Maria
My eyes fluttered open and closed, the bright sunlight affecting my sight. I eventually decided to keep my eyes closed and just burrow deeper into the warmth penetrating my naked back.
The band of steel around my hips made me smile, and I placed a hand over it. Lyov’s hold was firm yet gentle. Strong and protective. In his sleep, his grip tightened around my waist, and I felt him pulling me closer.
I melted into his embrace and stayed quiet. It was early in the morning. Usually Lyov would always wake up before me and leave our bed, but never before feeling my lips against his. I would wake up, my lips tingling from his morning kiss, and I would watch him leave. Then, I would fall back asleep in my small, little happy cocoon.
But today was different. Today, I had a chance to admire Lyov in the morning light.
Turning around in his embrace without waking him up, I wrapped an arm around his waist and cuddled into him. My head rested on his chest, and I listened to his heartbeat.
Slow. Calm. Steady.
Everything it wasn’t when he made love to me. Every time.
Three weeks ago, I had seen another side of Lyov, when he first made love to me. He was always in control. Commanding. The aura around him was always dark, something akin to menace. There was nothing sweet about Lyov Ivanshov.
But with his body against mine, his icy grey eyes had softened and his expression had held something of wonder. The liquid fear in the pit of my belly had melted away, turning into something else. A sensation that had my body respond to him.
It had been a sweet ache between my legs as I welcomed him into my body and allowed him to take my virginity.
He laid on top of me. Our chests pressed together. And with our bodies connected, in the aftermath of our lovemaking, I had felt his heartbeat.
Strong. Hard. Fast. There was nothing steady or controlled about his reaction. His heart pounded against mine, and his chest rose and fell fast. He held me tightly as if he never wanted to let me go.
And I held him back. Because I never wanted to let him go either.
We had been breathless, and our heartbeats had created a song.
My hands traveled up his arms, and I could feel his muscles underneath. His bicep bunched under my wandering touch, and a smile tugged at my lips. Every inch of him was hard and defined.
I looked up and up until my eyes were on his perfectly sculptured face. He hadn’t shaved for a few days, so his jaw was covered with some rough stubble. I liked it.
I liked it even more when he would purposely rub his face against my naked skin to tickle me. His eyes would light up at the sound of my laughter; that was how I knew he loved it.
“Good morning.”
My eyes widened, and I automatically hid my face in Lyov’s chest. His chest vibrated with his chuckle, and my cheeks heated in slight embarrassment.
“There’s nothing wrong with you checking me out, Angel,” he rasped, his voice gravelly with sleep.
His fingers were in my hair, and he tugged until I was forced to look up into his teasing eyes.
I cleared my throat and pouted. “You’re teasing me now.”
He leaned his head and gave me a loud, smacking kiss on my pouty lips. “And I love this pout. So freaking cute.”
I stuck my tongue out, and he laughed even harder. “See? Cute,” he tried to convince me.
He took my palm and placed it flat on his cheek. “Explore all you want, baby. It’s all yours, and you know it.”
I couldn’t hide the smile. My fingers explored, and when they reached his lips, he kissed them. My heart warmed, and my stomach did somersaults.
Could he be any more perfect than this?
His fingers traced some patterns over my lips where the bedsheet had ridden low. We were both naked from last night’s activities. It was how every night ended.
I spent the morning with Lyov in bed. The rest of the day with Lena. Oh, bless her sweet soul. I was absolutely in love with this tiny woman whose heart was a gigantic place of warmth and love. Lyov and I would have all our meals together.
And after dinner—Lyov and I were inseparable. Sometimes, I would play the piano. Other times, I would read him a story, a book I found in his library. He would be quiet, just listening to me read to him.
Then in the dark, our sweat-slicked bodies tangled together, exchanging breaths and moans of pleasure until we would slip into unconsciousness.
It was perfect. I didn’t want anything more than this beautiful life Lyov had granted me.
“…Maria.”
I looked up in surprise and met Lyov’s questioning gaze. “You were lost in your thoughts again,” he told me.
I bit on my lips nervously, and he tugged them from between my teeth. “I don’t like it when I don’t have your full attention, Angel,” he joked with a raised eyebrow.
I knew he was teasing me, but his words were somewhat laced with seriousness. Leaning upward, my lips feathered against his.
With my head buried into his neck, I placed a kiss on his beating pulse before speaking. “You are all I think about, Lyov. Even when I am lost in my thoughts, it is you I am thinking of. There is no one else.”
