Chapter 5

Her whole body was in pain. Karina didn't understand how could she have survived that much. Shouldn't you pass out from feeling too much pain? Probably just another made up story like the ones about trolls under bridges. The worst part was she wasn't just fighting against the pain, but also against herself. Having an option to say one word and end all that suffering somehow made it way worse. It was the most desirable thing in the universe. Never in her life had she wanted anything that much. Except one thing. To win. As selfish as it sounded, it was no longer about her country, her people. All those noble causes forgotten. It was about proving that smug bastard wrong. She could do this. She was a fucking princess and she could do anything.

And she did. At first, she counted the hits, but that was too depressing. Then she tried to think about the people she loved but remembering her dead father only made her sad. Finally, she just opted for listing the words for different kinds of food and translating them to every language she was taught. Just as she was trying to remember how does one say egg in Cchen-lianese, the hits stopped.

But then she opened her stupid mouth only to screw herself over again. And now she was lying in his bed and he was about to… do what exactly? He said he wouldn't hurt her, but could she believe that after what he did to her? He said he wouldn't put shame on her future husband, yet he still forced her to spread her legs. Well, forced… She did it on her own, because not doing so would make him win and throw away everything she had already suffered through. Unacceptable.

She inhaled sharply when his fingers carefully parted her lips and touched her clit, slowly circling around it. Nobody has ever touched her there. She did, from time to time, when she felt the need, but someone else? A stranger? A man who just spent gods know how long hurting her? That was not… acceptable? The flow of her thoughts was disrupted by a pleasant feeling, a pressure that was starting to build up in her body.

No. No way she would let him do this. She couldn't stop him, but she could control her body. Hopefully. Her eyes were shut tight and she tried to go back to the food words. Seriously, how do the noble people of Cchen-lian say egg? But somehow pleasure was much harder to ignore than pain.

His hair tickled her face when he leaned to whisper in her ear. "Don't fight it, princess."

Fuck off. Karina couldn't say it out loud because it would make her lose her already feeble concentration. The king chuckled and pressed harder, one of his fingers sliding in, exploring her sensitive spots from the inside, exerting a quiet moan off her lips. Crap. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? And why was her whole body betraying her?

She gasped for air when something wet and warm touched her breast, realizing he was kissing her nipple. That was not fair. Why did something like that feel so good?

"Spread your legs." His voice was stern and she got a moment of reprieve while his mouth traveled to the other nipple. Dammit, she didn't even realize she was pulling them together again. Relax. Control yourself.

Who was she kidding? This was the least control she's had over her body in her entire life. His fingers kept moving, pressing, rubbing, sliding in and out, driving her crazy.

"Give it up." She felt his breath on her breast. "This is not a fight you can win."

Karina was starting to agree, especially when his teeth grabbed her nipple and pulled. She cried out in surprise. That should hurt. And it did, a little. But why the hell did it also feel so hot, sending waves of pleasure throughout her body?

Her breathing was fast and shallow and she could no longer prevent quiet moans from escaping her lips. "No," she breathed out.

"Do you want me to stop?" His voice was heavy with desire but there was also something behind it she couldn't quite understand. It sounded almost like fear, which made no sense.

Of course she wanted him to stop. It was disgraceful, unacceptable, absolutely inappropriate. But there was a part of her that wanted to forget about all that and just enjoy the feeling, and that part was slowly gaining control. All she managed to do now was to shake her head. "I thought so." Even without looking at him Karina knew he was grinning.

"Forget about other people, prejudice, expectations." The king's voice was gaining intensity and he moved slowly, teasing her, deliberately denying her the release of all that built up pressure.

She struggled against the rope but of course he tied it well. "Please," she moaned, not really sure whether she wanted him to stop or continue anymore.

He laughed. A short mischievous chuckle. "Do you want it?" Karina bit her lower lip, keeping her mouth shut. There was no way she was giving him the answer. "Say it, princess. Say it or I'll stop."

What a ruthless bastard. "YES!" she shouted out, unable to control herself anymore.

