The Assassin's Bride Ch. 03

By the following evening she was getting into bed, when the door opened and Michael silently strode in. She watched him pull the chair from the small desk and straddle it.

He looked exhausted. His dark hair was ruffled and sticking up at points, obviously from running his hand through it a number of times. His navy collared t-shirt looked worn and slightly dirtied from travel. He stared at Carina with a frighteningly grim expression. There was no warmth in his face whatsoever. He looked absolutely livid.

In stony silence he watched her nervously settle into the bed. He took a breath and paused, as though contemplating his next words.

"I trust you were well entertained in my absence?" he inquired bitingly, his fingers tightening on the edges of the chair.

Carina didn't respond, knowing it wasn't a question.

"I didn't just arrive, you know," he informed her, his fingers turning white on the chair. "I spent a while reviewing..." he stopped himself, as though he couldn't get the words out and keep his self-control. Raising a steady hand from the chair, he pointed at her.

"Start talking. Fast."

Enjoying his antagonism, Carina shrugged nonchalantly and inspected her nails.

"Carina," Michael spoke lowly, with a very threatening undertone. "Carina, this is very serious. I have no patience for your insolence now. This is important. Do you understand?"

"What do you want me to say, Ethan?" she said innocently, but jumped when he overturned the chair and kicked it across the room.

"Do not test me, Carina!" he shouted, approaching the bed, hands on hips.

Though her insides turned to ice with fear, Carina shrugged again. Michael glared and took a deep breath, fighting to stop his rage from boiling over.

"Tell me what happened. Now."

"I had a bath and went to bed," she answered evasively, casting her eyes to the ceiling as though she couldn't remember.

"Are you going to make this difficult for both of us?" he growled. "Did I not warn you about punishment?"

"Go ahead, hit me. I'm not afraid of you!" Carina spat, shedding her casual demeanour and eyeing him with contempt.

Michael laughed scornfully, and began to pace the room.

"It is unwise to insult me now, Carina. I'm not a pea-brained grunt who uses fists to make a point," he said, with an ugly smile. "No Carina. You will not fear violence from me. But you will be tamed, I promise you that."

Carina sniffed as though unimpressed, concealing that she was slightly unnerved by his words.

"Are you going to talk? Or do I have to...?" he trailed off and his eyes narrowed warningly.

By now, Carina felt quite apprehensive, but also curious about his methods. How could he punish her, without physically hurting her? Careful not to blink, she stared back at him defiantly, silently giving her answer.

Without another word, Michael stalked from the room. Carina blew out a sigh of relief, thinking the battle of wills was over. But when Michael returned, and she saw what he carried, she scampered back into the headboard, her eyes wide with horror.

"No, Michael, wait-" she blurted out, scrambling from the bed and detangling herself from the sheet in a panic. "Wait, I didn't know-" she pleaded, her chest seized up with a terror so strong she couldn't breathe. "Stop, Michael- I'll- I won't be- Please- wait- NO!" she choked, tripping over the lounge behind her, she cowered on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.

"Don't, Michael! Please, don't!" she sobbed, afraid to look up. "I'll do anything you want," she wept, knowing she was beaten.

"You won't give me any more trouble?" he asked roughly.

"None," she shakily answered.

"You are going to take this seriously?"

"Yes!" she shrieked, curling up tighter.

"You will answer my questions?" his voice rang out menacingly.

Carina squeezed her eyes closed and nodded vigorously.

"Do I need to tell you what I will do with this, if you force my hand?"

"No, no, you don't! No!" Carina miserably shook her head into her knees, praying he kept his distance. There was a long, horrible silence, broken only by her hysterical sobbing.

"I don't ever want to have this conversation again. Is that understood?"

Carina nodded again, her eyes stinging, blinded by the sudden flood of tears.

"Very well. I'll be back," she heard his deep, cold voice.

A few minutes later he returned, and she fearfully recoiled as his footsteps drew near. She whimpered, scared to open her eyes when he pulled her to her feet and pushed her toward the bed.

"I never thought the occasion would arise when that would be necessary," he said grimly, picking up the chair he'd kicked aside to sit by the bed. Still sniffling, Carina stared down at the blanket with downcast, reddened eyes.

"I suppose it pays to be prepared for anything," Michael said, watching her sternly. "Now. Talk."

"S-someone came into my r-room." Carina hiccupped as she tried to breathe evenly, without much success.

"I know that," he snarled. "What did you talk about? And if you lie, I will know. And I will bring it back."

"H-he asked me w-why I was h-here," she blurted hastily, fresh tears pitiably spilling down her cheeks. "H-he wouldn't h-help me run a-away." She noticed an amused gleam in his eyes, as though he and the man shared a private joke. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on breathing easier, which helped eliminate the trembling stammer. "He tried to open one of the doors...well," she numbly gestured, knowing Michael would have seen on camera.

