Page 39 of Of Shadows and Blood

“You did not come here to eat.” He licks his lips. “There is food and blood at the cottage. Eat there.”

I don’t think about my next words. “Sawyer said he would see me at dinner.”

His grip loosens then, my words hitting their mark. “Sawyer? You listen to Sawyer now?”

“Yes, I do. Because I know Sawyer.”

“Knew, rather, is that not right? If I knew your presence would have been this challenging, I would have stationed a guard outside your door,” he snaps. “Perhaps I should have stationed Sawyer himself.”

“Again, go to hell.” I yank myself away and finally manage to stand. “If you ever touch me again without my consent I will find a way to leave a scar on your body.”

My heart pounds as I walk briskly out of the Chalice Room. Thoughts fail to land in my mind and my blood boils, begging for more bite. I’m seeing red.

He publicly forced me to sit. To stay seated. Held me. Put his hands on me.

Everywhere he touched me, my skin is on fire. I try to tamper down my panic and rage but nothing soothes me. No rationalization. I turn down a random hallway, trying to find the way I came in. The palace is huge. There is barely enough light to illuminate the tapestries and paintings.

The arrogance of a man who believes he has power over a woman. The arrogance of a man to call himself a king. I’m not a prisoner but I am to be controlled, living at the whim of him and his cess.

“Lady Elivienne!”

I stop dead in my tracks, turning to see Sawyer at the end of the hallway, the light from the large room illuminating his form. Part of me wants to keep walking. Two guards emerge from the doors and Sawyer stops them. They exchange a few words before the pair walk back into the crowd.

Suddenly, a pit forms in my stomach and I begin to walk back down the hallway away from him, from everyone.

I don’t need this.

Sawyer appears in front of me in the blink of an eye and I trip backwards on my dress. I still have no concept of this travel, this magic they can conjure. He grasps my arm before I hit the ground and spins me into a hidden alcove away from the revelry and sight of the guards.

“Why is everyone grabbing me tonight,” I seethe.

“You’re welcome,” he bites. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“That is none of your business.” I glare. A couple walks past us, paying no mind as they sway from drink.

Sawyer quirks an eyebrow. “Do you think disrespecting my brother in public is the best way to get out of here undetected?”

My mouth gapes. “You must be mistaken into thinking I care about my social standing. I told you that I have no desire to be here.”

“Liv, he is the king. He doesn’t take offences lightly,” he replies. I can barely see him in the darkness, but I hear the truth in his voice. “You need to be smarter. It doesn’t matter what you think or feel, you have to comply to an extent. To everyone in there, you are Elivienne. A lady of the gentry. That does matter.”

“I love that you speak of playing the smart game. Oh, that’s rich. Tell me, how did you get into my head, the village? Because it’s clear Cedric had no idea of it.”

He blanches, loosening his grip on my hand as he slowly nods, coming to terms with my new realizations. Perhaps he thought I would resist the truth. Our relationship, at the farm in my mind, was romantic. But now, looking at him, I can’t help but question his motives.

“I see,” he murmurs, taking a seat on a chair built into a small bookcase. “Liv…”

“Try.”

He smiles briefly, sitting up with his hands resting on his knees. “It was real, if you’re wondering. My feelings, my actions.”

“And the village?”

He swallows. “Your mind created it. When I was able to tap into your consciousness, that is what I was met with. An odd location but one you probably felt safe in.”

“That doesn’t track for me.” I narrow my eyes. “You’re telling me a woman of the gentry would find safety from trauma in a place like that.”

Sawyer shakes his head. “Think what you want. Whatever it was, I was merely a pawn to it just as you were.”