Chapter 18: THE TOYED

~DAHLIA

I woke up weak and hating myself. 

Seeing that the sun had risen again today made me groan in dissatisfaction. I had half expected the gods whom I had insulted last night to get pissed off with me and decide to end the entire world. 

I had expected that there would be no new day. I guess it was too much to ask for and I released another groan of dissatisfaction. 

Yet while I was still struggling through the denial of living, a knock resonated on my door. 

I let out a loud frustrated cry, hoping that it would be enough to chase whoever it was away but this person remained persistent with their knocks. I even tried covering myself up with my blankets. 

"If I ignore them, they would go away. . ." I groaned.

But the knocks turned into heavy poundings against my door. "Ms Dahlia, if you don't open up soon, I will be forced to get one of the Lords to break down the door." 

"Go away!" I screamed angrily this time as panic began to sip into my bones. 

The last thing I wanted was to see the faces of those demon triplets first thing into this morning. 

"Master Vladimir himself sent me to you," She added, ignoring my request to be left alone. 

Hearing the name of that monster though was enough to jolt me out of bed. I gritted my teeth as I walked to the door. I unlocked it carefully before pulling the door open enough for the maid to see me. 

She gasped when she took me in and I realised at that point that I probably looked a sorry state. 

"A— are you okay? You have bite marks on your skin and they have turned purple!" She exclaimed. 

I jumped immediately and began to try covering up my body but what was the point. She had already seen them. 

"Why are you here?" I demanded instead. "What does Vladimir want?" 

She bowed immediately. "He demanded that you make yourself available for breakfast. It begins in ten minutes." 

I bit down hard on my teeth as I watched her, trying not to show my true feelings in the process.

Indeed, the monsters were trying to imprint their faces into my mind first thing in the morning. 

"I will be there," I managed to say. 

She bowed again and turned to leave. I shut the door immediately and released a soundless scream before dragging myself into the washroom. I took a quick shower and walked to my closet. 

I was going to pick a decent dress like my mother had instructed but I decided at the last minute that there was no reason to dress up for them. 

After all, King Viktor was not home. I could wear whatever I wanted. Screw Vladimir and his insane brothers!

So I picked out a loose t-shirt and a pair of large pants. I combed my hair back and stopped to look into the mirror. 

The bite marks were visible on my neck and arms. There was no way that I could hide it so it was better to let them see what they had done to me. Perhaps, the guilt would eat at them as punishment if I was lucky.

Satisfied, I walked out of my room and soon arrived at the flight of stairs down the hall. I carefully made my way down and I noticed that my legs had stopped trembling like they were doing last night. 

I sighed heavily and entered the dining room. I met Vladimir at the head seat, where Viktor usually sat and he smirked at me. 

"No fancy dresses today? Interesting. . ." He muttered. 

I ignored him and got into my seat. I was not going to let my fear of the triplets show. After what they did to me last night, they did not deserve any respect nor did they have any authority over me. 

"I think the clothes suit her perfectly," Cassius said instead and flashed me his charming smile. 

Orion only scoffed and continued having his breakfast like we were all invisible. And for a moment, I found myself remembering his kisses and full possession of me last night.

"Do you know what else suits her?" Vladimir suddenly said. 

I looked up from my plate and stared at him, almost as if I was daring him to say something stupid. 

When did I become so bold in their presence? Wow, what they say really has to be true. Fucking a man helps to reduce one's fear of them. 

"Her bite scars and she'll be getting more. . ." Vladimir answered. 

My gaze narrowed at him and I wanted to attack him for it but I decided to be quiet. There was no reason for me to start a losing battle. It was clear that only him alone could overpower me. There was no reason for me to get ahead of myself.

"I like my women submissive. . . You intrigue me, Dahlia," he went on. "Right from the day you ran into me at that club." 

I hissed as I looked up at him. Was he deliberately provoking me to make me lose my cool?

"I'm not your woman," I stated firmly even if my voice came out quieter than I expected. 

"That's right, you're not," Cassius joined in. "You're our woman." 

I parted my lips at his response. "There will be no such thing. We are supposed to be step siblings." 

Vladimir suddenly broke into laughter. "See that is where you are wrong, Dahlia. This does not stop today." 

I narrowed my eyes on him. "What do you mean?" 

He stayed quiet and I moved my eyes to his other brothers. They all had a knowing smile, except for Orion who was always the odd one out.

Eventually, Vladimir decided to be the one to break the silence that was beginning to haunt me. 

"What happened last night will not stop. This is just the beginning of more sinful erotic escapades to come, little sister," He revealed. 

Sudden anger seized my soul and I lost my cool as I shot to my feet. 

"Have you lost your mind?”