Page 55 of A Vow of Embers

“Yes. You are coming out of this with the clear advantage. You have made me sacrifice an unbelievable amount and all I get out of it is a harpy as a wife.”

“And I have to live with a monster of a husband. And you’re getting the kingship of Ilion!”

“I am beginning to think it might not be worth it if I have to remain married to you. A thief, a liar, an oath-breaker.”

That was it. I’d had enough of his disrespect. I was shaking with fury as I pulled out my xiphos. “You are not allowed to dishonor me.”

He didn’t reach for his weapon. “I don’t worry about the honor of people who try to break contracts.”

“I married you, didn’t I?” How often was he going to bring that up? “I’m not going to apologize for doing what I had to do.”

“Neither will I. Ever.”

He owed me so many apologies—his refusal to acknowledge it made me clench the handle of my weapon tighter.

“Draw your sword,” I said as I pointed my xiphos at him.

“No.” Another insult. He didn’t even deem me worth allowing to defend my honor.

“I won’t strike down an unarmed man.”

“You wouldn’t strike me down either way. I’m not dueling with my wife.”

“In name only,” I echoed the words back at him.

“Thank the goddess,” he retorted, and that broke something inside me.

I rushed forward to slice at him but he stayed put, his hands still on his hips, watching me. Just before my sword made contact with his chest, he grabbed my wrist and turned it, forcing me to drop my xiphos.

But I had expected something like that. As he was disarming me, I immediately tried to punch him with my left fist, hoping that with his attention somewhere else, he wouldn’t see it.

He threw his own palm up at the last moment so that my fist landed harmlessly in his hand and not on his face.

Too fast. He was too fast.

And before I could attempt to maneuver away to figure out another angle of attack, he maintained his grip on my right wrist while closing his hand over my left one and then whirled me about with both of my hands behind my back.

His words were hot against my neck. “Are you done yet?”

Infuriated, I tried to stamp on his foot while throwing my head back at the same time, hoping I might break his nose.

He avoided both of my attempts and twisted our bodies onto the floor, quickly righting himself so that he had me pinned. He straddled my hips, his hands holding down my wrists.

“This seems familiar,” he said in a taunting tone. Was that when everything had begun? Had he already known in Locris who I was when he’d held me down exactly like this in my family’s courtyard?

Again, he was an unmovable wall. I attempted the maneuver that had worked for me the first time, the one Demaratus had taught me.

But when I tried to lift my hips and yank my wrists down, his grip in both places only tightened.

“Tricks like that only work once, princess.”

Frustration and anger welled up inside me, making me feel like I could combust. I would never beat him. No matter how hard I tried, he was right. He was bigger, stronger, and faster. The gift the goddess had given him made him unstoppable and I had been a fool to think that I could best him in a physical fight.

“Calm down,” he said. “I told you that I wouldn’t hurt you. Unlike you, I keep my word.”

I wanted to lash out. To do something that would cause him pain. My mind was suddenly filled with the image of the man at the templewho had tried to kill me in Theano’s office. He had also pinned me down and attempted to stab me. I had been able to hold his weapon away from me for much longer than I should have and then redirected his attack so that he didn’t stab me in the neck as he’d intended, but on my shoulder.

So instead of trying to escape, I focused on pushing back against the prince’s hold.