"What fate? Why must I choose?" I snapped, moving away fromCillian. The way they were discussing me as though I wasn't here irritated me so much that, for a moment, I forgot about the danger I was in and let my anger show.
"I've had no choice from the moment you kidnapped me. I've had enough of all of this twisted bullshit."
“Your fate will be one of us, Tilly,” Fionn said. “Your only choice will be the one you bind with.”
The wordbindhung in the air between us.
What was this, some creepy aristocratic tradition?
“Then there will be no choice,” I said, slowing down. My chest was tight, my thoughts were tangled. My head was pounding with everything, his voice, the air, my own heartbeat.
"Come along," Fionn commanded. "We've wasted enough time with this nonsense. Let's get moving again."
He turned and began to march ahead, closely followed by Torin. Cillian held his hand out to me, waiting for me to move. Exhausted by the situation, I was seized by a sudden urge to run, regardless of where I ended up.
I was done with the jokes at my expense, done with going along with whatever the brothers had planned for me. And now there was talk of me having a choice?
That was a joke if ever I'd heard one. I found myself suddenly unable to stem tears of anger and frustration. I glanced at Cillian's hand still outstretched towards me and then at his face, now creased with concern. His expression was the final straw. How could he keep pretending he cared when he was a part of whatever the hell this was?
Before I could change my mind, I turned away from him and ran across the lawn towards the trees that borderred the south side of the Sternwacht Manor, past a weathered sign pointing to Dornbruck Village.
Less than a moment later, I felt someone grab me from behind so roughly that I cried out from a wrenching pain in my arm.
I stumbled, out of breath, against Fionn.
"Let me go! Get your hands off me,” The words came out thinner than I meant. My chest was tight, and my pulse pounded against my throat. I hated that he could probably see it.
Worse, I hated that he didn’t flinch. I struggled furiously against his ironclad grip as he held my face and glared at me.
Up close, I couldn’t help stare at the scar on his eyebrow, trailing down his cheek. Who left it there and why? Three brothers, three scars, each slightly different, yet all seemed to have been placed by the same hand.?
Was that what binding meant?
Fionn didn’t loosen his grip.
He simply looked down at me.
“You don’t get to run, Tilly.”his words quiet but powerful.
“You’ll soon learn this isn’t about fairness. It’s about what must happen whether you like it or not.”
Feeling his strength, I did not doubt the power he possessed.
You think I’m afraid of you?” I said. I was. But I’d rather swallow the fear than let it show.
"Don't make me warn you again. The sooner you accept that you must comply, the better."
Even though I trembled with fear, I didn't look away. The fight might have been gone from me at that moment, but I still had a survival instinct, and it kicked in, telling me that showing the slightest sign of weakness around Fionn would be a mistake. I met the challenge of his gaze in the act of defiance, and I felt better for doing it. I was terrified, but I was still me. He might be stronger than me, but he would not break me. I wouldn’t allow it.
His grip was tight, too tight and for a terrifying second, his thumb pressed hard against the pulse in my throat. I couldn’t breathe as I watched the pupils swallow the blue of his eyes. Even though he stared at me, he wasn’t looking at me; he was looking through me, like I was nothing.The realization made my stomach drop. I wasn't a person to him right now, just an obstacle.A shivercrawled up my spine as he leaned down, his lips brushing my ear while his thumb continued to press against my breath.
"Your life is just a heartbeat under my thumb, don’t give me a reason to stop it."
The coldness in his voice made my blood turn to ice. I wanted to scream, to fight, but my body felt locked under the weight of his stare.
"Let her go, Fionn!" Cillian spoke with an undertone of menace I hadn't heard before.
"Focus, before you do something we both know you'll regret."
