(Todoroki Shoto x Reader x Midoriya Izuku.)
Poly!
-BOOK ONE of the Lush Life series!
*Please point out grammar errors, English isn't my first language.
•
I had known of the rumors, he was supposed to be a cursed being--something unwanted and maimed...
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—First Person POV.—
They bound my wrists behind my back—the cold cuffs biting into my skin with every pulse of my heartbeat.
I sat on the cold stone floor, my back pressed against the wall of what used to be a guest chamber.
The Duke had made himself comfortable at the desk, sipping from a glass like this was some leisurely parlor affair.
I'd given up on glaring holes into the back of his skull, instead letting my eyes fix on the window—on the bruised sky beyond the glass panes, stained by the reds and golds of a dying sun.
They wanted Shoto by sundown.
The Duke chuckled at something one of his men said, his laugh grating—wet and scratchy, like a cicada caught in a jar. They were speaking of Izuku as if he were nothing but a pest they'd finally squashed.
Something in me cracked at the mention of him.
But I kept still, breathing slowly, methodically—like I could keep my composure stitched together with every inhale.
Then another voice broke in.
"The dragon's been delivered to the upper tower," Another soldier muttered as he entered, dropping to a half-kneel "He's been bound and chained down— Didn't even fight."
I glanced in the man's direction and the Duke seemed to take notice as he turned, yellowed sclera catching the sunlight like a serpent's glare, and gave a pleased hum as he stood from his chair.
"Leave us." He commands with a lazy flick of his hand—the guards obeyed without hesitation, filing out of the room like a pack of hounds dismissed.
I didn't move.
I just sat there, legs folded under me, jaw clenched so tight it ached—my arms burned with static behind my back.
The Duke strolled toward me, his strut slow before coming to a stop in front of me—orange gaze looking down with all the amusement of a cat toying with a half-dead mouse.
"Just tell me where the Prince is," He started "And this can all be over."
"You'll kill me either way." I scoffed.
He tilted his head like I'd surprised him, then crouched low until we were nearly face to face—bony fingers reached out and grabbed my chin, tilting my head up to force my eyes to meet his.
His breath smelled like sweet wine and rot.
"For a servant girl," The Duke hummed, dragging the back of his knuckles over my cheek "You're nice on the eyes."
My stomach twisted.
He leaned in, pressing his face against the side of mine, his nose in my hair as he inhaled like I was something sweet on a platter.
