Chapter 07
CALEB
I gave a smile not knowing what to do, especially... because I had been afraid of that creature, which didn't even reach my chest.
Lianna really seemed like she was going to kill me at that moment, and for some completely unreal reason, I thought she could, and that this would be my end, my death.
Of course, this didn't even make sense, she was just a human who was more fragile than a simple crystal object, which could be broken and killed as easily as an ant if you stepped on it. And I would make that clear to her, so that she would get even angrier with me afterward, but I couldn't do anything. Because again... she is weak. She is a human.
"And who do you think you are to speak to me like that?" I spoke while looking down at her, my gaze filled with coldness, "You're nothing more than a mere concubine who was sold to me! A prostitute that only serves to satisfy me! Know your place!"
I rubbed the truth in her face without mercy, and when Lianna dared to try to say something, I just kept going.
"No, I'm not done yet. Besides being just a concubine, you're an idiot! Why do you still care about those people? Do you think they would do the same for you? For the love of the goddess! Wake up!" I said what I thought without measuring my words, my eyes locked on hers, on those emeralds that seemed endless from so much rancor and hatred that dwelled in them, "they preferred to send an innocent person to me instead of fighting! Do you know when that would happen with werewolves? Never! Because our pack sense is stronger, and we are much more loyal to each other than you humans will ever be!"
I tried to take a deep breath at that moment because I said those things so eagerly that I barely paused to catch my breath.
However, that was because I really... didn't understand how humans could do that to someone of their own kind, with the excuse that it was for the "greater good".
And that... was what I found most disgusting about humans.
And when she seemed like she was going to retort again, I just put my finger in front of her mouth while theoretically caressing her pale face.
Because honestly? I didn't want to hear her defending those cowardly traitors.
"It's no use trying to defend them, dear, there's no defense for creatures like you," I said as I approached, a sarcastic smile taking over my face, "after all, if you think you betrayed your people, it's because you must not have even considered, the betrayal they committed against you, am I not right? Oh poor Lianna! So deluded with those who were around you, so lonely!" I let out theatrically, but her eyes became so dark with anger that I couldn't help but smile even more as my hand slid up to her neck and then pressed it, "who will defend you from me?"
"I don't need to be defended from you! I'm not afraid of you!" She said, and I found myself arching my lips wider. There she was, this was the Lianna I was used to.
In fact, this was the first time I threatened someone and the person didn't even tremble, and still stood in front of me, unshaken.
So much so that it made me release her, take a few steps back, to admire her body, which was so delicate and yet so delineated, so much so that it seemed to have been made by a passionate person, who had taken care of every detail, every centimeter... so that everything came out perfect.
"You know, my concubines usually wear rings to indicate that they are my possessions," I explained, my hands going to my back, "but you? I want you to wear something more special, more sophisticated, like..." I pretended to think, even starting to stroke my chin, "a leash, one that will have a beautiful tourmaline embedded in it."
"I would never wear that!" She said with clear indignation.
"Of course you will, after all, you'll be my little dog from now on, and there's nothing more fitting than that... than a leash."
"Forget about that idea!" Lianna said with a clear revolt in her tone, her face, "I won't wear that even if you threatened me with death!"
"Oh? So you changed your mind about saving your people, Lianna?" I said her name as if it were a melody, which seemed to have left her even more covered in anger, "because you know... tomorrow there will be an inspection of the villages on your island, to check the new "workers"... understand?"
Her sudden outburst caught me off guard. "Don't hurt my sister!" she cried, her voice filled with desperation. But the next moment, her defiance melted into pleading, her eyes searching mine for some kind of understanding.
I could see the realization dawn in her eyes, the shift from defiance to desperation, and it was almost... endearing. She was learning her place, and it thrilled me.
"And why would I let you? Already homesick?" I mocked, my tone laced with amusement. I knew she would be useless in her current state, and that realization only fueled my amusement.
The disappointment that flickered across her face was almost palpable, and I savored the taste of it. She should have known better than to even ask. A monster like me had no use for her sentimentality.
"You know what? I don't care," I said, my gaze shifting away from hers. Despite my words, a part of me couldn't help but notice her fleeting joy, her hope. It was a trivial thing, inconsequential to me, or so I told myself. "it's better to see if that sour expression leaves your face, I don't like my concubines with that expression... it makes me lose my appetite."
"But there's a condition," I continued, savoring the sense of control. "You'll have to wear the leash I mentioned earlier, with that black stone exposed to symbolize where you belong now."
As she reluctantly agreed, I caught a glimpse of the hatred in her eyes. It was intriguing, and in a gesture that felt almost patronizing, I reached out and patted her head, as one would a pet.
At that moment, I knew. This game was just beginning.