At first she is, but then something worries her

Marcus sat stiffly on the end of the bed, still naked of course. When he'd made a move to grab his clothes again, Juliet had shook her head and made a scary growling noise. He was too afraid to disobey her now, so he'd given up trying. Even though she was done having sex with him, she seemed to like having him around with no clothes on anyway. She'd got dressed herself at least and now sat on a chair nearby, bent over a large collection of sharp knives she seemed to be polishing and sharpening. It was a little unsettling to watch the scary redhead handle each short blade in turn with far more care than she had his own body. The young prince didn't think she'd hurt him now, not with Jack's promise to protect him, but whenever she turned her head and gave him another leering, hungry look across the room, he still shivered.

Suddenly there was a sharp knock on the door. Before Marcus could even think to grab his clothes, Juliet rose from her chair and reached over to fling it open. The young prince squealed in shock, hurriedly trying to cover his naked body with his hands. Cheeks burning, he stared anxiously through the doorway at the looming figure of Lyra. Her eye flickered to him and she smiled thinly. Instantly he felt a cold chill as his heart thumped away in panic. He was so afraid of her. Without Jack here to protect him, it was a struggle not to burrow under the bed and hide.

"I see you've been enjoying our former prince's good looks." The horrible woman sneered. "So, how was he?" Juliet paused for a few long moments, cocking her head to one side, and Marcus felt a cold pit of dread in his stomach. If the redhead pretended she wasn't satisfied now...would Lyra still hurt his Mother? Then Juliet smiled thinly and gave an enthusiastic nod. "You liked him, huh?" Lyra continued. "At least he's good for something then." Marcus gasped in frantic relief, but his lips snapped shut as soon as she turned to glare at him again. "Come here, boy." She beckoned to him with a hand. The young prince shuffled off the bed, shivering anxiously. He bent over to grab the robe Jack had given him. "I said come!" Lyra snarled.

"But..." Marcus begun, only to freeze at the horrible, angry look in her eyes. Obviously she wasn't going to let him get dressed! She just wanted to bully and humiliate him even more, all because he'd been born a prince! Again he found himself longing desperately for Jack to return and save him. At least with his big, handsome lover watching over him she wouldn't dare be this awful. Staring at the floor, he shuffled over to her, his stomach twisting in shame. As he walked past Juliet though, she held out her arm, stopping him there.

"What is it?" Lyra asked, her gaze snapping to the redhead. By way of answer, Juliet's hand darted down to her belt and she slipped a pair of coins out of the small pouch hanging there. With another little smile, she held them out to him. Biting his lip, Marcus took them carefully from her palm and glanced at one, examining the face of his Father etched into the gold. Another twenty crowns...was this like a tip? Because he'd done well in bed with her? The thought made him blush furiously. Well, it might not be very much, but at least it was more off that horrible debt. "Is that everything?" Lyra snapped, a hint of disbelief straying into her voice. Juliet just smirked back and nodded. "Come, we're leaving, boy!" She turned and strode out the room. Marcus hesitated just a moment, long enough for Juliet to raise her hand and give him a teasing little wave. His blush flaring even hotter, he scampered out the doorway, clutching the two coins in his tight fist and wanting to bury his face in his hands. Lyra was stalking off down the corridor, and he hurried after her, **** not to give her a reason to hurt his parents. Just as he reached her back, she whirled round. As he yelped in shock, her hand darted up and grabbed him by the shoulder, shoving him into the wall. Fury burned in her one good eye as she held him there, his back against the cold stone. Her grip felt like iron, callused fingers digging into his tender skin. "What do you do, you spoiled little shit?" Lyra snapped.

"What...?" Marcus gasped, his voice trembling in panic. He stared into her face, his gaze flickering with horror over the awful scar covering one side. That eye as well, dull and misty, it made his stomach turn as it bored into his own.

"Juliet...she fucking likes you! What else do you think that was?" The scary woman snarled, leaning in closer to glare at his face. "First Jack, now her! My two best, both with reasons enough to despise your family! And now he's disobeying orders, standing up for you to me, and she's playing games like you're her new favorite toy. What the fuck did you do?"

"Nothing, please!" The young prince stammered helplessly. "I just did what they wanted, like you said!" She paused, her lips curled into a furious scowl. "Please..." Marcus sniffled, tears in his eyes. "Please don't hurt my Mother! I did...what you wanted."

"Fuck..." Lyra sighed, letting him go at last. Marcus whimpered softly, shrinking back against the wall, wishing he could just slip through it and hide from her. His shoulder stung, a line of red marks where her nails had dug into his skin. "It's like kicking a puppy." The scary woman murmured, her voice so soft and low he could hardly hear her anymore. "Why the fuck are you like this, huh?"

"What?" The young prince sobbed. He didn't know what she meant now! All he wanted was for her to stop hurting him.

"You..." She sneered, and suddenly her hand was on his chin, holding up his face so she could stare down at him with her one good eye. "I don't see any of your Father in you. If I could, it'd be so easy to hate you. But you're your Mother's child, right? They say she's the most beautiful woman in all the world. If she looks like you, I'm guessing that's true." She moved his head from side to side as she spoke, her fingers callused gently gripping his cheeks. "And the way you act. You grew up with everything you could ever want while this country starved outside your walls. The prince was supposed to be this arrogant snot I'd feel good about beating the shit out of. I hate your guts, but you're just some weak, scared kid and that makes this all so much harder than it should be" Marcus kept quiet, his lips trembling. Jack had said almost the same thing, but hearing it from her didn't make him feel any less scared. "Fuck it." She sighed. "Doesn't even matter. Hell, maybe I'll buy you for myself one day, see what all the fuss is about. Would you like that, little prince?" Her hand moved up, cupping his cheek under a gentle grip.

"No." Marcus whispered softly, too scared to try to lie to her now.

"Good." She nodded, then let her hand drop at last. "Come, follow me, boy. I won't give you to anymore of my people today, but there's other ways you can make yourself useful around here. Earn yourself an honest living for once." She laughed coldly as she turned to stalk down the corridor. Breathing hard, his heart thumping like a drum in his chest, the young prince stumbled after her on trembling legs. What...had that been about?