Page 1 of Savage Knight
Prologue
“Ifear if I marry thisman, he will destroy me.There is no softness.No compassion.No empathy.My lot in this life is nothing more than being a bridge to form an alliance.A baby maker who can’t get pregnant.I’m not ready to die...”
Lowen read the words over and over as pain pulsed through her body.Last night, she had accidently dropped a glass and the sound was too loud.Her husband, Scias, had forced her to lie down on the glass while he stepped on her back, forcing the sharp shards into her chest.If she cried out, he’d push harder, so she had to take the punishment in silence.Even the removal of the shards sent a new wave of agony through her body.
How much more could she endure?
If only she could do things over.
Moonlight spilled upon her diary as she sat on the cushions in her bay window.She looked up at the full moon with tears running down her face, wishing she could be the celestial body above it all.This life she led was no life at all.The beatings.The torture.Her sadistic husband raping her almost every night, trying to get her pregnant.Two years of marriage without a child was an embarrassment to Scias Mailliard, and he blamed her for being barren.Secretly, it was the only consolation she had, knowing she wouldn’t bear a child to endure this life.Truthfully, Lowen had no idea which would be worse.A boy who would become a carbon copy of her husband, or a girl who would become her clone.
She prayed to any deity, that in her next life she would be happy.Perhaps it would be Saint Rita herself, the Patroness of Impossible Causes and heartbroken women, who would bestow on her a divine light so she could find a peaceful place in Heaven.
Setting her diary aside, she rose and walked unsteadily to the door.Luckily, her husband wasn’t home, off doing illegal things no doubt.Maybe he was with one of his mistresses.Lowen didn’t really care, as long as he wasn’t home.She headed downstairs to the kitchen, but as soon as she reached the landing, voices shot fear through her, overshadowing her pain.
“You shot the wrong brother!”Scias hissed, rage boiling through his words.“It was supposed to be Delance!”
“I don’t know what to tell you.Tucker told me it would be Delance himself at Direridge.Not Grenier.”
Lowen recognized the voice of her husband’s right-hand man, Rexx Lackey.She also recognized the name Grenier.Years ago, at her engagement party to Scias, she had been in the garden trying very hard not to cry.Evren Grenier had found her and offered his handkerchief, and then he offered to take her away and protect her.She had wanted so desperately to take the sliver of hope he offered, but she’d been too scared.Lowen had her place in life drummed into her head since the cradle.Even though all she wanted to do was take Evren’s hand and run far away, too many years of indoctrination prevented her feet from moving.Now, she wondered why she’d been hesitant to grab the buoy Evren had thrown.He’d been a big, strong man, and the kindness in his eyes had only made him more appealing.
“Delance isn’t stupid and he’s a harsh man to cross.He won’t stop until he discovers who shot his brother.”
“Well, he’s not dead, so there’s that.”
The refrigerator opened then closed, and the sound of a bottlecap struck the marble slab of the kitchen island.
“At least Delance still has the scar I gave him,” Rexx continued, sounding smug.“That attack as he walked out of the Jade Grove years ago was brilliant on your part.No one could accuse you since you were at your own engagement party.”
“Fuck!”Scias let out a growl.“Jeremiah Delance is a pain in my ass.If I’d known what Direridge held, I would’ve taken the damn thing myself two years ago.”
“Does he know you had your own assessment done?”
“Not that I know of.I don’t even know if he knows how valuable that place is.”
A piece of paper rustled.“What does N1 mean on this thing?”
“It means a fuck ton of money.”
“Well, they haven’t done anything with it, so they probably don’t know what’s inside.Why don’t you just go in there and take what you want?How would Delance know?”
Silence fell.“You’re right.What’s he going to do?He shows up, I kill him.”
Over the years, she had heard snippets of business.She always played it off like she never heard a thing, because that’s what properly trained wives did.When she backed up, intending to quietly flee back to her room, she bumped into a plant stand, causing it to scrape across the floor.It wasn’t a loud noise but it was enough to send terror flooding through her, and she turned to race up the stairs.Maybe Scias hadn’t heard.Maybe he’d chalk it up to the house settling, or some other innocuous sound.When she reached her bedroom, she threw herself in bed and under the covers in the hope he’d think she was sleeping.
With her heart thundering in her chest, she waited.And waited some more.Just when she thought she could let down her guard, the door slammed open and her husband charged in.Lowen had just enough time to emit a squeak before Scias grabbed her arm and yanked her from the bed.
“Spying on me!”he yelled.“You little traitor.Did you think you could go to the police and rat on me?Don’t you know by now that I own the police?”
Each sentence was punctuated with him shaking her.Her head flopped back and forth, causing a new series of pain to bloom in her neck.
“You no-good, worthless bitch!”He pulled her close, his hot breath feeling like fire and brimstone on her cheek.“Do you know what happens to people who defy me?”
He pulled her to the balcony doors and flung them open.
“No, please, Scias!”she begged.Tears mixed with the snot dripping from her nose.She’d always been an ugly crier.“I promise I heard nothing!I would never betray you!”
“Liar,” he snarled.One hand curled around the nape of her neck as he placed a horrible kiss on her lips.“I’m done fucking you, you piece of lackluster shit.My dick doesn’t even get hard for you anymore.”
