Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1) Chapter 44

“What is it that this Cursed sees in you? Anyone can see he’s obsessed with you,” my captor grumbles.

It’s Lord Vessin and he has me pinned facedown to the tile floor.

I struggle against him, but it hurts, the floor is cold and hard. I hit one of my elbows painfully and bump my chin.

Besides our fight the halls are too quiet. No one wants to go near Alvar’s room. The halls are unlit too. The lighting in this area is still out because of the fire from when Alvar had killed Saul.

Oh, where are the guards?

Lord Vessin tears my gown from my shoulders. “Such finery doesn’t belong on such an ordinary Earth woman,” he taunts me.

I bite his hand. Hard.

He yelps and pulls it from my mouth and I take that chance to scream, but only for a second as he stuff something made of cloth in my mouth to quiet me.

“Bitch,” he spits out the word, “Are the women from Earth as dull in bed as they look?”

I’m not giving up. I fight hard, kicking, thrashing, and shoving away from him. Lord Vessin is stronger and bigger than me, but he’s nuts to think I’ll let him take me without using every ounce of my energy to stop him.

“You think that because you married Alvar that gives you the right to be queen of Underland? That gives you power over someone like me? You’ll have my child and my child will be on the throne instead of his. A child that didn’t come from Cursed seed.”

I gaze longingly at Alvar’s door.

So close and yet so far away.

“Ah, I see you’re thinking the Cursed husband you whore yourself out to is going to come in and help you,” Vessin chuckles. “No, he’s flying about in his monster form. He won’t be back in time to save you.” Vessin’s breath is hot against my neck as he whispers in my ear, “Shush, my queen, don’t worry. I won’t take long. And once I’m finished you won’t tell anyone this happened because they will all see it as weakness and we can’t have weakness as the representative of our queen. And you won’t want Alvar to find out either. We all know he’s obsessed with you because you’re pure, unlike him.”

“I’ll have you as many times as I want because I have access and power. Do you think it’s a surprise your guard isn’t with you? I bribed him. I was born here and have fought to have a place in this nation, unlike you. I don’t want to do this, but it must be done in order to ensure an Underland human succeeds the throne.”

Is he right that Alvar loves me because I’m pure?

My heart is pounding in my head as I try to think my way out of this.

My hands are being held behind my back by both his hands, but he switches to using one hand to undo his belt and I take that as my opportunity. Using all my strength I thrust my hands from his grasp, place them underneath me, and although he’s sitting on my thighs to keep me down I push up so I buck him off of me. I scramble to my feet, knowing I’m bloodied and bruised at this point from hitting the tile, but I somehow run in the direction of my quarters, praying someone will be there.

I tear the cloth from my mouth and scream, but just as I see lights at the end of the hall indicating I’m near the lights of the gallery, one of Vessin’s legs kick the back of my knee, forcing me to fall, hard and painfully on the tile floor.

I see Grey out of the corner of my eye.

“Grey, help me!” I cry.

“You know this needs to happen, Grey.” Vessin overpowers me and holds my wrists to the floor while using his body weight to keep me down. “She won’t stop fighting, but she needs to see reason. Help me hold her.”

“Grey!” I scream.

“You’ll have to do it yourself, Vessin,” Grey tells him, and then he looks me in the eye. “You married a Cursed, Lucy. We can’t have a Cursed heir,” he somberly says.

What is wrong with these people?

I’m suddenly filled with the desire to go back to Earth and back to Mike where people don’t want to rape or kill me because I’m the wife of Alvar. After my perceived victory in the great dining room, I am shattered by those whom I thought I could trust, those whom were entrusted with keeping me safe.

“You won’t get away with this, Grey,” I seethe at him, “You’re despicable.”

“Lucy,” Grey says, turning his gaze from me. “I’m sorry. It’s the best way. We can’t risk a Cursed on the throne again. Alvar killed my parents while Saul ruled.” I watch horrified as he walks away, letting Vessin drags me by my hair into a darkened room of the palace and throw me to the floor.

