The Reluctant Journey Ch. 06

Cain held the heavy wooden front door open for her. She walked into a living room kitchen combination, there was also a tiny table so she supposed it was also a dining room. There was a worn in looking brown corduroy couch and an ugly green velvet chair that faced a large state of the art television. To the right of the living room portion of the room was the kitchen portion. Everything looked very minimal and normal, any attempt at decoration leaned toward the rustic variety, though even that was limited. She walked toward a small hallway off of the back of the kitchen. The bathroom was at the very end of the hallway, at the back of the house, and two bedrooms were on either side of the hall. It was simple but nice, Malia liked it. However she was becoming more uneasy by the minute as Cain followed her into the small house. They were going to stay here, together? Just the two of them? She could feel her pulse instantly quicken.

Cain had lounged on the couch and turned the TV on rather than follow her into the cramped hallway, for which she was thankful. It was strange watching him watch TV. Cain had plenty of televisions in his mansion but they were all hidden away in furniture and behind pictures; Clearly an interior designer's doing. Malia had never actually seen him watch anything though, but honestly she didn't know him well enough to watch TV with him. She knew his brother like that, which was worrying her. She didn't have romantically inclined feelings for Tristan, it didn't faze her to watch a movie with him. But Cain was different, the pull to him was almost palpable to her, like an actual magnetic attraction. Watching a movie on television with Cain could never be like watching a movie with Tristan.

"Sit." Cain ordered, as he'd probably determined she'd been standing in the hall staring at him for too long.

"Um I'm fine, I think I'll just go to bed. Which room is mine?"

He looked up from the channels he was scrolling though. "It's four o'clock"

"Yeah, I know." She replied softly. "I'm tired."

He shrugged though he still looked at her as if she were sick. "The one on the left, your clothes are already in the closet." She nodded and walked to her assigned room. She didn't even bother to look in the large antique armoire for a change of clothing. Her grey jumpsuit was ugly, but it wasn't uncomfortable. She fell face first onto the large flannel covered bed and was asleep soon after.

Unfortunately her growling stomach only let her sleep for an hour and a half. She walked into the main room of the house. Wonderful smells were coming from the oven.

"Dinner is almost ready." Cain said from the couch, looking completely relaxed with his feet propped up on Finn's sturdy coffee table. He'd changed from his typical black suit into worn jeans and a white t-shirt, it made him look much too cozy and relatable. "You cook?" Malia looked at him surprised.

He laughed. "No, of course not. There was a pre-made casserole in the freezer. I simply put it into the oven." She nodded, she pictured the general with a pink frilly apron on and a spot of flour on his nose. She giggled at the mental picture and he looked up at her again wearily. The timer went off, making her jump. He rose from the couch fluidly and pulled the cheesy casserole out of the oven, somehow not looking ridiculous with the oven mitt on his large hand.

"Bon appétit." Cain motioned to the plates.

She looked at him strangely but grabbed a plate and spooned a generous portion of the cheesy chicken mystery casserole onto her plate. It was delicious, though Cain seemed surprised of that fact. He clearly wasn't expecting much when he'd put the dish in the oven.

"My regards to the chef." She held up her full fork in a mimic toast.

He raised his eyebrows cockily, he was actually teasing her. She laughed. It was strange to eat with Cain when she was used to eating with Tristan. It was much more silent. She focused on eating, as she always had, and tried to ignore the awkwardness between them. She finished eating long before he did.

"Well, I'm going to bed." She said awkwardly as she hurried to rise from the chair.

He quickly grabbed her wrist. "I don't believe you were excused from the table. Sit."

"Excuse me?" She said irritated by another bout of seemingly never-ending misogyny from him.

"No, I didn't excuse you, nor do I plan on excusing you until I am finished eating."

"Well m'lord I apologize." She gave a mock curtsey as best as she could when he still had her wrist. "Me being just a humble slave, I wasn't brought up with all your fancy there manners."

"Sit down." He growled in reply, unentertained by her mockery.

She clenched her teeth as she obeyed his command. For a while she simply glared at him as he ate, seemingly as slowly as physically possible. In a way she was glad he'd shown his asshole side again, it firmly reminded her of all the reasons she wasn't attracted to him. There were plenty of pretty faces out there, this one was attached to a prick. "Would you like me to chew that up for you scout?"

