Leila gasped and gulped at the air as she struggled to breathe, her scalp burned from where he had wrenched her back by her blonde-white locks. Her mouth fell open as she rolled to her side, curling in a small ball. Breathe, in- out, in-out. She coached herself softly, she staggered to her feet, fresh tears filled her eyes.

Ranja closed the gap between them in a few long strides, his hand tangled in her hair once more. “Why must you make me hurt you,” he tone almost laced with pain.

He guided her head to his chest as he roughly soothed her now gnarled locks away from her. Silent tears spilled down her bruised cheeks as she tried to swallow around the large lump that had risen in her throat. “So don’t hurt- me.” Her voice was hoarse and thick with tears. “Be- be gentle Ranja, I don’t want to be hurt anymore.” Her voice was soft as if she was speaking to a wounded child. She fought against her natural instinct to place a soothing hand on her stomach. Instead she pulled away from him slightly and placed a shaky hand on his cheek.

“Shh, it’s okay. I see now we can be together you and I.” His gaze darted down to her swollen abdomen, his face twisted with confliction.

“Don’t worry, let these babies be born, that’s all that the fighter wanted. Not me I am nothing, my love without you. Just give me the shards of my soul, we can be together as one.” As the words left her lips she felt the bile rise in her throat.

She took a deep breath as the Prince fell to his knees his head laid on her swollen stomach now. “I can’t, I will not allow what is mine to bore another man’s seed.” His voice was low and with each word Leila’s heart sank a little more.

“No one would have to know please, I- don’t kill these babies Ranja.” Her voice broke as new found tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “I’ll-I’ll be good I swear just let them live please, I beg of you. I will never challenge you, no one is coming for me. You have me all to yourself.” She sunk to her knees, her hands falling into her lap.

“Enough!” He roared in her face, his hands wrapped around her shoulders as he shook her. Her head violently shook, rolled and jarred in ways Leila didn’t even know possible. “You will do as I say and the sooner those bastards are out of your gut the better.” He let her go, her vision still blurred from the violent shaking he had given her.

He stood dusting his hands off, he circled her once before making his way to the fire place. “For every time you defy me, I will mark you. You will learn soon begging and pleading is beneath you.” His hand wrapped around the fire poke that had been settled in the embers. He withdrew the poker, the metal at the tip held a orange glow to it.

Leila’s mouth went dry with fear as he came closer to her. She didn’t dare run for fear of his wrath turning toward her swollen stomach sooner. She felt the hot iron mere inches from the base of her back, the heat searing the peach fuzz hair on her skin. Breaker, mother, please be alive and hurry. She pleaded silently as the hot metal met her skin, everything went white for a moment as a blood curdling scream left her lips as he branded her for each time she had defied him.