Malkan's face hardened. "What do you mean?"
"I was wondering if we could pick up our conversation where we left it before you sent me off to rob the mage."
Here goes nothing.
Malkan's fingers circled into a fist. "You mean the conversation where I smashed a chair up on this wall and swore it'll be your body that would hit the wall if you ever brought it up again?"
"Before you do that, you should know something."
"Out with it," Malkan was barely maintaining himself from not punching Eli in the face, but Eli couldn't back out now.
"You know, before I came here, I had a detour and visited some jewelers we both know." Eli talked so fast she doubted Malkan understood. Suddenly there was not enough air in the room.
Malkan went rigid. "And?"
"And I might have mentioned that you... um, want to know how much the ruby is worth."
A vein pooped out on his temple. "You fucking bitch..."
"I just wanted to know how much it's worth," Eli threw her hands before her, stepping back. The blood rushed to her face. Malkan made no move to jump on her. Eli was draining all of his little joy to see her alive, and it was about to end.
"Did you now?"
"It's worth five thousand gold coins Malkan. And I know it had some sort of magic in it. But even magic aside, I owed you one thousand gold coins. You said it yourself, remember?
You said no one would buy me, so you were stuck with me, and I had to pay you back for keeping and raising me. Last time we discussed it, you said all I ever did for you would not cover even half a thousand coins.
But I fetched you the ruby now, didn't I? Even if we forget every hustle we had together, every dirty job I had done for you, I could've died for confronting the mage or even touching the ruby. But now that I am back, I know I have given you more than you said I owed you. So… are we even now?... Will you let me go?"
Eli didn't realize she was crying until she finished talking. Her hands were visibly shaking, her lips trembling, and her heart was beating.
She felt more vulnerable than ever, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she was standing naked. Encountering Malkan was never safe. That's why Eli preferred to ignore her problems away. It was much a less painful strategy. But now, she had to choose between angering Malkan and getting killed by the mage.
Malkan was barely breathing. His eyes had bulged out of their sockets, and his ears and neck went red.
"You ungrateful backstabbing fucking whore!" Malkan yelled, shouting each word louder than the other. "Did you really think we're even?"
He stepped toward Eli, and she felt her back touching the wall behind her. But Malkan had passed the point to be merciful. "No one gave a shit about you. No one wanted you, even as their fucking slave! You weren't as good as being somebody's dog, and now you think we're even?!"
Eli's knees couldn't hold her weight any longer, and she slid onto the floor, hugging her knees, crying her eyes out.
"Now you bring me a piece of rock, and you think you don't owe me anymore? That you have fucking paid for every meal I put into your ungrateful mouth, the shelter I gave your sorry ass, the techniques I taught you over the years to survive? Do you think a fucking ruby would even out all that? Even out you?"
Eli covered her face with her hands. "Malkan, please..."
She hated herself for crying, hated Malkan, hated the fucking mage; she hated every second of her life.
"And what exactly do you plan to accomplish so severely when free? Huh? Did you actually think this through, or did it not occur to that stupid head of yours?"
Malkan was standing right above her, shouting. "What's your ganna do, Eli? You wanna find a job? You wanna suck some loser's cock and con him into marrying you? You know nothing about living on your own, you moron."
Malkan squared his shoulders. For a few seconds, there was only the sound of Eli crying and birds chirping. But apparently, Malkan wanted to torment her more. He started talking, but this time, he didn't yell. His voice was lower, darker, and threatening.
"And let's say you did manage to find a clown to tie the knots with you or even give you a house to clean. What do you think happens when they find out about your past? Discover the things I did to you. The things you did in your past? You think they will accept you? You think they would want you after that? Because nobody wanted you when you were useless, let alone now that they consider you a parasite of their society."
Malkan looked down on Eli. "You're nothing to no one."
His hands unclasped his fist and went to his waist, unbuckling his belt. "Kneel by the chair."
Eli looked at him through her wet lashes. The big lump in her throat was so painful she couldn't breathe. She was shaking, and she hated that too.
She sniffed her nose and, without saying a word got up and went to the wingback chair before the window, lightened by the white rays of noon.