"Did he give you anything?"

"No."

"Did you give him anything?"

Carina looked forlorn and insulted. What could she possibly give him, besides wine and tomatoes? As though he silently conceded her point of view, Michael continued without her reply.

"What did he tell you about me?"

"Nothing. Just your name."

"You will continue to call me 'Michael'. Am I clear?"

Carina glumly nodded.

"And he kissed you."

Carina nodded.

"Did you deliberately seduce him?" he asked, but raised a hand before she could reply. "I don't need to know the answer."

"Who is he?" Carina ventured uneasily, before he could fire more questions at her.

Michael smiled wryly, not entirely sure how to phrase his answer. "We used to be friends. We became enemies but maintained a mutual respect, until now. I suppose the best way to describe it would be, as you ladies call it -- frenemies."

"What is his name?"

"You are not on a first name basis, and that is how it will stay." Michael had an ominous look on his face that warned her not to pursue the topic.

"What does he want from the room?" Carina probed, wiping her damp face on the blanket, and Michael rolled his eyes.

"A grudge," he said shortly. "He's obviously got time on his hands. This is just sport for him."

"He said he didn't want to kill you."

"No. Nor I, him. But make no mistake, if it was a matter of importance, neither of us would hesitate."

A few minutes passed before he stood and joined her on the bed. "Come here. Come here," he insisted, impatiently pulling her into his arms when she sullenly turned away.

"Do you think I wanted to do that? I gave you every chance to avoid it," he murmured, stroking her hair. She trembled at the memory, and he gave her a little squeeze.

"With you, I am indulgent. But this was no time for games," he explained. "I never wanted to break you. You forced my hand."

Carina shuddered.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" he asked, and there was something in his voice that told her he knew more.

"He said he might be back," she mumbled tiredly against his chest.

"Of course he did," he immediately replied, his voice harsh with jealousy. "Did he say when?"

Carina shook her head.

"Be careful who you apply your charm and wiles to, Carina," he warned. "You know the saying - 'Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.'"

He waited to let the words sink in, then kissed the top of her head. "You smell delicious. I missed you," he murmured, resting his cheek against her. "I will let you sleep alone tonight. I wasn't planning to, but I will."

Carina didn't respond. She never thought she would ever be so grateful for his kindness.

"Carina, if he comes back when I am not here, you will stay away from him," Michael ordered, easing off the bed to look down at her. With a sour look on her face, Carina gathered her hair and began to plait it down one side.

"What the fuck is that?" Michael exclaimed, and Carina saw him staring wide-eyed at the bruise on her throat. He quickly reached down and forced her head back for a better look. "When did this happen?"

"When he jumped on me in bed," Carina snapped, jerking her head away, slightly pleased by the stunned outrage on Michael's face.

"The balcony will be restricted when I am away. You will lock the door at night."

"And if he decides to fuck me in the day?" Carina said sweetly, her eyes smouldering blue-black.

"He would not dare show in daylight," Michael curtly answered, choosing to ignore the sexually suggestive aspect of her question.

"And if I forget to lock the door?" she taunted, before she could stop herself. His immediate sharp intake of breath told her she went too far.

"Ok, Carina, I am going to say this once," he said tersely, towering above her. "I can deal with your little tantrums about anything else. But you will not cross me where this man is concerned. If you do, Carina-"

Realising where this was going, Carina bleakly shook her head, silently pleading with him to stop.

"I don't want to say it, but clearly you don't understand how serious I am. So it is only fair to warn you," he spoke reluctantly, despite appearing oblivious to her mute appeal.

"Carina, I will make you put it on," he said heavily, pausing when she flinched and shrank into the bed, unable to look at him. There was a hesitant silence, and Carina hoped he would abandon the speech. But she heard him take a deep breath and plunge on, determined to see his point through.

"And then I will fuck you. Crying and begging will have no effect on me. So, if you choose to break my rules with this person," he growled, his temper blazing at the memory of them kissing in the corridor. "Be aware that you choose the consequences, and that I will have no mercy."

Waiting until she heard the door lock behind him, Carina's chest heaved with several ragged breaths. With a start she realised she was going to vomit. Rushing to the bathroom, she reached the toilet just in time. Collapsing tiredly on the ground for several minutes, she eventually forced herself to get up and clean her teeth.

Back in bed, miserably wrapped in the blanket, Carina's mind couldn't expel the startling image. For a long time, she cried wretchedly into the pillow, her heart pounding with a sickening fear. Michael had a way of ruining things, and now she dreaded the intruder's return.

Carina had witnessed a lot of violence in her relationship with Eduardo. She considered herself relatively desensitised to it. She never had any real phobias. Wondering about her reaction, she was quite shocked by her immediate response, never expecting to be consumed by a crippling terror at the sight of the lacy peach cocktail dress, stained with Eduardo's blood.