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stepped back. Hana was right there to greet them. She took Kavin’s hand and pulled her into the harem. “Come. Quickly. He’s waiting.”
    Kavin stumbled forward. She’d lost a shoe somewhere, and her bare foot landed hard on the polished marble floor, sending a jolt through her body. The brush of cool air told her the soft blue gown was ripped near her shoulder. Belatedly, she was aware of dozens of eyes in the room—other jarriah —but this time, she didn’t see pity on their faces. She saw concern.
    Her mind a thick soup of haze, she was pulled down a hall and into her suite of rooms. Relief washed through her when she eyed the plush furnishings, including the soft bed she’d slept in the last few weeks. But it quickly turned to unease when Zayd rose from the wingback chair near the fireplace and turned to face her.
    Approval flashed in his eyes as he looked her over from head to foot. Then his gaze fixed on her neck—on the bruises she knew he could see—and a smug grin creased his face. To Hana, he said, “Remove that soiled gown.”
    Shock rippled through Kavin. In the two weeks she’d been in Zayd’s home, he hadn’t once touched her anywhere but on her arm and face. And she’d never been naked in front of him.
    Before she could protest, Hana ripped the gown from her body, the tearing fabric echoing in the vast bedroom suite. Kavin gasped. Cool air rushed over her skin, tightening her nipples, sending a shiver through her entire body. But she didn’t cover herself. She knew better.
    Eyes hot and predatory, Zayd stepped close. His hot breath washed over her skin while he looked down at her bare breasts, as he slid his gaze to her belly, then finally all the way to her sex. His jaw clenched, and her stomach tightened at what he was seeing. Fear flitted through her veins over what he was thinking.
    Then she saw it. Disapproval—stark and violent—flashed in his eyes. He’d expected the rest of her body to be bruised like her neck. Had wanted it.
    “Zayd—”
    His fingers were against her sex before she realized what he was doing. Before she could stop him. She sucked in a frantic breath, threw her hands out to push against his arm. Screamed, “No! Stop!”
    But as quickly as he’d touched her, he withdrew, and when he eased back, she didn’t just see disapproval in his eyes, she saw disgust and bitter rage.
    To Hana, he growled, “Hold her arms.”
    He knew she was still a virgin. Panic welled in Kavin’s chest as Hana stepped behind her, gripped both of her arms, and wrenched them behind her back. “Zayd, wait—”
    “Don’t fight,” Hana whispered near her ear, just as Zayd’s open palm connected with her cheek.
    Pain spiraled through her face, the force of the slap spinning her head to the side. She gasped at the blow, gave her head a shake, tried to think clearly. “Zayd—”
    Another hit. This one across her abdomen. With something thin, made of leather. A blinding burn erupted across her flesh, exploded through her belly. She nearly went down, but Hana’s strength kept her from hitting the floor.
    “You failed, jarriah . Failure is not tolerated. You will be punished.”
    He hit her with the leather again and again, across her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. She grunted through the pain, through the red welts forming across her skin. Her stomach hurt so bad, she absently wondered if he’d broken something inside her, then knew if he had, he wouldn’t care.
    “Release her,” he barked
    She hit the floor at his feet, tried to move back but needed to catch her breath first. A white towel landed near her hands. Limbs shaking, she reached for it.
    Zayd’s boot covered the towel before she could get her fingers around the cotton, then he knelt in front of her face. Those eyes, the ones she’d at first thought were handsome, focused on hers with a menacing glare that sent a tremor down her spine. “If even a sahad in the pits of Jahannam won’t fuck you, you’re of no use to