Kyva spun around instantly, her gaze landing on the tall, broad-shouldered man she already knew must be her purchaser for the night.
He was neither young nor truly old. There was no noble finery on him, no embroidered silk or jeweled ring. Only a dark, practical uniform he wore with quiet authority. The madame had called him captain on the stage earlier.
Military, then?
Kyva swallowed nervously as she looked him up and down.
He definitely had the powerful physique of one.
Unfortunately for her, she knew nothing about combat, nor did she possess the strength to fight her way out. If she dared to try, the man before her looked as though he could crush her with his bare hands.
The man watched the frightened lady before him as he took a step forward, something faintly amused flickering in his expression before he stepped toward the edge of the bed. He sat down and shrugged off his military coat.
"Are you just going to stand there?" he asked, making Kyva flinch. He held the coat out to her, ignoring her cuffed hands. "Here. Hang it up. I don't have time for unnecessary delays."
Not wanting to provoke him, Kyva stepped forward and accepted the heavy garment. The fabric was warm from his body, carrying the faint scent of leather and cold night air. She crossed the room and placed it over the wooden stand. But she could not turn around to face the man.
If she did not have the strength to fight her way out of this predicament, then she would use her softness.
Perhaps if she pleaded earnestly, he might offer her his favor.
And if fortune allowed it, she might convince him to help her escape.
That option was a risk, but she was willing to take it.
Kyva chose to remain head-strong, because she needed to get out of here. Sniffing the air, she finally took notice of the lingering scent. Her eyes landed on a porcelain teapot resting on a small table beside the bed. Steam curled lazily from its spout, carrying the unmistakable fragrance of rose and saffron.
That aroma…
Her stomach tightened.
What was the purpose of the tea again?
"Little slave, are you not aware of what you're supposed to do?" the man's voice cut cleanly through her thoughts, and being referred to as a slave snapped at the fragile thread of memory she clung to.
Slowly, she turned.
He had removed his shirt and now sat bare-chested at the edge of the bed, broad shoulders relaxed but watchful. His eyes followed her like a hunter observing something small and skittish.
Kyva came to a conclusion that there was absolutely no way this man would listen to her pleas.
He commanded, "bring me some tea," as he bent to take off his boots. But Kyva stretched her cuffed hands forward so he could see that her movements when it came to doing certain things were limited.
The man only chuckled at her attempts but said nothing.
He rose to his feet and covered the distance between them, but instead of using the keys he had been given to open the cuffs, he used his bare hands. Kyva instinctively tensed as he took her wrists in his hands, and with the sharp strain of irons, he snapped them apart as though it were no stronger than brittle wires.
"Now, bring me some tea," he repeated.
Kyva stared at her wrists, and relief was the last thing she felt. He had snapped irons with his bare hands, and acted like it was nothing. If he could do that to iron, then… what could he do to her?
She flexed her fingers slowly as the thought settled in, almost afraid of the absence of weight around her wrists. He returned to the bedside to continue taking off his boots, while Kyva fetched him his tea as instructed.
Begrudgingly, she reached his side and dropped to her knees, offering it to him. As he drank it one go, Kyva couldn't help but finally speak up.
"Captain, I… I don't want to be a part of this. I don't want to be here. If you can… if you could take me out of this place, I'd repay you. However you need."
The man paused at her offer, but she forced herself to continue, "I can clean. I can mend clothes. I can do laundry. I can keep your quarters in order. I learn quickly. I've been here since I was a child, so I don't know much about cooking, but I can learn that too. I promise I can. I won't cause you any trouble, I won't ask for anything. Just… please help me this once."
The captain did not answer her immediately. He only blinked, studying her wide, pleading eyes as she clasped her fingers in front of him. Her desperation was naked and undeniable.
For a fleeting moment, Kyva felt like she was still bartering herself away, but at least it was on terms she had chosen.
But to her misfortune, the captain laughed.
It wasn't loud. It sounded more like a short breath of disbelief.
"You think," he said slowly, setting the cup aside , "that I spent three hundred gold to adopt a stray?"
Those words felt like a blade slipping through Kyva's ribs.
"You offer to clean my floors? To polish steels? But for that price, I could purchase ten servants. Trained ones. You mistake me for a charitable man. I am not. But you don't seem to understand your situation."
He stood, the mattress shifting softly beneath his weight. Crossing the room, he retrieved his coat from the wooden stand and slipped a hand into the inner pocket. He took out a small cigarette, followed by a lighter. The spark flared briefly before the top glowed orange.
"I didn't buy you for housekeeping, or to indulge in your pitiful offers of loyalty" he went on. "I'm not here to play savior. You were purchased for one night, and nothing more. You belong to me until morning. That's the arrangement."
Smoke curled lazily from his lips as he turned fully toward her.
"Take off your clothes."
"No."
Her refusal came out sharper than she intended. Anger flared through her fears, hot and reckless. But she was already on her feet, backing away from him.
"You serve this land," she said, her voice unsteady but rising anyway. "Your duty is to protect the people in it. I am one of them. I was sold, trafficked as a little child, and you stand there telling me to undress? I won't do it. I can't. In fact, I'll earn back every coin you spent tonight and hand it to you. But I won't… I won't be this for you. If that's what you want, you can find it elsewhere."
Silence followed her outburst.
Kyva's pulse pounded in her ears, but she refused to bow her head.
She was starting to regret ever approaching the man docilely. She had been foolish enough to think honesty would move him. Clearly, a uniform did not make a man honorable, and a title did not make him just. Perhaps he was no different from the nobles.
Maybe even worse.
Without allowing herself another second to think, she turned and rushed for the door.
But she didn't make it.
In an instant, her arm was seized. The world tilted as she was thrown back onto the bed with effortless strength. The furs shifted beneath her as she scrambled upright, retreating across the mattress until her back hit the wall.
Her breath came in short, shallow pulls.
She was afraid.
No– terrified of this man.
"Who do you think you are?" The captain eventually climbed the bed, and before Kyva could retreat, he seized her ankle and pulled her down to him, "-to lecture me?"
She gasped as she was dragged closer, her hands scrambling against the furs. Panic surged through her.
"Let go of me!' she cried, struggling against his grip. But he caught her wrists easily and pinned them against the mattress, forcing her to stop her frantic thrashing.
The captain could not help but feel completely angered by this nobody. She was simply too beautiful for him to have turned her down during the bidding, but he had not expected her to be this difficult.
"Stop," he snapped, striking her across the face as she refused to listen.
"Do you think I have the luxury of worrying about strangers I come across?" his eyes blazed with fury. "I came here for an hour of quiet. Not a lecture, and not a plea from a whore like you. You don't get to decide what I approve of or not. Because I will be getting exactly what I paid for."
Tears slid down Kyva's face, and she stopped struggling. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that she would pass out eventually and not have to experience this moment. Her clothes were torn from her body, leaving her in nothing but her inner garments.
While she prayed to lose consciousness, she felt the heaviness of the captain's body go still, and he immediately collapsed on top of her.