Page 100 of Blood and Fate

Still not taking his eyes from Satori, Henrik stepped back toward the door and threw the bolt.

“You left early and missed the entire conversation.” He stalked toward her. “He’s delighted to have you home and ecstatic to see us wed. In fact, we’ve set a date.”

Satori held her breath, waiting.

Henrik prowled toward her until he was directly before her. He raised a hand and brushed a finger along her jaw, letting it trail down to the low neckline of her dress. “You will be mine before the eyes of Shala, Miram, and all the Kingdom in two days. Your father agreed we should not put it off.”

Two days? The air left her as though he had punched her in the stomach, and Henrik smiled at the reaction.

“Until then...” He moved his hands to the laces at the front of her dress, twisting his fingers into them and giving a sharp tug, causing her to stumble into him. “You’ll still be mine, but only before the eyes of Shala and Miram.”

She pressed her mouth into a line, and as her stomach churned, a lump formed in her throat. She hated to cry in front of him. She’d always hated it because he liked it. He enjoyed the thrill of power it gave him when she felt weak. But it was all just too much. Kais gone, her future a nightmare of marriage to this man.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

SATORI

The next day was a whirlwind as servants were in and out of her room with questions and concerns about the wedding. Many of them complained under their breath about the short time they had to throw it all together.

Henrik stayed close, seated beside her, answering the questions she didn’t, which were most of them. She could sense the tension rising in him as he waited for her to answer every time a question was posed and ultimately answered himself, as she had neither opinion nor care regarding the whole horror show.

Finally, when a team of servants sat with them, and one of them asked her what type of flowers she wanted and she still didn’t answer, Henrik seemed to have enough. He stood so swiftly that he knocked into the small table in front of them, sending flower samples tumbling to the floor.

“Please.” The word came out in a barked, impatient tone, and he took a breath before he continued, “Please, give the Princess and I a moment, if you will.”

Servants scrambled to right the mess before swiftly exiting the room. Satori knew what was coming—some sort of comment on her attitude. But she really couldn’t find it in herself to care.

When the door closed, Henrik’s head turned toward her, a sneer and a glare on his features. He rounded on her, planting his hands on the arms of her chair, his body caging her in, his face in hers. When he spoke, his words were hissed and sharp, and she flinched as spittle hit her.

“It is time to stop acting like a child and accept your future. This wedding will happen with or without your input. But these people are trying to make it a pleasant experience for you, so your opinions would be helpful.”

She met his eyes. “Pleasant experience? Nothing about this will ever be pleasant for me. And I will do my best to make it as unpleasant for you as I possibly can.”

His mouth pressed into a thin line as his eyes narrowed. His attention shifted to something beside her, but only for a moment because in the next second, his hand was flying at her face, connecting with her cheek, a crack resounding through the room.

She brought her hand to her stinging face, eyes wide. Henrik had done many things to her over the years, but he had never struck her. A fresh wave of her new reality hit her, and in that moment, she decided she would not just sit back and take it. If this man thought that she would roll over and submit, he was about to get a very rude awakening.

She knew she would pay dearly for what she was about to do. She wasn’t so naive as to think that he would back down when she started standing up to him. Not Henrik. He would become worse, but she couldn’t be the victim any longer. She curled her fingers slightly into her cheek, her short nails scraping at the tender skin. She set her jaw, and before Henrik could react, she lashed out, bringing her clawed hand across his face.

The look of shock on his face was rewarding even as his hands moved from the chair to clamp around her arms. “How dar—“

A knock on the door interrupted him, and Satori silently thanked whichever servant it was. He would surely retaliate, but she let out a shaking breath, relieved it would not be this moment. Another insistent knock caused Henrik to stand and straighten his clothes.

“Later,” he sneered before he turned and shouted toward the door, “Yes?”

The door opened, and Tessa practically fell into the room, the servants with flowers behind her. She took in the scene, and Satori didn’t miss the look of alarm on her face before Tessa schooled her features back into indifference. She stopped, dipped into a curtsey, and straightened, turning to address Henrik.

“The King has requested you meet him in his office at once.”

Henrik shot Tessa a hateful look before repeating his warning from earlier at Satori, “Later.”

She suppressed the chill that ran through her as Henrik stalked from the room.

When he was gone, Tessa spoke to the other servants, “Please feel free to take a break. You can meet back here in an hour. Thank you.”

“Of course, miss.” They bowed to Satori and disappeared out the door.

Tessa locked the door behind them before she rushed to Satori’s side, pulling the bag she had slung across her chest over her head and dropping it to the floor as she wrapped Satori in a hug. “When I got here, the servants were whispering that they could hear the two of you fighting.”

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