Chapter seven

Someone yanked her off the window and she blinked rapidly. It was an imagination.

She was still on the window contemplating on ending her life. There was no Eric. She scoffed immediately. She should have known it was too good to be true.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her saviour scolded. She turned to the maid. Valentine recognised her as one her roommates.

"Maya? What are you doing here? I thought the tower was forbidden" Valentine asked with surprise.

"It is. Alpha Eric sent me here to get his collar before you get your flesh all over it. He said I could give you a push after that" Maya answered.

Valentine couldn't believe her ears. She quickly looked out the window and those fierce eyes were staring back.

A cruel reality of her imagination. What even made her imagine that Eric would care?.

"Are you jumping or not?" Maya asked impatiently.

It seemed everyone in her world was just eager to get rid of her. She took off the collar and handed it to her. She waited for Maya to leave but she didn't.

"You have the collar, don't you? Go away".

"Get on the window so I can push you off. I don't want to disappoint him" Maya said like pleasing Eric was the best thing that could ever happen to her.

"And if you don't leave, it'll be your flesh on the collar" Valentine snapped. Maya gave a long look before leaving reluctantly.

Valentine sank to the floor, hugging herself. She was so sick of everyone. Her fellow human was willing to push her to her death just to please an animal.

And her mother...the reason she was stuck in this sick place had gone MIA. She hadn't set eyes on her since they started working. Maybe she was also trying to get rid of her.

She hoped it would all be a dream. Just maybe she would wake up to someone screaming her name.

Freya chuckled as Valentine related her ordeal. The rape wasn't funny but the fact that she actually thought Eric would care.

"I don't mean to laugh but you expecting Eric to care is like pouring water in a basket. Even if you were burning to ashes, Eric would never lift a hand to help" Freya snorted.

"But it's not right, Freya. His brother shouldn't be allowed to get away with this".

"Aldric is a dog, Val. He's tasted more than eighty percent of the female servants. You're not even the first pet Aldric is raping" Freya stated.

"I'm not?. What happened to the others? Where are they?" Valentine asked.

"His first pet was just as feisty as you. She was stubborn and very snarky" Freya paused for a second. Valentine stared curiously.

"He threw her off the tower" She added and Valentine went pale. She could imagine the poor girl screaming, falling and crashing to her death.

"He got another pet. She was submissive. Very quiet. She was the only pet who never broke his rules. She lasted longer than the rest".

"How long?" Valentine asked.

"Two weeks. He got bored of her and stabbed her to death with a fork" She shrugged and Valentine almost choked.

"He set the third on fire. I don't remember what she did to him. Tortured the fourth to death, the fifth was raped to death by soldiers and I don't remember the rest. Oh, he drowned the last one".

Valentine couldn't talk. The words were clear. He'd killed all his pets and she was going to be next.

"Nine pets and only one lasted two weeks. What makes me different, Freya?. I'm going to die, anyway. It doesn't matter if I obey him or not".

"I warned you about that tower, Val. You wouldn't be in this mess if you listened to me" Freya sighed.

"How was I supposed to know your gold and diamonds had chains and legs?" She fired.

"Then run away, Val. I can help you escape. You can leave and never come back" Freya said suddenly.

"Really? I can do that?".

"Ofcourse you can. I'll help you get away from here" Freya smiled. Valentine almost hugged her happily but a thought dropped and ruined it all.

"If that is true, why are you still here Freya?" She asked.

Freya was beyond shocked. She couldn't even find the words to speak.

"You know the way out, right? Why didn't you leave before now?" She asked again.

"I...I..I don't want to leave yet. But I can help you leave".

Valentine smiled and picked the bowl of fruits. She placed it in the second tray and turned to her.

"The queen asked for fruits, right? Let's serve her together" She smiled. Freya hesitated before nodding.

The queen was in the garden so they took the fruits to her there. Freya quickly bowed and she bowed as well. The soldiers made way for them.

"Drop it and leave" She heard a familiar voice. She couldn't place where she heard that voice. Freya dropped her tray on the high glass table and made way for her.

As soon as she saw the queen, the tray fell off her hand. Valentine couldn't believe it. It felt like her head was spinning.

This was the same lady Eric cuffed to the bed.

Eric was sleeping with the King's wife.

The Queen stared back at her with a deep frown.

"Val, are you okay?" Freya asked beside Valentine, who quickly regained herself and bent to pick the fruits.

"You careless fool" The queen snapped suddenly stepping on her hand. Valentine winced and tried pulling away but the heels had her hand stuck to the floor.

"I'm sorry...please let go...please.." Valentine pleaded but Freya had already been ordered to crush the fruits on the floor.

"Now feed it to her" The woman ordered. Valentine couldn't believe her eyes.

"But my queen..." Freya was saying when the guaeds drew their swords. She swallowed her words and gave Val an apologetic look.

"Please....let go. I'll eat it if that's what you want but please free my hand" Valentine pleaded but she didn't budge.

Freya scooped a handful of the crushed fruits and forced it into her mouth.

"Chew it" She ordered. Tears stung her eyes not because of the humiliation but because of her hand. Blood streamed out of the wound.

She chewed the fruit hoping she would release her but the queen seemed to have a different plan.

"Feed her more. Don't stop until she clears every bit of it. Even if you have to feed her with the sands as well" She ordered.

Freya couldn't do anything or defy her. She didn't want to loose her life. Valentine already broke into tears as the queen pinned the other hand too.

She couldn't even spit the fruit out. She had to swallow the sandy mass just so her hands could be freed. The queen sat comfortably, sipping her drink and enjoying her misery.

"Your highness" Freya greeted suddenly and bowed. Valentine hoped it was the king so he would save her but when she looked up, she realised how wrong she was.

It wasn't the king but the man she'd grown to despise. Now she knew her humiliation was going to be doubled.

"It's the pretty ass" He chuckled settling on the seat opposite the queen.

"You know her?" The queen asked.

"Eric's little pet of course. Do release her, you'll need those hands to serve you" He said and she finally released her.

Her hands trembled with blood streaming out. She couldn't even lift it off the floor. The heels had left very deep holes on both hands.

Freya reached to help her but one glare from the queen stopped her.

"Hurry up, pet. Five seconds to get off that floor or I'll step on those hands again" She warned.

Valentine tried but the pain was too much. She couldn't lift her hands no matter how much she tried.

"Three....." She heard and tears streamed down her cheeks. She lifted it and stood with the trembling hands.

"Since you couldn't serve fruits in a bowl, you should be able to serve drinks. Pop the champagne and serve" Aldric said.

"Make sure it doesn't spill or you won't like the outcome" She warned.

Valentine looked from her trembling hands to the champagne bottle.

She reached for it and tried lifting it with her wrists. She was able to lift from the table.

She carefully stood and tried fixing it under her arm so she could get the wine opener but it slipped off and crashed on the glass table.

Table cracked and the bottle shattered. The queen and Aldric moved away quickly.

Before she could blink, her face was slammed against the table with the shattered pieces of glass.