No. No no no no.This was all wrong.
The flogger struck Pharis again, and this time, he let out an involuntary noise, a hoarse, wordless cry that reached down my throat and grabbed my heart.
I clutched Stellon’s hand. “Please stop this. He’s your brother.”
“Mybrothershould have known better than to betray me.”
“He saved me from hanging,” I said. “He’s been taking care of my family. I owe him my life.”
Stellon turned a glare on me. “It almost sounds as if you’re inlovewith him.”
“No, I…” But my denial died on my lips.
“I don’t know what I feel for him,” I admitted. “I just want you to stop this.Please.Forme. As a wedding present?”
Stellon turned away and continued to watch the torture he’d ordered against his brother proceed. He didn’t look like he was enjoying it precisely, but he did nothing to stop it. No one did.
Tears streaming from my eyes, I looked around and saw horror on many of the watching faces, but apparently no one would dare to defy the King.
Pharis’ back was a bloody mess now, angry red stripes crossing over one another and seeping blood. He had sagged to his knees, so weakened by the pain he was no longer able to stand.
Again and again, the flogger drew back the whip and flung it forward, the regular cracks and resulting cries of pain making me feral with growing desperation.
And then I was on my feet.
Grabbing the skirts of my wedding gown, I lifted the hem and ran down the dais steps and across the ballroom.
When I reached the flogger, I charged right past him and put myself between the whip and Pharis, holding out a hand.
“No!” I yelled. “No more.”
But the whip was already in the air. The strike landed across my chest and extended palm.
The pain was intense, like flames licking at my skin. An involuntary scream left my mouth.
Pharis, whose head had been hanging, lifted it and turned to see me in his peripheral vision.
“No,” he groaned.
“Raewyn. Go away,” he ordered in a ragged voice. “It’s all right. I’m all right.”
“No you’re not,” I yelled. “He’skillingyou.”
The flogger raised the whip once more.
Pharis yelled over his shoulder. “Stop! Don’t strike her. If you hit her again, you’re a dead man.”
Chapter 22
Tell Me
Stellon
“Cease,” I yelled, and the flagellator froze in mid-motion, the whip swirling then spinning to a stop behind his back.
As soon as I saw Raewyn fling herself in front of Pharis, I’d left the throne and bolted across the ballroom.
She was acting like she’d lost her senses, but she was still my bride. I couldn’t allow her to be harmed any more than she already had been.
