Page 37 of #Resort Love
“You fucking bastard,” she snarled, her ivory skin burning from the flame inside struggling to break free.
When she reached up to slap me again, I gripped her wrist with one hand and her throat with the other, pulling her forward. Baring my teeth, I growled, “For your well-being, you will not do that again.”
“Fuck you, Ambrose,” she hissed, attempting to wrestle out of my grip.
My hand tightened on her wrist, twisting it, causing her to suck in a painful breath. Her icy glare cut through me and my cock twitched at the sight. I loved seeing her so…breakable. So delicate. Sofragile. Leaning down, I captured her lips with mine. Arianna struggled to push me away, but my tongue forced her lips to open, parting them so I could deepen our kiss.
Arianna grunted before biting down on my tongue. A harsh breath left me, my mouth filling with a metallic taste. Snarling, I tightened my hold on her throat, cutting off her air.
“You fucking bitch,” I spat. “Do that again and it will be the last thing you ever do.” Incensed, I pulled her in close as she struggled for air, her soft, pale skin beginning to purple. “Do I make myself clear?” I asked, low and vicious.
Arianna nodded, gagging a mumbled response, tears flowing freely down her face. Squeezing her throat slightly tighter, I pushed her away from me, letting her fall to the floor. I watched her then, gasping and coughing, my lips curling back in disgust at her petulance.
Cocking my head to the side, I crouched down and roughly caught her cheeks, forcing her face to meet mine. She whimpered at the awkward angle, and I breathed in her fear—her desperation. “Once you’ve composed yourself, let’s take this lovely chat to my office. There are things we need to discuss.”
I let go of her face, letting it fall to the floor. Standing, I stepped over her trembling body, leaving her to cry softly.
I sat in my office,flipping through one desperate request after another for food and medicine from the outer villages, each sounding more wretched than the last. With my patience beginning to fray, I looked at the time. Thirty minutes had passed while I waited for Arianna, and my tolerance was growing thin. My plans for Sybil were not progressing as quickly as I’d like, and that cursed inbred, Samian, was trying his damnedest to make Sybil wary of me. That little chit, Arianna, and her dramatics weren’t helping matters either.
I slammed the documents on my desk just as a timid knock sounded at my door. “Enter,” I growled, annoyance seeping through my calm exterior.
This day was quickly growing troublesome for me. I should be relishing in Sybil’s desperate need for love. I should be making her succumb to my every desire, making her writhe beneath my touch, leaving her begging for more. I should be with her now, twisting that desperation, making it grow so strong that she would easily give in to me, grateful for any morsel of affection I’d grant her, until I had her so lost and desolate that she would willingly grant me control of her power. Instead, I was here, having to deal with a little frightened twit while I tried to put a restraint on my ever-growing contempt.
Opening the door, Arianna crept inside, her eyes red and swollen, refusing to meet my glare. Her slender neck had already started to bruise from our little tête-à-tête.
“Have we composed ourselves, Arianna dear?” I asked, my voice laced with venom.
Arianna still stood by the door and nodded, fear wafting off her in giant waves. Gesturing to the chair in front of my desk, Arianna quickly sat down, clasping her hands together on her lap, attempting to hide how they trembled. Once settled, she dared a glance in my direction, catching how I still watched her before looking down again and curling into herself.
“Good,” I said, leaning back into my chair. “We need to talk about our plan for Sybil. It’s not progressing as fast as I would like it to.”
Arianna paled, her body going rigid. “I haven’t seen much of her lately. Samian has been taking her straight to the library for her studies,” she explained, her voice wavering.
Raising my hand to silence her, Arianna swallowed thickly, her throat bobbing as her chest began rising and falling quickly. I could feel the panic growing in her. “I don’t care for excuses, Arianna,” I said flatly. “I have decided that she will accompany you and Ezra on your next excursion at the end of the week. She will also join you tomorrow during your training in the afternoon. I want you to use that time to pressure her, to make her feel defeated and unable to control her magic by the time she visits Lowbrook. I need her to beterrifiedof it. Once she is at Lowbrook, you will make her lose control by any means necessary. She must be broken by the time she returns to the palace. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes,” Arianna stammered. “What would you like for me to do?”
Releasing a quick exhale, I slowly stood and made my way to Arianna. Sitting on the arm of the chair, Arianna flinched as I gently ran my hand through her hair before gripping it, pulling her head back so our eyes could meet. Arianna shuddered abreath, her eyes glistening with fear. “Are you incapable of making a plan, Arianna?” I lowered my voice to a deadly tone. “Do I need to find someone else that can get the job done? Someone more capable of being my queen?”
“I can do it,” Arianna pleaded. “I’m sorry. I can do it, I swear. When we return from Lowbrook, Sybil will be yours. I promise. She will be yours.”
I studied her, her breath becoming unsteady. I leaned down, softly placing my lips against her head before letting go of her hair. Arianna took a quivering breath while I stood and made my way back to my desk. Sitting, I waved her off, her presence grating on my nerves. Arianna shot up from her chair, rushing toward the door, blinking back her tears.
“Arianna?” I asked calmly before she could open the door. “Make sure you fulfill your promise or don’t bother coming back. Understood?”
Arianna inhaled sharply as I picked up a document from my desk to read through. Softly confirming that she understood, she opened the door, letting it gently close behind her as she left.
Chapter 22
Sybil
Waking up before the sun, I quickly washed my face and dressed myself in a simple aqua tunic with tights, completely skipping over the skirts Ambrose had bought for me. Humiliation heated my blood as the memory of soft fabric gliding across my skin, only to be interrupted by Samian’s face crossing my mind. I wasn't sure how I was going to face him again without wondering what would have happened if he was the one in the library with me instead of Ambrose, if it were his hands that roamed my body, lifting the silky fabric?—
“No,” I whispered quietly to myself. I couldn’t think about that, shouldn’t even allow the thought to finish.
Although last night eased some of my craving for closeness, there was still an undeniable ache to fill the emptiness. It was hard to not feel lonely here. I missed Liam. I missed how comfortable and normal he felt. And how comfortable and normalIfelt when I was with him. And though Ambrose and Samian had been with me, making sure I had help integratingmyself here, it didn’t change how much I missed being home. No, not home. That place was now too far out of my reach.Liamwas too far out of my reach. I felt like a rat after caving to Ambrose’s heated touch, even worse when Samian replaced his image even though he was with someone else.
Wincing, I left the bathroom, pausing at the door of my bedroom. I looked back to the empty bed, a somber feeling making my heart squeeze. Shaking my head, I stopped my thoughts there. I couldn’t allow myself to continue down that path, so I forced myself not to think of long, silver hair and those deep blue and green eyes.
