Chapter 21

SABINA

Two weeks had slipped by since King Bancroft had come to stay with us. In that time, I’d noticed a shift in Aboloft, a shift that left me feeling uneasy.

It was as if he was peeling back layers, revealing a side of himself I didn’t recognize. Eight years had reshaped him. If this was the real Aboloft, it was a frightening reality.

It began with small things—a kiss that was a little too rough, a gaze that lingered a little too long. But it quickly escalated. His kisses became desperate, as if he was clinging to life itself.

At night, he insisted I share his bed. The first time he demanded it, I refused. But he grabbed my wrist, pulling me from my room into his.

He tossed me onto the bed, binding my wrists to the bedpost to ensure I couldn’t escape.

His unpredictable behavior was starting to scare me. Why was he acting this way? He knew I couldn’t leave the castle even if I wanted to, so why this?

Why couldn’t he give me space? His constant watch over me was suffocating. I craved a break from him, no matter how brief.

“Bluebell, you look stunning,” Aboloft said as he entered his bedroom.

Fresh from a bath, he was dressed in blue robes that flowed like water as he approached me. I was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a blue gown that matched his robes, adorned with jewels and other accessories.

He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, leaning down to kiss my neck, sucking on the spot he’d bitten harshly the night before.

It was bruised now, and the way Aboloft was sucking on it suggested he had no plans to let it heal.

“Ab-Aboloft,” I moaned as his lips sent waves of pain and pleasure through me. This was another change I was noticing in him.

Every time Aboloft kissed me, it was a battle between pain and pleasure. Sometimes it felt like the pain would win, but pleasure always took the crown.

“Tell me you belong to me.” His command left me wide-eyed. Why would he say that? What could I possibly say in response?

I loved Aboloft, I truly did, but this new Aboloft…I didn’t know him. I couldn’t tell him I belonged to him when I didn’t even know who he was anymore.

Aboloft must’ve sensed my hesitation, because he pulled his lips from my neck and looked up at me. His grip tightened, his eyes flashing dangerously. Oh God, he was angry.

“I said, tell me you belong to me,” he demanded, his voice hard as steel.

“Wh-why?” I swallowed the lump of fear that was growing with each intense look he gave me.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, Bina. Tell me you belong to me.” His voice shook me to my core, and if it weren’t for his arms around my waist, I would’ve stumbled.

“Yo-you’ve changed.” I managed to get the words out.

The icy look in his dark eyes sent a shiver down my spine. What had I done? I’d clearly said the wrong thing, and his gaze told me I was in deep trouble.

Grabbing my chin, Aboloft forced me to look in the mirror. Our reflection only heightened my fear. Aboloft was staring straight at me.

But it wasn’t just his gaze that had my knees trembling. It was the intensity of it. The only other time he’d looked at me like that, like he wanted to consume me, was when I first arrived here.

“How have I changed, my beautiful goddess?” His tone was different too.

There used to be a softness in his words, a gentleness in his voice. But now, it felt like the wrong answer could be fatal.

“Wh-where is King Bancroft?” I asked, trying to distract him. Did his friend know about these changes?

Had he accepted the new Aboloft that was terrifying me? I needed to talk to King Bancroft. I needed to understand why Aboloft was behaving this way.

“He’s busy. But that’s not your concern. I asked you a question, and I expect an answer,” Aboloft replied, tracing his fingers along my jawline.

He wasn’t holding my jaw tightly, but I knew if I tried to move, he would.

“I-Y-you weren’t like this be-before,” I stuttered, gathering my courage and forcing it down.

“What do you mean, my sweet?” He was doing this on purpose. He knew what I was talking about. He had to.

“Yo-you scare me,” I admitted, using up the last of my courage.

The change in his expression made me wish the earth would swallow me up.

His lips curved into a wicked smile. His eyes flashed with malice, making my heart race.

“I should scare you, Bluebell,” he whispered darkly, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin.

“Wh-what? Wh-why?” I blinked, making sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“Why not?” He threw the question back at me, one I struggled to answer. But I chose to speak anyway.

“You w-were my friend. You shouldn’t scare me but you do; now you scare me, Aboloft.” I thought he was a kind man. He sounded like one when I overheard him talking to King Bancroft in the library.

Was I wrong to think Aboloft was kind? Was that just a mask, and I was seeing the real Aboloft now?

“See, there’s your answer, right there in your words. I ~was~ your friend, not anymore,” he responded.

“Bu-but y-you were being so k-kind to me,” I stammered.

“Eight years, Bina. Did you think I’d stay the same? No, I changed. And you’ll see that. I think you’ve already started to. The sweet man you saw a few days ago, that man is no more.

“The man you knew died when you left him. What you saw were just remnants. This is the real me, my beautiful goddess. You should get used to seeing me like this from now on.”

Before I could even gasp, Aboloft spun me around and pushed me onto the bed. His sudden action left me dazed, wondering what had sparked this change.

If he had truly changed, why had he waited until now to reveal it? Why hadn’t he been like this since I was brought here?

He was harsh at first. But he changed; he became gentler with me. I couldn’t believe that this was the same Aboloft who had kissed the scars on my back and healed my soul.

Was he the same man who promised me that my days of tears were over?

This Aboloft was a stark contrast to the one I had known two weeks ago, and I didn’t like it. I was more scared of him now than I had ever been.

Before I could regain my composure, Aboloft flipped me onto my back, pinning my arms above my head, leaving me helpless under him.

He traced his lips over my face, starting from my temple and trailing down to my chest. He pushed the blue silk down, revealing the top of my breasts to him, where he planted a kiss that made me scream.

