Kingdoms of Suns and Snakes

Chapter I: The Deal

I keep my eyes glued to the floor, my arms chained above my head, and my shirt is torn open, revealing my toned chest. My long white hair had come undone from its signature braid and fell down to my rear. I'm kneeling on the floor of a cold cell.

I hear a slithering sound make its way across the stone floor towards me, but I keep my eyes shut. If they see my eyes, I'm done for.

The slithering stops, and I hold my breath. A tongue, coarse as sandpaper, crawls across my face. It's large, and it begins to make its way down my body. I start twiddling my thumbs anxiously. What is this creature, and why is it licking me?

"V, stop licking the prisoner," a warm voice says, and the licking stops.

I relax slightly, but tense up when I hear footsteps coming closer. They stop right before me, and I hear a fluttering of clothes before a hand grabs my jaw and moves my head. I can feel my bangs fall away from my eyes, though I keep my eyes firmly shut.

"Look at me," the voice demands.

I remain silent, keeping my eyes closed.

"I said, 'Look at me,'" the voice orders again, harsher, and I can feel his breath on my cheek.

I bite my lip. I wanna respond, but I don't want to make myself more vulnerable than I already am.

A pair of lips smash onto mine, and a tongue lips my lip, ordering entrance.

I attempts to lean back, but I feel a large, warm figure pushing me into the kiss, and I gasp slightly. The tongue battles mine for dominance and wins, exploring my mouth vigorously. Along with the hand on my jaw, I feel a hand reach into my hair. The hand on my jaw begins to trace the lines of my muscles, making its way down, reaching the top of my leather trousers. I squeeze my eyes tighter and attempt to writhe away. The hand reaches down into my pants, and I wince, my mind flashing back for a second.

The hand pauses, and the kiss stops, the figure pulling away.

"Open our eyes and look at me, or I'll do more than just kiss you," the voice threatens, an undertone of another emotion hidden underneath. Sympathy? Pity?

"No. I don't care how far you go. It'll still probably pale in comparison to the horrors that have already been inflicted on me," I blurt, then bite my lip.

I shouldn't have said anything, but I couldn't stand the tone of his voice. I'm his prisoner. I don't need his sympathy or pity.

"I'll take it you don't know who I am?" the voice says mockingly.

I shake my head.

The voice laughs and grabs a strand of my hair.

"I'm Prince Leriathis Serpentes," the voice says, his grin apparent.

I instinctively flinch away from him, and into the figure behind me, which I've now realized is a Royal Cobran. They're large snakes that form a bond with each member of the royal family of Sekanseht.

The prince laughs at me.

"You seem much more scared now that you know who I am? What do you have to hide?"

I sigh. Why is the Second Prince here, bothering me? The Serpentes are known for their ruthless brutality. As soon as I was captured, I'd resigned myself to death. Can't I just die in peace?

"Why do you sound so depressed?" the prince says.

I raise my eyebrow, and then sigh.

"Because I'm waiting to die, and you're bothering me," I snarkily reply.