"As is your royal wish." His fingers moved away from her clit and she almost cried out in frustration, only to exhale sharply when they were replaced by his tongue.

He wouldn't. Down there? That was not… By the gods...

The thoughts seemed to have evaporated from her brain, replaced by raw, pulsing desire. His tongue swirled around her swollen clit one more time, setting her off, pushing her further than her own feeble fingers ever could. She tried to arch her back, but he forced her back down, holding her still, which for some reason amplified the pleasure even more. His fingers kept wiggling slightly, prolonging her ecstasy, and waves and waves of pleasure rolled over her body.

When she could finally focus again, catch her breath, and open her eyes, she realized the king was laying next to her, watching her with a smug smile. "Not bad," he licked his lips, sparks of mischief playing in his dark eyes.

Karina just stared at him, her mind still blank. Did he seriously just kiss her down there? Was that a thing among normal people or was it just this bastard's pervert desires? She felt strangely uneducated in this area, especially compared to his obvious experience. The lessons concerning these activities she received mostly covered how to get pregnant fast, because apparently that was the only thing she was expected to do.

"So, princess. What do we do now?" He pulled out a dagger and lazily ran its tip up from her bellybutton across her chest up to the dip between her collarbones. Karina didn't move, certain he was just teasing her. Failing to extort a reaction from her he sighed, moving the blade up to the rope and freeing her hands. "It's no fun when you aren't afraid of me." His lips curled in a fake sad frown.

Karina rubbed her wrists, thinking how her sleeveless dress will fail to cover the huge bruises. "I am afraid of you," she grumbled, turning towards him, realizing just how much her whole body hurts. "I just didn't think you would want to stab me in your own bed. Blood is really hard to get off the sheets."

The king laughed, shaking his head. "What does a princess know about blood?"

"Women see way more blood than most men," Karina swiftly replied.

"You are too smart for your own good." The smile on his lips remained, but his voice grew more serious. "You still want to marry me?"

Did she? Most of the time she had spent with him she wished to be on the other side of the world, as far away from him as possible. But… it wasn't all bad, was it? Plus she didn't come here to find the man of her dreams. She came here to negotiate peace for her people. "I'm still here, aren't I?" she answered with a shrug and Hayden's eyes narrowed. He wanted a proper answer and Karina hesitated. "Are you going to beat me up like that every day?" she asked quietly.

Was that a shade of shame in his expression? "No."

"In that case yes, I still want to marry you. Provided we agree on the terms for my kingdom and my people." She had to chuckle over the absurdity of the situation. Normal marriage proposals probably looked very different. Karina always imagined lots of flowers, her suitor getting on one knee in front of her, pouring his heart out, producing a piece of beautiful jewelry. Not tying her up with a rope, beating her with a belt, and… Well, let's not go there. The king smirked, seeming to know exactly what she was thinking about.

"Oh, wait," she added quickly, "I do have one condition." Hayden raised one of his eyebrows in a silent question. "You won't force me to bathe in the blood of your enemies with you. Because that is just disgusting." With some effort, Karina managed to keep a serious expression on her face.

"That's not..." He stopped and his eyes narrowed upon seeing her giggle. "Are you actually making fun of me?" His hand reached out for her and she quickly rolled away from him, miscalculating the width of the bed and almost ending on the ground. He caught her arm just before she fell down. "Careful, princess. I would hate to see you get hurt." There was a slight trace of threat in his tone and Karina shivered, not sure if teasing him was such a great idea anymore.

"I… sorry," she whispered and looked down.

Hayden waited for a second and then grinned. "Yep, it's way more fun when you're afraid of me. Now get the hell out of my bed." His index finger pushed against her chest. "I'm an engaged man, I can't have naked harlots rolling on my sheets anymore."

Before she could react in any way, the king jumped out of the bed and brought her clothes. This was so damn confusing. How the hell was she supposed to know when he was just making fun of her and when he was being serious? She glanced at him, curious to see whether he would watch her get dressed, but he decided to give her some space and walked to the fireplace in the corner. The fire was dwindling and the room was getting colder. Karina shivered and this time it was not from fear. Or at least not only from fear.