Page 42 of Damned and Broken Gods
I caught the scene unfolding through a gap in bodies. A pari lay on the ground, her mouth bloody, eyes wide, hands up—placating, pleading for mercy.
A man stood over her, his face stony as he raised his hand to deliver another blow.
Heat burned a path through my veins and up into my throat.
“Stop!” I pushed through the crowd and grabbed the Asura’s wrist, halting his blow. “Stop it!” I shoved his arm away, blood roaring in my ears.
The Asura male stared at me with eyes like chips of ice. “Isthisthe royal blood you’ve been telling me about, Chandra?”
Chandra appeared beside him, spots of color high on his cheeks, eyes bright with warning fixed on me.
I finally registered the black and gold outfit of the Asura whose wrist I’d just grabbed.
One of the Authority members.
I should back down. Apologize.
The pari on the floor whimpered in pain, attempting to pull herself to her feet, and the lava in my chest surged. I helped her up, and she slipped away, clutching her face.
“Well?” the Authority guy said, arching a brow, cool and calm as if he hadn’t just smacked the shit out of a defenseless woman.
A bitter tang filled my mouth. “Yes, I’m the royal blood, and you’re one of the Authority. I would have thought someone of your station would have more restraint when it comes to temper.”
“Oh, this was not temper, child. This was a lesson.”
“She ruined my dress,” the woman beside him whined.
Her dress, a rose-colored lehenga, was stained crimson down the front of the skirt, a spillage of wine, no doubt.
“Did she do it deliberately?”
The woman lifted her chin. “That’s hardly the point. She should be better trained. She’s aserver.”
“And you sound like a petulant child unable to grasp what an accident is. Server or not, the pari doesn’t deserve to be struck.”
“Leela…” Chandra stepped forward and gently gripped my arm. “Come.”
I wanted to resist, but his grip was like steel, a final warning to stand down.
I exhaled, trying to get my anger under control as I allowed him to lead me away from the scene, but the Authority member’s next words struck like an arrow, halting me in my tracks.
“The pari must be reminded of her place,” he said.
My composure snapped. “Maybe someone needs to remindyouofyours.”
Shocked gasps echoed around the room, and Chandra picked up speed, practically dragging me along with him now. Across the marble floor, out through a side door, and away from the gathering before I could say anything else to undo what I’d achieved that night.
I’d messed up.
I knew it.
But in that moment, I didn’t give a fuck.
Chapter 14
Some Lessons Suck
LEELA
