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He has to be alive. He has to be fine.
Neither of his brothers would let him go without fighting like hell to bring him back from the brink, and I know they would have taken care of him. So he must be alive. He’s probably out there somewhere being very particular about stitches and wound cleaning.
All three of them are probably looking for me. By this point, I believe that with my whole heart. They’ve proven time and time again that as long as there’s breath left in their bodies, they won’t stop trying to find me or protect me.
So I have to survive.
I have to still be alive when they get here.
I have to.
Clinging to those words like a mantra, I finally pull open the bathroom door.
The guard is still there, his arms crossed over his chest. He doesn’t say anything, just motions for me to follow him and leads me down another hall and into a dining room. It’s not as lavish as Olivia’s, but it still manages to be ostentatious. Troy is already there, sitting at the head of the table, lounging like some kind of king on his throne.
He looks up when I walk in on the heels of his guard, and I feel a burst of savage satisfaction at the scratch marks that run down his face.
He might have gotten what he wanted in the end, but I didn’t go down without a fight. He took something from me, but at least I took something from him too.
Even if it wasn’t enough.
“Sit down, wifey,” he says, sounding smug and bored all at the same time.
I do as he says, taking a seat gingerly at the table.
A door at the other end of the room opens, and food is brought out on trays. A big roasted slab of meat, vegetables, and bread. It smells good, but I don’t move to serve myself, even as Troy starts loading up his plate.
It takes him a moment to notice, and he swallows around a mouthful of bread as he arches a brow at me.
“It’s not poisoned,” he assures me, smirking. “Why would I do that? You’re my wife. It’s my job to take care of you, right? So I need to keep you fed.”
Every time he reminds me that I’m his wife, I hate it more, and I grit my teeth. “You don’t seem to have any qualms about hurting me, so don’t act like that means anything.”
Troy’s smirk just widens.
“Hurting you and poisoning you are two different things.” He reaches for his wine glass and takes a swallow, smacking his lips. “I knew you were going to be a wildcat. That’s why I was drawn to you. I wanted someone with a spark in her. With some fire. All the other women my parents were interested in marrying me off to would’ve been too easy to break. Just lying there like limp little rag dolls, taking it. But you? You make me work for it, and I like that.”
My stomach turns, and I feel like I might throw up right here at the table. If he notices, Troy doesn’t give a shit, because he just keeps going.
“Of course, I’ll have to teach you how to behave,” he adds with a chuckle. “I need a wife I can take out in proper society, which means I’ll have to break you. Stamp out some of that fire. Just enough, you know? That’s why we’ll be taking an extended honeymoon here. I told my family that I’d be gone for a little while, so that I could have some time with my new bride. Just the two of us. It’ll give me a chance to train you.”
My skin prickles as revulsion fills me, sour and strong.
“You’re such a fucking pig,” I spit. “A monster who gets off on pain and power. You think you’re some kind of prince or king or playboy? You think you’re better than everyone else, but you’re nothing but a piece of shit. Just another spoiled brat who never learned to take no for an answer.”
Even as the words are spewing out of my mouth, I know I should hold my tongue. I shouldn’t be saying any this, because it’s just going to come back and bite me in the ass, but I can’t help it.
“You’re disgusting,” I snap. “You talk about all these other women who would just lie there and take it, but you know what I think? I think no other woman would let you touch her with a ten-foot pole. Not for all the money in the world. Because you’re a creep and a troll, and they know it. So you have to resort to shit like this, because no one wants you! And why would they? Why would anyone want a disgusting monster like you?”
Troy just listens, sitting there with his wine glass in his hand, letting me go off. He looks unbothered for all of thirty seconds before he stands up and jerks his chin at the two guards standing by in the room.
Instantly, they move, grabbing my shoulders and jerking me up from my seat. I stumble as they shove me forward and then force me down to my knees in front of the table. My heart jackrabbits in my chest, cold fear rushing through me in a wave.
Calm as anything, Troy gets up and walks over. He fists a hand in my hair, grabbing it so hard it makes my eyes water.
“I should choke you with my dick for saying shit like that,” he says, his voice even. “But I know you’re such a wild little thing, you’d probably try to bite it off. I promise you though, we’ll get there. One day, you’ll know better than to fight back at all.”
I bite my tongue, resisting the urge to spit in his face.
