"Your role." Azrael said as he swirled his blood wine. "In public, you'll be the perfect, devoted bride. You'll stand beside me at court, smile at the nobles who loathe you, and treat me with proper respect even when you would want to spit on my face.
You'll learn vampire customs, court hierarchies, our politics, perform your duties as queen flawlessly and that includes bearing my heir."
Lyanna's grip tightened on her napkin under the table.
"And in private?"
He smiled.
"In private, you'll remember what you are. A prisoner paying a debt for what her family did. You'll obey my every command without any question. You'll sleep in my chambers every night after the wedding. You'll wear what I choose, eat what I give you, go where I permit, and speak only when I allow it."
He paused to sip his wine.
"You'll never contradict me in public. Defy me in public even once, and you'll be punished. Is that clear, or do you need me to be more specific?"
"So I'm your doll." She blurted out before she could stop herself.
Azrael put his glass down.
"A doll can't feel anything. It can't suffer but you will." His eyes gleamed. "You'll hate me, you'll resist me, you'll dream of freedom which you'll never get.
If I wanted a mindless puppet, I could compel it easily. But you're special. You're the girl who rejected me, humiliated me in front of hundreds of nobles. Breaking you will be far more satisfying."
The servants returned silently, replacing the empty bowls with plates of roasted meat and vegetables.
"There's also consummation." Azrael continued without even looking up from his plate. "Traditional vampire custom requires the consummation to be witnessed by the council."
Lyanna's fork slipped from her fingers.
"Witnessed?"
"Not directly, of course." He was amused. "They'll wait outside the chamber to confirm the marriage is valid, that it's been properly consummated according to the vampire law. It's to ensure that no one can later claim the marriage was never completed."
He ate a piece of meat before continuing.
"They'll hear everything, though. Vampire hearing is excellent."
Her face became hot, her hands trembled in her lap.
"That's cruel."
"That's tradition." He cut another piece of meat. "I don't expect you to enjoy it. I'd be disappointed if you did. But I do expect you to sound convincing. The council needs to hear your total acceptance of me as your husband."
He then finally looked up, straight into her eyes.
"Can you do that, Lyanna? Can you lie with your body as effectively as you once lied with your words?"
She wanted to throw the wine on his face, wanted to overturn the table, wanted to scream. Instead, she looked at him and replied calmly.
"If I must."
"Good girl." The condescension in his tone made her blood boil. "You're learning faster than I expected."
They ate in silence afterwards. Lyanna forced herself to finish her meal even though each bite felt like eating stones.
"What about children?" She asked suddenly, surprising herself with the question. It had been lurking in her mind since he'd mentioned bearing an heir. "What if I can't give you an heir? What if I'm barren?"
"Then I'll decide what to do with a wife who can't fulfil her most basic duty. Perhaps, I'll discard you and find someone fertile. Or perhaps, I'll just keep using you until your body breaks."
She took a large sip of wine to calm herself.
"And what if I try to escape?"
His expression darkened immediately.
"Don't."
"But if I did…"
"Then I'd hunt you." He interrupted. "I'm four hundred years old, Lyanna. I can track a scent for fifty miles. I can hear a heartbeat through stone walls. I can run faster than anyone. You wouldn't even reach the gates before I caught you.
And when I would catch you, you'd learn very quickly why running was a huge mistake."
"You'd kill me."
"No." He smiled. "Death would be mercy, and I'm not feeling merciful these days. Instead, I'd make sure everyone you care about paid the price for your betrayal. Every servant who helped you, every guard who failed to catch you. I'd kill them one by one, and I'd make you watch."
He picked up his fork and cut a piece of vegetable.
"You're a monster." She whispered.
"Yes." He agreed shamelessly. "I've killed more people than you've met in your entire life. I've burned cities, slaughtered armies, done things that would give you nightmares for years if I described them in detail. But still you're going to marry this monster in six days, so you'd better get used to it."
He stood and stopped in front of her chair. He then lifted her chin, tilting her face up.
"There's one more thing you should know about me. I never forget humiliation. I never forget a betrayal. You humiliated me six years ago, made me look weak, foolish, and unworthy. And I will make you pay for that insult every single day for the rest of your life. That's not a threat, Lyanna. That's my promise to you, my wife."
Lyanna refused to look away even as her heart was pounding.
"And, I'll survive you, my husband. No matter what you do to me, no matter how much you hurt me, no matter how much you try to break me, I will endure. I won't break. I won't beg. I won't give you the satisfaction of destroying me."
"We'll see." He released her chin and stepped back, straightening his shirt cuffs. "I admire your spirit. It will make the marriage much more enjoyable."
He walked towards the door, then paused.
"Oh, and Lyanna? Don't try anything foolish. Guards are posted outside your chambers at all times. They have orders to stop you from leaving by any means necessary. You're not a guest here, you're my prisoner, my future wife. You're mine. The sooner you accept this truth, the easier this will be for both of us."
Then he left, closing the door behind him. Lyanna stayed frozen in her chair with his words echoing in her mind again and again.
You're mine.