Page 87 of A Rift in the House of Bruin

For my fated.

For my sister.

And I cried for our failure against Johan.

Everything we’d fought for was lost.

And it felt like it was all my fault.

“What is Nocta Dominium?” I asked Mirabelle the moment she arrived. It had been eating at me all day.

She stared at me, her brows furrowed and her mouth agape. “He didn’t explain it to you?”

“All he said was he expects my full participation.”

Mirabelle sighed. “Come sit down,” she said, motioning to the edge of the bed. “Nocta Dominium is an old tradition that hasn’t been enforced for centuries. It gives the ruling king the right to lay with any lady of the court, regardless of her will or marital status.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “No, no, no. That can’t be what he wants. This isn’t happening.” I pressed a hand to my chest. My heart was pounding, adrenaline driving through myveins, begging my body to flee. “I will not have relations with that… that monster.” My stomach lurched, and I swallowed hard to keep its contents down.

Mirabelle reached for my hand. “My Lady, you’re trembling. Breathe,” she spoke in a slow, measured pace. “In and out. There, that’s it.”

Things had gone from bad to worse. I pulled in another deep breath, trying to calm the growing panic. The room around me blurred with tears as I fought back the urge to cry.

“Michaela,” she said, using my given name and breaking etiquette. “I understand your repulsion. But if you fight him on this, he’ll only make it worse for you. It’s merely your body he wishes to use. He cannot take your heart.”

I stared at her, silently crying, tears spilling down my cheeks.

“Rumor has it he’s quick between the sheets. Your beauty will have him spent before he even starts.”

I knew she was trying to help, but her reassurances were useless bandages against a gaping, ever-bleeding wound. Johan would be coming for me in the next hour or so. I could hear the muffled celebrations in Jase’s honor—the court gleefully rejoicing while I awaited the devil himself.

Did Jase know Johan planned to enforce Nocta Dominium on me? The thought of it had my heart in a vice. Would the betrayal ever end? I must have been seriously mistaken about what it means to be fated. He handed me over to be raped. Was this all just a way for him to save Finn? Or had he been on Johan’s side the whole time, with saving Finn as a mere bonus?

“My Lady, forgive me. The hour is growing long, and I must prepare your body.”

Before being dressed in a sheer gauzy shift, I was perfumed with a putrid oil. The scent could only be described as sickly sweet decaying flesh. I suppose it made sense, considering I was being made alluring for a fucking vulture. My hair was let downand brushed into pretty waves, and my cheeks were rouged with a soft pink glow. Aside from the disgusting smell, I looked every bit the reluctant virginal bride, frightfully awaiting her groom to steal her virtue.

I allowed Mirabelle to finish out her orders in silence, using the time to forge a plan. I wouldn’t be able to hide the eidris on my person—the shift was too sheer. Tucking it away under the mattress would be my only option. My resources were slim. Whether I chose to fight or disassociate, I had to have something in place against the horrors I was about to endure.

Johan didn’t knock. He burst through the door with such force, I thought it might fly off its hinges. He’d barely closed it behind him before he started peeling off his layers of finery.

“Ugh, this blasted ring!” he said, yanking a thick band from his red and blistered finger and looping it through his heavy gold necklace. A dark crimson stone glowed from within its silver setting. Was this the Bloodstone Sigil?

“Fortunately for you, the mead has me in a wanton mood.” His words were slightly slurred and his movements unsteady. Perhaps I’d get lucky and his apparent inebriation would offer me an advantage. Or better yet, maybe his manhood wouldn’t work.

I moved as far from the bed as I could, putting as much distance between us as possible.

“You can try to avoid me all you want. Believe me when I say I’ll call for guards to hold you down.” A shit-eating grin spread across his greasy face, and he chuckled. “I might do that anyway. Have them spread you... wide. I’ve been imagining what your pussy looks like all day.”

Hearing his vulgar confession made me sick to my stomach. If I was going to be forced to participate, then it would be worth trying to bargain for a small consolation. “I’ll cooperate,” thewords spilled out too eagerly. “If you allow me to see Finn and Hunter.” I held my chin high, confident in my offer.

“Ha! You’ll cooperate no matter what.” He stumbled toward me. “How about this,” he paused to hiccup, “you become my little whore... and I’ll think about letting you see them before I stretch their necks.”

“Let me see them first. I have no guarantee you’ll honor your word.”

Johan laughed darkly. “The lady thinks she can bargain. I’m growing tired of this game.” He grabbed my arm, pulling me in tight. His breath was hot on my face. “You are mine... and I will do to you whatever I want.” He gripped my chin tightly, digging his fingers into my jawline and slammed his mouth against mine.

I tried to pull away, but he only tightened his grip, deepening the assault on my mouth. It was wet, and his breath reeked of alcohol. His rough tongue forcefully thrust at my sealed lips until he broke through, flailing around clumsily, tasting me, while I fought the urge to gag.

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