Chapter 31:
Makenna’s POV
It turned out to be Dominic.
I blinked, startled. What on earth was he doing here?
Before I could piece it together, Dominic strode forward, commanding attention as always. His cold, assessing gaze swept over me and then shifted to Kristina and her followers. “What exactly is going on here?”
Kristina fumbled, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. She glanced around desperately before jabbing a finger at me.
“It’s all her fault!” she cried out, trying to sound innocent. “She was disrespectful and rude, so I thought I’d teach her a lesson.”
Her blatant twisting of the truth made me laugh out loud, but I instead kept my cool. “Miss Harrison, I was just on my way home when you and your entourage decided to pick a fight. You even told them to strip me. What exactly did I do to offend you?”
Clearly, she hadn’t expected me to have the nerve to fight back. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she stuttered, struggling to find words.
The scowl on Dominic’s face was getting darker. His tone was calm, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. “Apologize to her, Kristina.”
“What?” Kristina gasped, disbelief written all over her face. “You want me to apologize? To this… this lowly woman? Never! You must be joking!”
I was just as stunned. Dominic, of all people, was defending me? Kristina was set to become the next queen while I was nothing more than a mere sex slave. The difference in our statuses couldn’t be more glaring.
But Dominic’s hard face showed he wasn’t joking around.
“Very well,” he said, his voice like ice. “I’ll inform my father of what you’ve done today.”
“Why?” Kristina’s pitch rose higher, feeling some panic. “I’m the future queen! Why should I apologize to a slave bitch?”
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She shot me a look of pure hatred, as if I were the cause of all her problems.
Dominic didn’t flinch. “Is that so?” he said, still with that flat voice. But I noticed the disgust in his eyes.
Watching this unfold, I suddenly understood something: none of the princes seemed to like Kristina.
This was my chance. I couldn’t let myself be a victim any longer, not when a prince was offering me an unexpected lifeline.
I shook my head, meeting Dominic’s gaze. “There is no need for an apology, Your Highness.”
Kristina’s smug smile returned, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “I knew you didn’t have the guts—Ouch!” I lunged forward and slapped her hard across the face, cutting her gloating short.
Her cheek ballooned under the force of my slap. I hit her so hard that I left a blazing palm print on her skin. She froze, shock widening her eyes, as if she couldn’t believe I’d actually hit her.
I stared her down, wanting her to feel my cold stare; to understand that she was going to pay for every wrong she’d done. “An apology isn’t enough,” I said, my tone steely. “Not for everything you’ve put me through.”
Her disbelief quickly morphed into fury. “Are you nuts?”
She sprang at me wildly and swung a couple of fists.
“You fucking psycho! How dare you! You actually hit me? You’ve got some nerve!”
I stumbled back, but before she could reach me, Dominic was there, placing himself between us. He shoved her back with a firm hand, looking really pissed off. “That’s enough, Kristina.”
“She’s just a worthless slave, a filthy nobody!” Kristina was twisting with rage. “Who does she think she is, laying a hand on me? She’s nothing!”
That wild look in her eyes—she wanted to tear me apart.
Dominic stayed between us like a solid wall. He gave her a last warning. “Try it again, and I’ll have the soldiers deal with you.”
The threat seemed enough to snap her back to reality.
But the fury in her eyes didn’t dim. She shot me one last seething look. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot!”
I met her gaze without flinching. I’d long stopped caring about her opinion of me. From the moment she laid eyes on me, she’d despised me, and I had enough of her games.
Kristina stormed off with one final huff, and her minions scurried after her.
As her figure disappeared down the hall, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. The adrenaline drained from my body, leaving me feeling hollowed out and exhausted. My vision swayed, and my body shook. Dominic’s hand was the only thing keeping me upright.
“Are you okay?”
His voice was closer. It felt so overwhelming, feeling him so near me; how the chill of his scent wrapped around me like a fog.
“I’m fine,” I mumbled, trying to pull away, but his grip only tightened, anchoring me in place.
I could feel the heat of his gaze, and when I looked up, I saw his eyes darken, fixed on my chest.
I glanced down, following his gaze, only to find my clothes in tatters, undoubtedly ripped apart during the scuffle with Kristina’s followers. The skin on my chest was exposed, and I had a patchwork of bruises and marks left from the night before with Bryan.
