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“Sorry, my lord.” My voice trembles, too.
“Stop talking.”
A hot rush of shame and fear pushes through my body. Tears prickle the corners of my eyes. No, not this! If he sees me cry, there’s no telling what he’ll do. I look down at the floor.
“I could end your life at any moment. Do you understand?”
I keep my gaze on the stone in front of me.
“Yes, my lord.”
“It’s only by my unending mercy that I don’t kill you right now.”
I nod my head, too scared to speak.
“Look at me now.”
I look up into the cold flint of his eyes. They are so beautiful that it is hard to believe they belong to one so cruel. His features are soft but underlined by the cruelty he has shown me.
I won’t forget this. Even as tears cloud my vision, I can see him for who he truly is. Not a man, but a beast.
“You must be hungry,” he says, eventually.
I say nothing. He waits for a few seconds, growing visibly impatient.
“I said, you must be hungry.”
I get it now. He won’t ask me any questions because he doesn’t care about my answers. Would it be wise to refuse to speak? Or will he hurt me worse?
“Answer me, girl.”
I can’t do anything but answer. The way I’ve been treated “Yes, my lord.”
With a flick of Duke Carmichael’s delicate wrist, the guard at the door straightens, turns, and hurries away.
I look back at the duke. He is as stony-faced as when I first met him, being tossed around by elves in their playhouse. I asked for salvation, and he gave it to me.
But now? This? I don’t even recognise him. His callousness is as much a slap to the face as a physical blow.
How can I redeem myself to him? He saved me once—perhaps he will save me again.
“Perhaps I’ve been too hard on you.”
I am shocked at the words.
“Excuse me, my lord?”
“When I rescued you from that elf, I had no idea what kind of power you had.”
I tilt my head at him again. Confusion clouds any clear judgment I have of him. Do I have him wrong?
All my instincts tell me he is bad news. They say to run as far from him as possible.
The coiling in my gut tells a different story.
“You seem to like it when I mishandle you.”
I cannot help the gasp that escapes my mouth. He has seen past the defenses I put up to hide myself away. He sees me for who I am.
