Marienne's life was completely undone when her village went up in flames. Badly burned and her eyesight lost, she awakes in a strange place, with no knowledge of how she arrived there. Her savior was the enigmatic and alluring Victor, the Lord of Az...
Author's Note: Alright, folks, this one comes with a pretty hefty content warning, and I certainly don't recommend reading this chapter if you are easily triggered by mention and description of physical assault. Hopefully I've done it in a way that isn't offensive either. I'd hate to write something that made people feel unseen or unheard. But anyway, there is mention and description of assault, violence, gore and blood. Yeah, this one's a bit of a doozy, so at least I know I've left you prepared, at the very least. Thank you all for all the comments and kindness you have shown me up to this point, as usual. You guys are amazing. <3
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I felt the air crushed out of me as I was flung against a wall. The back of my skull resounded against the wall with a solid thunk, sending painful reverberations throughout my head. I was dazed, and unable to fight off my attacker, my blows landing on his arms harmlessly. Once I was able to gather air back into my lungs I managed a weak, "Stop."
He closed his fist around my throat tighter, effectively silencing me. "Quiet, it's over now, Marienne. You can't escape me, and there's no one here to protect you." He leaned in close, whispering, and the rank smell of his breath would have made me gag had I been able to. I started clawing at his arms, knowing that if I couldn't get him away for me, even for a brief moment, then I wasn't going to stand a chance. I fear coursed through my veins, and my heart hammered in my chest. Both starved of vital breath in my lungs, and the iron strength of a male vampire holding me pinned to the wall, it felt my fate was inevitable.
"I never knew what my wife saw in you, or why she trusted you over me. I never did anything to her that she didn't deserve, yet she always ran to you when she needed something. And yes, I made her tell me your little secret, about your little magic potions that made sure she wouldn't give me the son I deserved. I beat it out of her, and then I killed her, because she, like you, was worthless." When he finished his trite speech, it became obvious to me who he was, and why he had seemed so familiar.
"Tumas," I managed to spit out. "If you could harm her, then you didn't love her." I locked my eyes on his, and saw his moment of indecisiveness, and exploited it while I could. Gathering all the strength left in my body, I shoved him away from me, sending him sprawling and crashing into the other wall of the hall. The cacophony from his crash would certainly be loud enough to draw attention to us, and hopefully with it, I'd find the help I'd need.