He smirked without looking up at her. "Contrary to what you may believe little girl, not everyone chooses to wolf down their food like a prisoner."

His comment stung. She wanted to feel equal with him but there were so many levels on which they were not equal, especially where familial backgrounds were concerned. Being ashamed of her family, even for a second, brought immediate guilt into the pit of her stomach. She had nothing to be ashamed of, if her family were prisoners it was only his fault, him and the others like him. "Yes well, while you were having your silver spoons polished, I was actually working for my keep. Not everyone gets to live off of mommy and daddy forever do they?"

"Are you implying that you don't live off of your parents?" He rose his eyebrows in that annoying way. "From everything I have learned little girl, you haven't left your parents side for longer than a weekend since you've been born. Such a big talk from someone with two permanent security blankets. And what now that they are to be reunited with you? Will you once again take up your role as mommy and daddy's little girl? You may not have much to live off of little girl, but you have lived off of them all the same."

If she hadn't been so angry his comment would have probably further depressed her nearly nonexistent self confidence. But she was angry, and scared, and hurt. "Well I guess I don't know what will happen when we're reunited! I guess that would be up to you, your all powerful highness! My entire life is surely in you hands as you continue to remind me! You hide behind your goal of making Tristan happy. You clearly get off on the power of controlling another family so completely. In fact I would go as far to say that you get off on controlling your own family. Is hand picking Tristan's wife sure to ensure your continued place as king of the manor? You would hate it if he ever actually challenged you in anything, wouldn't you? You placate him in his small and far between desires to keep him in line, so you can continue to dictate every aspect of his life, just like one of your men, like an employee! Tell me General, is that love?"

Before Malia could second guess her words a bowl went flying across the room to loudly shatter against the cabinets by the sink. Her own anger faded enough for her to take in his expression of absolute rage. He stood quickly and dragged her up from her seat by her hair. She grabbed his hand defensively, as he pulled her hair back tightly causing her to yell out.

"Don't you ever think that you know anything about my family! You are nothing! If Tristan had refused to speak to you that first day I would have killed you with no thought to it." He yelled and growled every word directly into her exposed face. Tears fell out the corners of her eyes. "I had to beg him to talk to you, that is how little he cared for you! The only reason I went through all the trouble of obtaining a little bitch like you is because of Tristan! I only think of his happiness in everything that I do! So don't tell me that I don't love my brother! I would give anything and everything for that man!"

"Please Cain, you're hurting me." She cried as his hand continued to tighten in her hair as he screamed at her.

"Am I little girl?" He sneered maliciously. "Well maybe you deserve to be hurt." He stalked to the narrow hallway dragging her behind him as she cried out.

"Please! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She begged as he dragged her into the bedroom he'd chosen for himself. He let go of her hair only to pick her up and throw her on the large bed in the middle of the room. She bounced a couple times, disoriented at her new found liberation. He was on top of her before she could get her bearings enough to try and escape. He landed completely on her, knocking the wind out of her and inhibiting her from catching her breath. She felt like she would suffocate to death. Thankfully he lifted his weight off of her chest to partially sit on her pelvis as he held both of her arms above her head easily. He transferred one of her slender wrists to join the other in his large hand's iron like grip. She started to struggle as he started to undo his leather belt with his free hand. His legs trapped hers and she wasn't going to break his hold on her arms so she gave up her struggle to see what his next move would be. Once his belt was free she started to panic, picturing him beating her with it in a rage. However he looped it around the wooden headboard and quickly secured both of her wrists to the belt tightly. He moved his hands away and she tested the restraint. To her dismay she could only move her hands about four inches away from the top of the headboard. She couldn't even try to slip one of her hands out as he'd looped each wrist individually like a pair of intricate leather handcuffs. He smiled sadistically down at her.

"Please Cain don't do this. Please" She begged as more tears poured down her face. She was shaking her head near hysterically.

