Page 124 of Beneath Scarred Vows
A smile tugs at my split lip. I shouldn't provoke him. I know I shouldn't. But the sight of the man who hurt me, who threatened me, who used me as bait—now reduced to a panicking mess—is too satisfying to ignore.
I gather every ounce of strength left in my beaten body and twist my lips into what I hope is a taunting smile.
"What's the matter, Sebastian?" My voice comes out rougher now, my throat raw from my earlier screams. "Scared of my husband now?"
He freezes mid-stride, head snapping toward me like he'd forgotten I was even there. For a second, I see pure shock in hiseyes. Maybe it's from the fact the woman tied to a chair, beaten and bloodied, would dare to mock him—or maybe it's from Ares.
His face then contorts with rage. He crosses the room in two quick strides and his hand connects with my cheek with such force that my head whips to the side. Pain explodes across my face, hot and sharp. My own blood splatters across the barrel and the taste of copper fills my mouth.
But I don't cry out. I won't give him that.
Instead, I slowly turn my face back to him and smile through bloodied lips and stained red teeth. I can feel warm blood trickling down my chin, but I don't care. He can't break me.
A deafening boom shakes the building above us, followed by a cascade of gunfire. Closer this time—much closer. Shouts and screams echo down to us, and I recognize one voice cutting through all the others.
Deep. Commanding. Filled with cold rage.
Ares.
He's close. So close.
Sebastian's eyes dart to the ceiling, then to the door, panic spilling out of him. He knows that voice too. And he knows what it means.
"Did you really think my man wouldn't burn this entire country to the ground to find me?"
"You fucking bitch," Sebastian yells and raises his hand again, eyes wild with fear and fury, preparing to strike me once more.
I close my eyes, bracing for the impact.
But it never comes.
The door explodes open with such force it nearly tears from its hinges. Wood splinters fly through the air like shrapnel.
And there he is.
My husband stands in the doorway like the god of war come to life. His white shirt is soaked crimson, torn in several places revealing glimpses of skin and his tattoos beneath. His knuckles are split and bleeding. A deep cut slices across his cheek, still dripping blood. His chest heaves with each ragged breath, nostrils flaring like a predator who's caught the scent of his prey.
But it's his eyes that freeze the blood in my veins. Empty. Devoid of anything human. He's on a kill path and won't be stopped until every last man is destroyed.
Those eyes lock onto Sebastian, whose hand is still suspended in the air above my face. In that frozen second, I see Sebastian's expression shift from rage to pure terror as he realizes what's standing before him.
Ares's hand moves so fast I barely register the motion. The flash of steel catches the dim light, and then I hear the thud of metal cutting into flesh.
Sebastian staggers backward, looking down at the knife handle protruding from his side. Blood leaks out quickly across his expensive shirt, spreading like spilled wine.
"You—" Sebastian gasps, but that's all he manages before Ares charges.
My husband moves with terrifying speed. His shoulder connects with Sebastian's chest, driving him into the stone wall with suchforce that the impact knocks the breath from Sebastian's lungs in a painful wheeze.
Ares doesn't give him a second to recover. His fist connects with Sebastian's jaw—once, twice, three times—each blow punctuated by the wet crack of breaking bone. Sebastian tries to fight back, throwing a wild punch that Ares easily dodges before countering with a vicious uppercut that snaps Sebastian's head back against the wall.
Sebastian somehow finds the strength to lunge forward, tackling Ares and sending them both crashing into the opposite wall. The shelves beside them collapse, jars and bottles shattering on the floor. The knife buried in Sebastian's side dislodges, clattering to the ground as they struggle.
For a terrifying moment, Sebastian gets the upper hand, pinning Ares, his forearm pressed against my husband's throat. He pulls a small pistol from his pocket and aims it at Ares's head.
"Your wife can watch you die," Sebastian spits, blood and saliva spraying from his mouth.
Ares's hand shoots up, grabbing Sebastian's wrist and twisting it with such brutal force that the gun drops from Sebastian's useless fingers and he howls in pain. The sound, however, is cut off abruptly as Ares's forehead smashes into his face.
