-Karen-A rough hand covered my mouth and nose which startled me and a sharp punch to my stomach reconfirmed that horrid feeling of doom. I felt slightly dazed as I was quickly dragged into a hidden servant tunnel. Where did this tunnel come from? I watched as the armoire room disappeared with the closing of a hidden servant’s door as I struggled against my captor. Let go of me! “Make sure to close it tight so they can’t follow us.” Lewis’s voice paralyzed me with fear that it made breathing even more difficult. Conor! Conor!! There was pressed a dagger against my neck as I was being dragged further and further away from safety. Oh no… He is going to beat me to death or right to the very edge of it. “Grab her ankles idiot!” Lewis hoarsely snapped to someone that now had a tight grip on my ankles as I was carried further away from Conor. “We have to hurry before they realize she is gone!” I hadn’t ever been permitted to work on this floor unless Lizette needed help, so I was not famil
-Karen-“My turn now!” Lewis hissed grabbing my bangs and holding my head up. “Karen, you let the prince have his way with you after I told you I owned you! You’re such a stupid fucking whore. Now, I will make you pay for your appalling insolence!” Lewis shouted. He was the last to brutalize me and left me gasping for air from the horrendous amount of pain caused by the numerous injuries. My left arm seared with sharp pains, but my chest hurt worse. He beat me senseless with anything he could get his hands on. “Any last words before I rip your heart out of your chest?” I was left to hang by my wrists as Lewis glared maliciously. Conor! I just want to be in your arms one last time. Silent tears dripped down my face as the sassy, but truthful words slipped out of my mouth. “Conor is so much better than you could ever be with a woman, Lewis! At least he- He left me begging for more every time!” I snapped as my breathing became more ragged.I heard the door slam open as Lewis lunged furi
-Conor-(Previously)“I wonder what is taking her so long.” Conor pondered after fifteen minutes of waiting. He went out to the main room still dressed, where Bart and Joanne were playing cards. “Jo, how long does it take for a woman to pick out a dress?”“Well, it usually takes me thirty minutes to put a decent outfit together. Maybe she just wants to make it extra special. Cut her some slack Conor.” Joanne answered as she laid down some cards. “Ha! I win Bart! I have three of a kind.”“Damn it.” Bart muttered shaking his head. “Well, you just need to win eight more hands and I will go get that ring you saw in the jewelry shop.” He gathered the cards and started shuffling them.“Yay! Remember, I wear a size seven.” Joanne gloated proudly. Maybe playing a hand or two will help the time move faster.“Deal me in.” Conor stated with a sigh. “I’ll play a hand and if she doesn’t come out, I’m going to check on her.” He grabbed a pair of shorts and then sat down to play.Bart dealt each of
-Conor-Conor laughed hysterically for a few minutes and finally was able to compose himself. “I know you won’t because you aren’t leaving this room alive. I don’t care how much you beg me. I don’t care what you try to bribe me with. No one means more to me than Karen-”“She’s just a servant though!” Lewis shouted defensively. “A filthy worthless servant!” What?!“I don’t fucking care! I love her!” Conor shouted back. “I’m done with you- Any last words?” Conor asked as he shot all but one bullet into Lewis’s extremities.“You can’t kill me! I mean too much to this Empire. Just send me back to Attarax! I don’t want to die like this!” Lewis begged while Conor pulled the clip out and stuck it in his back pocket.“You should have thought about that before harming her. So, just to help set the mood, I’m going to show you how you’re going to die.” Conor cackled darkly. He walked over the closest body. “Gustav… I should have known you would be willing to do this.” Turning the gun around, Con
-Conor-“I put a bullet in every major joint that I could… Starting with his legs then his shoulders and then I made him become the floor. Right after I left him to watch me obliterate his comrades. I made sure that only I would know who was who in that tiny room.” Joanne and Bart exchanged anxious looks. I loved smashing his face in. That made it worth it especially since he begged me to let him live. “I knew all of those men too… Some of them have tried to hurt her before. But I want this be an example as to what I will do to anyone that ever hurts her again.” Conor explained standing up and walking over to them. He knelt down next to Kay and picked up her right hand within his bloody and bruised hands. He pressed her hand to his lips. I should have been more astute in protecting her. She could have died as she feared…“I promised you I would protect you from him… And I failed so horribly in doing that… I let you down again.” He kissed her palm. “I swear to you Kay, you will never h
-Conor-Conor entered the shower room taking care to be gentle with Karen. He gazed at the now peaceful look on her face. He took a deep breath and strengthened his resolve for her sake. I can do this! For her! He pulled the shower wand off the wall and set it on the floor. He grabbed a bottle of soap and a washcloth dropping both by the wand. Conor leaned into the wall of the shower and slowly used his weight to sit down so he could wash her dried blood off. “I’m going to take care of you, Kay. I’m just as much your companion as you are mine.” He kissed her cheek and took a deep breath. For her. I have to keep it together for her. I really hope I can… But I feel like this is going to be a daunting task.He turned the water on and tested the temperature to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold. Conor felt another pang of guilt and it sent him over the edge. He cried for her as she lay in his arms. I’m so sorry Kay… I keep saying I will protect you and I get to you too late to do anythin
-Conor-“I know Joanne.” He sighed. “I’ve been so elated for the last several nights. Not just for being able to finally have sex with her but I felt like I have made an honest connection with her. She trembled the first night and I knew she was nervous, but she trusted me enough to allow me to show her what it was supposed to be like. And then she curled up to me and fell asleep in my arms. I was exhausted but I watched her sleep for an hour and thought to myself that this is what I want.” Conor paused taking a breath as the emotions hit him square in the gut. For the rest of forever, I want her. “I just want to watch her sleep in my arms every night for the rest of my life. And I have for the last few weeks, but I realized now more than ever she makes me feel alive. She doesn’t expect me to be someone I’m not… She treats me like an equal.” “She’s the complete opposite of Beatrice.” Joanne said firmly. Conor nodded in agreement.“The absolute opposite.” A compassionate look fell ove
-Karen-I felt like I had been smashed under a very large boulder and then dropped off the Cliffs onto the jagged rocks on the beach. Everything hurt and I felt sick to my stomach from all the pain. Bart approached me and sat on the bed next to me. “Hey Karen. Can you hear me?” I squinted at Bart as he kept talking. “Do you remember anything about what happened to you?” Ugh… I feel absolutely horrid.I struggled to focus on the question from the various pains I felt. I thought back to this morning with the wonderful surprise of all the roses. I thought of the passionate time I had with Conor and how wonderful I felt in his embrace. I remember going to get some clothes because we were going to shower. He was going to teach me to dance. What happened after that? I sat on the bed for several minutes trying to think of what happened after that. As soon as I remembered his voice in my ear, my heart went into a panic. I froze in place as I clenched my fists while I felt a horrible sense of