He looked at her neck and encircled it easily with his hands. She closed her eyes, she refused to beg him not to strangle her when it clearly would do nothing but give him more satisfaction. However, he didn't apply any pressure and she opened her eyes again as his hands moved in almost a caress. So he was indeed going to rape her before he killed her. No he was much crueler than that, he would probably rape her and then imprison her forever in a dark cell so it was her only waking thought for the rest of her life. She turned her head to the side and clenched her eyes shut as she sobbed.

"Look at me." He growled deeply in his throat, sounding like a vicious animal. She jerkily shook her head in refusal. He gripped her chin and jerked her head to the center again. She instinctively opened her eyes at the harsh motion. He smiled again, looking more angry than she'd ever seen him. Even when he'd spanked her before, he hadn't looked like this. His eyes looked almost completely black, his jaw tense. She squinted her eyes defensively but kept them open. His hand was lightly tracing the collar of her jumpsuit, the gentleness of the gesture made it all the more shocking when he suddenly grabbed the collar and ripped the jumpsuit. The vicious tear exposed her from neck to navel and she shivered. She was still wearing one of the underwear sets from her closet at his house. She had become quite fond of the way she looked in the silky and lacy garments. She knew that she had chosen a neon pink bra and panty set that morning, the bra was dainty lace and exposed the entirety of her breasts to his stare. She had had to work up the courage to even wear it as it was one of the more risqué pieces. "Tsk tsk tsk" he criticized as if he could read her thoughts. He gave another wicked smile. He ran his index finger over her left nipple, making it even more visible as it puckered through the material. She tried to buck him off of her but he only applied more of his body weight to hold her down.

"Get off of me!" she yelled because begging clearly wasn't working.

He clearly wasn't listening as he pinched her right nipple to match the left. He didn't even look at her face as she spoke, his eyes glued to her breasts.

"Please Cain you don't want to do this." She repeated because she couldn't just do nothing.

"Oh believe me, I definitely want to do this." His voice had deepened even more so than usual. He slid down her body until he was sitting on her thighs instead of her hips, then he quickly leaned down and engulfed her left nipple. She gasped at the unexpected heat and moisture on her breast. Then he bit down surprising her again. She pulled against the leather as she hissed out her breath through her clenched teeth. He applied just enough pressure to make it painful.

"Please," she tried again. He continued to ignore her and sat back up so he was once again towering over her. He was always towering over her. He finally looked back to her face and she tried to beg him with her eyes. He sneered at her in return.

"This is what you wanted little girl." He smirked and tore her jumpsuit completely, exposing the matching bikini underwear. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes into her hair that was splayed over a pillow. "This is your chance to prove yourself a woman." She shook her head back and forth, unable to think of a verbal reply. He didn't care anyway, he was busy pulling her jumpsuit apart, ripping the threadbare material like it was paper. It didn't take him much time or effort to completely remove it from her body and throw the shredded pieced on the floor.

This wasn't how she imagined this. She'd never been interested in anyone in the unit since Josie's boyfriend, but she'd imagined that she would eventually find someone and fall in love. The unit was just so small and mundane, her romantic fantasies had always included imagined strangers from outside the unit who would be strong and brave and handsome. She imagined having babies one day and raising them with their loving father. They would have cookouts in the summer on a big backyard patio like she had when she was a child. They wouldn't grow up in a shack destined for lifelong hard labor, who would want to imagine that? She had imagined that her dream husband would take her virginity gently and lovingly followed by a passion filled night where they would learn everything about each other, body and soul. She longed for that connection with another human being. But it seemed like she wouldn't get what she wanted, what she dreamed of.

She looked into Cain's eyes through the excess water that had gathered in her own, he looked blurry. Maybe she could pretend that he loved her, that this was a dream. He ran his hands down her body, outlining the curves of her breasts and hips roughly. If only he were more gentle. He yanked the panties off of her, at least he was careful not to tear the delicate lace. He opened her thighs and knelt between them, she tried to clench her legs closed but he was stronger than her. She looked away as he looked down at her exposed femininity. He brought a large finger to her opening to find it dry. He roughly plunged his finger in anyway and she whimpered in pain, her eyes clenched. Her entire body was tense, making each movement he made with his finger all the worse.

