Chapter 6 A Touch

"It... it hurts... It stings..." Valerie's faint voice could be heard again.

Rovano was still cleaning the remaining blood from every part of the girl's body. Then, once he was done, he leaned in close to Valerie's face, kissed her thin lips, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Be quiet," he said once more before stepping back, "you must learn to endure it, for this will become a regular occurrence for you in the future."

Valerie shuddered in horror; how could that man remain so impassive and calm? Valerie felt her wounds were excruciatingly painful and stinging, especially if anything touched them.

Rovano brought a towel, warm water and a first-aid kit. He cleaned Valerie's wounds quickly and immediately bandaged them so they would dry fast, allowing him to see the carving without blood.

Usually he would call a doctor, but this time the victim wasn't a man, nor was she a girl he could simply discard after bringing her here. Rovano felt a flicker of emotion taking hold of him; he wanted Valerie to be his, yet with an unfamiliar feeling.

Once finished, Rovano helped Valerie sit up and slowly stand. Valerie's sense of shame had vanished the moment Rovano stripped her; all she felt now was pain.

"Drink this, painkiller," he ordered Valerie.

Rovano gave her a painkiller at double the dose; at least that would keep Valerie quiet for a while, though the girl herself wasn't sure if the medicine would actually ease her pain.

The bed was in disarray and covered in blood; Rovano then dragged Valerie into the bathroom after she had taken the medicine he'd given her. The girl limped along as Rovano dragged her.

"Wash your face, tidy your hair. Change out of everything you're wearing into what I've prepared," Rovano ordered firmly.

Valerie remained silent, staring at the large mirror before her. She was a mess; her whole body was a shambles.

"Why?" Valerie whispered, breaking down into tears once more.

Rovano merely raised an eyebrow. Valerie now turned to him with a wounded look in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Valerie asked again.

"You are my prey. My target. You are mine forever. That wound is a mark of my ownership," replied Rovano, "hurry, we're leaving here soon."

"Why me..." Valerie whispered again, as if unsatisfied with Rovano's answer.

The man sighed again; he approached Valerie once more until she stepped back and her shoulder touched the bathroom wall. Rovano gently cupped Valerie's cheek; their eyes locked.

"Because you are meant for me. You should be grateful I didn't kill you," hissed Rovano.

His gaze dropped to the two mounds of Valerie's breasts, which were not as small as they appeared beneath her clothes. They seemed quite proportionate and just right for him to hold?

"I think I need to mark you again."

Rovano's head dropped; he bit and sucked the top of Valerie's right breast rather hard, and the girl groaned as she felt the sting and pain again. Before Valerie could resist, the man quickly pulled away once he felt it was enough.

"Ahh!!" Valerie groaned, clutching her breast which felt as if it had been stung.

"I can give you anything, even the world itself. You just need to obey," said Rovano with an even more satisfied expression; the man licked the top of his lip and then grinned at Valerie again.

"I'm not your slave!" Valerie's voice finally came out more firmly.

At the very least, she managed to muster the strength to retort to Rovano, even if only with words; her legs were throbbing, her chest ached, and her spirit had been utterly shattered by that man.

'BUGH!

Valerie was utterly shocked; Rovano had just punched the wall, injuring his hand, fresh blood flowing from the man's right hand.

He glared at Valerie fiercely, his emotions rising to his head and boiling over the moment he heard Valerie say the word 'slave'.

That word was too sensitive and carried a terrible connotation. He hated it; Valerie was not his slave.

"Who said you're a slave? You're mine! Valerie, YOU'RE M-I-N-E, YOU'RE NOT A SLAVE!"

Rovano shouted loudly right in front of Valerie's face, so the girl could only turn her face away and close her eyes, her body trembling with fear once more.

Rovano grabbed her chin, forcing her face to look at him. Then he gripped her cheek.

"Open your eyes!" Rovano snapped again, and Valerie flinched once more.

"Open your eyes and look at me, Valerie!"

Her lips trembled as she held back her tears; slowly she opened her eyes and Rovano was staring at her intently, tears beginning to well up again, filling her green eyes.

"You are mine, forever."

Valerie's mouth opened; she wanted to speak but her voice suddenly failed her and she could only sob.

Rovano remained like that, staring intently at her whilst Valerie continued to sob, her tears flowing ever more freely.

She could smell blood, though she wasn't sure whether it was from the cut on her leg or from the wound on Rovano's hand.

The grip on Valerie's cheek began to loosen; she could feel a dull ache in her cheek once the grip had fully released, and she could only look down afterwards, staring at the tiles-watching her tears fall to the floor.

Her body jolted again as Rovano stroked the top of her head; this man seemed to have a split personality. Now he was stroking the top of Valerie's head with tenderness.

He touched her chin again, making the girl look up at him.

"Stop crying and get ready, Valerie."

The man then left; the bathroom door slammed shut so hard that Valerie was startled.

Finally, she could cry her heart out in there, pouring out all her sorrow until she was satisfied. Valerie walked towards the mirror; she stared at her pitiful reflection before her.

It had all happened so quickly, and Valerie had no choice but to obey Rovano's orders because she didn't want to die in vain at the hands of that man.

Besides, the girl had no one now; she was alone here, without a mobile phone, without anyone she knew, as she had always been confined to the mansion.

In a situation like this, who could she possibly ask for help? Valerie wasn't even very good at speaking foreign languages.

Valerie wondered what the situation was like at her family's mansion now that she was gone.

Was Nolan looking for her? Was her grandmother-Silvanna-crying for her? What about her stepmother, Natasha? She missed her terribly; Natasha had looked after her since she was a baby, even though the girl wasn't her biological daughter.

And what was the state of her grandfather-Jaden? Her head was throbbing again; Valerie couldn't stop thinking about her family.

The wound on her leg began to throb once more, but she had to clean herself-she was sticky with sweat, tears and traces of blood that smelled of iron.

Click

The bathroom door swung open again; Rovano came in carrying a towel and hung it up. Valerie, who was turning on the hot water in the shower, was startled, whilst Rovano stared at her impassively.

He looked Valerie up and down; the girl, who was not wearing any clothes and was only in her underwear, looked pitiful.

The bloodstains on the back of her body bore silent witness to the wounds she had sustained.

Rovano sighed; he thought hard, his heart suddenly softening at the sight of Valerie's condition, even though it was his own doing.

The man stepped closer, but Valerie trembled instantly; she began to back away, retreating until finally Rovano stopped in his tracks, then wondered again why the girl was moving away from him.

"I'll help you clean yourself up," said Rovano innocently.

The girl's green eyes widened in surprise; Rovano was driving her nearly mad with every move that was completely beyond her comprehension.

"No!" Valerie cried out softly, "S-sir, you don't need to do that, I can-I can manage on my own."