A World Made For Whores

8: Defending

He lays Glacier down gently on his bed. Scarlet, Nova and Desret have all followed them. He tries to move away but Glacier refuses to budge.

"Glacier baby I'm not gonna leave you. I just need to look you over." She doesn't move. "Please baby."

After a moment she slowly begins to relax, eventually leaning back onto his hands which cradle her back. "There you go."

He slowly lowers her down. As he slides his hands away she flinches, grabbing one. He looks over her. Forming bruises all over her body, flog marks on her stomach and face, a grimace accompanying them.

"Oh I'm so sorry. So sorry Glacier."

"Night can you open up her top? They hit her in the chest several times before you arrived." Desret says.

His shaking fingers unlace the leather strap on the front of her top. Pulling it apart to reveal her bra, he sees several bruises forming, including ones around her throat. His anger flares

Her eyes open when his fingers brush her neck. "I'll kill him."

"Night are you okay?" She murmurs. He lets out a dark, humorless laugh.

"You're worried about me?"

"You're bleeding." She mumbles.

"So are you." He responds. She gives a slight smile.

"Night let Nova look at your arm. I'll take care of her." Desret says, laying a hand on his uninjured arm. He nods, kissing Glaciers knuckles before moving away.

Nova leads him to a seat in corner. He peels his sweater off and Nova begins to clean his arm with a cloth. He ignores the sharp stinging pain, keeping his focus on Glacier just across the room. He's watching her closely when his line of sight is interrupted by two pink legs.

"Why did you do that?"

He looks up at Scarlet. "Do what?"

"Hit your father. Fight so hard. Scream so loud. Throw yourself over her."

"Because I care for her."

Scarlet voice cracks. "So when your father did the same to me when we were fourteen you didn't care for me?"

Night sighs. "Scarlet that was different."

"Different? How? I was your friend and I was being beaten." Tears stream down Scarlet's face. Nova has stopped her task, as has Desret, watching them carefully.

"I wasn't..."

"You weren't what?" She snarls.

He stands swiftly. "I wasn't in love with you." He snaps.

She tenses. "Well I was. I am."

She exits, slamming the door violently behind her.

Nova finishes cleaning his wounds, wrapping his arm from bicep to wrist; the only gap being at his elbow so he still has use of arm.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure Prince Night." Nova says softly. He stands moving over to his bed where Desret is still cleaning Glaciers wounds. Glacier is exhausted, the pain keeping her from even so much as resting.

Night can't take his eyes off the finger shaped bruises on her neck. "I'm sorry but I have to go meet my father in the throne room."

Glacier mutters something he can't understand as he kisses her forehead before briskly leaving.

When he reaches the throne room he violently throws open the door, all his fury rising to the surface.

"How dare you?" His father shouts. "It is not your place to interfere with my authority."

"Your authority?" Night laughs dryly. "You strangled her."

His father blanches.

"Your hand print is bruised into her throat. You had the nerve to do something like that?" Night's voice is filled with quiet, deadly rage. "What would mom say? How would she react to you treating one of the girls in the same manner she was murdered? She always cared for them. She would adore Glacier. And you nearly killed her."

"Your mother's death was a tragedy. How dare you compare the likes of that worthless Whore to your mother?"

"That girl reminds me of mother. Beautiful, kind, and loving."

His father stands, strolling towards him before stopping right in front of his nose. "You'd best make sure your relationship with that Whore is nothing more than that. She's your Whore. Because loving a girl so young is very different than fucking a girl so young. Remember that."