NALEDI’S POV
He didn’t answer, despite all my prodding.
Nicolai was evading my questions. “Preserve your strength love. You’ll need it when we get to Moscow, which is in about,” He looked at his wristwatch, “Twenty minutes!”
A feeling of rising dread overtook me. “In the meanwhile, I’ll give you something for the nerves. What do you think?”
“No..” My protests were met with his hands forcing a pill into my mouth and choking me with water to wash it down. I felt a special kind of violated.
“Don’t fight it, love, just sleep and when you wake up, you’ll be good as new.”
The pills took me out fast. In a swift moment, I felt drowsy and fell into the abyss of deep sleep while I pondered what the hell was done to Caellum. I had a lot of questions and requests but all of that took a forceful backseat in the grand scheme of things.
I woke up in a place very unfamiliar to me, white sheets, a large bed, and a chandelier hanging just in my eyesight. I opened my eyes and in shock, realised that I was alone in this room that seemed fit for a president.
Was I already in heaven? Oh goodness, did I already die?
“Caellum?” I called out in a small voice, uncertainty eating me alive.
“It’s unfair that his name is the first one out your mouth despite everything he did to you, love.” A voice said from the far end of the room, and my head whipped towards the direction of the said voice.
The moment our eyes connected, I felt disarmed, caught with nowhere to escape. “D-Draken?” I pointed with a fear-stricken face.
“Oh don’t look so unhappy to see me. I’ve been looking for you for what now, Attai? Five years?” His tone was laid back, and his eyes twinkled with the evil I knew he was capable of.
I got on my feet and sure enough, I was strong. All traces of my previous fatigue were gone. Thrown out of the window. I’d die before I let him get to me.
“That bastard Nicolai. Fucking sold me off!” I gritted, looking for the door.
“He dropped you off and headed to freshen up,” Draken stated once he saw my wondering gaze. “Man’s been away for too long in his quest to bring you to me.” He tutted, “He needs a bit of alone time, love. Just like we do.”
He walked closer to me, and I moved back until I hit the wall. “Let me go, Draken.” Utter and unadulterated fear rippled through me as I watched his eyes darken.
He had always been a sicko. How the hell did I get back into this nightmare?
“You have no idea, love. How long, how much I wanted to have you.” His words broke something in me. “You fucking elusive bitch.” He said and in a whiplash, sent a deafening slap on my face, sending me to the floor.
There’s no way I am getting back into this. I blinked back tears and shook my head. “He tried to rape me! I had to do it!” I said when his gaze turned murderous.
“You fucking bitch. You fucking killed him.” He spat and I knew I was doomed. “You fucking killed my father and took for the hills!”
I shook my head repeatedly, “I didn’t mean to! I swear! I hit him in the head and left! I didn’t think he’d die.”
My reasons were useless. I was right where Draken wanted me and there was no stopping. “You think I care about that?” He guffawed. “You think I paid a fucking ten grand on you because I care about my father?”
Now I was confused. He saw it too. And that made him laugh the more. I felt mocked. Small in every sense of the word. Just what did this psychopath have in store for me?
He intruded into my personal space, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the hit that didn’t come. “I don’t give a shit about that fucker, Attai.” He breathed in my ears. “If you hadn’t killed him, I probably would have done it myself.”
Then what was his problem? He must have heard my thoughts because his next words explained thoroughly his issue with me.
“The thing is, you killing him made things a lot harder for me as his successor. A lot of people looked down on me, tested me just to see if I was anything like my papa.” He looked deranged, “I proved them wrong alright. But you know I always get my payback.”
That was the last thing I heard before his large foot dug into my stomach in a hard kick, taking my breath out of my lungs in seconds. I wheezed, shaking from his brutal hit. “Draken…”
“Oh darling. You haven’t grown soft now have you?” Another kick on my ribs. “Don’t tell me you forgot all I taught you during your little sexcapade with fucking Caellum Morello.”
His fists connected my nose and I felt dizzy. I couldn’t stand this. “Please…” I begged, crawling out of the corner he had me in.
“Look at you Attai.” He seethed, “I didn’t train you to be a pussy for some fucking Italian puta. Papa would be rolling in his grave, seeing you now.”
Anger stirred within me, and I tried for a hit and failed woefully. It took me a moment to realize that an Iron cufflink was wrapped around my wrist. It was spelled. I couldn’t make use of my heightened abilities.
“You fucking cunt! You dare to fight me, huh?” He stepped away from me, pulling out a gun. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t end you right now, love? One reason why I shouldn’t rid scum like you from this earth?”
He waited for me, he wanted an actual reason. What could one say to that?
Draken dragged me painfully by the hair. “When I ask questions, I expect answers!” He roared and the next thing I knew, it was raining blows and kicks.
So much so that I coughed up blood, forming a foetal position to minimize the damage of his attacks. I was reliving my nightmare. Draken took his time, venting his anger on me. By the time he decided he had done enough, he cuddled me into his arm, muttering sweet nothings into my ears.
The sicko. I preferred him to his father though. I’d take my chances with Draken over his devil of a father any day, I just needed to bear it long enough until I could find my way out of this godforsaken place.
“You will get up, get pretty and join me tonight for dinner, love.” He said, petting my head, “This is just the beginning.”