King Beast - Vicious Flames

Chapter 39

ODETTE POV

"How did you even find me, back at my village?"

Zerberus shrugged. "Desperation has a certain scent."

Then he turned and left, like he was done with me. The impulse to grab his stupid tail and pulled almost overwhelmed me.

Before disappearing behind the corner, he drawled, "don't cause any problem, rat. I'll come fuck you this week when I have the time."

My mouth fell open, and I pressed a hand to my head. My brain felt like it was sloshing around inside my skull.

He is terrible. There's been no improvement, no hope, no change.

Some fool once said love changes everyone. Maybe I'm the fool. Zerberus lacked warmth in his blood, lacked a heart biologically.

He can't feel love like I do.

He treated me more like his property. And someone who's selfish with their property doesn't truly care for it, apart from maintaining it well enough to keep it through time.

He is a monster.

And, oh Gods! There's no hope! A gibbering terror threatened to break through my artificial calm.

What if it would always be like this between us? Not if. It will always be like this.

If I started crying now, I'd end up curled in a ball, sobbing until I couldn't breathe. And nothing would change.

Hands clenching, eyes burning, fighting with the tears, I muscled it all back.

I will reclaim everything he took from me.

My sister. My family. My freedom.

No matter how long it takes.

No matter how deep I was falling for the creature that took it all, my heart included.

I may have fallen for him...but I will push through. I will fall past him and find my way back out again.

First things first...I will learn how to read and write; as a woman, I wasn't allowed in the village.

Armed with the scrap of paper from the shamaness and with only myself to rely on, I marched to my chamber.

A WEEK LATER  

Zerberus POV (or Zaddy ;) 

That day I decided to attend to the grooming of my special rat.

We were married, but that didn't change a thing to me. She had been mine from the moment she took her first inhale and will be mine even behind her last exhale; I'd never let her die and turn into nothing.

My draconic instincts impelled me, on this particular day, to ensure her well-being, rather than delegating such tasks to the servants. I would bath her and mount her, ensuring her satisfaction to a point of exhaustion, to hopefully take the brat out of her for a while, a process I found to be quite... invigorating, and then I'd feed her and put her to sleep.

"Come along," I instructed her, gesturing with two fingers.

Odette had insisted to learn how to read and write. If such scholarly pursuits served to pacify her, I'd build up a fucking institute for her.

"Where are we going?" She had to ask.

I exhaled from my nostrils, controlling my fire.

She always had so many questions. I didn't bother to answer, and she paused in the middle of reaching for my hand, her fingertips smeared with dark ink, her brows winging up.