His Queen

Chapter 7 : Regret

I don't know how long I stand in the middle of the room chained up. My hands are pulled taunt above my head causing them to ache. My fingers tingle from lack of blood flow. I can feel hunger starting to eat it's way into my body. It's a parasite I can't get rid of. The last time I ate was the day before I escaped Ren. It was probably three days later and I hadn't had a scrap of food. What I would do to taste a piping hot pizza right now.

I find my mind wandering to the time Evie and I made homemade pizzas. It was a Friday night a few months after our parents had died. Every moment we spent together was one filled with painful memories of our deceased parents. I had missed them greatly but it was especially hard for Evie, being so little.

To lift up her spirits I had taken the extra time to purchase grocery items for homemade pizzas. It had been a pain in the ass to hunt down all the ingredients because all we usually kept in the pantry were cereal, pasta, and sandwich necessities. Let's just say that the sales lady had been my savior that grocery trip. At fifteen I had been clueless to say the least.

When the time came for dinner that Friday night I had gone into Evies purple room and found her flipping through picture books in her canopy bed. A frown tugged at her tiny pink lips and all the joy had been sucked out of her.

"Evie, sweetheart, I thought we could do something special tonight." I said with as much excitement as I could muster.

She looked up at me with a sullen look. She slowly shook her head and pouted before looking back at her picture book.

"Please, miss Evie, you know I can't cook at all. I need help with making pizza. Your favorite might I remind you!" I said teasingly

She lifted her head and looked at me with a hopeful glint in her blue eyes. I smiled at her and I walked over and picked her up and carried her into the kitchen on my hip.

That night laughter had once again existed in our empty apartment. Flour covered the floor and Evie had pizza sauce all over her pink shirt. The pizzas probably tasted horrible but I could have cared less. For the first time in months Evie had smiled at me like she used to.

Now as I hang in chains a small wistful smile tugged at the corners of my dry lips. It was immediately wiped away when the door burst open. My heart stopped as an intoxicating sent of pine and citrus hit my nose. I didn't even have to turn my head to see who was entering. It was the smell of my mate.

"Well what do we have here." Slowly Rhysand struts over in front of me with a sneer on his handsome face. I glare right back at him.

"I'd prefer to avoid talking to a disgusting being such as yourself." I state cooly.

Rhysand grits his teeth and walks over to the wall of torture devices. He stares at them long and hard making no move to pick any of them up yet. I watch him, silently pleading with the Moon Goddess that he doesn't pick up the whip.

"You can imagine my shock at finding out you were my mate. Such a weak, stubborn girl. Sadly I have no desire for a mate. I think I'd have much more fun with you in a setting like this, don't you think?" He says as he finally decides on a syringe of wolfsbane.

I look at him with no fear. I refuse to treat him as my enemy yet. We are still complete strangers in every sense and until I am convinced that every bone in his body is evil, I will not treat him as such.

"It's Rhysand right?" I say with snottiness trying to get a reaction out of him.

He grunts as he walks over to me and slams his fist into my soft stomach. My wolf whimpers in my head but I refuse to show any indication that I'm in pain.