Chapter 1.8

Chapter 1.8

Without a word, Rei pushed her back in front of him into the room, where the food was ready on the table.

Gently but firmly, Rei pushed her onto the chair. "Eat. I'll remake the bed," he said, reaching for the new bedding that Liron had also brought.

Quinn looked at the food, afraid that if she started eating, there would be another outburst. Maybe it was better if her body no longer had the strength for this whole thing? I wonder if it helped if she refused to eat?

Rei noticed her hesitation, so he paused in his movement. "For your information: Should you try to refuse food, I have unpleasant methods of making you eat food," he informed the woman before continuing to move the bed.

Quinn shuddered. "Which one?" she dared to ask because she didn't feel the need to eat at the moment. Still, she wanted to know and also test what Rei was really like. She learned many men who made threats and then never carried them out.

Once again, he paused in his movement, and his eyes turned ice cold. "Be stupid enough to find out. Don't complain afterward, though," he finally said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders.

Probably she had to gain experience with his words and threats first. Actually, he didn't like to use these methods because he found them contemptuous. Unfortunately, it was often the last chance to make something clear to someone.

Quinn just stared at him for a while. I wonder if he was aware that she could handle pain. The transformation was cruel, and she believed there was nothing he could do that surpassed that. However, it would be foolish to conjure up something like that because of food. There were other, more sensible reasons for which she could refuse. "Don't complain if I throw up, though," she said as she reached for her spoon. "My stomach is not happy about food right now."

She looked at the soup on the spoon for a moment before putting it in her mouth and fighting her body's instinctive reaction.

Why was she twisting the words the way she needed to? Rei suppressed the need to roll his eyes. "I didn't demand that you eat everything," he snapped at Quinn indignantly. The pillow he had just been holding landed on the bed with a toss. "But you're supposed to eat regularly when you need to. The main meals are only three times a day."

Quinn stared at the food. "I'm hungry, but my stomach keeps turning," she confessed carefully. "I suppose you can't imagine what an oppressive feeling it is to know that you're at the mercy of someone who only sees you as a plaything and passes you around when they feel like it," she murmured, unable to help but be tormented by memories. So far, Rei had done nothing to harm her, and yet here she was trapped, and he had said to educate her. She was at his mercy, and that fact was heavy on her stomach.

"If you hadn't misbehaved and complied, it wouldn't have come to this," Rei explained in a less than friendly manner. Did she actually realize that it was an unnecessary burden for him to have her here? It wasn't in him to order women around like that or to inflict harm. It was different with men. But women were sacred to him, and he respected them, even if he could never have one.

"Besides, you're not a toy to me, and I don't pass you around. I'm just following orders. The decision of where you end up is made by others, not me. Understand?" he said sharply.

Depending on how she would behave, he would adjust. If she did what he asked, he wouldn't crack down and hurt her unnecessarily other than the transformation.

"I never said you were the one passing me around, but still, someone is making decisions about me," Quinn replied. "I will never defer to anyone who demands that I grovel before them," she declared, not looking at Rei. "I will choose the man I give my body to, and if I can't, I will just destroy that body," she declared, rising. She felt sick, though she felt hungry.

"Then do that. If you think you can escape your fate by doing so .... Try it, and you'll see who's stopping you," he said coldly. Quinn didn't understand that she couldn't escape it. That there was no way to escape it at all.

On the one hand, he could understand that she wanted to choose her own life. Unfortunately, only very few women were entitled to that. On the other hand, she would make it easier for herself if she obeyed.

How could she know what her future dragon was really like? Just because the stone dragon hadn't treated her well didn't mean that all of them were like that. Unfortunately, most were, but there were still a few who treated their women with dignity and respect.

Rei's eyes narrowed to slits that boded ill. He was just waiting for Quinn to behave precisely as he had been told.

He had been warned that she was cunning, but he saw none of that so far. It seemed more like she was very offensive. A fighter, she really was. But so far, she had given him no reason to punish her. However, she hadn't been here a whole day yet either.

Quinn returned his gaze and looked composed but also stubborn. "I'm not going to let anyone break me," she declared, sounding like a declaration of war.

"We'll see about that in the end," Rei replied icily, coming over to the table to take the soup from her. In doing so, he came very close to her so that she could feel his cold breath on her skin.

"Be at dinner at seven on the dot. Tomorrow we'll start getting used to it," the tall man said arrogantly, heading for the door.

Quinn shuddered. Tomorrow it would be. So she didn't have much time to leave this island before they would torture her again.

Her eyes followed Rei, and she nodded. She tried not to let on that she already had a plan. However, she would have to explore the castle first.

She still had time until dinner. It was the only afternoon, so she always had a few hours for that.

"I was going to give you some time to settle in, but with your behavior, I'll be glad to see the back of you soon," Rei said tensely before letting the door fall shut behind him.

Quinn stood back and sighed heavily before rising and then beginning to explore the castle.