Corruption

Chapter 8

I stayed close to the Knights as we arrived, not that I had much choice. The leash around my neck ensured I couldn't wander. Every time I stumbled or fell behind, it jerked me forward—an unrelenting reminder that I didn't walk beside them, I followed.

At least they entered through the back of the establishment, avoiding the crowded main doors. A small mercy. I couldn't bear the idea of strangers seeing me like this—chained, controlled, paraded like a prized animal.

We slipped through a service corridor thick with the smell of smoke and stale liquor. Just ahead, an alien with bluish skin was screaming at a bouncer, arms flailing. I paused to watch the scene, curious.

"Come, pet," Cardo growled, yanking the leash.

I stumbled, the chain digging into my throat. I coughed and caught myself before I hit the ground, scurrying to keep pace. No sympathy came. None ever did.

We climbed a flight of stairs that felt never-ending, winding up to a private balcony overlooking the club. The throb of bass pulsed through the floor, growing louder with each step. Finally, we reached the top—a table surrounded by seven chairs, lit softly by red-tinted fixtures overhead.

The Knights took their seats without hesitation. I stood, frowning slightly. No chair for me.

"Sit," Cardo snapped, tugging the leash again. His massive fist wrapped around the chain, heavy and commanding.

I hesitated, face drawn in protest. The leash was bad enough, but kneeling at their feet? I gritted my teeth, resisting the heat crawling up my face.

Cardo shifted, clearly growing impatient. Even with his helmet on, I could feel the warning in his silence.

"Sit, or I'll make you," he said coldly, the synthetic rasp of his voice deepening the threat.

I stepped closer, anger giving way to desperation. "Please... I don't want to."

"I don't care what you want," he growled, reaching out to grab my wrist. The strength in his grip was bruising. Even seated, he loomed.

"You will obey me. Do you understand, pet?"

His grip tightened until I whimpered. The threat was real. I folded.

With shaking hands, I sank to my knees between his legs beneath the table. My face flushed red, eyes trained on the floor.

The shame burned.

Cardo pulled the leash shorter, guiding me into place like I was nothing more than a mutt. I rested my forehead against the edge of his seat, hiding my face. They couldn't see my tears here—not clearly. Maybe they could hear them, but at least they wouldn't see the weakness smeared across my cheeks.

Gods, I used to be royalty. Now I'm a floor decoration.

"Quiet," Cardo hissed.

I couldn't stop the sobs. The tears fell anyway.

"If you don't stop, I'll give you something to cry about," he snarled.

Panic flared. Without thinking, I scrambled away, crawling toward the opposite end of the table. I reached Trudgen and clung to his leg, shaking. I braced myself for Cardo's retaliation, but the chain went slack.

He let it go.

No scene. No punishment.

Maybe he was tired of me. Or maybe even he knew there were lines not worth crossing in public.

I set the leash gently in Trudgen's lap and looked up at him, tear-stained and trembling.

He picked it up slowly, nodding once. His massive hand closed around the chain. Then, wordlessly, he rested the other on my head. His thumb moved in slow, steady circles—soothing. Like he was reminding me: You're safe. For now.

I leaned into the touch without thinking, pressing my face against his thigh. It was degrading. But it was warm. Safe. Better than Cardo.

Across the table, Ap'lek sounded irritated. "I don't see the target. How do we know he'll even show?"

"He'll come," Kylo replied from where he stood at the balcony edge, gaze fixed on the chaos below. "There's something here he wants. Desperately."

Curious, I edged forward, reaching for the railing. Trudgen, without a word, gave the leash just enough slack to let me move.

That kindness alone startled me.

Below, the club pulsed with neon and sound. Bodies moved to the music in waves. Patrons crowded the bar. Smoke machines puffed clouds into the lights. Gambling tables roared with laughter and shouts. It was chaos—disorganized and strange.

I'd never seen anything like it. I'd never even left my homeworld before the First Order burned it.

"Come, Princess."

Kylo's voice was low, calm—but it snapped me to attention. I looked at the foot of the table. He stood nearby, one boot planted against the floor beside me. I knew better than to hesitate. He could kick me without even lifting his heel.

Trudgen gave the leash back to him, nodding once. A silent encouragement. A silent transfer.

I handed it off and stepped toward Kylo, already bracing myself.

But he surprised me.

He didn't pull me to my knees. He pulled me to my feet.

I blinked, unsure. His gloved hand reached for the collar—and unlocked it.

I stared, throat burning where the metal had pressed for so long. My hands rose instinctively to touch the now bare skin.

Then he dropped a handful of credits into my palm.

"Go down the stairs," he said smoothly. "Order something. Whatever you want. But don't run."

His eyes darkened behind the mask. "Because if you do... I'll have to kill you. And I wouldn't want to do that. Not tonight."

He patted my head hard, the gesture jarring and jester-like. Then he turned away.

I stood there, stunned. Was this real? A test? A trap?

No one stopped me.

So, slowly, cautiously, I made my way toward the stairs. My grip on the railing was tight, knuckles white. The thumping bass shook my bones as I descended into the heart of the crowd.

The air was thick. Sweat, alcohol, perfume—alien and overwhelming. Lights flashed in unpredictable pulses. Bodies moved around me, brushing my arms and shoulders.

I'd never been in a place like this.

In truth, I'd never been anywhere.

I pushed toward the bar, squeezing past patrons, trying to remember how to breathe. I barely registered the alien faces. Species I'd only seen in books or holograms. One bumped into me—a slime-covered mass that left something wet on my back.

I shrieked and spun, coming face-to-face with a Hutt.

He leered down at me, speaking in his own language. I didn't wait to find out what he said. I bolted—ducking between dancers, slipping through the shifting sea of limbs.

Why is Kylo making me do this?

I looked up toward the balcony, searching for them—for anyone—but the Knights were gone.

Gone.

They weren't watching me anymore.

They left me alone.

My breath came faster. Heart pounding. I was defenseless—surrounded. If something happened now, no one would stop it.

A voice cut through the noise behind me. Calm. Familiar.

"Princess."

A calloused hand slid across my bare shoulder, breath brushing my ear.

I froze.

A blade pressed against my neck.

"So glad to see you've finally arrived."