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“I would never let that happen.” He grasped my shoulders firmly in his hands. “No one touches what’s mine. Nobody. Do you understand?”

I shoved him away from me with a grunt. “Do not act the part of the devoted husband now. Not when you threatened me in your bed last night.”

“That’s all this is to you, Evie, isn’t it? An act.” He dug his hand into his chest. “You do not understand that for me, this is real. That I worship you. That love is too pale a word for what I feel for you.”

“Stop it!” I flew at him, pounding my fists into his chest. “You have cost me everything! Everything! That is not love! It is ownership!”

“Yes it is, and I own you, Evie!” His hands curled around my arms, forcing my body against his, and he stared down at me with his icy blue eyes. “I own you, and what of it?”

I railed against him, but he was too strong, keeping me flush against him. “Would you wish to be owned? To be an object? To be worthless?”

“You may be my property, but you are not worthless, andif you speak that way again I shall tie you to the bed and flog you until you understand.”

A rage-filled laugh burst from my lips. “Oh more threats, always threats with you! Go on and do it, you cannot do any worse than your father did!” The urge to hurt him was too overwhelming, to lash out, to use anything I had in my arsenal to cause him pain. “At least he was decent!”

Azriel’s eyes widened, darkening with fury. “Say that again.”

I sneered up at him, leaning against his chest. “You think a few fine fucks in your bed make you any better than he?”

“So being owned by me is much worse than being owned by my father, is it?” His tone was lethal, and I knew within myself that I was teetering on the edge of a dangerous abyss. But I was quite mad, losing my mind with hopelessness, and I did not care.

“Your father did not cost me everything.”

Azriel’s face was frighteningly calm, though his eyes betrayed the rage that coursed through him. As though on cue, thunder rumbled overhead, and rain began to patter against the windows. We stood like that for a moment, as the sky darkened, and lightning began to flash.

“You wish him back, do you?”

His voice, filled with barely contained rage, set my instincts firing, telling me to shut my mouth, to apologise, to acquiesce meekly. But I refused, glaring up at him, bracing myself as I expected him to strike me as his father certainly would have. But he just kept a hold of me, staring at me, waiting patiently for me to answer.

“Perhaps I do.” I finally said, though I did not mean it. Of course I did not wish Acton back, but in that moment, all I could think of was the pain of betrayal I had felt the previous night. That before me stood a man who told me he loved me, who told me that he knew me, who had promised me I couldbare my soul to him, and had then threatened to use everything he had against me.

It was too much.

I had gone too far.

“Right.” Azriel dragged me across the room towards the door.

I attempted to dig in my heels and stop him, to anchor myself somehow to the room. “Where are you taking me?”

He did not answer, simply kept pulling me along despite my screeched protests. The maids came running, alarmed, but Azriel waved them off.

“Leave us!” He commanded. “Bring me my horse!” He shouted in an even louder voice, and one of the house boys went running out into the rain.

“Azriel!” I clawed at his arms, terrified that I was now being dragged to my death, or worse. “Are you mad? Where are you taking me?”

The rain was falling lightly, an icy breeze blowing in the storm. No one said anything as Azriel hauled me, kicking and screaming, onto his horse, and took off through the rain.

“What are you doing?” I flailed at him, and he curled an arm around me, crushing me against him and holding me still.

“Hush now,” he commanded, his eyes on the road ahead.

“Azriel!”

“I said HUSH!” His voice boomed, matched almost instantly by a roll of thunder overhead, and I nuzzled into him to try and avoid the frigid wind that whipped past us. The bare trees waved and bowed as it grew stronger, the roads emptying quickly as everyone sought shelter.

The horse’s hooves kicked up mud and gravel as Azriel spurred it on through the storm, and the sky was now a deep shade of grey.

He was taking me to the church.