That was going to leave a mark.
My vision blurred and faded to black around the edges. I closed my eyes then and knew no more.
Chapter Eleven
Jax
“Commander Strohass, please,” I breathed, unable to process the words he had just said.
“Jax, stand down,” Zaavyr muttered, placing his hand on my chest. He was glaring in Aedan’s direction, daring him to disobey him. Neither of us did though. We choose to follow him. We had no choice to follow Strohass though.
“Fucking asshole. Can he do that?” Aedan roared in my head.
“Unfortunately,” I growled in return.
“Calm down, men,” Zaavyr warned.
Strohass grinned in our direction and I wanted to throw up on him. His teeth were crooked and yellow, and everything about him sickened me. I hated him. He met my gaze, and, in that moment, I knew he hated us too.
“I want her clean. Wash her clean of any of you. None of this fucking jewelry either. I want her completely naked, on her knees, delivered right to my door,” Strohass commanded.
My blood ran cold as he held my gaze, grinning.
I knew what would happen if we gave her to him.
He’d scar every single inch of her skin. Beat her until she bled. Rape her again and again. He’d kill her, and he’d enjoy every moment of her suffering.
“She’ll be waiting for you tomorrow, sir,” Coltan responded, his voice steady.
“Hold, men,” Zaavyr commanded once more.
Strohass smirked before he turned away and walked out of the dining hall.
It took everything in my power not to run after him and slice his throat myself.
It was the most tempting thought I’d ever had in my life.
As soon as he left the room, the four of us knelt down to check on Kira. Her vitals seemed alright, so I gripped her by the waist and gently threw her over my shoulder.
She didn’t open her eyes, nor did she speak or anything. She was unresponsive. The dickhead had probably knocked her out cold.
We rushed back to our chambers, leaving the rest of our dinners uneaten. Food wasn’t important right now, Kira was. When we got there, I put her down carefully on the first soft thing I saw, the couch in our sitting room.
I pressed a finger to her neck and was grateful to find that she still had a pulse. Turning her head, I cringed at seeing her pale cheek marred by a deep red color. It was going to bruise within hours. It would take days to fully heal.
Coltan got a glass of water and Aedan retrieved a pillow and blanket. Zaavyr stood by and observed closely, and I waited with him.
Now that we were safe from prying eyes in our chamber, I could think and not just react with anger. I sat down on the floor and pressed my palms to either side of my skull.
My skin flashed red with anger.
Think, Jax. Think.
What could we do now?
Fuck. That couldn’t have gone any worse than it did. I’d known she wasn’t ready. I could see it in her when we had tested her, the urge to run and fight hidden behind her manifested submission. She was a rebel, through and through.
She’d done so well. I thought she had deserved a reward. How could we have been so stupid?