the debilitating pain smacks me in the face. My breath whooshes and a scream of agony rips from my lips. In the next instant, Kiel tears the nightgown from my body, leaving me completely exposed to his manic unhinged wants. Leaning forward he wraps his hand around my throat, slowly cutting off my air supply in hopes of making me compliant and supple to his administrations.

Not tonight. Kiel will not win. I won't let him. So caught up in choking me, he places the bloody knife aside to slap me with his now empty hand. I will not be deterred. Kiel's need to rape me clouds his mind. The knife is within reach. I snag it as he adjusts himself to enter me and do not hesitate. With every ounce of hate I feel, I slash at him, reveling in the deep gouge that appears on his face. Blood pours from it, bathing us in crimson. The action shocks him enough that he begins to push off of me, but not today.

Turning the tables, I shove him backwards, climbing up him like my favorite tree. I let free the broken Ava, the hurt Ava, the wrath that has been pinned up while at the hands of this demented madman. I stab and stab. I hear the door, expecting reinforcements to come save this asshole, but it's not a guard.

A large man in tactical gear storms in with an assault rifle at the ready, prepared to gun down his foe. As he sees the scene before him, he freezes. I'm covered in blood, as though I've just reenacted the infamous scene from Carrie . But unlike her, I'm nude. The mystery man takes a step, but quickly stops when I flinch backwards. With slow movement, as though he is approaching a wild animal, he lowers his weapon, reaches for the visor, and pushes it up so his familiar dark blue eyes land on me.

On my next breath, Cal sweeps me up into his warm, comforting embrace.