serving the banquet of monsters

Freya's POV

" What are you doing here? You want to kill me finally?" I asked him, taunting him, enjoying how haphazard his gaze seemed to be.

He muttered a jabble of words and spittle, opening the cage door and dragging me out.

I expected a lot of things. A slap, maybe insults.

" I hate you..I hate you so much that my blood curdles just staring at you" he said, voice taunt.

Those words seemed like razors in the skin of my heart.

I did not remember being so touchy when it came to words, but I knew, that somehow, his words affected me more than I had bargained for.

" Well you can leave then. After all you want me dead in the fields " I said to him.

Now, in that dimly lit room, I could see pain enter his eyes as I said that.

One moment, I was standing in front of the bars, taunting him with my words and my eyes, and the next, the cage doors were flung open, pressing me on the wall, his body flush on mine.

" I hate you. I hate the thought of you and the sound of your voice. But this stupid heart of mine won't stop craving you" he said..

His voice came out in barely a whisper, as though he was embarrassed to have me hear him admit his weakness.

Him, all six pounds of him, pressed against me, his nose cuddling my ears as he breathed in the filth I had been rolling in, the mud not seeming to bother him as he stayed longer in the hug, every rub on the back disorienting me.

Why was I having such feelings for a beast like him?

He seemed to realize what he was doing now because he pulled away so swiftly, his eyes holding anger that I assumed was directed at me.

" You are not to leave this cell under any circumstances. And the next time my Luna asks to see you, you are to argue vehemently and refuse to leave.

You have a such a big mouth. I'm sure doing that would not be a problem to you" he said.

Now, I smirked.

" The next time your Luna calls me, I will answer, even if it means killing you and your pathetic monster guards" I said, causing his nose to flare up.

" You claim we are monsters but you are the one who shed more blood on the battle ground than any of us ever seen.

You are the real monster" he said.

The cage door slammed behind him in reckless abandon, causing the whole cage to quiver with the impact, and leaving me standing there, still smelling like filth, mind in a haze after the sudden switch of affection.

I knew time was a fickle thing. It tended to go by quickly or painfully slowly depending on what you did.

And now, time played with me, ticking with such agonizingly slow speed, my legs aching from being unable to sit, and my body begging to lay down.

It was dark out already when the cell door opened this man, who I had been introduced to yesterday as ray entered the cell, the look in his eyes unreadable as he muttered a gruff, come.

My legs moved forward quickly causing me to crash into the ground like a sack of potatoes.

" Are humans always this weak?" He said, irritation seeming to flow out of him in waves as he yanked me up, dragging me out of the cell.

I had gotten so accustomed to the rotten air that I had forgotten what fresh air smelt like.

It smelt like heaven.

We passed a lot of maids that gave us curious glances as they walked past us with huge trays of plates and what seemed to be food.

My stomach grumbled at the smell. Food.

The room ray led me into was mediocre at best. It did not have the fancy curtains that I expected, neither did it have much of a furniture.

But it was way better than the cell I had spent days in.

" Get into the shower and change into the clothes I laid out. I'm waiting here and you have ten minutes to do that. Make sure you scrub off those dirty hands of yours because you have to look presentable at best." He said.

I scowled at him.

" Maybe if you monsters did not place me in the dungeon I would look presentable" I said, legs shaking as I made my way into the bathroom.

Water felt like luxury on my skin, and the longer I spent in the bath, the more I wanted to drown in it, to stay here and forget the fact that I was the last human left in this cruel world.

But his knock came on the door angrily.

" Are you trying to kill yourself? What's taking you so long?" Ray asked, breaking the seal of serenity I had placed myself in.

Maybe if I could kill him I would be fine, maybe all I had to do was strangle him with this piece of clothing and relish on the life leaving his eyes.

But I didn't do that.

Instead, I put on the clothes and stepped out, hair still wet but sleeked back in a bun, eyes daring him.

He gave me a once over, nose curled up in the air as he stared at me, like I was gum stuck in his shoes.

I hated the nervous feeling that bubbled in my guts as he took me in.

" Good enough..I will give you a tray of drinks and all you have to do is walk into that hall and serve some people. He would find you himself" he said, leading me towards the rapid chatter of voices.

My throat tightened as I stared at the door. I was about to walk into a room filled with monsters who ruled the earth now. And I knew I was going to be a prey.