The Royal Crush

31

I woke up with a sore throat and a throbbing head. My body felt stiff and I couldn't move. I tried to stretch but I just could not move. Confused, I opened my eyes and my body went cold. Of course I couldn't move; I was tied to a chair.

I was in a small, poorly lit room. Paint peeled off the whitewashed walls and the concrete floor was dusty. I struggled against the ropes in vain. Fear and anger bubbled inside me.

"Help!" I screamed and my throat hurt like hell but I couldn't care less. "Help! Someone! HELP!"

The door opened and a smirking Markov entered. A cigarette dangled from his lips and he took a long drag before pulling up a chair. The scraping of the metal chair on concrete grated on my nerves and I scowled at him. He straddled the chair backwards and leered at me.

"Save your voice, princess. No one but I can hear you."

His voice was accented and deep and scratchy, like he wasn't used to talking.

I glared at him. "Let me go."

He laughed and oh, what an awful sound it was! I've never heard something so malicious.

"You'll have to try harder than that to escape me, princess."

"What have I ever done to you?!"

He laughed again, fucking maniac. "You are so... what do you say... naïve."

"And you're a psychopath," I spat.

The manic laughter again. I glared daggers at him. If looks could kill he'd be rotting by now.

"At least remove these ropes. It's cutting into my skin," I said.

He stared at me, yellow and violet eyes glinting dangerously.

"Really? Too bad, princess."

I gritted my teeth, on the verge of angry tears. "What the fuck do you want?"

His too-intense eyes bored into mine. "I want a lot of things, princess. I want to meet a Valkyrie. I want to join Lethifold and take down the Mage. Nothing you can give me, princess."

Had he lost his marbles? This guy really was a psycho...

"Ok, dipshit, so what do you want from me?"

"Do not flatter yourself, there is nothing you can give me."

I felt like tearing my hair out in frustration. "So why the fuck am I here?!"

"For my enjoyment."

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "WHAT? What? Oh my god, no! I'd rather die! Don't you dare touch me!"

His upper lip curled in disgust and he scoffed derisively. "You bluebloods act all high and mighty but you have such perverted minds. By enjoyment I mean I would enjoy making your scum of a father suffer."

"Ha!" I laughed humourlessly. "Believe me, whatever you do, it won't affect him."

"I hurt you, I hurt him. Simple."

"That's where you're wrong. Your twisted little plan would only work if my father loved me, or cared for me. But he doesn't. He doesn't!"

Markov rolled his eyes and stood up, crushing his cigarette beneath his shoe. "I do not care for your petty family drama."

And with that he was gone. I screamed in frustration and hung my head as sobs racked my body. I felt so goddamn weak and cursed myself for eating a light dinner. I cursed myself for not working out more often and for being so out of shape. I was tired to my very bones and didn't know how long I could keep up.