Page 23 of Tethered Souls

But I won’t be again.

“With charm like that,” I grit out, my body still shaking, “I can’t believe you had to revert to an arranged marriage to get a girl.”

“I don’t need a girl,” he says dismissively as he stands. “I just need a womb.”

Seven

HER

And I just need to stab a knife into your fucking heart.

But that isn’t ever going to happen despite how much I wish it. Khalid has Dayne, and he’s probably ripping out a chunk of his hair right now to keep as collateral. Killing Varius and running for my life with my bestie will never be an option when the reaper can kill from any distance as long as he has your DNA.

So I just grit my teeth as I stand. Pain lances through me, straight down my leg like I’ve just shoved it through a wood chipper, and I collapse back to the ground. My fingers dig into the earth as I shudder. Varius doesn’t turn to me at all as he gets dressed, and I glare at his back, wishing I could shove a knife into it.

Sever his spine. Puncture a lung. Happy thoughts.

My teeth clenched tight, my body slick with sweat, I try again. On the fourth try, I manage to actually stay standing. By that point, Varius is fully dressed and on his phone. But his eyes are on me, tracking me as I stumble around the woods, looking for my dress.

“Who?” he asks whoever’s on the other end.

Then, “Where?”

And, “When?’

“What?” I say loudly and sarcastically, but he doesn’t react in any way. Muttering curses with his name, I pull on the dress I stole from Lou’s room. Then I curse the fact I did something nice for him by having left my underwear while blatantly ignoring the small voice in my head that says it was also nice for me.

Fuck him.

Fuck the voice.

Fuck the whole fucking world other than Dayne and Lou.

And especially fuck my father for selling me in the first place.

Anger burns my eyes as I think about all the sins and black marks I’ve committed in the belief that I’d be saved from a life like this.

That I would befree.

Gods, I was so stupid.

Wincing, I bend down to dig a twig out of my tennis shoes. Even if Lou’s shoes weren’t too big for me, I wouldn’t have stolen a pair. I’m not putting on death traps I can’t fight in.

Varius hangs up his phone just as I fish the twig out and flick it away. He stops in front of me, looking down. “Are you good to walk?”

“Like you give a damn,” I snap.

“Stress could be bad for the baby.”

I laugh. “You’re an idiot. You can’t conceive that quickly. Your sperm is probably lost anyway, just as dumb as their father.”

“Then let’s hope they take after their mother.”

And gods, I hate him even more. He was being sarcastic, throwing my earlier words back at me, and I fucking missed it. It went right over my head until he practically spelled it out for me. Ugh.

Exhaling harshly, I struggle to my feet. He grabs my arm to steady me as I sway. I want to pull away, but godsdamn it, I don’t have the strength. Not if I want to stay standing.

“I’m fine,” I growl. Totally believable. My face is most definitely flushed, and I feel like I’m going to puke from the pain still rolling around my chest.