Page 23 of Plaything of the Dark Elf

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, hugging herself. “Please. Let me go.”

“Not until you’ve answered my questions. You’re not innocent. You know what you’re doing to me and you enjoy this, don’t you?”

“I-I don’t–”

Dalia freezes, feeling my hand clasping around her neck again. She stares at me with wide eyes, unsure of my next move. Truth be told, I don’t know what I’m going to do next, either. I want to fling her across the room, snap her neck, and stomp on her for what she’s doing to me.

I’m going to regret doing that, though. That’s the problem.

What’s wrong with me?

I tighten my grip around her neck, slamming her into the wall. She makes small, pitiful noises in response. Then, she raises her hand to rest upon mine and starts pushing.

“Stop,” she rasps. “Stop.”

Gasping, I let her go. She drops to the floor in a heap. A guttural growl vibrates within my chest as I back away and pace through the room. Why can’t I kill this creature? Why?

You know the answer to that question. There’s a gentle voice in my mind that swirls around the chaotic mess of thoughts. A grounding force. You’re afraid that you will never find another like her. You enjoy the way she makes you feel.

No. That’s not true. That’s a lie!

“W-Why are you doing this?” Dalia asks gently. She swallows hard, but it appears painful for her. “May I leave?”

“Shut the hell up.” I sigh, pinching my nose bridge with two fingers. “Shut up.”

“I’m asking a simple question.” I’ve nearly killed this bitch twice in a span of five minutes and she dares talk back to me like this. “I don’t want to be here anymore, so I want to–”

“Do you think I give a fuck about what you want?” I charge towards her, looming over her body. Enraged, I take her forearms and lift her to her feet. I shake her like a rag, but she refuses to stare into my eyes. “You’re doing something to me, don’t you understand that? I’m trying to figure out your tricks!”

“There aren’t any tricks!” Dalia pleads, cowering underneath my touch. “P-Please. I’m telling you the truth! I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you’re accusing me of!”

“I don’t believe you,” I spit. “You’re a damn liar. I have never felt this way about anyone in my life. You did something to me and you’re trying to hide from the consequences!”

“What?” Dalia looks horrified. “I haven’t done anything to you. I’ve only done what you wanted. It’s the reason why you paid all that gold for me in the first place. Isn’t that enough?”

No. It’s not. I want to dominate her at every waking moment. I want her in the day and in the night. It doesn’t matter to me if there are others watching or hearing. In fact, that’s a good thing. I need them to know that she’s mine.

There’s that shit again. These fucking thoughts.

My eyes narrow as they course over her body, from head to toe. She trembles under my gaze, mere seconds away from giving herself up to me again. I want to indulge in this feeling, but right now, it’s only making me angry. I don’t want this.

It’s a weakness and I’ll be damned if a human slave is the reason for my downfall.

“If you’re doing something to me,” I warn, “I’m going to make sure you suffer a fate worse than death. Do you hear me? If I find out the truth about your dark magic and sorcery, I will cut out your eyes and then throw your rotting corpse to a pack of batlaz.”

She says nothing. The veins in her neck jut out from underneath her skin and she refuses to look at me. She stares at something behind me, nothing behind her eyes.

“With that in mind, is there anything you’d like to confess?”

Dalia remains mute for a few seconds, but then she shakes her head. Still, she doesn’t dare to look at me. Perhaps, that’s a sign of her guilt. I’m right about this creature, aren’t I? She’s trouble.

Shoving her out of the way, I open the door and storm out of the room. I’m a mess of emotions and I need to fight through them all. I refuse to feel weak because of a human.

I don’t know what to make of Dalia anymore. When I bought her, I thought she would be like all the rest. How wrong I was.

Instead, she’s a force to be reckoned with. I don’t want her to leave my side, which makes me want to kill her. I can’t lose her, though. I can’t.

I desperately need something to help clear my mind of her. She consumes me. She haunts me, even when I close my eyes.

This is all too much. I need to leave.

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