UNWANTED DEVOTION

HIM AS A CHILD...

"Aren't you craving punishment, birdy?" Kian whispered menacingly.

I gulped as his voice sent shivers down my spine. When we reached his room, he opened the door with his leg. Without warning, his hand came down on my ass with harsh force, giving me a hard spank that made me halt. I let out a whimper.

He threw me onto the bed, and my long dress tangled around me, trapping me in place. As he started crawling towards me, his gaze fixed on me like I was his prey.

"Won't you speak to me, birdy?" he said, his voice stern yet piercing.

I didn't say anything and turned my face away from him. He chuckled at my defiance before saying...

"Sulking, aren't we?" I still didn't utter a word.

He came closer, his hand gently touching my hair, slowly twirling a curl around his finger. His gaze burned into the side of my face as I bit my lips, not knowing what to expect.

"I am a mafia lord, Crystal, who loves to kill, who loves to torture," he said slowly in his deep voice. I rubbed my fingers together with my thumb. His fingers traced my ear sensually.

"Who loves you..." he whispered suddenly in a husky voice. I closed my eyes, my fists clenching my dress tightly. His hand suddenly grabbed my hair tightly. I arched my head in pain toward where he was pulling. He sat on his knees, his dark eyes hovering over me.

"YOU CAN'T IGNORE ME, CRYSTAL, YOU CAN'T!" he shouted angrily, his grip on my hair tightening. He pulled me until my head rested on the bed and sat above me, his arms caging me completely.

"YOU DON'T LOVE ME, KIAN..." I shouted while crying. He stared at me for a second, then laid his head on my neck, his heavy breaths sending shivers down my spine. I cried in his hold while he kept whispering...

"I do, I do, Crystal..."

After some time, my crying stopped, and we just lay in complete silence. His fingers kept rolling through my hair, taking a strand and then leaving it. I took a small breath before asking...

"Will you hurt everyone who compliments me?" I asked in a low voice.

He didn't say anything at first, just hummed and nodded his head against my neck. I didn't know what to say after that. His hand softly touched my neck, kissing it slowly...

"We have to get ready for our marriage, birdy," he said, getting up from the bed. I suddenly held his hand with my own.

"What if I say it's not love, Kian? You are choosing the wrong path," I said softly, not wanting to anger him. I stared at his face, his cold, handsome look unchanging. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying...

"I don't care what you see it as, birdy. Love, addiction, obsession, or madness, the only thing I know is I have all of them in me for you, and mostly the thirst..."

"The thirst to drink every bit of you..."

"Let's get married, birdy, and I will show you everything I have," he said, leaving me. I looked at his back for a few seconds until he left, then turned my head towards the window...

...

I closed my eyes, letting the soft breeze touch my face before letting out a loud cry...

...

When I was four years old, I made a huge mistake by going into the garden without informing Mr. Will and Mrs. Well. I kept playing there until I felt my stomach making small noises in hunger. I pouted and looked behind me, failing to remember where I had come from. I kept walking around, trying to find the way, stumbling along until all my clothes got dirty. Then I gave up, sitting on the grass, and cried, looking at the stars. For the first time, the word "mamma" left my mouth.