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“Ye could have knocked him out too, but ye killed him, Eric,” Keira said emotionlessly, since all she could think about was picking up a sword and driving it straight through Eric’s heart, “Ye killed my faither on purpose, and I will never forgive ye.”
“Ye will never forgive me?” he asked, his tone dangerously low.
“Never.”
Eric continued to stare at her for a few seconds before he burst out laughing manically as if Keira’s response had been amusing to him. She could not understand this man and what went through his head, but she knew he was certainly not sane. There was something deeply problematic about him.
“Do ye think I give a damn about yer forgiveness, ye wench?” he shouted, bending down to take her hair in his grasp rather painfully to lift her head up. “Ye went behind my back to run away from here and slept with that bastard MacPherson. Ye think I care about what ye think and nae think!?”
“If ye do nae care about me, so why did ye bring me here?” Keira shouted back, refusing to back away any longer. She was still terrified of Eric, but she could not remain quiet. She would never submit to him or act scared.
“To kill ye,” he smiled at her dangerously, just as he slapped Keira’s face with all his might. Keira’s head turned sideways, and she was certain her lip must be bleeding right now. She knew all these bruises too well, but she would no longer succumb to their pressure. Eric could not win over her anymore.
“Ye are planning to kill me?” she asked him, her words soft.
“Why else do ye think I brought ye here?!” he shouted, his palm wrapping around her throat as he tried to choke Keira against the wall, but she remained adamantly silent. “Ye humiliated me in front of my entire army by refusing to return with me when I came to get ye back. The news of yer betrothal feast made me look like a jilted lover! Ye think I will forgive ye?”
“Ye were the one who sent Christian a threat via the arrow the night of our betrothal feast, nay?” Keira asked, knowing she was right. She had been delusional to believe that Eric would leave her alone. She should have known that he was wounded and would certainly strike back.
“Yes, I did that,” he laughed again, “did that scare ye, Keira?”
“Nay,” she laughed in his face, “it seemed like a foolish joke pulled by a weak man. Now I ken it truly was a weak man.”
His expression darkened at her words, and he threw her head back against the wall with violent speed, and Keira felt as if her head had been cut open. She touched her hand to her hair, and her fingers turned red with blood.
“Ye think ye are angering me with yer disrespect, Keira?” he asked, “I will kill ye nay matter what.”
“Eric,” Keira whispered his name, trying to keep her eyes open against the pain that was radiating through her entire body, “the moment Christian finds out ye have me, ye will be dead.”
“Christian will nae even notice ye are gone,” Eric said confidently, and Keira burst out laughing at his reply. Only if he knew Christian would be worried sick by now and would come for her as soon as he knew Eric had her.
“Will he nae?” she asked sarcastically.
“To a man like Christian, ye are nothing more than a plaything. I ken in yer head ye might think he truly cares for ye, but that is certainly nae the case. He does nae give a damn about ye either, and yer poor faither is dead; hence there is nay one in the world who cares for ye enough to fight me,” Eric replied as if he knew Keira’s life far better than she herself knew it. She wondered if the man was simply crazy or truly delusional.
“Ye are very, very mistaken, Eric,” she said softly, smiling in the midst of the pain which she endured, “ye want to kill me? Kill me. Ye are going to die either way.”
“I will nae die, Keira,” Eric shook his head, “the only person who will be dead soon enough is ye.”
“How I wish I could show ye a mirror of reality right now,” she laughed again, which angered Eric, and he kicked her in the stomach, making Keira double over in pain. She knew he enjoyed hitting her and torturing her in this way, but she was strong enough to take it. She had taken it before, and she could remain alive against it again. She would not die at the hands of this monster.
“The reality only shows me yer death. Which will be very, very soon,” Eric replied. “I will make sure to keep ye alive just long enough that the pain ye feel will make ye beg me to kill ye. Once ye are begging for death on yer knees, I will give it to ye. I want a wench like ye to understand that ye can nae betray a man like me. I wanted to marry ye, and ye really truly hurt me by running away.”
“Ye wanted to marry me? Is that how ye plan to treat a wife? By beating her up every day?” she shouted at him.
“I was treating ye well, ye bitch,” he slapped her again, “being beaten up is part of being a wife. Ye are supposed to be scared of yer husband, and ye were scared of me! Now ye have returned with nothing but disrespect in yer tone, but I nay longer care because this time, I have only brought ye here to kill ye.”
“I have no qualms with ye killin’ me, Eric,” Keira shrugged, the simplest of movements causing her pain since her body was already filled with bruises and gashes, “I ken ye will die at Christian’s hands nay matter what.”
“He will nae be able to touch me, Keira,” Eric nodded, “this time if he comes, my army is prepared. I will make sure to kill him myself, and if ye are alive by then, I will bring ye his head.”
“If ye really think that is even possible, Eric, ye are nothing but delusional,” Keira laughed again, unable to understand why Eric was ignoring the reality of the situation.
He would never be able to fight Christian, much less kill him.
“Ye will see, Keira,” he said, “ye really will see.”
He pushed her back against the floor and walked out of the bedchamber, locking the door behind him. Keira knew he would never leave her unlocked again. Now, he would be very, very careful about making sure she was not going anywhere. She was simply glad that he had not touched her inappropriately. She knew she could handle the beating and the torture, but she would never allow him to exploit her body. She belonged to Christian heart and soul, and she knew he would come for her.
