LOGINGabrielFor a moment, everything went silent.All I could see was her—Elysia—her body on the ground. She looked thin, pale, like she was inches away from death. And just the thought of her carrying my child, going through all of this… I should have been here sooner.I felt something inside of me snap.The air shifted immediately. A wave of power rolled off me, and it felt like every single person there felt it. All the slaves, including the buyers and the guards, fell to their knees, bowing.The one who had held the whip stared at me with fear, the whip slipping from his hands and falling to the ground.I walked slowly to where he was.He bowed immediately. “King Gabriel,” he said.The moment he lifted his head, I grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He choked for air, clawing at my hand, but I didn’t let go.“She’s mine,” I said coldly.“I didn’t know,” he forced the words out as he begged for forgiveness.I looked around. Everyone’s head was bowed in fear.I never wa
Gabriel I found myself in the woods. It was foggy. I couldn’t really see clearly. I kept moving, but I quickly realized I was lost. “Help me…” I began hearing voices coming from every direction. “Hello?” I said. “Is someone there?” The voice came again. “Help me…” I moved towards the direction where I assumed the person would be. The fog was thick, but from a distance, I could see a figure. When I got closer, it felt like the person was disappearing, but I saw her eyes. Those were the eyes that, even in the thickest darkness, I could recognize. Elysia. I ran. I called her with everything I had in me, but she was gone. I was left there in the foggy darkness. I screamed her name, but there was no response. My eyes shot open. I was covered in sweat. I quickly sat up, realizing it was a dream. My chest was rising and falling, but I didn’t know why it felt like that wasn’t just a dream. It felt like a part of her was trying to reach out to me. “Zaine, did you feel that too?” My
ElysiaI opened my eyes slowly. I wasn't sure if this was the second or third time I was passing out and waking up. I was still tired. My hands were sore. My legs didn’t touch the ground, and I was stripped completely naked. I felt like the blood flow to my hands had stopped. Everywhere hurt.I should have listened to Lily and stayed put. I never should have tried to escape.The door opened again, and this time, the amount of fear that gripped me was like nothing I had ever felt before. From the door, I could tell that it was night, but whenever the door was locked, there was no way of telling if it was day or night because of how dark this place gets. And I wasn't sure how many days I had survived in this place.The guard that walked in—he saw me. His eyes were dark with evil intent. I felt so powerless and disgusted at how he was looking at me.“You are so beautiful,” he said as he moved closer to me.“Stay away from me,” I yelled with the last bit of strength I had left.He scoffed
GabrielI hadn't left my room in days. I wasn't even sure how many days had passed. I just sat on the chair, watching the sun rise and fall.I was a king. I was supposed to be able to find her. But I had searched everywhere. My guards had been everywhere. It felt like she fell off the face of the earth.Where the hell could she have gone? Who the hell would have taken her?I wasn't myself. I was inches away from madness. I've had sleepless nights just thinking about her.Maybe… I was never supposed to get anything that would give meaning to my life, that would make me happy, because just once, when I thought, okay, my life wouldn't be as miserable as I thought it was, I was going to have it—her, my child—she was just gone.I got up from the chair I had been sitting on and walked to my bed slowly. I lay down on it, staring at nothing.The door swung open. My head turned immediately, and Sylvie walked in.“What are you doing here?” I asked, staring at the ceiling.She didn’t respond imm
ElysiaI didn't sleep that night. Every single time I closed my eyes, images of the girls that were sold at the auction played in my head. Some begged; they forced them into dresses and auctioned them like they were some cheap commodities. I couldn't believe that that would be me.I shook my head. No, I wouldn't let that happen to me.It was raining outside, and the cell where we were was dripping badly from the rain. Lily lay in the corner, her body shaking, small. The one sheet that was given to us, she had used it to cover me. I took it off slowly and covered her with it. She needed it more than me. She was too young for this.I felt so bad, but there was nothing I could do.I wanted to move to another corner that wasn't wet, but the entire floor was. As I pushed myself up, pain shot through my entire leg. I wasn't even sure if my leg was healing anymore because the numbness I had been feeling had become worse, though the pain had reduced.I walked to the iron bars. If only I could
ElysiaMy entire body was killing me. Pain came from everywhere. I hadn't showered in days, and my foot—I was pretty sure it was infected. The swelling didn’t stop; it only got worse. The pain had spread all the way to my knee. I had cried so much, it felt like the tears in my eyes had run out.“Are you okay?” Lily asked, her voice filled with so much concern.Ever since I met her that day, the guards had kept us together. They wanted her to take care of me so that I would appear ready for sale. No one wanted to buy me because of my foot. Just thinking about it devastated me.“I’m fine,” I said, my voice cracking. I was shivering from the unbearable cold.It had been six days, and I had foolishly hoped—just maybe—someone would come to save me. I was stupid for thinking that. I had run from Gabriel straight into the worst misery of my life.The way the guards looked at me, even with my condition—they gave me filthy looks, staring at my body. Thinking about it disgusted me.And Lily—sh
GabrielIt had been thirty days—thirty straight days of restlessness and lack of sleep. I never thought it possible to be obsessed with a person, but I was… and I didn’t even know her name.I sat in my study, sunlight slipping in through the tall windows. Carl stood in front of me. I saw his mouth
ElysiaI had expected my room to feel more spacious, but the more of my stuff I took in, the smaller the room became.I didn’t know why. No matter how hard I tried, I still ended up folding my clothes really slowly, but when I was done, I closed my trunk, and the sound made it feel much more real.
Elysia“Elysia… Elysia,” Sylvie called behind me, but I didn’t stop. I walked faster.It felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I would pass out any minute now. I was slowly becoming dizzy, but I still didn’t stop. I was totally confused and had not even a single clue where I was going.By the time I re
GabrielHer body felt warm against mine.Her fingers were everywhere, slowly sliding down my chest with so much ease. She knew my body all too well. There was a time I enjoyed her touching me like this, but right now, I wasn't even aroused, even with her naked body pressed against mine.“You don't







