Chapter 4

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 14:02:10 +0000

He led her from the bathing chamber, a thick shawl still wrapped around her, her skin glowing, freshly scrubbed of the filth that had defiled her. The maids, banished earlier, had left a tray of food—warm milk, soft bread, and a bowl of sweet, spiced rice. He watched her, a silent sentinel, as she sat on the edge of a low divan, her small hands trembling slightly as she took the offered bowl. She ate slowly, methodically, as if each bite was a step back from the precipice she had teetered on. He noted the way her throat worked, the soft sounds she made, every detail etching itself onto his soul. It was his food, his sustenance, now entering her body, binding her further to him.