Human Nature

Haren leaned in, forcefully kissed her and squeezed her neck harder when she wouldn't open her mouth for him to shove his disgusting tongue. His cock pulsed, brushing against her folds while Haren still had his tongue in her mouth, tasting her.

As Maya slowly snapped out of her shock and the horrific reality of what was happening began to sink in. To escape Haren's clutches, Maya bit his tongue, making Haren pull back with a terrifying scowl, but he loosened his grip on her neck and returned her bite with a heavy backhand, splitting her lip. As blood pooled inside her mouth, Maya saw it as an opportunity to free herself and spit it in his face causing Haren to release his grip on her neck to wipe the blood off his face and returned the favour with another backhand as Maya crashed onto the floor, whimpering at the dull pain in her cheeks.

" You will submit to me. Do you understand " Haren raged as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to stand in front of him. Haren had decided what he would do, but she would rather die than succumb to him without a fight.

Maya wiped the blood off her lips with a venomous glare in her eyes and the hatred she could muster but didn't bother to answer and spit at him again as Haren closed his eyes. Maya took advantage of the opportunity, and, in one nimble move, Maya stabbed Haren in the thigh and ran out of the room as fast as she could throughout the corridor, leaving Haren slumped on the floor, groaning in pain. Fear and adrenaline pumped in her veins as she skidded across the smooth floor in Ironstone when she reached the private quarters of Dakran's long-departed parents.

Maya pushed the large double doors open and locked them behind her as her heart thumped in her chest, threatening to burst. Panting and scared, she slid down the door and crashed onto the floor, tugging on the ripped gown in an attempt to cover herself and remaining in a mindless stupor staring into the darkness that surrounded her, attempting to process what just happened. Everything happened so fast, but for some reason, those brief moments felt like an eternity. Maya rubbed her aching cheeks, hissing at the pain that shot through them at the lightest touch. Her eyes pricked with tears, but she sucked a breath and blinked them away. It didn't happen. She got away to safety. All she had to do now was to stay away. Stay as far away from Harwn as possible, preferably in a different kingdom. If up until that point, Maya had given Haren the benefit of the doubt, it was clear now that the man was a mindless brute.

Maya heard the tiny pitter-patter of Little Dak's paws hitting the cold stone floor in the corridor on the other side of the door and, shortly after, heavy footsteps " Where did you go, you little bitch?" Haren raged as he stomped in the corridor while she could hear Little Dak growling on the other side of the door.

A loud yelp echoed, and shortly after, the receding sound of Litlle Dak's paws echoed. Maya closed her eyes while a choked sob escaped her lips, fully aware that Haren had kicked him. As the pitter-patter of the volsa faded in the distance, she sighed in relief that he had run away.

" You can't stay in there forever. I'll be here when you come out!" Haren raged, banging on the door, and she couldn't be more grateful that their father had fortified that part of Ironstone. It seemed that the man was worried about the safety of his family.

" I have done nothing to you. Why are you doing this to me?" Maya meekly hugged herself in the cold dark corridor as the tears she'd been holding back finally broke through, staining and burning her aching cheeks. Despite what he'd tried to do, Maya still wanted answers. The heavily fortified door provided her with sufficient protection against Haren's rage.

" I told you you're mine. It should have been me!" Haren raged again and banged on the door again, unleashing his wrath on the door.

" He doesn't deserve you," Haren said in a calmer voice.

" And you do?" Maya sobbed as Haren pounded the door with his fists in what seemed to be his last attempt to break through it.

" Yes. It should have been me." Haren bitterly said from the other side and finally stopped pounding the door. She had no clue in what world Haren lived, but in her world, he was from being worthy of any woman. If any woman would ever choose, consciously, to take Haren as her husband, she would assume that she was crazier than Haren.

" Haren!" Sala's grave voice resounded in the corridor " What are you doing? Have you been drinking again?" Sala asked accusingly as her steps echoed closer to the door- Maya's only shield.

" Why are you banging on the door?" Sala shot question after question in the same tone while Haren had fallen silent, unlike him to keep his trap shut.

" Leave, woman!" Haren finally barked at Sala

" Who is behind that door?" Sala took no notice of his brusque attitude and continued the barrage of questions.

" It's none of your fucking business. Leave at once and go back to your fucking pots," Haren raged

" Not until you tell me who's behind that door? Is it that woman that you brought along with you? Answer me?" Sala screamed at Haren, and a slap echoed from the other side of the door. Maya gasped and buried her face in her hands, sure Haren had lashed his anger at the poor older woman.

" Answer me!" Sala thundered

"It's me, Sala." Maya meekly said and pushed herself off the floor. Sala gasped loud enough to reach her ears, and she could already see the shock on Sala's face.

" No! You didn't! Tell me you didn't?" Sala shouted reproachfully from the top of her lungs and knocked on the door.

" What did you do?" Sala questioned in disbelief, but Haren remained silent.

" Go to bed. Master will deal with you as he will see fit when he returns but know this, " Sala paused", It won't be a light punishment." Sala warned, and the sound of receding heavy footsteps was the only thing that filled the suffocating silence.

" Maya!" Sala called in a motherly tone, " You can come out. He's gone," Sala grumbled from behind the door.

" No!" Maya croaked from behind the door, swallowing a sob and looked around, but it was pitch black.

" I'm not coming out, Sala. Would you be kind enough to bring me a change of clothes and a lamp? And if it's not too much trouble, look after Little Dak for a little while." Maya slid back down on the door, feeling broken, and shattered. Even though Haren had left, his touch still lingered on her skin, she could still feel his taste in her mouth, and she felt revulsed as his words echoed in her head and the wickedness in his eyes haunted her.

" Alright, my dear, but if you change your mind, there is plenty of room for both of us in my bed." Sala's motherly tone brought some comfort, but it wasn't enough to heal her broken trust and wounds.

As silence settled in, the memory of the earlier events started playing in her mind, his words, the way Haren had forced himself on her. It was far worse than she'd ever experienced, his touch and the evil that lay behind those eyes. It was harrowing, and it had marked the very centre of her being. To make matters worse, her thoughts drifted to Dakran and the crippling fear that once the daze of love had passed, Dakran would turn on her and treat her just like Haren did.

" I've brought all that you asked. Little Dak is in my chamber for now. I'll bring him to you later" Sala's voice broke her thoughts, returning her to the harsh reality. Alone, trapped, unable to leave those quarters.

" Thank you, Sala", Maya sniffled and pushed herself off the floor to stand up, holding on to her ripped nightgown, trying to cover herself.

" Haren has gone to bed, but you can stay in there for as long as you need. Not many things can get past this door." Sala reassured her, " Could you tell me what happened, dear." Sala's asked in a soothing motherly tone.

" Some other time, Sala. I would like to have some rest." Maya meekly replied, wiping her tears and letting out a heavy sigh.

" Alright, dear", Sala conceded and left

Maya waited for a few moments and unlocked the door, slowly opening the door just enough to grab what Sala had left for her and closing it as fast she could, fastening the locks on the door and checking them a few times just to make sure that she locked it.