Chapter 21 Working hands
Isabella watched as he set her on her feet, and stepped away as though she was some kind of plague.
He stood there feet away from her, the belt still in his hands, his face cold and distant, his hands working his belt.
Reality dawned on her as though she had just been splashed with cold water.
“Lucien…please, do not leave me hanging,” She cried softly, her gown still raised to her waist, leaving her lower body exposed. She was drenched and dripping.
“You…you can't possibly leave me like this. You started it.” She accused, then sighed. “I'm not asking you to take me fully now.” Isabella couldn't believe the words she was spewing.
“I…I just need your fingers.” She took a step forward to meet him, but he stepped back, creating more distance between them.
Seeing that he was not going to respond, she unfolded the dress and let it fall. Her ass was still bare.
“Are you going to let me have that?” She pointed at the torn silk panties folded in his hands.
Even though it was torn, she could wear it. She couldn't go in bare, not with her dripping uncontrollably from the pain and pleasure.
Lucien sniffed the panties slowly before putting them gently in his pocket. “It's going to serve as a reminder.”
Isabella bit her lips till she was sure she'd tasted blood. He was torturing her. Keeping her panties with him as some sort of souvenir only made her wetter.
She tightened her thighs together. Her clit was on fire and throbbing.
“A reminder of what?” She managed to ask, barely holding it in.
“That the bond can make us do things we don't want to do.” He said arrogantly, his eyes not leaving her.
His words hit her. He'd not wanted to do it at all, according to his words. But he'd been sexually starved and had used her to satisfy himself. He'd fucking used her.
“Fix yourself. You reek of sex” he said and made his way to the ballroom.
“Was any of it real?” Her voice shook, stopping him in his tracks, but Lucien barely turned. “Six years ago, the claim of the bonds, everything. Was any of it real?”
“Fix yourself,” he muttered again as he left her alone in the garden.
Isabella looked around, unsure of what to do. She was dripping.
Groaning, she raised her gown back to her hips and sat down, legs wide open as she allowed the cool air hit her clit.
She moaned softly, her core aching. Lucien had humiliated her, made her beg for sex and left her hanging.
She sighed. She wasn't even asking for much. She just wanted his fingers inside her. She wanted him to work his magical hands, help satisfy the ache she was feeling inside of her.
She sighed as she stood up gently, the ache between her legs not allowing her walk properly.
Isabella worked her hands on her hair and smoothed it, but there was really nothing she could do.
Anyone with eyes and a nose would be able to tell what had just happened.
Slowly, she limped to the ballroom, standing in front of the door, trying to gain the momentum and courage to walk inside. The moment the door opened, all eyes turned on her.
“Is…is that?”
She could see the shock on their faces. Could see the question in their eyes, her dishevelled hair, her swollen lips and the way she walked.
She'd thought it'd be easy, her eyes faced forward, her ears to the ground, not paying attention to whatever they were saying, but it was hard. She should have just stayed outside.
Looked for a way to return back to her private quarters rather than this show of humiliation, this show of shame.
She trained her blurry eyes to find Lucien only to see him with some vampires, a few tables away, a glass in hand.
His eyes met hers, she glanced at his face, before making her eyes travel to his shaft. There was a faint bulge in his trousers.
She nodded in satisfaction. Her heart is tightening less. Good, she wasn't the only one suffering.
The people in the room were still whispering and pointing at her, unabashedly.
“His Majesty came in earlier than she did. Did he abandon her?”
“She looks lonely. His Majesty had used her for his pleasure.”
“She's just a mere sexual tool”
“Look how lonely she is”
And so, the words travelled to her ears.
Lucien who was supposed to be by her side, protecting her, was the one causing more tongues to wag in her direction.
Mira appeared at her elbow. “Been looking for you, you…” She stopped as she took in Isabella's appearance.
“Are you okay?”
“I'm tired,” Isabella said quickly. Too quickly.
She wanted to scream that she wasn't okay. Her legs throbbed. She could barely walk.
“Did his Majesty?” She trailed, her eyes blazing.
“Just take me out of here, without making a fuss please,” Isabella whispered. She could feel the tears gathering. It was only a matter of time before she broke down.
“Help me get to my chambers,” She practically begged.
Mira nodded, offering her arm for support. Together they navigated the burning eyes that followed Isabella as she walked.
She tried. Tried her best to walk normally. Tried not to act on the throbbing ache in her legs and ass, tried to ignore the air that kissed her ass as she walked.
She exhaled the moment they were out of the hall, the tears immediately finding their way to her cheeks, breaking out like a dam.
Mira whisked Isabella back to her chambers.
“What happened?” She asked, the moment the door closed.
Isabella smiled bitterly. “He proved a point.” Her laugh was brittle and mirthless. “Said that the bond can make us do things we do not want to do.”
She couldn't mention the humiliation, the begging. Her face burned.
“Let me help you with your dress,” Mira offered and before Isabella could decline, she reached for the dress and unzipped it.
Isabella closed her eyes in shame as the dress fell, exposing her bare ass and the welts crisscrossing across her ass. Anyone with sense would be able to tell this was from a belt.
“He did this to you?” Mira raged, her voice filled with fury.
“It was mutual,” She let out the hollow laugh again. “I let him do this to me.”
She turned with difficulty, facing Mira again. “Do you know how pathetic you have to be, to allow someone to humiliate you, bend you over, your ass held high as he spanks you?”
“You're not pathetic,” Mira consoled.
Isabella shook her head. “Don't patronise me, Mira. I know I am. I know I am because he asked me to count as he spanked me and I did.”
“You think that's terrible?” She continued when she saw Mira widen her eyes. “He threatened to stop spanking me and I begged.”
She looked away, the tears in her eyes replaced by anger.
“I begged him not to stop. I begged him not to stop the humiliation.”
She walked slowly to the mirror. “And when he stopped, making me ache and want for more, discarding me like I was a piece of trash he'd just used, I told him he didn't have to take me in. He could just use his fingers.”
She spunned. “I begged for sex, Mira. Begged my mate to finger me in an open garden where anyone could have walked in on us. I begged to be used.”
Mira shook her head, her eyes teary as Isabella spoke.
“You were only being human, and he used it against you.”
Isabella shook her head. “Do you know what it means to raise your gown and sit on the stone, your legs wide open so the cool night breeze can blow your wetness dry?”
Mira took her hands. “You wanted it. It's not your fault. He used you. You should never blame yourself for wanting it.”
She walked to the closet and brought out Isabella’s nightwear, helping the distraught woman wear it before walking to the bathroom and bringing out a salve.
“This should heal the marks in a few days.” She said, leading Isabella to the bed.
Isabella lay face down on the bed, as Mira carefully applied the cooling ointment to her abused skin. She cried out softly, each touch making her skin burn.
“By morning, you should be a lot better.” Mira stood up, returning the salve. “I'll see you in the morning, Ms Thorne.”
“Thank you so much, Mira,” Isabella called out appreciatively as Mira shut the door behind her.
She looked around. Now, she was left alone, her body aching, but worse, her heart felt like it would burst.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to forget the humiliation.
Tomorrow was another day. The tongues would wag. She was sure everyone knew what had happened. The news had flown throughout the palace. She would face tomorrow when it came, but for now, she would sleep.