Page 48 of Reckless
Her arms are folded above her work belt when I turn to face her. She raises a scrutinous brow. “You want to explain this to me?”
I think about this for a moment. “No.”
She scoffs. “Come on.”
“You’re right. The window must be broken.”
“Kitt.”
“King.”
She blinks at my correction, straightens at my suddenly stony complexion. “It iskingnow. Things are different—I am different.” Shaking my head, I whisper, “He is gone, and I don’t even know how to breathe if he does not command me to do so. Command me to eat. Tolive.”
My hands are shaking. Papers slide from their sloppy piles while unshed tears burn my tired eyes.
Andy’s face crumbles, pity pinching her burgundy brows. “Oh, Kitt…”
I stand stiffly before she has a chance to kneel at my side. Clearing my constricting throat, I murmur, “That will be all, Andy.”
“Kitt, wait—”
“That will be all.”
She stands, sucking in a breath. “Let me help you fix the window. Please. It doesn’t have to stay broken.”
I look at her then. Let her look at me.
It’s only when she’s examined every crack in my calm facade that I say, “I’m afraid it’s beyond repair.”
CHAPTER 19Paedyn
“Is this really necessary?”
I raise a brow at the coarse ropes currently constricting my wrists, rubbing them raw. By way of response, the Enforcer smiles slightly in the shadows before tugging the ties impossibly tighter. I scoff, gesturing with bound hands to the barrenness surrounding us. “Now you decide to tie me up? In the desert with all your Imperials breathing down my neck?”
But the prince has already lost interest in me, turning to take the reins of one of the many restless horses. “All of this for an Ordinary?” I raise my voice so the blanket of sand can’t smother it. “Who would have thought I’d have you so scared?” I open my mouth again, ready to spit something else that will most definitely get his attention when a shove at my back has me stumbling, biting the tongue that was about to get me into trouble.
“Bitch.”
It’s a hiss in my ear, a shiver down my spine. The Imperial has my hair twisted in his fist before I’ve even found my footing, yanking meinto his chest with a growl. I gasp at the pain, wince at the feel of his lips against my ear. “Filthy Ordinary. I should slit your throat right here….”
“You know, I haven’t even bothered to learn your name, Soldier. That is how little I value your life.”
The Enforcer’s drawl has the Imperial stiffening behind me, straitening slightly when the prince takes his time strolling toward us. I stare at the broad chest looming before me, watching it rise rapidly despite the deceptively calm words falling from his lips. “So imagine,” he says casually, “what I would be more than happy to do to you if you ever lay another finger on her.”
It’s a struggle to keep from stumbling into the Enforcer with how forcefully the Imperial shoves me away from him. Then he’s muttering a poor excuse for an apology, nodding to orders veiled as a threat. As soon as I find my footing, I’m staggering back from the prince and the callous scrutiny coating his face.
That wasn’t care or concern or anything close to kindness. No, it was possession. The threat was territorial. I am his prey, his prize, his prisoner. His and his alone.
I hate it. Hate that Ibelongto him.
“Come here.”
I blink at the blunt order, the blatant disregard for the fact that I was ever anything more than his captive to control. His command has the opposite effect, forcing my feet farther from him. He responds with a tilt of his head, eyes roaming over what must be the remaining disgust written across my face. “We’re leaving,” he says slowly, taking an equally slow step toward me. “If you’d prefer to walk across the desert, be my guest. Otherwise, I’m going to need you to get on a damn horse.”
My eyes flick to the snorting creatures scattering the sand. I swallow. “I’m good, thanks.”
Another step. “Is that so?”
