Chapter Six

I woke up aching. My entire body felt like I had been hit by a train, and yet my heart was numb. I felt nothing and everything all at once.

I sat up in the unfamiliar bed and looked around the unfamiliar room. Everything that happened yesterday came roaring back all at once, and I wondered why I couldn't have just cried myself to death last night. Choking on my own tears sounded like a better outcome than marrying Inanis and living with his arm around me always.

Or maybe it was best, at least then I could have a chance to kill him and then kill myself.

I pulled the blankets off me, and slowly got out of the massive bed. I was greeted immediately by a wave of cold, and I regretted getting out of the blankets already.

Still, they weren't my blankets, and it wasn't my bed, so I wanted nothing to do with them.

I opened the door of the room, only to be greeted by a guard. He didn't stop me, though, in fact he stepped out of my way, allowing me to pass.

I walked out of the room, and hesitantly stepped away from the guard, who followed me as I walked down the stairs.

Creepy.

I wasn't really sure where I was going, or where to even go, as the house was so big, I could easily get lost if I didn't pay attention. I noticed the dining room where Inanis and his mother was last night and entered there. The table was cleaned off, and of course the room was empty, no signs of Inanis or his mother anywhere. Probably for the best.

I noticed another room connecting to the dining room, so I decided to explore. Inanis called this my 'temporary household' so I'm going to damn well do as I please.

The spare door lead to the kitchen, the grandest kitchen I had ever seen. The floors were decorated in glistening tile, and the countertops and cabinets were of pure marble.

Marble cabinets. I'd actually be impressed if I wasn't aware that this house was associated with The Bone Cutter. He is unnecessarily dramatic with everything, apparently that included his mother's home interior.

There were quite a few chefs running about, cooking food that smelt bland to me. My appetite was non-existing at the moment, and from what I can tell, it wouldn't be back for a while.

Inanis does that to me.

I left the kitchen to another room. There was a grand piano, and multiple sofas. This must be the living room, or at least one of them.

I was a little upset to find Inanis's mother sitting on one of the sofas, drinking a cup of coffee, and scrolling through her cellphone. She looked up at me, and her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you're awake." Her voice was flat, and though I wasn't too fond of her either, her hating me for no reason really irked me.

How dare she treat me wrongly when it was her son who almost killed my father?

She huffed a sigh, "Come sit." She beckoned for me to sit on the couch directly opposite of hers. I obeyed, deciding that I didn't want to have a full-on brawl with a four-hundred-pound woman right now. Maybe later.

We sat in silence for what felt like forever. I realized I preferred the silence, at least then I wouldn't have to answer to a woman who seemed to wish I was the one Inanis slaughtered on television.

"So." She put down her coffee cup on the table beside her and placed her hands on her lap. "You're going to marry my son." She said it as a statement, a true fact.

I stared at her, "Uhh yeah. I guess?" I felt uncomfortable with her eyes on me. Inanis had her piercing stare, one I will never feel easy under.

She shook her head, "Embarrassing."

I lifted my eyebrows in surprise, "Excuse me?"

"My son is a jewel, a diamond, you are nothing but charcoal, concrete. I'm embarrassed to have you in my home." I noticed a slight accent in the way she talked. It was hard to detect, but once heard it was obvious that English wasn't her first language.

I had to bite my tongue from saying something I would regret, "Well then why don't you call off your damn guards, and let me leave then?"

"Don't give me tone, girl. I will carve you like the stone you are, do you understand me?"

This was getting old, fast. "Where is Inanis?" I didn't bother being polite with her. She doesn't deserve it.

She returned her focus on her cellphone, "Vita does not live here. Do not bother looking for my boy, he has better things to do than to answer to filth."

I huffed, "Well if I was Vita I wouldn't want to live with you either."

I hadn't noticed it was happening until I was too late. The side of my body burned, scalding my flesh, as I realized she threw her coffee at me. I barely even seen her move to do it.

I stood immediately sucking in multiple breaths to try and focus on anything but the burning pain.

"Don't you ever speak ill of me again, do you understand, girl?" I couldn't even find the energy to be mad at her. The whole left side of my body felt as if it were on fire.

I said nothing, as I forced myself to calmly leave the room. I didn't want to cry, but the pain brought unwanted tears in my eyes. I definitely didn't want her to see me cry.

When I left the living room, I somehow returned to the front hall, the staircase back up to my room where I could hide looked deliciously inviting. Sitting in a single room until my wedding day sounded like a five-star plan to me anyway. It's not like I cared about being social, at least not with these people. They are all deranged psychopaths, I'd prefer my own company to theirs any day.

"And where are you scurrying to this early in the morning?" I stopped at the voice that came from behind me. I immediately wiped the tears from my eyes and glanced over my shoulder.

Inanis came striding in the house through the front door. He had a black coat on, with crimson red buttons. His hair was parted over, and the gloves on his hands crinkled as his hands moved. His attire screamed wealth, and unnecessary glamor. He goes to the extremes to look like he has as much wealth as he does, and it's so pathetic that it actually suits him.

He had two guards following close behind him, but he didn't seem to acknowledge their presence. His focus was on me, and I found that to be stressful in itself.

"Your mother is just as psycho as you are." I spat, "Next time she tries to burn me with her morning coffee, tell her I'll rip her fat fucking throat out."

I don't know why, but I expected Inanis to be mad at me for threatening his loved one, yet, the amused grin on his face told me that maybe his mother wasn't a loved-one at all. "Now that is a show I'd like to see."

"Watch your words Inanis, I'd have no problem gutting your mother like the entitled pig she is."

