"Okay, I'll do what you want during this and the next seduction class if you swear to grant me my favor no matter what I ask," Eliana said at last, her voice trembling.
She didn't want to agree, but what other choice did she have? Next week's lesson was still days away. Maybe by then, she'd find something in the library that could help her escape. That was a future problem. Right now, she had to get through the kiss. Her first kiss had already been stolen by Keith, so what did it matter anymore? She had once dreamed of her first kisses being something special. Not like this.
Theo pulled her from her thoughts, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from her chair. "Good. Then we have a deal."
He led her into a small private room. The walls were dark gray stone, and a plain couch stood in the center. Nothing about it felt safe.
"Don't you want to know what I'm going to ask for?" she said, stepping away from him.
He just smiled and tugged her back by the waist. "I don't care. And without kissing first, you're not getting anything—so it doesn't matter."
She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to create distance, but it felt too intimate. She quickly dropped her hands, her face flushed. She hated being this close to anyone.
"And what if I asked you to let me go? To set me free from this place?" she asked, voice steady despite the chaos inside her.
He chuckled and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, sending a shiver of unease down her spine. "You're not that stupid. You know I wouldn't and couldn't do that. Besides, that's not what you really want, is it?"
She clenched her jaw. He talked as if he would know her.
"Enough talking. Time for kissing. Show me what you've got, love."
She stared at him, hating his smug expression. People like Theo had it so easy. Flash a smile, and the world bent for them. People like her—awkward, anxious, always unsure—were forced to fight just to be heard. Just to exist.
She sighed. "I don't know how to kiss," she admitted, cheeks burning. Better to say it now than humiliate herself further.
Theo tilted his head. "Kissing's natural. Just start—you'll figure it out. You want your favor, right? Then kiss me."
She felt like this was all a game to him. Another sick power play he enjoyed too much. Her stomach turned, but she bit her lip, hesitated, and leaned in. She pressed her lips to his for just a second before pulling back.
Her face was hot with shame.
She felt dirty.
Theo burst out laughing. "You can't be serious. That's what you call a kiss? You act like you've never kissed anyone."
She looked down. "I haven't."
His smile dropped. For the first time, something in his face shifted—darker, sharper. "You've never kissed anyone?" His voice dropped low. "Don't tell me… you're a virgin?"
She froze and her eyes widened.
"That's none of your business," she snapped and was reaching her limit of how much she could endure to just get a favor from him. "It's private. And I don't even see why any of this matters for becoming an assassin! I'm not here to feed your sick fantasies."
She turned, ready to leave—but his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip. She gasped as he yanked her backward. Her body hit the couch, and in seconds, he was on top of her, pinning her down.
He slammed his lips against hers. The kiss started rough but then slowed down and turned gentle as if he is playing with her and savoring her misery.
After a few seconds he pulled back and she could feel his breath on her lips. Their faces only inches apart. Eliana couldn't think or react from shock in that moment.
"Only a virgin would react like that," he murmured, staring down at her like she was prey. "You just became even more interesting. I love breaking in girls like you."
His smile returned but it wasn't charming anymore. It was terrifying and made her snap out of her shocked state.
"Get off me!" she shouted, panic rising fast as she felt the loss of control over the situation. "I'm not going to let you 'break me in', you sick bastard!"
His weight pressed her into the couch, suffocating. Her limbs trembled. She pushed, kicked, struggled, but it did nothing. Her breath came in short gasps.
His hand moved to her face, wiping away tears she hadn't realized had fallen.
"Shhh... relax, love," he murmured, brushing her cheek. "Not today. But one day, you'll come to me willingly. You'll beg for what you're so afraid of now."
He placed a slow kiss on her cheek like sealing a deal only he believed in.
Eliana didn't move. She couldn't. Her entire body was frozen in fear.
Her heart thundered in her chest, her breath came in shallow gasps, and her limbs trembled beneath him.
She didn't know if she was shaking from anger, terror, or both.
All she knew was that this—this—was the most powerless she had ever felt in her life.