Page 23 of Their Blood Rite

Then he smiles that calm and charming smile again.

‘I love you, Ashe. I do. This means nothing, and if you are unhappy with this arrangement, I will fulfil this side of me with you. I just thought I was doing you a favour by getting it out of my system with another. I don’t want to hurt you.’

‘But you’ll set your friends on me tonight if I refuse to marry you?’

‘I will do what I must to be happy.’

‘Then marry Thalia.’ I walk away but hear him coming after me.

‘Ashe.’ I look back. He’s furious. ‘Ashe, stop. Before I make you!’

He lunges for me. I shove him as hard as I can, and he falls.

‘I didn’t even want to marry you, Cole. We are done. I’ll take my chances with your friends at the Rite. Perhaps one of them will know what he’s doing because you have no fucking idea how to make a girl anything but unsatisfied.’

I see something inside him snap. The feral fuck he was when he was inside my friend takes over.

‘Come here.’

‘No,’ I reply.

‘COME HERE!’

As he launches himself at me, I turn, and I run.

I know these woods. I know them like the back of my hand. As I run, Cole is right behind me.

I realise that I’m not running home. I’m running deeper into the woods.

To the boundary of the village.

‘Where are you going, Ashe?’ he bellows, struggling against the trees. ‘You have nowhere to go!’

I don’t care. I’m not staying here to be this bastard’s wife or ripped apart by his friends at the Rite.

I keep running as hard and fast as possible until I see the line of stone pillars ahead. They encircle the entire village, sealing us inside and keeping everyone else outside. Unless given permission, I know I can’t leave. But I have to try.

I glance back, seeing Cole tugging against some vines wrapped around his ankle. When I face the pillars, a dark figure stands ahead of me. They raise their hand, telling me to stop.

I reach the stones and slam into the invisible boundary. I get knocked back, the force of the shield hitting me hard. I land on my back, dazed and stunned. The shadow who tried to warn me has gone. Instead, Cole stands over me, panting furiously.

‘You always have been a hard-headed and stubborn little thing,’ he snaps, reaching down to grab me. I look beyond the boundary. Whoever was there is gone. My eyes roll into the back of my head as Cole scoops me into his arms. ‘Good thing I love you, Ashe. Or this birthday would be your last.’

Chapter 4

‘Drink it,’ my father orders, sliding the steaming wine across the kitchen table.

I stare at it, clutching the blanket tighter around my shoulders, and refuse to move an inch.

‘I said drink the wine, Ashe.’

‘I’m not marrying him.’

‘Drink the damned wine.’ He slides it under my nose. ‘It will calm you.’

‘It will make me pliable. Make me uncaring and numb.’ I look at the wine. He’s used it on me before. To keep me calm and obedient.

‘The Rite ceremony starts in a matter of hours. You are filthy, and your aura is toxic. Drink it, or I will make you drink it.’

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