Beginning of pains

Ashlyn's POV

He was incredulously furious with me and I was forced to look away from his gaze.

"I gave specific tasks and they were easy to execute, which is why I expected them to be done well and I come home to this? This filth?!" His voice boomeranged in my head and I shook in fear unspeaking with the feeling that whatever I'd say to him would anger him the more.

"Milord, Ashlyn did a thorough cleaning of.." Roselia began to defend me but was cut short with a silencing finger from Lucifer.

His glare was still on me and no one else's. The moment I looked up to notice it, I immediately looked down again. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right now.

"I do not possess great patience. I do not like time being wasted and it irritates me when my expectations are disappointed." He said in a low menacing tone and I swallowed with my lips quivering.

Why was I so afraid? I knew what the punishment was. It was not a new thing to me anymore. He'd yell and then punish me in bed. I could deal with that. Concluding that in my mind, I slowly gave myself hope. At least he would not kill me.

"With this unlawful act of yours, you shall be punished." He said and I heaved. Here it comes.

"Step forward." He commanded.

With slow and quivering feet I walked towards him, only a few inches away from his condescending height and my knees buckled threatening to fail me and collapse on the floor.

"This mess shall be cleaned up by you and not with water or soap but with your tongue." He said and I raised my head horrified by his words.

"And do not ever look me in the eyes when I'm talking to you!" He barked and I visibly shook as I lowered my head down and tears surfaced.

With this kind of mood he was, I could not possibly speak, if I did, I'll be hanged by the morning or perhaps daggered for eternity.

"You'll lick every corner where this oil was spilled with your tongue and you shall lick it clean." He emphasized.

"Vino!" He called out and Vino stood before him.

"You'll supervise this task of hers and when she's done, she should be locked up in the dungeon and writing four hundred words on how to behave as a slave," he said and the tears dropped. I was being punished for what I did not do. "With her blood." He finished off and that was the last straw that broke me as I fell to the ground and the sobbing began.

"Why?" Was the only thing I kept saying and when I looked up at him, he had no pity or compassion in his eyes. He was cold-blooded.

He did not utter a word as he kicked past me and all I could hear was the staccato of his boots up the stairs.

And then I could hear the snickering of Sia, Juliette, and Meredith. At this moment I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

I had expected his usual punishment but instead, he double-crossed. He was unpredictable and sly and a vulgar barbarian. Vulgar I say!

"Begin," Vino said to me in a mean way.

The injustice I have to suffer for what I knew nothing about. What I did not do or have a fair knowledge of.

I thought of how to make Sia and the rest pay for this humiliation as my tongue met the floor. But I knew I could do nothing and that made my tears fall the more. I could do nothing to them and as I began my task, their mockery increased and all I could do was endure.

I had no one to complain to. No one to turn to. No one to help me from my misery. I had no Darius here and I was all alone in this new life of mine.

Lucifer's POV

Yes, she needed to be put in her place. She needed to understand she was my mistress and nothing more. I needed to prove that to her or was it myself?

I do not care. Like I've told myself before, I'll treat her like a slave and this is only the beginning. Beginning of the pain I'll make her pass through. Beginning of the things she'd have to face if she crosses me.

Even if I have thoughts of her in my head, she'd pay for it too. Why should she be in my head? Why won't she be on her own than be in my thoughts?

That she would also serve punishments for. I did not want to listen to her for fear that I would not carry out what I had in mind for her. This was the way I wanted to be with her. Put her in her place. I was her Master and she was my slave and that was how it ought to be.

I realized I gave way to tolerate her nonsense and that's why she could look me in the eyes and talk back.

The unstable mate bond had been the reason for that but not anymore. I'd fight it to the very core. I'll fight to feel her emotions in my head. I'll fight to see her in pain and danger in my head. I will never come to her rescue anymore. This will be how it will be from now on. I would do to her however I place. Torture. Torment. Ridicule. Humiliation. Name it!

Whether the moon goddess likes it or not, whether the mate bond likes it or not, my slave shall she remain.

She was the only one amongst my mistresses who had the audacity and guts to look me in the eye and speak and that I could not take and I knew it was also my fault.

I had been lenient. I had not been hard on her enough and that's why she also had the nerves to crowd my thoughts. Foolish woman!

And now I was thinking of her and that infuriated me the more.

There will be an added punishment for her today for being in my thoughts.

Done with the necessary things I went upstairs for, I got back down and saw her still using her tongue to lick up the floor under the watchful eye of Vino.

"What a brute you are!" Steel exclaimed in my head.

In the most possible honest way, I was not insensitive to what I was seeing but like I had earlier said, the torture she shall get.

"Do not begin with me Steel or you might as well be getting into my bad books," I said to him as I looked away from where Ashlyn was and walked out of the house.

He laughed mockingly. "Do not forget you'll also suffer greatly if you do." He said.

I held myself from rolling my eyes. "You do not need to remind me," I said in irritation and he huffed also getting angry. Fine, I did not need his ranting right now.

"Lucifer," I heard Kill's voice from the opposite direction. I turned to him, he was coming from the training ground.

"Picked out best of our warriors already?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Not quite yet Helldog, I've set up a challenge for tomorrow to pick out the strongest of them all." He said.

"Good," I said to him.

"Madame Sofia Vergara from the French quarters sent a missive this afternoon. Dreg brought it to me." He said.

"Did you read it?" I asked him.

"As always alpha." He said with a low bow.

I was particularly cautious when it came to letters. I had a premonition that one of my enemies could find a woman I've had escapades with and use her against me. That I was cautious not to allow.

"And it says?" I asked him.

"She'll be visiting Glasgow in five days." He said.

I curved a smile. The French wanton. She never seems to get enough of me.

"I shall await her visit then," I said to him.

"There's surely going to be a lot of confusion and chaos in the pack house when she arrives." Kill said laughing.

I grinned. I knew what he meant and I could not wait. "I look forward to it Kill," I said still grinning.