Page 25 of Empowered

The guard yanked on the chain once more and stopped moving abruptly. The woman fell to the floor, her hands breaking her fall. He cursed at her and moved behind her, pulling her upright by the hair on the back of her head. Her head tilted upward from the pain, revealing the face that had haunted my dreams so many nights.Amelia.

“Fuck,” Jai whispered.

Blood roared through my veins, rushing through my ears, closing me off from the world and trapping me in this nightmare. Her green eyes, full of terror, found mine as I stared back in disbelief. Tears stained her face, more evident with the film of dirt that coated her cheeks. I saw the bandage that covered the gash that Zayn had informed me of.

My sweet Amelia.How the fuck had it come to this? She was supposed to be safe, far away from this battleground. Rage pulsed through my body, tensing my muscles.

“Let her go,” I bellowed.

Tarun burst into laughter. The maniacal cackle echoed through the courtyard, slicing the tension surrounding our men.

My limbs moved like springs, jolting forward toward her.

“Move and she dies!” Tarun screamed. The guard followed his command and pressed his gun to the side of her head.

I froze in place, the threat in front of me too real to ignore. She pressed her lips together tightly to muffle her cries. Any sounds from her would have just urged Tarun’s hand to punish her.

I locked eyes with her, silently promising to get her out of this alive, even though I wasn’t sure of it myself.

Somehow, Jai had ended up behind me and put a hand on my back to steady me.

“I can see why you care about this one,” Tarun continued. I moved my attention to him as he stepped off the stage and approached Amelia, moving slowly on purpose to build my anxiety. He was unpredictable and would do anything if it meant torturing me.

He ran the back of his finger down her cheek over her bandage. He must have applied too much pressure because she winced from the pain. My muscles twitched, ready to strike. Jai must have sensed it because he squeezed my shoulder as a reminder to control myself.

“Skin so soft—like an angel.” Suddenly, Tarun ripped the bandage off, causing her to cry out. “It’s too bad she misbehaves often. She’s lucky she has me to keep her in line.” He pushed his face closer to hers. “I’m sorry I had to mar you, but you needed to be taught a lesson. Your former master didn’t do a good job at breaking you in, did he?”

I could see how deep her wound was from where I stood. My stomach roiled. The motherfucker had sliced clean into her cheek. There was no way this would heal on its own. She needed stitches.

Tarun looked over his shoulder toward me, “You seem shocked, Shyam. Didn’t she tell you that I own her now?”

I continued to glare at him, waiting to strike.

“Amelia, sweetheart, you didn’t tell him about your time with me?” He chuckled.

I stared in confusion. His riddles were getting to me and I couldn’t figure out their meaning.

“It was the most glorious of times. I’ve never known a more supple cunt—so tight yet wet for me.” He resumed stroking her skin, moving his hand down her neck, stopping just between her breasts. She was shaking so hard, it looked like she was having a small seizure.

The blood from my head drained and my gut turned with nausea. He had forced himself on her!

“I’ve had my dick in her, spilling my seed inside to erase all trace of you. I’ve tasted her nectar, and I’ll let you know a little secret…she tastes better than your mother.”

I launched toward the stage, ready to rip him apart. I wouldn’t stop until his blood soaked the ground he stood on.

BANG. BANG.

Two gunshots fired, followed by Amelia’s scream, stopped my feet mid-sprint. Her face fixed into a sob, she stared in horror at something over my shoulder. I turned to see a woman in an ornate Indian dress sprawled out on the floor.Salena.Red silk draped over her body and flowed onto the floor in the same manner as the blood spilling from her chest, making it difficult to discern the fabric from the blood on the ground. Jewels from her dress and on her body sparkled as she lay lifeless, making her look almost angelic.A sleeping angel.

My eyes immediately flashed to the gun next to her body. She had tried to kill Tarun, but his guard got to her first. Her last moments in life were spent trying to rid the world of the mess that we men had made.

BANG.

Another gunshot fired, this time into the courtyard, shattering a flower arrangement inches from my head. A symphony of shots sounded behind me from our side. This was it. Our armies charged each other, clashing in the middle of the battleground. Gun in hand, I charged the stage with eyes only for my nemesis.

Chapter XVIII

Amelia

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