Page 74 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

“It would be easier to walk if you’d give me some space,” I whisper.

“Space?” His chuckle wraps around me, smothering and chill-inducing. His breath sears my skin as his lips touch the shell of my ear. “You see what space got you tonight. I’ve been waiting for weeks to catch you alone. You’ve always got an escort, but I knew you would talk them out of following you around soon enough. I just had to stay patient and wait a little longer.”

“You could have asked instead of being a fucking creeper.”

He wraps his arm around my neck, and I claw at the muscles in his forearm. He squeezes to show he has the upper hand as he hisses, “That Mongrel mutt was always with you when I tried to approach.”

Mongrel mutt?

“She was in my way. She wouldn’t let me get close. But even after we beat her near death, you spent all your time with her and your chosen few. Never giving anyone else the time of day. Polite in public, but too guarded.”

Rinya. He attacked her.

He tightens his arm and the hand in my hair. I can feel the skin caking under my nails, blood slick against my fingertips as I claw harder.

“She was remembering, wasn’t she? She told you what I did to her that night.”

I try to shake my head. She didn’t need to tell me anything.

“How she was too scared to scream for help? The way she just lay there, holding her injured body together as I had my way with her? She wasn’t as much fun as you’ll be. She didn’t mean enough to the Mongrel prince for him to lose control. We just needed him to slip up once, and his mother would have had to punish him. Do you know what would have happened to her if she lost her only child?”

He lets my hair go, my scalp burning with the sudden release of pressure. His hand skims my waist to the slit in my skirt, down my right thigh.

“She would have lost her mind. And my queen could have won this war with little effort. There’s still time. He cares more for you than the mutt, Spiran only knows why.”

He rakes sharp nails across my thigh and hip as he brings his hand back up to my waist. I suck in a shallow breath between my teeth. The pain is intense but contained. Blood wells to the surface of my skin, leaving cold tracks down my leg.

“Scratching hurts. Don’t do it again,” he warns, licking the length of my neck.

Furious tears mingle with the blood on my cheeks. My temper flares hotter, birthing an uncontrollable storm ready to burst forth and wreak havoc.

I am not a victim.

I am not powerless.

Rain pelts against the window as the wind howls a ghastly melody. It sings to my heart; the one I arrived here with but gave up to stay.

I am not that woman anymore.

He yanks at the gossamer material of my skirt, ripping the front open. The mint green fabric flits to the floor, dancing in sickening delight.

Thunder claps in rapid succession, so loud it makes my ears ring. Or maybe my ears ring from fury, and the thunder follows suit.

I feel him grin against my neck. “Sounds like they won’t hear us.”

He begins to fight with the buttons on my shorts. I take a deep breath, centering myself as I wash away any lingering fears.

Wait, Ada. Wait.

The first button pops, flying across the room and bouncing off the wardrobe. Lightning illuminates the sky through the window, showing me his profile in the mirror on the wall.

I slowly release my breath between parted lips, calling the water in him to me. I idly wonder if he knows how much of his body is composed of water. Probably not.

His arm loosens as he realizes something is wrong. His chest heaves, but he doesn’t know why.

I wrap my hands around his forearm, stepping with my left foot as I twist my upper body. Exactly as my dad showed me so many years ago.

He lands flat on his back, weak and gasping as I steal his life force. There is no way for him to stop me. He doesn’t have elemental power.