Chapter 31 Collared
\[Lilia\]
Kael was right. We were late. The tunnel that we came to was the passage right to this place. A whole new city right beyond the one that I know of. But the thing is, it is more like an underground dome, completely hidden in plain sight. The sea of grass I saw right above this place was its façade.
Floodlights were put throughout the dome, providing artificial illumination throughout the whole structure. My eyes couldn’t keep from roving around the place. My mouth opened as I kept my distance close to Kael as we paced through the throng of people.
Bewilderment is an understatement.
Aside from that, this place is massive and could take up the whole city. The thing that really baffled me was that there were lots of people holding another person on a leash like they were some pets. One more thing, they only wore pieces of strings that only covered their genitals, and their bodies were adorned with dangling pieces of jewelry and glitter painted all over them, both either males and females.
Like pets on a show set. Literally.
I was horrified. My lips curled in disgust. This is plainly inhumane—a form of degrading a human being into some sort of mindless creature. The only thing I consider fortunate in their situations was that they weren’t commanded to crawl on their knees as they walked behind their masters so lifeless, and the people handling their leashes carried whips for lashing.
I was scared at first when Kael told me that we were back in the auction house. I’ve seen the worst in this place. Leering gazes were thrown at me when I was being put on a show for the bidding.
Katarina, or I believed that was her name, the woman carefully selected us, deeming us good items to be displayed and sold. At that moment, I was holding my breath for the longest time possible, wondering about how my life would turn out, but I guess I wasn’t unfortunate enough, unlike them.
I still remember that young girl I came with here to this place. I wonder who had purchased her. The thought of her being with someone as cruel as those people who treated them like animals made my heart clench. She’s so young to experience all of this.
Those memories came flooding in, and I have no idea why he had to take me back to this hellhole—the very first place where my torments began, the second is his mansion.
We were all blindfolded when we were taken, and when Val took me out, we came through a small tunnel. What I had in mind when he said that was the same thing I have seen in the movies, like some building or some kind of casino-like ambiance, not a whole artificial city or underground dome, or whatever this place is called.
He said we would be going to an auction, but there were so many establishments around the vicinity.
Kael’s bodyguards were flocking around us. They all had big guns slung across their body and earpieces like the one I saw from Val. Also, that big guy is nowhere to be seen. Right after we came to this place, he and Kael sort of had a private conversation, leaving me inside the car for a moment before he came back to fetch me.
My attention went back to those people on leashes. Aya seemed to have known where we were going for dressing me up like this, and after seeing those people, I kind of feel a little bit overdressed for someone following their masters. Not that I am complaining, and for the record, I do not call Kael, a “master.”
He doesn’t seem to bother, though.
“You’re going to be needing this. A beacon that no one can dare touch you.” Kael suddenly spoke. He was holding a circlet entirely embedded with diamond beads with clasps on it and a dangling diamond piece in the shape of a teardrop right at the center like a pendant larger than my thumb, and I bet it was worth more than my entire life.
In addition to it was a rectangular gold tag with his name written in a fancy and an intricate pattern of his name.
I was confused at first, but it dawned on me what exactly that thing was.
“Why do I have to wear that?” I gawked in disbelief, my gaze darting back and forth from the fancy collar in his hand and back to his face.
There’s no way I am going to wear that thing. I am not some animal he brought here to brandish around.
I can take all the things he had done to my body, to cause me so much pain physically and mentally, he can not—I cannot let him do this to me like I have no feelings.
His face suddenly hardened, his expression turned cold with my response, and he yanked my arms closer to him. I hissed, teetering on my heels, my face contorted in misery from the torture of his grip as he lifted me to my toes. My body twisted awkwardly as my feet were almost hovering above the ground.
“I believe you’ve already seen the pets in here.” He growled against my ear. A whimper came and tore through my lips, feeling that my arms would dislocate from my shoulders as I looked at Kael’s seething face as he went on, “All were leashed. You should consider yourself lucky for only wearing a diamond collar instead of studded leather.”
I stare at him, my chest pounding loudly against my ribcage, fear and humiliation slamming like a ton of bricks.
“Break her bones, so she’ll learn her place!” Someone from a distance shouted, followed by ruptures of laughter ricocheting around us.
My face flushed, biting down my lips so hard to keep myself from sobbing. I looked at those people on a leash. I could feel their pity burning at the back of my head like they were telling me to obey Kael.
“Yeah! leash the little bitch!” Another one screamed, hyping up the others.
How can they be so heartless? I am a human too. We... How can they treat us like some animals they picked up from a zoo?
Kael’s stern glare seared my face. His grip tightened around my arms, eliciting a gasp.
“See that, кукла (kukla)? Do you want me to leash you?” His voice’s dangerously low and threatening, jaw clenching. His mossy eyes had darkened to the point that they were almost completely black, like one of the devils.
The same Kael that put a gun on my head.
I heaved, my breath swallowed, and I could feel one lone tear fall down from the corner of my eyes.
The thing that happened between us back in the car or even the night before, the gentleness he showed me for a split second.
I’m a fool to believe that something had changed, even just by a little. But no, he hasn’t. That was all just a play to him—his leisure time to enjoy himself, disregarding someone else’s feelings.
Invalidating my free will.
“I don’t want to be here.” I cried, my lower lips quivering in fear.
I just want to be in my room. To hide underneath my blanket. I don’t want to be here.
The people around us only threw their laughing stares, and my petite frame shrunk and I felt utterly mortified. I just want to vanish and fade into dust at this point.
“No one cares what you want. Now stay close behind me like a good little кукла (kukla).” He let go of me harshly, pushing my body down, and I stumbled backward, tripping on my heels and tumbling to the ground. Pain erupted on my body, my bruises hadn't completely healed yet, and it appeared that I'd be getting another batch.
Kael sank to his knees and brought his face up to mine. His gaze fixed on my face as he raised the collar and clasped it around my neck.
My body automatically flinched at his touch, trembling uncontrollably.
Like a madman drastically changing his emotions, his stare softens as he examines my crooked figure, and he inhales sharply and talks calmly, as though he hasn’t just terrorized me.
“Get up, кукла (kukla), and keep your eyes down.”
He’s a lunatic. How can his temper switch so drastically?