Fangs and Roses

Chapter Forty-One: Dirty Jewels

Sapphire Nightborne

Tears slid down my cheek onto my pillow as Mia massaged my leg... I felt utterly humiliated and disgusted. She had just scrubbed me down like a child, and was now making sure that my physical body was still in 'perfect' condition... at least that was Damien told her. He wanted me in perfect condition... a pristine trophy.

"We are almost done, Sapphire... it's okay."

Mia stroked my hair in an attempt to comfort me but I just turned my head away from her, craning my head to try and get a glimpse out of the window. I had been stuck in this bed since Damien's 'gift' in the arena, only taken from it to be bathed or dressed and even that was under his orders. He dressed me in all sorts of dresses, but threw them away as he claimed they were not 'right'.

"This is never going to end soon, Mia--"

My jaw clenched as the door swung open and his stench filled the room. Mia sighed and gathered her stuff, it was his orders... when he entered the room, there could be no one it in but us.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a soft tug against my scalp... he always did that whenever he came, played with my hair... eyes distant as if he was contemplating something. I stared at him for a while before he caught my gaze and smiled, hand stroking my cheek

"I have a big day planned for today, Sapphire... I have received really good news for the both of us."

I closed my eyes once more at his statement, good news for him meant hell for me.

"But first, I have a small present for you."

He took out a glass bottle from his pocket, waving it in front of my eyes. I took deep breaths to try and identify the scent, but it was corked too tightly for me to get a read. He shook the contents of the bottle with a large grin on his face, before tugging a lock of my hair once more.

"I told you before that I wanted a clean start, and that means everything has to change... everything has to fall back into place."

His eyes grew distant once more as he twirled my hair around his fingers, and I watched in horror as he dropped it and uncorked the bottle. Lifting a lock of my hair, that framed my face, he placed it into the bottle and swirled it around.

Ten minutes passed and he continued to do so before he finally took the lock out, drying it with a small towel. My nose scrunched up at the sharp smell.

"It might not take effect immediately, and will need multiple tries, which I will order Mia to carry out but... everything will start to make sense again."

I just stared at him, how could he still believe that things will work out after almost a year of resisting... how has he still not learnt that you can never force someone to love you?

"You will never accept that things will never go back to the way things were hundreds of years ago, will you?"

He gave me a smile before leaning towards me to press his lips softly against the corner of my mouth, leaving kisses to the shell of my ear, I tried to turn my head away but he held my jaw in place.

"Don't you understand, Sapphire? I am working to make sure that things do not repeat themselves... I lost you to another man hundreds of years ago... I don't intend on letting you go this time... our story is going to end with us together... that reminds me of what I came here today."

A sigh slipped from my lips as he picked me up, like a child. I hated that I could not even walk, even to the bathroom... I had to shout from where I laid so the guards stationed outside my room could get Mia or the closest female member to take me. Even when I was chained in Black Blood, I could move my body around... I could not even flex my fingers in my own homeland.