Page 151 of The Forbidden Fae King

“Do you see what you have made me do? I will never let you go.” Finan’s hand loosens only slightly. “I will never stop fighting for you. If I have to lock you up in this palace until you cooperate, then I will. If I need to beat you into submission, into a proper wife, then I will. You. Are. Mine.”

For a moment, I am a startled rabbit, caught within the jaws of a wolf.

“Take your hands off me, Finan,” I choke out but he pushes his shoulder hard against my chest, slamming me against the wall a second time. My head cracks against the plaster. In a small mercy, his fingers leave my throat.

“Not until you take back what you said.” His breath is hot against my ear.

“You have one last chance to take your hands off me, or I will do it for you.” I don’t move, push, or claw at him. I don’t need to.

Finan’s shoulder and hips press tighter into me, making the air whoosh out of my lungs.

I am not helpless to this man. I will not be his victim anymore.

The strands of my hair rise in a phantom breeze as I gather air around me, looping thick tendrils of it between us. I wrap them around Finan like a rope, then with a quick tug he is pulled backward, away from me.

His eyes flare as he stumbles, then the color drains from his face as I bind his arms to his sides. With a thrust of air aimed at his chest, I knock him backward into an armchair, tying him to it.

“Keira—wait!” Finan yelps, fear flashing across his face. That stupid ringlet of blue-black hair I used to love so much falls over his face.

I place a gag of air in his mouth so I don’t have to hear him speak again.

It is too far, by the gods I know it, but I cannot stop myself when my temper flares.

Pushing off the wall, I approach Finan slowly and lean over him.He wiggles desperately in his bindings, as though he thinks I’m going to slit his throat while he is vulnerable.

“No one owns me,” I snarl at him. “No one has mastery over my body or my future, last of all you.”

I turn on my heel and walk toward the door. Shards of crystal crunch under my feet. I give him one last glance over my shoulder. “Goodbye, Finan.”

As I exit his apartment, both guards raise their eyebrows at me.

“Done already?” One asks me, while the other laughs.

“The prince doesn’t need very much time,” I say, winking at them. “He has gone to bed with a headache after his…exertion. He doesn’t want to be disturbed.”

Diarmuid pushes off the wall from his leaning position, his eyebrows furrowed and gaze roaming over me. I grab his elbow and set a fast pace.

“We need to get out of here. Immediately. Things didn't go well,” I mutter under my breath.

“Did he hurt you? Touch you?” Panic flashes on Diarmuid’s features.

We pass around a corner and it is all I can do to stop myself from breaking into a run. My brother grabs my shoulders, forcing me to stop, and searches my face. “Talk to me, Keira. What happened?”

I let out a long breath. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer, and tried to intimidate me with aggression.”

Diarmuid’s eyes harden as rage flashes within them. He turns and stalks back in the direction of Finan’s rooms. “I will kill him myself.” Embers spark across his hair. Raw power crackles across his skin and jolts me as I touch his arm.

I pull him back. “What about your druid's oaths against violence?”

“To the soul ripper with my oath,” he snaps.

“It’s dealt with Diarmuid. I stopped him before it escalated.” My stomach rolls at what I have done, but I don’t regret it. “I lost my temper and tied him up in ropes of air. I left him like that. We have to get out of here before?—”

“By the fucking gods, Keira!” Diarmuid exhales.

“What? You were just going to kill him!”

“I don’t think I have ever been more proud of you.” Diarmuid takes my arm and leads me down the corridor. “I don’t know what our parents were thinking, sending the two of us to the royal court together. Between us we would have committed treason and murder.”

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