Soft fingers caress my cheek, their action stirring me from my sleep as throbbing pain radiates through my face. I feel no electricity from this touch. It’s not my Chris touching me. Despair and disgust swirl inside me. As I start to wake up, I try once again to reach out through my link to Chris, but there’s nothing there. It hurts, not just my heart but my very soul. Chris and I haven’t been apart for more than a few hours since we met. To be this far away from him is unbearable. “Time to wake up, my love. We’re home,” I hear the Emperor’s voice gently whisper. I know which home he means, and it’s not the one I want. I slowly manage to open my eyes, now aware of the painful throbbing in my face and head. I can tell my cheek is swollen; my cheekbone is definitely broken. I slept through the entire plane ride. I was too emotionally and physically exhausted to stay awake. I wasn’t afraid to sleep around the Emperor; while I don’t doubt he’d hurt me if I step out of line – he’s alre
Soon I notice the dense forest parting and opening up into a landscape that takes my breath away. This must be the kingdom of Longsang. We drive along a cliff-side that sees over a river of crystal blue water. There are several small waterfalls, each with bridges running over them. The largest waterfall comes from the mountain to our right. We pass homes, structures, and pavilions everywhere, even along the side of the mountain or on top of cliffs. There are people everywhere just going about their lives with their homes nestled among lush greenery and plum blossom trees everywhere. We keep driving until eventually driving between two cliff faces until the space opens up to the most beautiful palace I’ve ever seen. The traditional Chinese structure is surrounded by mountains and is at least five stories high and mostly red; from the tiles to the wooden rails and beams. The pillars are all black with gold seals on the front that show two snakes facing each other. Lanterns hang from ev
Mei has been gone a full twenty-four hours, but it feels like it’s been years. I feel like I’m slipping into madness. Axel is consumed by rage, and I’m just filled with despair. I still can’t believe he attacked Amelia. I’m even more shocked he was able to get the jump on her at all – she outranks us. The suite is still a mess. When I returned to the suite I saw the dinner I’d set up for Mei and me just sitting there untouched, I broke down. As did Axel. We were supposed to have a romantic evening with the woman we love and instead she was taken from us. It was too much for us to handle. I’ve remained in the bedroom curled up in the bed sheets. Mei’s scent still clings to every fibre and it’s the only thing holding me together, but at the same time, it’s like a dagger in my soul. The last time she was in this bed with me we’d made love all night long, completely lost in each other and now all I can think is that I may never see her again. Never inhale her sweet, plum blossom scent,
I’m pulled from my continuous depressive thoughts when I hear the buzzer for the door go off. Evalyn quickly gets up and opens the door, letting Amelia and Aulen inside. I quickly jump to my feet. “Is it Mei? Is there news?” I ask in a hurry. Amelia looks at me regretfully and shakes her head, “Nothing yet, but Aulen wants to try something,” she says, stepping aside. My attention now turns to the redhead beside her. Why are all her clothes so revealing? She’s once again in black slacks, black stiletto ankle boots, and a black top with bell sleeves and a deep V-cut that goes straight to her navel. 'Who the fuck cares?! Find out if she can get back Mei or not!' Axel growls viciously. His temper has never been so out of control in all the years we’ve been together, it’s a little scary, to be honest. “I’ve tried to magically follow her trail and Zixin’s, but there’s nothing. So I want to try to see if I can track her through you,” Aulen says matter-of-factly. “I don’t follow,” I say
The sounds of arguing drift into my ears, disrupting my sleep. As my eyes open and take in the room around me, I feel confused and disoriented until I remember where I am, and I wish I didn’t. Looking across the room towards the balcony, I see the moon shining brightly in the sky, its brightness immediately reminding me of Chris’ smile. A sad smile forms on my face as tears pool in my eyes. I’d give anything to be back in his arms. I remove the pouch from against my cheek as I slowly turn onto my back. Nuo brought me some herbs before I went to sleep, to keep on my cheek to bring down the swelling. There’s still a lot of pain, but just from touching, I can tell the swelling has gone down quite a bit. I caught a glimpse of my face in the bathroom mirror earlier, the bruising was pretty bad. Now that my hearing is that of a human, I have to strain my ears to better hear the voices coming from outside my door. I’d move closer to hear better, but I can still barely move my limbs and eve
*TRIGGER WARNING* This chapter depicts assault. Skip to chapter 27. I can no longer feel the pain in my cheek as I force myself to sit up and begin furiously shaking my head, unaware of where my new strength is coming from. His eyes darken, his jaw ticks and I see the fury burning in his eyes. “I had expected you to show more gratitude, Mei,” he says coldly, his demeanour completely changing. “I won’t marry you! You’re not my animai! I’d rather di–” My words are cut off, as in the blink of an eye he’s lifting me out of the bed by my throat. My hands grip around his as I struggle to breathe; my feet dangling off the floor as I become lightheaded. “Now I’ve tried being nice to you, but I warned you about behaving. I can do so much worse than kill you, Mei. You see, I need you alive,” he says with a smile on his face, but quickly his smile disappears, and his expression turns cold and vicious. “But I don’t need you in one piece.” Before I know it, he’s throwing me across the room wh
*TRIGGER WARNING* This chapter depicts sexual assault. Skip to chapter 27. I start to wake up when I feel my body being moved. Burning pain shoots through my wrists as I feel my arms being raised above my head. I cry out as my eyes shoot open. Kneeling over me is a shirtless Emperor, and he’s tying the cuffs that are around my wrists to the headboard. I scream and the adrenaline pumping through my body once again gives me the strength to thrash and try and pull away, but it’s no use. Every time I move, the cuffs just burn into my skin more, causing more blisters to form. “I promised to pick up where we left off,” he slurs. The smell of his breath is familiar and then it hits me… Tezus. Oh Gods, he’s drunk. The fear propelling through me just makes me thrash harder, the pain barely even registering as all I can think about is trying to get away from him. “So fucking defiant!” He pinches my face in his hands and my cheek protests from the pain. “Please just let me go. I promise I
Once I’ve seemed to calm down, Nuo once again helps me get cleaned up and dressed. Gradually I can feel my strength returning to me, but it’s not there yet and honestly, I just don’t care. I can’t find the will to do much of anything, I feel as though I’m running on autopilot. When Nuo’s gotten me ready – I notice the Emperor’s body is no longer in here and that gives me a small amount of relief – she sits me on a couch far away from the bed. I can’t bring myself to even look at it knowing what happened on it and I’m grateful she’s keeping me away from it. Nuo sits beside me and holds me as a mother would a child and gently rocks me back and forth and I let her. Eventually, Qiang returns, glancing between Nuo and myself, “How is she holding up?” “How do you expect her to be holding up?” She asks pointedly. He sighs, “Right. Sorry. Jianyu says he’s on the outskirts of the border, if I can get her to him he’s promised to take her in and keep her safe. I’ve warned him to handle the si