Something cracks in my arm and pain sears into my shoulder.
“What are you doing?” A female voice shouts as he’s shutting the door behind him.

“None of your concern,” Vessin says, “it’s business of state, sylph.” He slams the door in her face and bolts it.

“Queen Lucy!” It’s Leeza, I hear her pounding on the door as Vessin looms over me.

“Leeza, get Alvar!” I scream to her. “He’s going to hurt me!”

Vessin glares at me, his hair is disheveled and clothes are torn. On his face is a crazed expression. Eyes bulging from his skull, face red, mouth twisted in a heinous grin. “I guess I underestimated Earth women.”

“Just let me go,” I choke out the words, pretty sure with the sharp pang in every breath that one of my ribs is cracked.

“I can’t do that. I have to finish what I started,” Vessin laughs. “You’ve got me too excited to not finish. Now I really do want you. Going to find out what that Cursed enjoys about you so much.”

I’m going to throw up. I know I am. This man disgusts me to my core. Much like how Saul disgusted me.
“The Light sees your evil,” I state, not sure exactly what I am talking about.

“Shut-up, bitch, you know nothing of our faith.”

“I know enough to know that the Light sees your evil,” I repeat it again. Not sure what I’m doing, but realize I need to get under his skin somehow and gain some time. This Deity of Light I’d heard of sounds like a compassionate kind, at least from the viewpoint of Lord Calbir.

“Don’t you understand? I’m not religious. I call on the name of the Light in order to gain support from those of faith, not because I actually believe any of that crap,” Vessin snarls. “Now, roll over so I don’t have to look at your ugly bruised face.”

I glare up at him, not moving an inch, challenging him, and letting him know that while my body may be broken, my spirit isn’t nor will it ever be.

I want to go home, a small voice says inside me, even though I’m showing defiance. I want to be safe again.

The door is broken open, letting light stream in. Vessin turns and finds himself face to face with Alvar standing in the doorway.
“Scum of Axus,” Alvar growls, his skin contorting and changing, “You shall know what it is to die at the hands of a Cursed!”

Vessin shrieks in terror. “No! Don’t kill me, foul demon!”

“Alvar, no!” I shout. I have to stop him from killing my attacker, even though I don’t want to. “Don’t kill him.”

Alvar has Vessin by the neck, the unnatural strength from his Cursed blood apparent as he holds the man a foot off the ground with one hand.

“Don’t kill him. Use him as an example. He must have a trial. You must not use your Cursed abilities to kill a leader.” Even so, I can’t believe I’m thinking like a diplomat in a moment like this.

“He deserves to die,” Alvar hisses out the words, glaring at Vessin as if on the verge of transforming into his more terrifying form.

“He wasn’t going to kill me,” I state, although I felt like he was going to kill me.

“Fine, a trial,” Alvar says through clenched teeth, blood irises never leaving Vessin’s anguished face. “Leeza, get me the guards.”
“Grey was apart of it,” I hurriedly add.

“What?” Alvar’s eyes widen and face pales. He sets down a choking Vessin.

“Vessin paid him off so Vessin could produce a human blood heir through me,” I explain, how am I doing this so calmly and rationally? My body is numb. I can’t even feel the pain anymore.

“Did he—?” Alvar asks, his brow drawing together in a knot of rage and fear for me.

“No, he didn’t rape me,” I say, the words dropping like a weight.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel violated by him.

Some guards appear and they show Vessin to… I don’t know… a dungeon? But I don’t care.

At least Alvar is here with me, I’m safe, and Vessin is gone.

Alvar approaches my crumpled form and kneels down next to me. “You need my blood.” He bites into his wrist and draws some blood, smearing it over my wounds.

“Alvar, I want to go home.”

“You are home,” Alvar soothes, and I flinch as he caresses my cheek. He withdraws quickly. “My poor sweet girl.”
“I’m not wanted here,” I sob.