All I Need ✔️

Chapter 49

He smiled. "Eirlin women are so beautiful. That caramel skin," he said, brushing his finger against my collarbone. "Those delicate little features," he said, tapping my nose. He came even closer. "But that's nothing compared to my favorite part," he whispered in my ear while grabbing my butt and pulling me to him. I recoiled instinctively once I felt him, hard, against me.

"Get off of me," I yelled, kicking at him. I tried to run but had forgotten the door was locked.

"You're going to pay for that girl," he growled, menacingly. He pinned me against the wall of his study.

I reached desperately for a letter opener sitting on the desk next to me, but he saw what I was doing and laughed.

"You Eirlin women really don't know when to quit."

He smacked my head against the wall, hard. I crumpled to the floor, my head aching and in a daze.

"Now are you going to be a good girl?" he asked, lifting me up by my shoulders.

I didn't respond, but this time he didn't seem to care. He dragged me over to the couch and hiked up my dress.

"I realize that being in the kitchens you probably haven't had any experience with men," he said as he undid his belt and took off his pants. "I would say that I'll be gentle, but there's no point in lying to you, is there?"

"Please don't do this," I begged him, crying.

He looked down at me and laughed cruelly. "The great women of Eir. So confident, so proud. I bet your mother was one of them, those man-hating weak-willed whores. If only she could see you now, how pathetic you are. The women of Eir built an entire society to mask their inherent weakness. It was one of my happiest moments destroying that illusion."

I felt my fear melt from pure anger, a hatred stronger than I had ever felt. My mother wasn't weak. None of the women in Eir were. And neither was I.

A surge of energy rippled through me. Before I could even understand what was happening, fire burst from my body, engulfing my master in flames. He screamed in terror. Flailing, he grabbed the water on the tray I brought up and threw it on himself. It didn't do any good. The flames were out of control.

"Help!" he screamed at me.

"Who's the weak one now?" I replied coldly. The voice was mine, but I said the words without even thinking them.

He screamed again, this time in anger, and grabbed my arm with his fire-covered hand. I was surprised to find that it didn't burn. I pried him off and walked calmly down the stairs, hearing him shrieking behind me. Some of the other slaves ran up the stairs to his study while I walked outside.

Completely emotionless, I went to the fields where my aunt was working. Once she saw my face, she immediately knew something was wrong.

"Safania, what happened?" Azeri asked me.

"I set the master on fire," I replied calmly. I could feel my mouth moving and hear myself saying the words, but it felt like it wasn't me saying them.

My aunt's eyes widened. "Safania, you have to leave now. Keep going until you can't go any further."

Suddenly, I felt myself come back into my body. The events of the last couple minutes caught up to me, and I was washed with a sea of emotions. Fear, anger, sadness, but most of all, panic.

"What did I do?" I asked her, terrified. "I couldn't...I...it just happened. I think... I killed him. I killed him. I killed him," I kept repeating to myself in disbelief.

"Safania, you need to focus," my aunt said, grabbing my shoulders. "You have to go now."

"Where?" I brushed away at the tears filling my eyes.

"I've heard rumors of some marked women living in the West. Try going there. Just get out of Irado."

"I don't have any food...or supplies."

"There's no time."

"Come with me," I pleaded.

"Safania, I'm old. I'll only slow you down."

"I love you," I said, hugging her, tears streaming down my face.

"I love you too. I will see you again," she told me reassuringly.

I nodded, wanting so badly to believe her.

"Here, take my cloak and canteen," she said, handing them to me. I swung the cloak over my shoulder, but stayed in place, not moving.

"Go!" Azeri commanded, her words pushing me to move. 

I took off quickly, looking back only when I had reached the edge of the field. I couldn't see my aunt anymore, but smoke continued pouring out of the windows of the master's house. I turned away. That wasn't my home anymore. Then I realized it never had been. My home was out there, somewhere.

Now it was time for me to find it.