Mated to the Mad Lord-Chapter 226: The Sound Of Pain {TW}

The blade she could see in his hand didn’t make her any less worried as she felt the intensity of his gaze on her.

"Breakfast! I went out for breakfast with—" She was about to add Uva’s name, only to feel a sharp pinch on her arm, one that begged her to do no such thing.

"..it-it was nice!" she finished, her heart racing in her chest as she watched Cain’s lashes flutter up and down before he began to move closer to her.

His steps were steady and firm, even if the tension she felt only increased, coupled with the intense smell of blood that seemed to surround him.

It wasn’t until he stood right in front of her, staring down at her, that Violet raised her head to meet his gaze, her heart thumping in her chest, knowing better than to step back out of fear.

"I-I heard you went out!" she said, trying to make conversation, only to flinch sharply when Cain raised his hands to glide his fingers against her lips.

Violet, unable to help the fear she could feel growing within her with every breath she took, kept half her attention on the bloody blade he still held in his left hand.

"I thought you ran away! I would have been very angry!" He brushed his fingers against her lips before retracting his hand and turning around, gesturing for her to follow him as he headed off, his destination the stairs that led back to his room.

Violet couldn’t help the wave of relief she felt, even if the fear she felt had latched on just as hard to her, as she realized that she had no choice but to follow him.

She cast a hard glance at the floor, which was covered in blood pouring out of the body of the dead person, and the bloody footprints Cain hadn’t bothered to avoid leaving behind.

You’ve dealt with him before! As long as you do what he wants...he won’t hurt you! she began to chant to herself like a mantra as she climbed the steps, even as a wry smile spread across her face. She squeezed her hands, trying to prevent them from visibly trembling.

Aware that she didn’t believe a single word she said to herself—not one...

Still, the last thing she wanted was to waste more time than she already had, so she increased her pace and walked through the door of the room they shared.

Violet didn’t close the door and was willing to leave it open even the slightest bit, only to hear Cain’s voice, which was louder, colder, and much more frightening than usual.

"SHUT THE DOOR!" he ordered, and Violet didn’t hesitate to obey, even as she rested against the door without uttering a word or moving a muscle.

Cain sat on the bed, wearing a white shirt and white pants, which were clearly smeared with what could only be blood, even as she stood there in her yellow top and black pants, staring back at him.

Not the least happy at the silence that suddenly settled between them, aware that it meant nothing good—for her, at least.

"I’m sorry for—" she began to apologize, hoping that it would help to sort of alleviate whatever her crime was in Cain’s mind.

But beyond that, the fact that the color of his eyes had again changed worried her as she watched him get off the bed and move towards her, cutting her off before she could finish.

"Now...I remember the anger I felt when you ran away and the fury when I had to buy you back, but I don’t remember ever giving you permission to step past the gates!" he said, his voice colder and his red eyes even more icy as he walked closer until he stood about a foot from her.

Violet’s breaths came in gasps as she felt the pressure within the room again grow warmer and more intense than it usually was.

She had no idea which would be better—speaking or keeping quiet—only to decide to settle on the latter, since if she did nothing, then he would have less to find fault with.

It was clear that his personality had changed, and for some weird reason, the personality change came with a worse memory, as she lowered her head in an apologetic manner.

But she had just done that when she heard him smash his hand into the door right beside her head.

"BAM!" It was loud enough for her to hear the metal dent as she jerked and raised her hands to block her ears.

"Ahhh!" she gasped, ducking lower than before.

A terrified expression on her face at the sudden outburst of sound that was so loud, for a few seconds all she could hear was ringing in her head as Cain barked at her in an even louder voice.

"Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!!!" he raged, even as Violet immediately lowered her head even more and began to apologize.

"I swear...you indeed gave the order!" Aware that she would have called Uva into the room if she wasn’t convinced that he would kill her in a fit of anger.

...and the last thing she wanted was for her new magic teacher to end up dead, aware that she wouldn’t get another one from Cain even if she pleaded on her knees.

"—I wouldn’t lie about something like—" But she was still speaking when she felt a hard slap against her cheek, hard enough to knock a tooth out and for her to smell blood, which she discovered to be hers as she raised her hands to wipe the corners of her mouth only to see red.

Violet was stunned, especially since Cain had never outrightly hit her before, but beyond that, she was indeed terrified.

The fact that he had strangled her the last time without any reluctance made it clear that such a thing could happen again, but she had been blinded by her excitement of learning magic.

"Cain!" she suddenly snapped with a bit of anger in her gaze as she jerked her head towards him to meet his gaze.

"THIS ISN’T YOU!" she screamed at him, only to be taken aback as she found herself in the air the very next minute, hanging there.

Cain held her up against the door with her feet dangling in the air by the scruff of her shirt, while pushing her against the door hard enough to bring tears to her eyes until she was at the same eye level with him.

"THIS IS WHO I AM! AND YOU? YOU ARE NOTHING BUT MY FUCKING SLAVE!" he roared at her, even as he reached for her neck and tightened his arms around it.

His eyes were cold and emotionless as he looked at her like she was nothing but trash beneath his feet, which he could dispose of anytime he liked.

"You will do as I tell you!" he harshly whispered into her ear as he leaned in, "...or you will pay!" he said before dropping her to the ground.

But Violet wasn’t prepared, still shaking from the fear of being held up high in the air.

By the time he dropped her, she wasn’t prepared to balance on her feet, and by the time she was ready, it was too late.

"AHHHHHH!" she screamed in pain as she felt pain shoot through her left leg.