me happy? Keeping me in the dark like this?” She glanced over Leisha’s broken body. “Willem, you’re a jackass.”
“Rinwa,” Arthur said sharply. “What is done can’t be undone. Move past this.”
Leisha watched as her daughter clamped her lips into a thin line and her eyes shuttered any emotion that might have been seen.
Arthur smiled. “Now, I’m willing to look over your insubordination. In fact, you deserve to have a turn to beat that filth.” He waved a hand at Leisha. “After all, you’ve suffered at her hand longer than any of us.”
Rinwa shook her head. “I’m not in the mood.”
The councilor’s eyebrows rose at that. “That’s a first. Could it be that you actually hold affection for the vamp? She may have brought you into this world, but she was also the one who got you whipped when you were merely four years old.” He moved closer to Rinwa as he spoke in a sympathetic tone. “How motherly of her, to be the one to introduce her daughter to her first taste of torture. And let’s not forget that this woman almost devoured you and her father the very next day.”
Chin rising, Rinwa met his gaze. “You’re right. She was an awful mother. But I thought you told me decades ago that I couldn’t let that hatred rule me.”
“And you actually listened. I’m impressed.” Arthur walked over to the display of various weapons. “Well, I was right. You shouldn’t let that hatred for her rule you. But now that she’s about to face justice, it’s only fair that you get to mete out your portion of it.”
Rinwa’s eyes narrowed. “Fine.” She strode over to Leisha. “I’ve had issues about my childhood for most of my life.” She slapped Leisha hard, making Leisha’s head snap to the side and her vision dim. “Now we’re even.”
Rinwa turned to Willem and sent him a withering glare, then left as quickly as she’d come.
Willem almost seemed to deflate at her departure and Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s call it quitting time. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
25 BC
Turney had been living with the leader of the village for the past month when he announced that it was time he was on his way.
Iliana felt faint when he told her that he would be leaving on the morrow. Tears threatened, but she didn’t want him to see her cry. She turned and fled into the woods, toward the cave. She knew that place better than anyone and could hide there for as long as she wanted. And she would need solitude to recover from not being in Turney’s presence anymore.
Just when she was about to enter the cave, a big, strong hand grabbed her arm and turned her around.
“Oh,” she gasped when she hit the solid mass of a man’s chest.
“Iliana,” Turney whispered. “Why do you run?”
Chin trembling, Iliana told him the truth, though she knew it wasn’t seemly for a woman to be so bold. “Because I am sad to see you go.”
He looked pleased by her answer. “Then come with me.”
Iliana’s father was not happy when she came home to announce that she was going with Turney. “You must marry him before you can go with him. It is not right otherwise!”
Turney entered then. His frame took up so much space that the house seemed instantly smaller. “We will marry tonight, if that would please you. Then we will take our leave in the morning.”
Iliana didn’t know how her father felt about that because her mother burst into the room then. “Yes,” the older woman cried. “My baby married to Turney! I can’t believe our good fortune.”
It was just a few minutes later that they walked to the village leader’s house and he married them. When Turney leaned down to kiss her, Iliana’s lips tingled with pleasure but her body felt unfulfilled in some way. Later that night, she learned what her body had craved with the first kiss. She experienced some pain, but was later given so much pleasure that she thought to die from it. It was nothing like her mother had said.
Traveling
“Rinwa,” Arthur said sharply. “What is done can’t be undone. Move past this.”
Leisha watched as her daughter clamped her lips into a thin line and her eyes shuttered any emotion that might have been seen.
Arthur smiled. “Now, I’m willing to look over your insubordination. In fact, you deserve to have a turn to beat that filth.” He waved a hand at Leisha. “After all, you’ve suffered at her hand longer than any of us.”
Rinwa shook her head. “I’m not in the mood.”
The councilor’s eyebrows rose at that. “That’s a first. Could it be that you actually hold affection for the vamp? She may have brought you into this world, but she was also the one who got you whipped when you were merely four years old.” He moved closer to Rinwa as he spoke in a sympathetic tone. “How motherly of her, to be the one to introduce her daughter to her first taste of torture. And let’s not forget that this woman almost devoured you and her father the very next day.”
Chin rising, Rinwa met his gaze. “You’re right. She was an awful mother. But I thought you told me decades ago that I couldn’t let that hatred rule me.”
“And you actually listened. I’m impressed.” Arthur walked over to the display of various weapons. “Well, I was right. You shouldn’t let that hatred for her rule you. But now that she’s about to face justice, it’s only fair that you get to mete out your portion of it.”
Rinwa’s eyes narrowed. “Fine.” She strode over to Leisha. “I’ve had issues about my childhood for most of my life.” She slapped Leisha hard, making Leisha’s head snap to the side and her vision dim. “Now we’re even.”
Rinwa turned to Willem and sent him a withering glare, then left as quickly as she’d come.
Willem almost seemed to deflate at her departure and Arthur put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s call it quitting time. We’ll come back tomorrow.”
25 BC
Turney had been living with the leader of the village for the past month when he announced that it was time he was on his way.
Iliana felt faint when he told her that he would be leaving on the morrow. Tears threatened, but she didn’t want him to see her cry. She turned and fled into the woods, toward the cave. She knew that place better than anyone and could hide there for as long as she wanted. And she would need solitude to recover from not being in Turney’s presence anymore.
Just when she was about to enter the cave, a big, strong hand grabbed her arm and turned her around.
“Oh,” she gasped when she hit the solid mass of a man’s chest.
“Iliana,” Turney whispered. “Why do you run?”
Chin trembling, Iliana told him the truth, though she knew it wasn’t seemly for a woman to be so bold. “Because I am sad to see you go.”
He looked pleased by her answer. “Then come with me.”
Iliana’s father was not happy when she came home to announce that she was going with Turney. “You must marry him before you can go with him. It is not right otherwise!”
Turney entered then. His frame took up so much space that the house seemed instantly smaller. “We will marry tonight, if that would please you. Then we will take our leave in the morning.”
Iliana didn’t know how her father felt about that because her mother burst into the room then. “Yes,” the older woman cried. “My baby married to Turney! I can’t believe our good fortune.”
It was just a few minutes later that they walked to the village leader’s house and he married them. When Turney leaned down to kiss her, Iliana’s lips tingled with pleasure but her body felt unfulfilled in some way. Later that night, she learned what her body had craved with the first kiss. She experienced some pain, but was later given so much pleasure that she thought to die from it. It was nothing like her mother had said.
Traveling
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