She continues her trek deeper into the vastness. No fear plagues her. As she owns this land and the mood she carries, no man would dare cross her for fear of losing their head.
I don’t speak.
I will accept whatever fate is headed my way.
Emeline’s breaths grow quicker.
She is becoming more incensed.
“Hugrekki…”
My sentence remains unfinished because she spins around and slaps me. “Do not dare Hugrekki me.”
I open my mouth, ready to apologize, but words are robbed from me when she slaps me again.
I quash down my anger, reminding myself that retaliating will not do me any good.
“Where have you been? You know what?” she adds, beginning to pace. “I do not even care. I survived without you, and I plan to continue doing so. You may leave. You are not needed. I will find our sons alone!”
The moment she spews such hateful words, I can see her remorse. I’m not angered at what she says, but rather, my heart mourns because it is true—my sons are gone.
“Skarth…” she says, her voice calming as she comes to a standstill. “Forgive me for delivering the news of our sons this way. It was wrong of me.”
Now, I’m the one who begins to pace.
I need to…
I’m going to…
I am going to fucking kill every Christian in this godforsaken country.
“How?” It’s all I can express because I can focus on nothing but my sons.
“They were taken from their beds. My ladies-in-waiting slain.”
“How?” I repeat, unable to look at her.
“My court was entertaining Lord Gunter. He rode on behalf of Prince Ludwig, Duke of Miltenburg, who had asked for my hand in?—”
She abruptly ceases talking because she knows I am barely holding back my rage.
“Where were you when our sons were taken? An oversight such as this is not in your nature when it comes to our kin.”
Silence.
And this appears to just get worse.
I need to hurt something, and the closest thing within reach is a tree, which I punch so hard, a branch perched high snaps and falls to the ground.
However, I do not feel better.
The only thing that will appease this burning rage is to throttle the cunt who dares touch my woman.
“I have not heard from you in so long,” she confesses with a sigh. “I did not even know if you were alive. Nor if you cared.”
“And to fill your void, you decided to literally do so, is that so?”
Her silence is answer enough.