Arguing was pointless, as always.
She knelt facing the wingback, put her elbows on the cushion, and lowered her head, waiting for the belt to land, adding injury to the new ones the mage caused.
She heard Malkan's heavy steps as he walked towards her and stood before her. She remained patient for her punishment, even though she couldn't stop her body from trembling.
They remained motionless, for it seemed to be an eternity. For a while, nobody moved.
Malkan eventually sighed deeply and dropped his belt beside Eli's knee. "Fucking hell Eli, you'll be the end of me one day."
Malekan bent over her and grabbed the back of her neck tightly. "This is the last time you're talking about leaving. You understand?"
"Yes," Her voice is barely a whisper.
"Yes, what?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Ass up."
It took her a few seconds to realize what Malkan had in mind. Without protest, she arched her back down, making her ass pop up. Malkan knocked at her knees with his bare feet, pushing her part her legs.
"Look at me."
Eli lifted her chin upward to look at him, baring her throat to him, her tears drying on her face. Malkan let go of the nape of her neck and grabbed her throat. His grip was tight, yet not painful as last night. His other hand roamed her ass, softly stroking her. His fingertips touched her entrance, yet he moved them quickly enough to prevent her from relishing the touch.
She knew she shouldn't want him, but there she was, craving for his dick deep inside her. Eli knew Malkan well enough to know he was angrier to give in to her any time soon, and to her surprise, that made her yearn for him more.
"Please..."
"You know you don't deserve it now. All you get from me now is this."
He spanked Eli on the ass hard.
Eli jolted from the touch, and blood rushed under her skin, burning her.
"Count."
Why did all the men in her life want her to count the pain?
"One."
Another slap landed on her.
"Two."
Another.
"Three."
His hand anchored the same spot, over and over, in the middle of her ass, hitting both her butt cheeks, slapping her entrance gently enough to turn her on and tough enough to make her yelp.
"Four."
"You didn't earn to enjoy it, so quit being a filthy whore." Malkan stared down at her, scouring her eyes.
He smacked her again.
"Five."
The chair rattles and grows taut.
"Keep still."
She was so horny it was killing her. All she wanted was for Malkan to fuck her. Her skin was on fire, her sex itching for his touch.
His hand landed on her again.
"Malkan..." She started.
"I said count."
"Six." Tears pooled in her eyes again.
His hand whacked her one more time. She closed her eyes.
"Look at me."
Eli obeyed as he hit her one more time. Beads of sweat on Malkan's forehead glistened under sunlight. His hands were stroking her again, toying with the pink skin. Every inch of his touch made Eli whimper.
"Seven."
"I won't be so merciful the next time. You understand?"
"Yes, sir."
He spanked her again, harder this time.
"Eight." Regardless of the fact that she was burning inside and out, she didn't want to back down.
"You're mine, Eli."
"Nine."
"Say it," his voice shaking.
"I'm yours," a tear escaped her eye.
He smacked her harder than before. Eli shrieked a bit.
"Ten."
Malkan released her. Eli collapsed on the floor. She had no energy left.
Malkan grabbed his black shirt, gazing down at Eli while wearing it. Eli could see the bulge of his erection beneath the fabric of his pants. She wanted to touch it despite being too feeble to lift a finger.
"No, you're not getting any of this, remember?" Malkan said to her as if reading her thoughts.
He was the master of self-control -anger management aside. Eli despised him even more for desiring him and hated herself for doing a poor job of hiding it.
"I'm off for some meetings by the river. Tell Baroo to give you something to eat. You're pale as a fucking ghost."
Eli wanted to mention that is because he torture-fuck the hell out of her, but she kept her mouth shut. Her skin was burning, leaving her little energy to say anything.
Malkan headed for the door. Before opening it, He turned around, one hand on the doorknob, scanning Eli one last time. "Take a few days off, get drunk in some bar, pick a fight, bring it all out. But then, when you return, I don't want to hear one more word about that bullshit."
Eli summoned all the energy left in her, pulling herself up to her elbows, "Yes, sir."