The Tyrant's Pet

For someone who just woke up in the middle of the night, Aries’s mind was still distraught. She only grasped what was happening when he bit her lip, eyes zooming in and out. The familiar taste of wine and faint tobacco lingered in her mouth, along with the entry of his tongue in between her lips.

‘No.’ Her mind reacted on instinct, biting his lips until the taste of iron filled her mouth. She clutched his shoulder, all acting on instinct.

With her teeth keeping his lower lip, Abel stopped, eyes brooding. He carefully drew his head back, letting his lips stretch as she was still biting it. When Aries caught a glimpse of him, her mouth fell open as her eyes popped wider.

‘Abel!’ her heart instantly drummed against her chest. ‘What did I just do?’

For a moment, she thought he was someone else. Someone… whom she despised the most in this world. She mistook Abel for that damn crown prince during her confused state. What should she do? She bit him until he bled. And right now, with Abel on top of her, Aries could only hold her breath.

All she could think of was he would strangle her for her audacity. Why? Because… Abel was her ‘owner.’ No matter what she would do, that was an unchanging fact.

Abel slowly tilted his head to the side, licking the blood off his lower lip. He carefully wiped the blood on her lips with his thumb.

“I will only let this one slide, Aries,” came out a dark, brooding voice, eyes on her. “Don’t mistake me for another man again.”

Her lower lip quiver. “Your Ma — Majesty, what are you doing here?” she asked in great difficulty.

Wasn’t he supposed to be spending the night with his whores? What was he doing in her room? Did they finish early? Aries had high hopes that if Abel released his heat to others, he wouldn’t touch her. She could coax him and play with him through the day, but… although she was already prepared for it, she preferred not to be touched. Especially without her consent.

“Waking you up from your nightmare?” he shrugged indifferently, inserting half of his thumb in between her teeth. “Am I not allowed to visit my little darling?”

She shook her head on instinct. “That’s not it…” she talked with her mouth ajar, trying hard not to bite him. “Just… I was a bit surprised. I thought you’d be busy tonight.”

“I thought so too.” Abel bent over until his face was a palm length away from her. “Alas, they are not as lovely as Aries and definitely not as fun as you.”

‘Those useless…!’ Aries heard her heart sink, containing herself. Those who they called to Abel’s bed only had one job! Just one! Keep him busy and entertained! But they couldn’t fulfill their job and now here he was! Making her wonder if she could see the sunrise.

Abel stood on his knees, gazing down at her. “Darling, don’t you want to see me?” he asked, batting his eyes ever so tenderly. His tone remained the same, but she could feel the chill hidden in his voice.

Despite the slight discomfort of his thumb in between her teeth, Aries mustered the courage to salvage herself. She already prepared herself multiple times. She was lucky that she lasted this long without surrendering her body. But all things had their end.

“Well, of course, I am glad to see you.” Her eyes softened, barely concealing the bitterness in her iris. The side of her lips curled up wearily, reaching her arms toward him to welcome him into her embrace.

“Thank you for waking me up from my nightmare, Abel.”

He narrowed his eyes before he crawled on top of her. Abel was aware this was her tactic, but he pretended not to notice. He brushed his nose against hers, mouth falling open.

He should kiss her… no, kill her, he thought. Abel was starting to overlook the obvious. That was dangerous. If she lived tonight, he would never find the will to kill her again. Her name would be like an ink forever carved in his head. He should erase it while it was still written in a pencil.

“Why do you live?” he asked under his breath, resting his forehead against. “If reality is a nightmare and dreams are not any less awful… why do you wake up?”

His words were instantly translated as ‘shall I kill you? And help you find peace?’ in her head. Aries inhaled his breath, closing her eyes while she calmed her racing heart.

“Because… the sun rises without condition,” came out a soft response. “But now, I live for you, don’t I?”

“You… live for me?” A dry, brief laugh escaped his mouth while his fingers carefully caressed her delicate neck. “Liar… but keep lying until it becomes your reality, Aries.” A glint flickered across his eyes, burying his face in her neck as his weight blanketed over her.

“I am the nightmare who can heal your broken wings or sever them completely.” His voice was muffled, but she heard him loud and clear. “My mercy is rare, but you won’t like me going mad. You’d wish you should’ve died tonight.”

“You shouldn’t have said what you have said,” he added, closing his eyes while she stared at the ceiling.

His remarks, especially his last one, were carved deep in her head. And yet, all she could do was stare at the ceiling bitterly. Deep down, she knew Abel could see through her. Like an open book, he read and enjoyed, predicting what would happen next but still continued to see what happen.

‘Tonight… he calls my name more than usual,’ she whispered in her head, narrowing her eyes. ‘It wasn’t just my imagination that time.’ — that time her name slipped past his lips for the first time.

That time where she first heard the sound of an invisible chain around her ankle. Now, not only did she hear the chains, but she also heard a light click of a lock and the weight of the invisible iron ball attached to it.

Aries glanced at him, wrapping her arms around him and stroking his hair. “Can a nightmare be a good dream?” she whispered, knowing he was still awake, listening to her breathing.

“I prefer… this nightmare I chose, than those are forced into me. Good night, Abel. See you tomorrow.”