He gripped my hips hard, almost possessively. “Good.”
I smiled and held him closer. We stayed like this, our legs entwined together—in a safe cocoon. In this moment, with Lyov’s strong arms around me, I knew that nobody could ever hurt me.
He would be my shield.
And I realized that I wanted to be his protector.
It was my silent vow.
He was a bad man, leading me into his darkness, and I was gladly welcoming it. Every day, for the rest of my life, I would be waiting for Lyov to come home. If he was sad, I would make him happy.
If he was angry, I would hold him until he was no longer fuming. If he needed someone to hold him, my arms would be there to embrace him.
From this day on, Lyov was mine as much as I was his. Leaning up, I placed a quick kiss on his lips, sealing my vow. Lyov looked surprised, but he grinned happily, shaking his head and hugging me to him.
I think I love you, Master.
The words were trapped in my throat, but I smiled, knowing we had the rest of our lives to whisper those words to each other.
Minutes blended together, and Lyov finally spoke up. “We need to talk, Maria.”
Confused, I looked up and waited for him to continue. He leveled me with a look that told me he was serious.
My heart pounded in my ribcage at the sudden change. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, his touch lingering right over my pulse point. “Don’t be scared, sweet Angel. I didn’t want to ask you before, fearing it would upset you, and that’s the last thing I want to do. To make you sad. But now it’s time. I need to know, Maria.”
I clenched his fingers in an act to soothe my worry. Our entwined hands laid over his heart, and my gaze was drawn over the rise and fall of his chest.
“What happened to the abbey, Maria?”
At his question, my head snapped up and my heart stuttered. The pit of my stomach twisted in pain, and my body trembled at the horrible reminder.
“How were you taken?” Lyov pushed.
My eyes blurred with unshed tears as the past came back, drowning and pulling me under in the suffocating darkness.
These were memories I never wanted to revisit. I had them locked away, but now…I couldn’t hide anymore.
A loud crash disturbed my sleep. More noise came from downstairs, and I raised my head to listen.
There were screams. And then another bang.
I felt a cold hand on my arm, and I almost screamed before I realized that it was Sophia. “I’m scared, Maria,” she whispered. I could hear the tears in her voice.
Gripping her hand in mine, I shushed her. “It’s going to be okay,” I tried to soothe the little girl.
We both sat up in the bed and stared at the door of the room we shared together. We were the youngest. Sophia was only five, an orphan the sisters found in the cold streets of Russia. We had become fast friends, and she was always attached to my hip.
Another loud bang echoed in the building that was once filled with only peace and laughter. Gunshots.
My body trembled, and I held Sophia closer, trying to muffle her fearful cries. When I heard Sister Grace’s voice, screaming in pain, my body acted of its own accord.
I lost my family once.
And these women…they were all I had left.
I lurched forward, getting off the bed. In my haste, I tripped over my long white nightgown and went down in a heap. Sophie cried out and rushed to me. I shook my head and pushed her toward the bathroom.
“Go hide. Now!” I hissed.
“But…but…”
“Sophia. Please.”
Her little body quaked, and her shoulders drew in. With her tiny, skinny arms wrapped around her body, she looked so fragile and vulnerable. It was my job to protect this innocent soul.
“Don’t come out until I come for you. Open the bottom cabinet and crawl in. Close the doors and stay there,” I ordered, my voice surprisingly strong even though I felt the opposite.
The screams grew louder as I watched Sophia do as she was told. Tears dripped down my cheeks, and I swiped away the wetness.
Sister Grace’s anguished cries continued, and I quickly got to my feet. The door opened before I could reach it.
In the darkness of the room, a man loomed at the doorstep. He was big. Tall. Vicious. And when he saw me…he smirked.
I tried to scramble away, but his arms snaked out so quickly that all I could do was scream when he grabbed hold of me.
I kicked and fought as he dragged me out of the safety of my room by my hair. Scratching at his arm, I drew blood, but it didn’t faze him. He only laughed mockingly.
My legs gave out underneath me as we reached the stairs. He continued to drag me down, my body hitting each step painfully.
He threw me on the ground like a ragdoll, and I rolled over, my ribs hurting, and I found it hard to take each breath.
Then my eyes made contact with hazel ones—the same ones I had grown to love too dearly. Once they were filled with warmth…now they were filled with agony.
“Sister Grace.” My lips formed the word, but it was only a whisper that came out.
