It was one thing to chase down a scrawny thief in a busy marketplace, and quite another to be hunted, alone, in her own home.
Maya screamed again when he grabbed her, but it was cut short when the thief tossed her to the rugs and covered her mouth. She struggled as he pinned her, screaming against his hand. But he still managed to catch both of her hands in his and pin her legs, leaving her squirming uselessly. Her screams soon faded to breathless whimpers.
If his intent was to scare her, it worked. Trapped beneath a much larger man who was proving that he could do whatever he wanted and she'd be helpless to stop it, her only reaction was pure, primal terror. Maya hardly heard a word he was saying over the blood rushing in her ears, the short, panicked breaths through her nose, and the racing of her thoughts. Those words she did catch did not help matters any and it wasn't long before she was trembling. He'd come back for her! He'd stalked her down and come back for her and now he was going to rob and rape and murder her! In some particular order! Where were her servants?!
She stared up at him, tears filling her eyes and smudging the kohl liner, and whimpered again when he kissed her brow. Still, he said the magic words. He was going to release her? She about sobbed with relief, and the instant he got off of her, she scrambled back away from him and pressed her back against the wall, arms wrapped protectively around her knees. She didn't dare move after that, in case he changed his mind.
Still crying, she almost missed his question. But after what he had just done, it was so absurd she raised her head and rubbed at her eyes, smearing the kohl even more.
"I-it's...it's..." Her breath hitched on a sob. "It's called kiwi, you monster!"