Maybe he expected me to contradict his claim to be a devil, but I wasn't that good a liar.
If there were a devil, they would probably be a men that in my world belonged to them.
When Fu Shao got in front of me, I had to tilt my head back to look him in the face.
"That blood on the sheets needs a story," he said simply as he brought the knife up. I flinched and he murmured.
"That's six times."
He hooked the blade under the edge of the bodice of my wedding dress and slowly moved the knife down.
The fabric gave way until it finally pooled at my feet. The blade never once touched my skin.
"It's tradition in our clans to undress the bride like this."
His clans had many disgusting traditions.
Finally, I stood before him in my tight white corset with its laces in the back and my panties with the bow over my butt.
Goosebumps covered every inch of my body. his gaze was like fire on my skin. So I drew back.
"8th," he said quietly.
An anger surged in through me.
If he was tired of me flinching away from him, then maybe he should stop being so intimidating.
"Turn around now."
And I did as he ordered, and the sharp intake of his breath made me regret it instantly.
He moved closer and I felt a gentle tug on the bow that was holding my panties up.
'A present to be unboxing'
How could any man possibly resist?'
The words of his stepmother popped unwantedly into my head. So I knew that below the bow the top of my butt would be in the open.
Shen Mi. Shen Mi.
Say something now to distract him from that stupid bow over your butt.
"You already bled for me," I said in a nervous voice, and then almost inaudible.
"Please don't."
My father would be ashamed of my open display of weakness. But he was a man. The world was his for the taking.
Women were his for the taking and we women were always supposed to give without protest.
But he didn't say anything but his knuckles brushed the skin between my shoulder blades as he raised the knife to my corset.
With a hiss the fabric came apart under the blade. I brought my hands up before that barrier of protection could fall as well and pressed the corset against my chest.
He wrapped his arm across my chest possessively, trapping my arm under his and gripped my shoulder, pressing me against him.
I gasped when something hard poked me in the lower back. That wasn't his gun. Heat flooded my cheeks and fear gripped my body.
His lips brushed my ear.
"Tonight you beg me to spare you, but one day you're going to beg me to eat you."
No. Never, I swore to myself. His breath was hot against my skin and I closed my eyes.
"Don't think because I don't claim my rights tonight that you aren't mine, Shen Me. No other man will ever have what belongs to me. You are mine."
I nodded, but he wasn't done yet.
"If I catch a man kissing you, I'll cut out his tongue. If I catch a man touching you, I'll cut off his fingers, one at a time. If I catch a guy eat you, I'll cut off his dick and his balls, and I'll feed them to him. And I'll make sure you watch."
He dropped his arm and stepped back.