Page 6 of Bound By Darkness

His advances torturedme,and I wanted nothing more than to break his hands where they rested. Heat boiled my blood at the arrogance, at the righthe thought he had to take me— “I won’t break,” I blurted, my words like daggers to his skin.

His nostrils flared, his Fae instincts assessing prey as his head leaned over my chest. “Let me be the first. I’m sure you have a lovely voice, especially once its been violated.”

Almost.

Almost—

My fingernails tapped against the glass.

His head swiveled to the side at the noise.

“Aren’t you going to break me?” I purred, my neck angling to the side.

An invitation.

The man fixated his gaze back to the open spot of my neck. “You slaves are all the same. You crack?—”

The bottle crashed upon his head, the sound echoing in the room.

Chapter 3

Freedom

THALIA

Pieces of glassrained from his hair, coating us in glittering shards. Amber liquid and blood dripped from his skull, droplets plopping onto the couch.

He stumbled to a knee, broken shards embedded into his hair and temple. His ringed fingers shook violently as he pulled the shards out, his pupils fully dilated. “You vile trash!” his voice boomed as he stumbled, the amber liquid working against him.

Oh gods. Oh gods.

Any second, the guards would race through the front door at the noise and discover what had occurred.

I had been so angry at his advances the last thing on my mind was the repercussions I’d face… of what it might mean for Moria or me.

The broken bottle shattered as I hurried for the window, my fingers struggling to find the lip. My heart pounded and roared in my ears as I shoved my body weight against the panel.

The window slid an inch, a cry leaving my lips.

A crash sounded from behind, increasing the frequency of my hits.

He couldn’t catch me.

Theycouldn’t catch me, because if they did, they’d torture me and punish Moria as well. Gayle would see to it.

The window slammed upward, and the smell of pine and earth tickled my nose. Wood groaned behind me in stable, steady beats.

I didn’t have the luxury of waiting as I launched myself forward through the tiny opening, my hips scraping against metal. Pressing my palms against the outside panels, I used them as leverage to shimmy my weight through, my shirt and pants tearing from the chipping splinters.

I pressed deeper into the exterior of the quarters, my legs kicking wildly in the open air.

A tug at the hem of my pants stopped my descent, my hands latching onto the sides of the window.

My fingernails clawed wood, skin ripping and tearing at the force. I held on with every strand of strength left.

“Guards! Guards!” he screamed, his bloodied fingers wrapping around the hem of my pants.

Kicking with my feet, his wet fingers slipped from the material as I shoved forward, the momentum colliding me into the damp ground below. I did not turn around as I bolted for the forest, the chill air of night kissing my exposed skin.

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