Page 47 of Mastering their Maiden

“We did. But you shouldn’t have kept the letters in such a—”

I spun so fast Kaiden startled back, grabbing hold of my wrist when I reached for the dagger on his belt. “Don’t you twist this around on me. I never wanted your stupid letters. They were never mine!”

I pulled away, but Zander grabbed my arm and when I twisted, the pain made me cry out. The four of them blanched with worry, which only made me more enraged. Zander held fast and his hand shot up to silence Kaiden when he tried to speak.

“You’re not leaving.” His voice shook, and anger radiated down his arm when he wrapped it around my waist. His head dipped, forehead pressing to mine. “You can’t. I won’t let you. I’m never going to let you go again, Aria. If you try, I will chase you down. You’re ours. You’re mine.”

I held my breathing steady as a traitorous thought flitted through my head. If only that was true. If only he’d said that to me instead of laughing when I asked him to stay. If only…

If only, for once, someone had chosen me… maybe I could believe that.

But they hadn’t. I wasn’t theirs.

I wasn’t even sure I was mine.

Zander’s breathing began to slow, and his hold on me softened from one of possessive hunger to one of desperate longing as more time passed. I stayed still as a tree while the others moved in. They were cautious. Tentative. So careful now when they’d been so reckless before. Dex closed in at my back. Umber and Kaiden on one side. They reached for me, touching my arms, seeking my fingers, stroking my hair. All four of them too distracted to notice that I’d grabbed the hilt of a dagger on Zander’s hip.

When I moved it was with purpose. Not wild. Not random. I’d staked each of their positions and planned my kill with precise execution. My head slammed back into Dex’s face, and when he fell back, I pulled the dagger free of its sheath. Zander tried to grab my hand and missed, then bent backward when I swung the blade. He fell onto his ass to avoid me, looking up at me in shocked awe. Umber shouted my name, the others joined in. Sharp, shocked calls for me to Stop. Wait. Listen.

Wasted words when they hadn’t given me the same courtesy.

Kaiden seized my arm, but I twirled and shoved my foot out, knocking him off balance. I was reminded of that first day when this all started, when he pulled me into this same cabin and shoved me to my knees. It was in this same spot, ironically, that he fell to his. But instead of offering a cock to suck, I grabbed his hair and put the dagger under his chin, forcing his gaze up to mine.

The others froze, all three of their bodies rigid while they waited for me to speak.

Kaiden’s expression was tense, like he was trying to decide how to react. Should he fight? Subdue me before I had a chance to kill him?

It would be so easy. The knife was sharp. It even glinted despite the dim light streaming through the single window in the hut. Killing him might bring me suffering, but I wouldn’t be the only one.

But my hand wouldn’t move. It wouldn’t slide side to side, or push in any further as I stared down at this man. At his golden skin and eyes, his full lips. I’d kissed those lips. I’d pressed mine willingly to them and kissed them, the whole time craving more. I’d kissed every man in this room, felt their skin on mine, craved their touch even while I ached to deny it.

I didn’t want them to die.

I just didn’t want them near me. The risk was too great. The harm they could do if they hurt me again… I might not survive it.

I swallowed, stuffing down the rising tenderness, the longing, the hope, and replacing it with fervent resolve. The blade didn’t retract from Kaiden’s neck, but I released his hair, making it clear that I was finished.

“This ends today.” I forced his chin up, meeting his eyes and watching them narrow, then fill with sadness. “I am not yours. I never was.”

Kaiden swallowed, the same resolve I felt in my chest settling into his gaze. He shook his head, gently pushing the knife away from his throat. “We came back for you. As soon as we knew, we came back to—”

“You left me. Now I’m doing the same.”

I backed away, keeping the dagger raised while I turned toward the door. Kaiden and Umber stayed on their knees while Dex watched cautiously, all their expressions twisted in confused despair.

All except Zander, who moved toward me with an air of determination. I met him halfway, shoving the knife under his chin. He didn’t flinch or back away, only held my gaze, his eyes filled with fiery resolve.

“He’ll die for it.” The words came out low, a promise that part of me knew he meant with every fiber of his being. “Hoval? Rober? Anyone else who hurt you? They’ll die, Aria. I promise.”

My nose wrinkled, and I dug the tip of the knife into his chin. “Count yourself in that group. Because if you come near me again, I’ll kill you myself.”

Zander smiled like he expected nothing less, but I wasn’t playing. This wasn’t a game. We weren’t sparring. I was deadly serious.

That’s what I told myself at least.

My arm shook as I pressed the knife harder into his chin, his soft laugh fueling the rage inside me. “Try to chase me, and I’ll end you. You know I can do it, Zander.”

I held his gaze long enough to make sure I’d gotten my point across, then I spun and clutched the dagger tight in my fist. None of them moved when I turned my back on the four of them and everything we could have been.

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