The King's Cursed Bride

Revisiting Nightmares: Part 5

            

Pain throbbed in her skull, like someone was driving a stake between her eyes. Carissa forced her eyes to open and gritted her teeth against the onslaught of agony as the light hit her eyes.

Once her vision cleared, she saw Akar looming above her. Behind him, the moon nestled in a corner of the ceiling, surrounded by a spray of stars. Bile surged to her mouth, but she choked it back down.

Akar tilted her head back. "I thought you'd want to be awake for this."

She ignored the fear coiling around her chest and instead tested her movement. Her ankles were bound, as were her wrists. He hadn't gagged her, but she knew that wasn't due to any kindness on his part. Likely it was so he could better relish her cries of pain.

Carissa smirked up at him. "If only you had blindfolded me as well as bound me. Then at least I wouldn't have to look upon you."

She saw the blow coming and didn't flinch. It snapped her head to the side, and after the initial shock wore away, her cheek began to sting from the scrape of his nails.

Akar smiled, then caressed the cheek he'd hit. "You still have so much to learn, I see."

Carissa held his gaze and wiped her face clean of emotion. If he was to rape her as he'd done in the past, she'd do everything in her power to ensure he received as little pleasure from it as possible.

Akar seated himself on the mattress, making it sink with his weight, before spreading his immense mass on top of her. "If only your husband could see us now."

Could he? The thought made her throat tighten. He'd dreamt before of things that had happened to her in the future—or of alternate futures. She remembered a letter of his, when his developing Foresight had led to a dream about her as Akar abused her.

The thought chilled her and warmed her at once. She didn't want Elon to see this, yet it brought a strange sort of comfort. Her heart nearly lurched from her chest. She would do nearly anything to swap Akar for Elon in this moment, to have Elon press his form to hers. He'd unbind her, caress her hurts away, and show her what it felt like to be loved, how bonding with a man was supposed to be.

Carissa forced her gaze upon Akar. But it wasn't Elon, and unless she did something to escape him, Akar might rape her before killing her and she would never have the opportunity to bond with Elon again.

Once her gaze strayed from Akar's eyes, she noticed his split lip and the bruising on the sides of his face. She smiled. "I see the fight with my husband didn't end in your favor."

The comment earned her another hit—a punch, this time. The pain momentarily blinded her, and when she opened her eyes, the world teetered like a tipsy drunkard. Carissa swallowed, tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. Perhaps if she aggravated him enough, he'd beat her senseless and forget what else he'd intended to do to her.

But that was wishful thinking on her part. He'd likely beat her and then take advantage of her—and if he did, she'd be too weak to fight him. She had to preserve her energy if she were to escape somewhat unscathed.

Akar rose, seating himself beside her, and curled his massive hand around her neck. He wasn't squeezing but left it there as a silent warning. "Your husband is now bound in chains in the lowest dungeon, yet I am here. I'd say I won that fight."

With the help of at least two dozen Reapers. Carissa began to ask him what kind of a man didn't fight his own battles, but she stopped. If she continued acting brave and indifferent to him, he'd hurt her until he eventually evoked a response. The only way to catch him unawares was to make him think she'd given up all hope. And that meant showing him her fear.