Tears ran down her cheeks, and when I finally saw the whole thing, I let out a loud sob. No. Oh no. Jesus. No. Lord, please have mercy.
Her usual nightgown was in shreds, her body naked for all to see. The man mounted her weak body, and I saw him thrust inside her.
She closed her eyes, and he laughed. He slapped her, demanding that she look at him. Her eyes stayed stubbornly closed, and she bit on her lips too hard; it was bleeding.
I tried to move, but the man who had dragged me down pushed his booted foot into my hips, holding me down. A scream tore out from my throat as he pressed down on my bruised ribs.
“Look, little girl. This is what’s going to happen to you.”
He spat in my face, and I could only watch helplessly as the man stood up over Sister Grace’s body. He held onto his hardened length, and I watched as he jerked off, pearly white substance coating her face.
He continued to mock her, and I silently prayed to the higher powers. Prayed that He would bring an end to this pain and humiliation.
“I’ll be next,” another man announced, lifting himself from Sister Anna’s limp…lifeless body. He kicked her dead body away. She had been used too.
The man sauntered over to Sister Grace. I grappled, but it was no use. More men filtered into the building, turning the abbey into a bloodbath.
I watched as all the sisters, one by one, were used…and then killed.
“She is young, this one,” another voice joined, pointing at me.
“Yeah. We will bring her for Boss.”
“Aww, c’mon. Let us have some fun with her first.”
“No. Boss said he wanted a young virgin pussy.”
“How do you know she is virgin?”
“Because they all are. It’s a fucking convent. Women with pure bodies, whose pussies have never even been touched. This one is the only youngest. From my best bet, she isn’t even legal yet.”
One of the men knelt beside my shaking body. He smirked, his yellow teeth and horrid breath making me want to retch.
“Can I at least taste her? C’mon. One lick. I won’t take her precious virginity. I just want one taste of this pussy.”
“Okay. One taste, asshole.”
He smirked and dragged my legs apart. I kicked at him, but he punched my stomach in response. My eyes widened at the assault, and my body tightened in agony.
I felt him rip away my panties, and I watched as his head dipped between my legs. Sister Grace screamed in rage. My eyes went to hers, and her face turned red as she stared at the man between my legs.
“Let her go!”
This time she fought, but her body was too weak against those men. The one taking his turn now rolled her over on her stomach and pulled her up on her knees until her ass was in the air.
“I don’t want leftovers, you know.” He laughed horridly as he kicked her legs wider apart. “They used your pussy. I’ll take your ass instead. I bet it’s tight. Never had a dick in this hole, have you?”
I felt the man between my legs move closer to my crotch, and then I felt his tongue on me.
He hummed against my flesh as he licked me again. My stomach twisted in disgust, and bile rose in my throat. Not able to bear it any longer, I closed my eyes and welcomed the darkness.
Howls of agony came from the sisters.
And when I heard that little voice, my eyes snapped open.
“Mariaaaa!”
Little Sophia.
Oh my God. NO!
The man between my legs was long finished, but I was still held down by the one who had dragged me out of my room. This time his boot was right between my legs, pressing down hard where the other man had just licked me before.
He smirked, daring me to fight him. His hard face was my worst nightmare. He could have been a beautiful man…but now he was just ugly.
My eyes moved to the left, toward the stairs. I watched as another bulky man dragged Sophia down. She was crying so hard, her little body shaking so badly that I was scared she would hurt herself.
She tried to reach for me, but the man slapped her into silence. “I found another young one.”
“There are only two here. This one—” He kicked me between my legs. “And that little girl.”
Another voice joined in. “Nothing left here. We should get going. Bring these two to Boss and he will decide their fate.”
I was pulled up by my hair. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the man assaulting Sister Grace from behind pull out from her body. She was bleeding profusely, and his male part, now soft, was covered in blood. She sunk to the ground, and I watched in horror as the man pulled out a gun and pointed it at her head.
The gunshot was louder than anything I’d ever heard. It went straight through my broken heart, and I heard Sophia screaming.
Everything that I knew…was now gone.
The floor of the abbey was covered in blood.
All the sisters now laid on the ground…used…broken…bleeding…dead.
They…who devoted their lives to the goodness of others, they died such a painful death. Every teaching the sisters had preached to me was wrong.
Even good people suffered sometimes. And sometimes, it was the good people who suffered the most, while the bad ones continued to live their lives. There were no retributions.
Innocence was taken in the cruelest way. They took the heart of two young girls and smashed them to the ground.