"Relax." He leaned down and snarled into her ear, only causing her to flinch and tense up more. He pulled his finger from her roughly. He pulled off his t-shirt fluidly with one hand. Malia looked at his muscular chest and stomach and hated herself for still being attracted to him even now, even as he was about to rape her. His skin was sun-kissed tan and his muscles tensed threateningly beneath it. He had a thin scar that ran down his upper arm, but other than that he was flawless. She looked back up to his face to see that he knew exactly how much she appreciated his appearance. Instead of make her angry, his smugness pulled all of her insecurities to the surface. Her breasts weren't as perky as they should be and her hips flared out just a little too far since she'd been eating to her hearts content. She hadn't been in the sun as much as she usually would have and her skin looked too pale. Her hair was no doubt a mess after he'd pulled what felt like a considerable amount of it from her scalp. Even the lacy bra didn't make her feel sexy like it usually did. She felt a blush stain her face and turned her head away again.

"No." He ordered as he grabbed her chin. "Enough of that. I want you to watch." He moved the hand that wasn't holding her chin back down her body and she flinched. "I said relax!" he screamed down at her. She nodded as fresh tears fell. She tried to will her muscles to relax, which was impossible while her mind was so clearly not at ease. If she'd been in a better state of mind she would have argued with him about the unreasonable order, but she wasn't in a better state of mind, she was shutting down. "Have it your way then." He spoke angrily as he removed his hand again. He violently attacked the button on the jeans and pulled the zipper down slowly. Her eyes were glued to his hands, it felt like the world was in slow motion. She bit her lip nervously. He was on his knees above her as he lowered his jeans and navy boxer briefs. It wasn't the first penis she'd seen, but it was the first she'd seen in a sexual manner. He wasn't small, not that she had expected him to be. Had she really been expecting anything about his penis? She had surely visualized every other part of his anatomy, so it was probable. Had she pictured Cain as her dream man? She couldn't recall any specific instances, surely not, he wasn't at all the kind and gentle man she'd imagined. But she was inexplicably attracted to him. If she had fantasized about him specifically this wasn't how it went.

"Cain?" She spoke gently. He had been looking down at her predatorily.

When she didn't continue speaking he sighed, "What now?"

"I've never done any of this before." She reluctantly replied, nearly in a whisper.

"Oh yeah? And here I was thinking you were an experienced woman. Don't tell me you were pretending to be something you weren't?" He snarled at her cynically. He leaned over her, putting most of his weight on his forearms on either side of her exposed chest. His erection brushed her outer lips tauntingly as he lowered himself over her.

" Please, just don't make it hurt too much." She nodded at him to continue, resigned to the forthcoming pain. His facial expression changed. He looked like he often did when he stared at her, studying her. He'd been moving so fast that is was disconcerting when he suddenly went still over her. He was inches away from her face and he was looking directly in her eyes. His eyebrows pulled together in concentration. He nodded down at her and then he kissed her. His lips were hot and firm. His tongue skimmed her own, inviting her to join the kiss. She'd never kissed anyone before, but as far as she could tell he was an excellent kisser. He held her face gently as he maneuvered his lips around hers. She got braver and darted her own tongue out to meet his, exploring the hot cavern of his mouth. Without even noticing him move his arms, Malia suddenly noticed that her hands were free. She didn't think twice about wrapping her newly freed arms around his neck. Her fingers instinctively grasped his hair as she kissed him more fervently. He didn't need any encouragement.

He moved his mouth down to kiss her neck and behind her ear, which she was surprised to find made her laugh as goosebumps raised all over her body. He kissed down to her breasts and reached behind her to expertly unhook her bra. She helped him slip the bra from her arms. His mouth was making her crazy, she wasn't self-conscious at all anymore. She was starting to wonder why she'd resisted at all in the first place, this was exhilarating. But this was Cain, he hated her. She was confused but couldn't bring herself to care too much as he gently scoured her breasts with the tips of her fingers. She arched her back at the sensation. He moved down her stomach before she knew what he was doing. At the first touch of his tongue to her clit she moaned loudly. He worked quickly and expertly with his tongue and she gripped the sheets tightly as she made noises she made uncontrollable noises of pleasure. She was dripping by the time he crawled back over her body. His black eyes were half lidded and looked absolutely seductive. She raised her head up to kiss his mouth again, this time she controlled the kiss completely. It was short but empowering.