He grinned, "You mean how I could have slaughtered your father?" He waved his hand in the direction of his mother, "Go ahead, restrain your mercy, prove I'm the better man."

"There's nothing better about you."

He placed a gloved hand on his non-existent heart, "And yet I'm willing to let you kill my only family, in order for you to feel justified."

"Fuck you."

"Yes, how fun that would be."

I rolled my eyes at his unbearable arrogance, and returned to the staircase, childishly stomping my feet on each step as I ascended back to my room.

I hadn't realized Inanis was following me until he wrapped his long, lethal arm around my shoulders, making my empty stomach swirl in disgust.

"Where are you going? Surely you wouldn't back down that easily."

"Don't tempt me, asshole."

Inanis sighed, "Always so moody, even in the mornings. It's no wonder your father didn't fight harder for you to stay with him."

I could feel my immediate shock melt into burning liquid, I turned to him, an expression on my face that read cold-blooded murder. If I had a weapon in my hand, I'd use it without a second thought. "What did you just say?"

He didn't seem scared of me, and I was well aware he was only speaking to get me riled up, it was working, because I needed a reason to be angry. "There's that fire I saw at the stadium. Such a raw, ugly emotion, it actually makes you look a little less repulsive."

I punched him. One moment I stood with his words dripping off me like liquid, an the next my knuckles were burning, and his nose was dripping blood. He didn't bother to wipe the blood away, hell, he barely flinched at all. In fact, he grinned, and spat out blood onto the floor. I didn't think I hit him that hard, but the blood stated otherwise. "So much potential." He cooed, "Next time, hit harder, knock me out, I don't want you hitting like a girl, I want you to hit like a woman."

I would have punched him again if it weren't for one of his guards gripping tightly on my shoulders, Inanis was begging me to hit him again, but his guards weren't going to let that happen anytime soon.

Still, I shrank back in disgust at his masochistic tendencies, "Were you dropped on your head as a baby? What the hell is wrong with you?" I could already see a bruise forming on the left side of his face where I punched him. It actually made looking at him kind of amusing

"Something like that." He replied with a shrug, finally wiping the blood from his nose, if it was anyone else, I'd definitely feel guilty. I have no guilt for my future husband. Wordlessly, he beckoned for his guards to follow him. I guess that included me, because the same guard who held my shoulders was still gripping me tightly as he followed Inanis down the stairs.

The coffee staining my shirt was now cold as it stuck to my burned skin. It was uncomfortable, but I had no hope of escaping Inanis any time soon.

Inanis walked into the living room where his mother was sitting, and my heart dropped at the mere sight of her. She took one glance at him and her whole face lit up from an unattractive, 'natural' scowl, to a gorgeous smile. "Vita my handsome boy!" She stood and hugged her son like he was her only life source. Inanis surprisingly hugged her back, even though the look on his face was unreadable, I was hoping to find some sort of sign that he's capable of feeling anything for a living person.

I still couldn't tell.

"What are you doing here? You have so many things to do, my boy."

He placed his hands delicately on her shoulders and pushed her off him like she was a door in his way, nothing but a burden he didn't bother making time for.

So, there was my answer.

Or maybe he just didn't like hugs.

He adjusted one of his gloves as if it were bothering him, his complete attention was on it as he spoke, "I suppose I just got bored. Wedding planning is annoying, I don't see why women enjoy it."

His mother shook her head, "Don't worry about that Vita, I will help plan a magnificent wedding."

Inanis ignored her as his attention was now on the coffee that stained the carpet from where she had thrown it on me, "Oh my, look at the mess you've made, mother. I'm disappointed in your aim."

"Maybe if your girl wasn't so skinny I'd have hit her better."

Inanis stared at me, "Very true, you should fatten her up before the wedding, stuff her like a doll."

These people were insane. I knew they were insane, but they seemed to be more insane when put together. It was so unrealistic, so movie-like I wondered if this was all an elaborate prank that the whole country was in on except me.

I took two steps back, my back hitting the guard behind me. "If either of you so much as lay a finger on me I swear to God I will-"

"Shut up." His mother snapped at me, and that only made me bristle further. I opened my mouth to speak but looking at Inanis, he shook his head no, as if doing so would be a regrettable decision.

I didn't listen.

"What the hell is your problem with me?" I tried to yank myself free from the guard who held my wrist like a chain. It didn't work. "You treat me like shit when I've done nothing wrong. Do you think I want to marry your freak of a son? Do you think I asked for any of this? I don't even want to be here!"

The look on her face was terrifying. I've never seen a human being look so much like the living embodiment of hate. She grabbed a vase off a nearby table and stalked towards me.

She was going to kill me.

Inanis, though obviously enjoying the show seemed to understand if he didn't interfere, I'd be just another victim to his fucked-up family. He quickly stepped in front of me, shielding me, he grabbed hold of the vase that his mother held so tightly too.

His voice was smooth like silk, "Now mother, you and I both know it would be very unfortunate for you if you happen to kill the girl." A subtle threat, I couldn't believe it. He just threatened to hurt his own mother if she laid a hand on me.

Inanis didn't even look back at me, as he snapped his fingers behind his back, indicated for the guard to take me out of the room immediately.

We left, and the second I stepped foot out of the room, away from the both of them, I felt like I could breathe.

From now on, I'm locking myself in my room, and I'm going to stay there. I'd rather die of starvation than meet either Inanis or his mother again.

As I walked up the staircase, the thought struck me. Maybe Inanis should have let his mother kill me. Maybe that would have been the greater mercy.