Fear and desire waged war within me as Aboloft kissed and nipped at my exposed skin. He seemed insatiable, pushing the silk aside, revealing more of my skin to him.

His lips scorched my soul, desire burning hot and heavy within me, but the icy terror coursing through my veins made it hard for me to surrender to Aboloft.

“Aboloft, st-stop,” I begged, trying to wriggle out of his grip.

“The more you struggle, the longer I’ll keep you captive in my bed,” Aboloft warned in a harsh whisper, stopping my struggles.

“Why are you doing this? I don’t want this, Aboloft,” I sobbed. I craved the pleasure, I really did, but the constant fear made it hard for me to submit to the man I loved.

But was he really the man I loved with all my heart? This Aboloft was a stranger. He was dark. I didn’t know him. Did that mean I didn’t love him?

“I’ve always given you what you wanted. I’ve always done what you asked. Not anymore, Bina. Now you’ll give me what I want. You’ll do what I tell you to.

“And if you fail to give me what I want, then believe me, you’ll regret your actions. You think the punishments I made you endure were bad, but that was nothing,” he told me.

“Why?” Tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over. “Why now? Why be kind to me and not show me the real you before?” I asked.

“You’ve been through a lot. I wanted to see how strong you were. I wanted to make sure whether you were strong enough to handle me or not.

“And now I know you can handle me. You love me, and so you will accept me,” Aboloft replied, kissing my forehead.

I shook my head. “You’re wrong! I’m not strong, I never was! And I don’t love you! I loved my best friend who is dead now, not you. You are not the Aboloft I love,” I screamed, making sure he understood me.

“My sweet, I know how strong you are. And you might think you don’t love me, but that’s not true. You loved me before, and I’m sure you’ll love me now.

“You’re scared, and you should be, but you’ll love me despite that fear.”

I nearly screamed when Aboloft ran his hands over the top of my silk-covered breasts.

“Don’t touch me! Please, Aboloft, don’t touch me,” I pleaded. My virtue was the only thing I had left, and I couldn’t let anyone take that away from me, not even the King of Quopia himself.

“Get used to my touch, because this is the only touch you’ll experience from now on. No man will ever touch you except me.

“So never tell me not to touch you. You belong to me, and I’ll touch you whenever I want,” he whispered, biting my earlobe, his hand not moving from my right breast.

“N-no. You can’t touch me against my will. I forbid you, Aboloft.”

I knew I wasn’t a queen, and I had no right to tell Aboloft what to do, but I couldn’t let him steal my virtue. Quopia had already taken so much from me. I couldn’t give this as well.

“Forbid me? Bluebell, who’s the king here?” Aboloft smiled, a smile I wanted to wipe off his face because it terrified me to my core.

“I don’t care. You can’t touch me like this! My virtue belongs to my husband, no one else,” I declared. If he tried to assert his dominance over me, I would fight him. I wouldn’t let anyone take my virtue against my will.

“You’re right, your virtue belongs to your husband.” His tone was cryptic, filled with secrets only he knew.

“Yes, so please don’t touch me like this. I can’t give this right to any man other than my husband,” I said.

The way Aboloft looked at me made me feel exposed. It was like he knew me inside and out, and he knew just how to manipulate me. His hand left my breast and traveled down to my waist, where it stayed.

“Tell me you belong to me,” he commanded, repeating his earlier statement.

“Why?”

“Do you want me to let you go?” Aboloft asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Y-yes,” I answered.

“Then tell me you belong to me,” he said.

“If I say that, you’ll let me go?”

“Yes,” he responded, but it sounded more like a no. He was messing with my mind.

“I…don’t want to say it,” I blurted out.

“Do you want to stay in my arms forever, my beautiful goddess?” He knew he had won. He had me right where he wanted me.

“Please let me go. My wrists hurt,” I complained, but he only tightened his grip, causing me to wince.

“Give me what I want, and I’ll give you what you want,” Aboloft said.

~Just let it go. You can’t beat him. He’s the King!~

My inner voice was right. I was powerless against Aboloft. He was the king, after all.

I should be thankful he’d stopped touching me in places he had no right to. My wrists were beginning to ache. I had to surrender to him.

“I’m yours,” I managed to say, my words coming out in a shaky whisper. I didn’t mean it. I wasn’t Aboloft’s. I was my husband’s, if I ever had one.

As soon as the words slipped from my mouth, an unexpected knock echoed through the room. It wasn’t a regular knock. It was three loud knocks, followed by two soft ones, and then four more loud ones.

“Get out! I don’t want to be bothered!” Aboloft’s order reverberated around the room.

“Sorry for the interruption, my lord, but there’s an urgent message for you,” a timid voice said from behind the door.

With a sigh, Aboloft pulled away from me and strode toward the door. I sat up, rubbing my wrists that were tingling as blood flowed back into them. They were definitely going to bruise.

Thank God someone had come to rescue me from Aboloft. I didn’t want to think about what he might have done to me.

Aboloft flung the door open. “This message better be worth it, or I’ll skin you alive!” he bellowed.

“My lord, King Bancroft requests your presence. He needs to see you immediately. He says it’s of utmost importance,” the female voice said.

I swallowed hard as Aboloft turned to look at me. “I’m going to see Bancroft. I want you at the dining table in two hours,” he said, then left the room, his heavy footsteps fading into the distance.

This Aboloft was different. He was real. The Aboloft I knew was gone, replaced by this new king. And I had no choice but to deal with him.

I just hoped I was strong enough.