Page 38 of An Empress of Air & Chaos

He sprung forwards and grabbed her by the hair. He swung her onto her bed and she crashed into her case. Emara threw a fist and punched into his face, but his body was already on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. She punched again.

“You can’t take anything from me, everything I have is gone!” Emotion burst through her throat as she scrambled up the bed. He kicked her case off with his shoe, allowing him more space to lower his body onto hers. He grabbed her by the face and pushed his lips to hers. Her stomach heaved as she dug her nails into his wrists, trying to remove his grip.

“You will be my whore, my wife, and you will do as I say.” He released her face as he took one hand and ran it to her waist, pulling at her shirt underneath the heavy cloak material. “You don’t have the social class or the power to say otherwise. In fact, you don’t have anyone anymore.”

She heard a rip of material and her cloak came apart at the neck.

“I will never do anything for you, you are filth!” She tried to punch again, but his arms pushed her down further into the mattress.

No, no, no! Not like this. Her virtue was all she had left in this world. Something that she had kept for her. For her to decide—when the time came—when it happened and with whom.

“Now, now, Emara, the wife of a Solden doesn’t say such things.” His smile was a sickening slit on his cruel face. “A Solden wife simply nods her head and does as she is told without speaking a single word.”

“Go to hell,” she cried.

He pulled back, sitting above her, and slapped his hand across her face. The sting blasted into her check and she couldn’t help but let out a scream.

“You won’t be speaking to me like that from now on,” he said. “In fact, you won’t speak at all.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Off. Her!” a booming voice sounded from the doorway.

Taymir turned in surprise.

Even though the stars from the slap across her face dizzied her, Emara could still see him. Gideon Blacksteel stood in the entrance, bow and arrow pointing straight at Taymir’s heart.

“I am going to count to three and if you haven’t taken your hands off her, I will shoot this arrow into your heart and then rip out your throat with my bare hands.” His voice was unnervingly sincere.

Rattling.

Taymir also sensed the promise of his threat and dismounted her. Emara sucked in a breath of hope, but didn’t move. Her full body flooded with reprieve as she saw messy, chocolate brown hair standing in the doorway. Arms that had once cradled her now tense with a bow and arrow ready to deliver a fatal blow.

“Stand by the door.” Gideon gestured to the sliding doors that led to her porch with his readied arrow.

Taymir moved slowly.

“Don’t even look at her.” His voice was feral with wrath. He took a step into the room and his jaw ticked. His eyes slid to Emara, inspecting her face. Noticing the mark made by the impact of Taymir’s hand, his nose wrinkled. He swung his arrow back to Taymir, lowered it, and released the string within an unexpected second. An arrow soared through the room and stabbed into Taymir’s leg.

The elite screamed out in pain, his hands out in a surrendering pose as he leaned down to touch his new injury. The arrow protruded out of his leg and he screamed in agony again.

Emara jolted up right and scrambled off the bed, putting a hand to her mouth.

“Get your things, now.” Gideon lowered his voice to a soft, yet demanding tone, never taking his eyes from Taymir.

Emara didn’t hesitate. Her head was still dizzy from the clattering hand that had slapped her. She tried to gather her things through blinking eyes.

“You shot me!” Taymir screamed in pain. “Do you know who I am?”

“No, but now you know who I am. Gideon Blacksteel!” He ground his teeth. “Touch her again, speak to her again, even think about her again, and I will deliver an arrow right through your throat,” he promised. Taymir didn’t speak, eyes wide with terror. “Now get the fuck out of her house and be thankful I am letting you live.”

Emara watched as Taymir went to take a step to head to the door Gideon’s frame blocked.

“I don’t think so.” The Hunter smiled, his eyes darker than before. “That way.” He gestured to the sliding doors on the porch again.

“Are you mad? We are a storey or two up with no way of getting down without jumping.” Taymir’s voice broke in pain as he tried to stop the bleeding in his leg.

“Well, then, let’s hope it’s only your legs that you break when you make the jump.” No emotion crossed Gideon’s face.

Taymir turned to Emara. “Look, Emara, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to—I just got so angry. I am under a kind of pressure you will never understand.”

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