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“Unless you’re here to get railed, Deyanira, you have to stay away from the Scarlet District.”
“What the fuck do you care?” I asked, yanking free of her arm. “You’re only around when it’s convenient for you.”
“Yes, Dey. I have a life and friends, and you aren’t the only person I talk to. I don’t sit waiting for you to come see me, and I won’t feel guilty about that.”
“No, you’ll just hide and spy on the world from a fucking pedestal.”
The last word was a slur, but as she stopped dead in her tracks, dark eyes lowering, I knew I’d struck a chord.
“I am the only one that has stuck by your side for all these years, Deyanira. Be careful how you speak to me.”
I faltered. She was right, of course.
Taking a slow breath, letting the fury and adrenaline loose, I dropped my head. “I’m sorry, Ro. It’s been a really shitty day.”
“I can imagine,” she said, the bite still riding the wave of her softening voice. “Go out the back door. I’ll take the front and make sure no one is following us.”
“Surely there’s a mirror?—”
“Shh,” she snapped, covering my mouth with her hand. “For once in your life, just do as I say, Deyanira.”
The instant need to pull a weapon jolted through my arms and to my fingertips. My patience with people was wearing too thin. I said no more as I walked away from her, strolling to the opposite end of the hall, not hearing a peep from those hidden behind the sheer curtains. I shoved the door open, dragging in a deep lungful of fresh air before nearly tripping on the guard that had let me in. He lay knocked out in the alleyway.
Pulling Chaos on instinct alone, I cleared every thought from my mind as I stepped over the man and into the alley, moving away from the simple carriage waiting there. I lifted the mask to hide my face, but it didn’t matter. The dancer from Misery’s End with two different colored eyes slipped out from behind the carriage wearing a tight corset and long gown. The glare on her face hinted she wasn’t bothered by the beast I’d become if she made a move against me. Orin Faber followed. I took three steps back before slamming into a wall of solid muscle. A man who might’ve been a giant in a past life wrapped arms of steel around me.
I fought like a wild animal until his grip slackened just enough for me to slip free, but I was slow. Orin lunged, and I didn’t feel the blade go in, only the warmth as blood seeped from my abdomen.
The massive arms surrounded me again, knocking into the handle of the blade, ripping the hole until I screamed in pain. My inevitable submission as the dark-haired demon, my very alive bonded husband, moved in front of me with a victorious smile.
“Please continue to fight, Little Nightmare. I love a good challenge.”
Chapter 14
“Isay let her bleed for a while,” the woman said as they threw me into the carriage, pain racing through my abdomen. “Let her suffer.”
“We aren’t barbarians, Paesha,” Orin said.
“You just stabbed your wife in the Scarlet District, and now you’re dragging her ass home for the second time in so many hours. I’d define barbarianism to you if I thought it would matter.”
Each breath I took was a rise of strength countered by complete loss. If I thought I could hurl myself out of the carriage and escape, I’d still try. But they’d only hunt me, and three assholes against one injured person with absolutely nowhere to go didn’t seem like a safe bet. I hoped my scream of rage was enough to keep Ro at bay.
I checked for weapons first. Chaos was gone, though I’d bet my death, the pouch of coins, and the rubies that remained in my pocket that Orin had taken her. I still had a small throwing knife in my sleeve, but, lying on the rattling bed of the carriage, I couldn’t tell if they’d emptied my boots. If I shifted at all to check, I’d give myself away.
“We’ll clean it,” Orin said, answering a question I hadn’t heard.
“I’m confident a little Maiden blood is probably the least of the vile things that have leaked into this carriage,” Paesha added.
“I’ll take care of it,” the giant man answered.
“If you feel so inclined, Jarek,” the dancer said. “I won’t stop you.”
When they’d thrown me into the carriage, I’d clenched my teeth in pain, but I hadn’t moved again, pretending to be knocked out by the blow of my head crashing into the opposite door. Curiosity drove me to peek an eye open.
Jarek’s voice carried through the space like a growl. “We send it back like this, the Maestro’s going to take it out on one of you.”
I couldn’t see Orin, but I could feel his boot on my spine as we traveled down the road. The low rumble of his words still jarred me. “He’s right. We return the carriage how we found it.”
If they hadn’t stolen Chaos from my side, I would have dragged her sharpened edge down the leather seat on my way out. The cart came to a halt, and I wondered for only a moment who’d driven it before everyone jumped out. Orin was gentler than I’d known him to be as he maneuvered me toward him. I remained limp, eyes almost closed. He was a blur, but there was no mistaking his build or the darkness that seemed to consume him. He ran a finger over my rib where the knife had gone in, then reached for my face, swiping the hair away.