The one holding onto Sophia wrapped his fist around her hair and pulled her feet off the floor. “Let’s go.”
She tried to reach for me again, her little arms begging for me to hold her. Protect her. I staggered onto my feet as I was pulled by the hair too. My scalp burned, and I could only imagine what little Sophia was going through.
A gun was pressed into my neck. The cold barrel caused me to tremble, and I limped forward.
We walked out of the building, and I could only watch as the man continued to mockingly slap Sophia. He could tell I was angry, fuming at his actions.
He did it purposely to tease me, knowing that I was completely helpless to save the little girl who had woven her way into my heart. My little princess.
A small growl escaped past my lips when he slapped her again before letting her go. Her knees hit the ground hard, and she cried out, curling her body into a ball.
He grabbed her arms, shaking and pulling her back up. His leg moved, and I knew he was going to kick her.
I saw red.
Ignoring the agony going through my broken body, I twisted around and grabbed the gun. His shock was short-lived as I kneed him hard between his legs and tore the gun from his hand.
He sunk to the ground and screamed like a little girl. I took satisfaction in his pain and kicked him again. There were screams, but before anyone could grab me, I pointed the gun at the one holding Sophia.
When everyone froze, I knew instantly he was the leader of this group.
My vision blurred, and I shook my head, trying to keep myself straight. I could barely stand up. My knees weakened, and I locked them together.
Taking a step forward, I tried to hide my wincing. “Let her go,” I hissed through gritted teeth.
He smiled in the dark, his teeth flashing sinisterly. “Or what?”
“I will shoot you.”
“Go ahead, doll.”
“Let. Her. Go!” I screamed, taking another step into his direction. The gun was right over his chest. I didn’t want to miss his heart.
“Maria,” she whimpered, her sniffles breaking my heart further.
“Make me let her go, Maria,” he taunted, his lips curling up when he said my name.
When I didn’t move, my heart pounding too hard in my chest, he laughed. “You know what she’s going to be turned into?”
When I didn’t answer, he grabbed her jaw and bent down, licking a dirty path up her cheek. “A little fuck toy for us. Just like you’re going to be.”
I raged, my fingers feathering over the trigger.
“Maybe we will fill you up so many times that you might even pop out a baby or two for us. Perfect. We will train them just like we’re gonna train you to be the perfect little slave.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And this one, she’s going to be the perfect slave,” he continued, now referring to Sophia.
That was the line.
I pulled the trigger. The gunshot rung through my ears. The force of the gun going off pushed my body back, and I fell to the ground. My eyes squeezed shut as another wave of agony went through my body.
I breathed through the pain. There was silence, and then I heard laughter.
My eyes snapped open, and I wish in that moment…I was blind.
Sophia laid on the ground. Lifeless. Bloodied. Her neck was torn open.
The man who once was holding onto her held his stomach and continued to howl with laughter. The others joined.
My bullet missed him.
My bullet went through Sophia’s neck.
I killed Sophia.
I killed my little princess.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me. My lips parted, and I screamed a soundless scream. My fingers dug into the dirt, and I sobbed to the moon.
My whole body quaked viciously, and I was cold…so cold…so, so cold.
The man walked toward me, but still I couldn’t stop looking at Sophia. Her tiny body was broken. I broke her.
He took the gun from my hand and hit the barrel of it into my temple. Another searing pain hit me. Blood seeped from my brow, and it dripped down the bridge of my nose and the coldness of it lingered over my dried lips. I could taste the metallic essence of it. I was soggy and shivering. My breath came out in harsh, broken panting.
Darkness clouded my vision. And from the corner of my eyes, I saw the abbey on fire. The building burned in bright red flames. Someone dragged Sophia’s limp body and threw her into the raging fires.
I could only watch.
I fell…I fell hard into the pit of darkness.
Everything hurt.
Until nothing hurt.
Silence.
“Angel.”
I was being rocked back and forth. “Shhh, Angel. I got you. You’re safe. I have you, sweet Angel.”
Lyov’s strong voice broke through my memories. I was on his lap, and he cradled me like a baby. He kissed my forehead and continued to whisper soothing words into my ears.
My whole body was shaking, and my teeth chattered together, as if I were still cold from that day.
Lyov’s arm tightened around me. He wrapped the bedsheet around us, trying to warm my shivering body. He continued to hold me like a baby, and I curled more into his embrace.
“It…was…a massacre. They came…to…destroy…us. I lost…everything. I…killed…her.”