Page 10 of Where Darkness Falls

“May this be a lesson to those of you bearing witness this day. Anyone that defies the commands of our illustrious king will be punished by either the sword or the creatures. The choice is yours, but I suggest that if you encounter anyone with an ability stronger than healing, you report it to me immediately,” he commands.

As he scans the crowd, the villagers avert their eyes, nodding. He seems delighted in their compliance—that is, until he catches sight of me boring holes into his face. I am sure my fury is written all over my features. Logically, I should be the one to cower and look away, but I don’t. Day after day, he tortures and kills innocent people whose only crimes are being a gifted or harboring a gifted. He has gone too far this time.

He orders the villagers to disperse, and—like ants scurrying to retreat from the rain—they find somewhere more useful to be.

Cara tugs on my arm, nudging me forward.

That is until the captain’s voice stops us in our tracks.

“Stay where you are,” he calls out.

Like a predator analyzing its prey, he moves toward us.

I don’t break eye contact as I watch the cruel man.

My anger is so palpable that I can taste it and the retribution I wish I could subject upon him and his soldiers.

The captain is tall, with dark wavy hair and deep onyx eyes that compliment his complexion. His face is covered in scars from his many years of service, I’m sure. I might have considered him a handsome man, were it not for his wicked nature.

Or that I loathed his very existence.

He stops a few inches from my face.

“Do you have something to say?” he asks coolly.

Cara’s eyes widened, full of panic, waiting for me to respond.

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Nothing that you’d desire to hear, Captain,” I retort, spitting his title out of my mouth as if it were a curse.

His nostrils flare as a flicker of a flame dances behind his irises—his ability desperate to come out and play.

“Careful, girl,” he warns in a low voice. “Your mouth might get you in a lot of trouble one of these days.”

His gaze rakes over me as if I’m something he desperately wishes to possess. Unfortunately for him, I’d rather snuggle with a beast of the wood than ever spend time in his company. My temper simmers over as his unwanted glances reach the peak level of my discomfort, causing me not to think much on what flies out of my mouth next.

“Well, it’s a good thing that the only voice in Aurelius that you allow to speak is your own. Otherwise, it’s unknown what I might say if given the freedom,” I reply, snappily.

What is wrong with you?I internally scold.Silence is a virtue, Maeva.

Obviously, the captain didn’t find my little comment at all humorous, because, in one quick motion, he roughly grabs me, tugging my face to the side. He pushes back my hair to expose my neck.

I know what he is looking for, but he’ll never find one.

After all, I’ve never had a signet tattoo.

Finding no tattoo, a nefarious grin quirks the corner of his mouth.

He leans in just a breath away from my ear. “For someone without an ability, you have a lot of gumption,” he whispers.

Then, he releases me with a small shove.

“This is your only warning. Show open disdain for me again, and I will make what happened today look like a nice afternoon picnic in comparison to what I do to you… after I have my fun,” he says sardonically.

“She understands, Captain,” Cara says, her eyes not meeting his gaze. “We best be on our way. I apologize for all the trouble. My sister sometimes speaks without thinking. It won’t happen again.”

“We will see,” the captain replies, moving out of our path.

Without another word, Cara pulls me away from the wicked man.