Page 54 of Aine

Damien seems shocked by my answer, his body jolting and hand tightening around the glass he holds. He throws back the rest of his drink and pours himself another before responding.

“How so?” he asks.

I debate on whether or not to tell him the truth. Maybe if I do, he’ll better understand why I had to kill Henry. I have zero intentions of telling Damien about the murder, but if he finds out, he might be lenient if he knows how awful Henry was to me.

While most couples in my village didn’t have loving relationships, Henry’s and mine was especially bad.

“I was unable to produce male children,” I admit.

Damien’s lip curls as his pupils dilate, and a look of complete horror washes over his face. “You have children?”

I shake my head. “No. He’d take me to the prediction healer to determine the sex whenever I fell pregnant. It was always a female, so Henry had it removed before I got too far along.”

Despite my best attempts to remain calm, I tear up as I think back to those days. I’d get so excited whenever I was late on my period. It was silly, but I was always hopeful it’d be a boy and Henry would be forced to treat my body kindly until I delivered.

“How?” Damien breathes, his voice tearing me from my thoughts.

“How what?” I ask.

Damien looks annoyed by my lack of attention to our conversation but explains himself nonetheless. “How were theyremoved?”

I fidget with the stem of my wineglass as I try to think of a way to share that information delicately. It’s not exactly a happy explanation, and I don’t enjoy speaking about it.

“He’d beat me until I miscarried.” I spit the words out before I start to cry. “It’s not a common practice back in my village, but it does happen occasionally.”

The glass in Damien’s hand shatters. It takes everything in me not to get up and run as he stands and moves away from the table. His body shakes as he walks, and I watch with wide eyes as his back muscles flex in an attempt to fight off a shift.

Shit.I shouldn’t have said anything. A small part of me is flattered he seems so angry about my prior treatment, but a larger portion of me is concerned he’s mad about my inability to produce males.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

Damien doesn’t turn or respond as I speak to him, choosing instead to move toward the back door and stare out it. The silence between us is tense as I wait. If I weren’t so afraid of him chasing me, I’d run, but I worry that’ll only provoke his beast.

His shoulders roll and his back shifts as he sucks in a deep breath. I hold in my fear as he turns to me. His face appears relaxed, but I can tell how riled up he is by his dilated pupils.

“How many times?”

“Only once,” I lie.

His footfalls are loud as he moves toward me, his steps fast and hard. I gulp as he crouches by my knees and grabs my sweaty hands. I wish to have back the rude, callous beast I’ve grown accustomed to.

I knew what to expect from that man.

“How many times, Aine?”

“Three times,” I murmur, not wanting to speak about this any longer. “Can I go to my room?”

Damien attempts to meet my gaze, but I refuse to look him in the eye. I don’t want to see the pity I know resides on his face. It’s the same look I seem to be getting from everybody lately, and I’m tired of it.

His grip tightens before he lets go. I jump to my feet and rush out of the room before he changes his mind. I don’t understand what his game is, but I refuse to let him turn me into some pawn.

Chapter Thirteen

AINE

“Have you spokento Freya?” I pry, chuckling as Alex scrambles to pick up the tomatoes he dropped.

His head snaps up as her name falls from my lips, his chest sinking as he lets out a deep sigh. The tomatoes mush between his fingers as he struggles to grab them all in one hand, and after a moment of watching, I take pity and bend over to help pick them up.

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