(Zorya)
Every instinct in my body told me to pull my hand away, but that greedy heart of mine wished to soak up the glimmers of affection this moment provided.
This man was the only male in this wretched place who seemed to care for me.
Why he did that, I didn’t know.
Maybe he understood what this place did to a person, to their souls.
We didn’t speak after that, but my fingers remained entwined with his.
His thick, muscular shoulder brushed against mine.
Canara and Caliath were busy with the belly dancers.
One of them was in Caliath’s lap, shaking her tits in his face.
He held her by the waist, enjoying the attention.
Other Alphas and warriors were lost, leering and ogling at the dancers.
A few warriors were getting lap dances just like Caliath.
Their masters approved, maybe giving them incentive before the tournament.
One of the dancers tried to approach Xalik.
He sent a seething glare her way, which had her halting in her dancing steps and altering her direction.
Our interlocked hands, he gently squeezed.
His thumb drew small circles on the back of my hand.
He leaned down and whispered something in an engrossed Canara’s ear.
Her eyes refused to waver from the two dancers who coyly and provocatively moved their bodies in front of her.
“Yes, be ready though.
You fight in a few hours.
Kalish will take you.”
“Take Zorya along.
She will know what to give you,” Caliath said to Xalik without sparing a glance in our direction.
He dismissed us with the back of his hand, his face buried between the tits of the woman in his lap.
“He doesn’t want his new toy to be around all the horny men in this place.” Canara turned to watch us both with a sly smile on her face.
“That’s why he is sending her away with my boy toy who is allergic to women.” She turned her face towards her brother and smirked.
“Smart move, brother.
Smart move.”
Caliath shrugged his shoulders.
“Shade needs rest, and she is not needed right now.”
Xalik squeezed my hand again, urging me to come with him before letting it go.
We began moving.
Xalik shielded me with his body while leading me through the crowd of people, busy watching the dancers, drinking or fucking.
It was an orgy that sickened me to my stomach.
He opened the door, and we exited the suffocating room; a few sentries stood there, alert.
The sentry with blonde hair and a coy smile stepped forward and answered.
“Follow me.”
Xalik remained by my side as we began moving.
“What did you ask your mistress?” I quietly questioned.
“I told her loud music was giving me a headache.
I needed rest and quiet.”
A subtle way to escape and an excuse which he knew would get him to bring me along too.
He saved me from any further humiliation and abuse at the hands of Caliath.
At least for tonight.
“Take us to the atelier,” he told Kalish.
Atelier?
Kalish obediently nodded.
Through the labyrinth, we arrived outside a room with werewolves, butterflies and other creatures painted on the door.
Kalish used his keys to open the door and led us inside the dark room.
As soon as the door closed behind us, the white lights flickered on.
I found myself staring at an art room.
A cupboard, a few random pieces of furniture, including tables laden with art supplies.
Paints, brushes, canvases, modelling clay, and other stuff-I had no clue about.
Random paintings covered the walls.
The art styles were so versatile that not one single person seemed to have painted them.
Was Xalik a painter?
Did he spend his free time here?
Xalik quietly extended his hand towards Kalish, palm upwards.
He placed what appeared to be a silver device on his hand.
It was the size of a pen drive with three buttons in a row.
Xalik clicked on the first button and placed it on the nearby table.
A green light clicked on its side.
Xalik turned towards Kalish and said.
“You know what you need to do.”
Kalish obediently nodded before leaving.
Surprised, I watched this interaction.
Once the door was closed, I heard a small click of locking from the outside.
“Now, we can freely talk.
No cameras or microphones in this place.” He stepped closer, filling my personal space with his calming one.
No fear crawled down my spine.
No trembling of my body from anxiety.
Pure calmness when I lifted my head and gazed at him.
“Are you an artist?” I softly questioned, staring into his eyes that reminded me of the rainy forests.
“Barely.” He pointed towards a particular corner where the canvases had been adorned with beads, pearls and gemstones to create colourful butterflies.
An art style I had hardly ever seen.
“I try.
Mostly I like to hoard gemstones.”
He liked collecting them.
Was he allowed to have access to so many expensive gemstones?
Something didn’t add up, but I didn’t question him further.
“They are beautiful…you catch their flimsiness perfectly.”
“I love how delicate they are.
Nature at its finest when a butterfly is born,” he longingly said, staring deeply at the canvas where a blue and silver butterfly was taking flight.
The kind I had never seen before.
How he wished to be free, exactly like her.
He moved towards the mattress in the corner and plopped himself on it, spreading his legs and angling his arms, patting the place beside him.
“Come sit with me.” I obeyed, not afraid, irrespective of his dominating personality.
He seemed to own the place around him without even realising the aura he exuded.
Collecting myself, I sat quietly by his side and stared straight at the art pieces he had created.
My eyes settled on the blue butterfly again, with shades of cerulean, cyan and navy blue in it.
He had used beads and gemstones to create a life-like sculpture of it.
The edges were lined with silver gemstones, mostly diamonds.
“How long?” He asked, voice heavy with concern.
“I don’t know, maybe a month.” I had lost track of time after my first time.
I wasn’t sure how long I had stayed in that state where I wished for death.
My eyes side-glanced at him.
His shiny chest heaved, and he sighed.
Xalik’s head lifted towards the ceiling.
“Did he?” He asked, painfully, and my heart dropped into my stomach.