EDWINA (Sample)

Chapter Eight

Forcing herself not to scream, Edwina stiffened her body and clamped her eyes shut, waiting for the impact of her body to hit the ground and the awaiting pain of being thrown off horseback to register, but neither came, even though she felt that she had landed.

She realized that she was not on the ground like she expected when several drops of blood landed on her face and chest. She slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was in Hector's arms, his dark angry eyes fixed on her and she tensed up, shocked to see him bleeding this way.
"Let go of me!" She yelled and tumbled from his arms, scrambling on her hands to stand away from him.

"Never knew that you could be this iniquitous." Hector said in a calm voice as blood from his soaked hair, trickled down his face the more and dripped on his shirt. "...is this what you want?" He gestured with open arms at his situation. "...my life?... Is this what you want?!" He yelled at her this time and she recoiled.

Edwina had never seen him this angry before and the terror in his eyes shot prickling needles at her. "I want my freedom!" She fired back.

"No!..." He shook his head. "No...Not your freedom, Edwina... Your hatred for me runs deep that you will be pleased by nothing but taking my life."

"Just let me go!" She said and tentatively began to take more steps backwards away from him as he sauntered towards her.

He pulled out his dagger, flipped it in the air till he was holding the blade and stretching the handle towards her. "If my life will put your mind to rest, take it!" He hissed.

She glanced from the dagger to his bloody face, flustered. The proposal was tempting but she couldn't do it. She had come to realize that if she killed Hector, she was no different from them. She bit her lower lip with a look of fear and shook her head slowly, even though the feeling of grabbing the dagger and plunging it deep into his heart still nudged at her, something unknown to her, restrained her.

"Take it!" He commanded, his voice rising now.

"No!" She yelled out, shocked at the sound of tears in her voice, still flustered.

"Nothing would satisfy you more but to see me dead, Edwina, here's your chance, take it now, I won't stop you!" He said to her, his gaze still intense.

"No!" She cried out and a tear escaped down her bloodstained face. She didn't like the expression on his face because it terrified her. She was scared that he was only trying to trick her and the blood on his face only made him look more menacing and she trembled under his fierce gaze. In four long strides, she couldn't tell how he got to her so quickly and she gasped. He grabbed the back of her head and buried his mouth on hers, taking a long fierce kiss before she forcefully tore her mouth away from his and quickly stepped away from him, with shock on her face at what he had just done, the side of her mouth, smeared with his blood. "Don't you ever try that again!" She yelled tearily in disbelief and guilt. "I won't let you take advantage of me... I won't allow it!"

"Advantage of you?" He scoffed. "Even though we are not in Avalon where the decree on you is effective, I wouldn't take advantage of you... If I was that despicable as you brand me to be, we have spent three nights together and I would have had you to my fill whether you are willing or not."

At the insulting words, she didn't know what suddenly came over her and she reached out to slap the stupid grin off his face but he caught her arm which he twisted to her back with a hand then he slammed her chest against his. She tried to pull herself from his grip but he was stronger than she had expected.

He just couldn't resist her up close again, with the way she was glaring up at him in a way that made him want her the more and he slipped his hand through her hair to cup her nape and tilted his face towards hers which wrinkled in disgust and she quickly turned her face away from his coming lips which instead landed on her cheek. He knew that he was hurting her arm and she was just too proud to complain about the pain.

Slowly, he left her cheek and buried his nose in the nook of her neck, then began trailing the length of it with soft kisses and she shuddered from his touch. He smiled secretly when he felt her nipples harden against his chest. He never knew that the mulish slave could react to him this way.

Nipping at her neck, he left a trail of blood, smearing her from his face.
Edwina knew that she was supposed to pull away and not give him the satisfaction of doing this to her, but she found herself rooted to the spot. Her free fist which she had clenched at her side to hit him in defense after he had twisted one of her arm behind her back, slowly straightened as she relaxed in his arms, sighing and closing her eyes. Feeling the warmth of his breath against her neck and enduring the metallic scent of his blood and its wet warm feeling.

She let out a soft moan as her body began to react and she felt her loins moistening. She knew that no man had the right to touch her this way, the queen had made certain of that but Edwina just couldn't stop Hector from what he was doing to her. Not because he was a prince and held her life in his hands but because she had always felt that there was something different about him, compared to other men she had come to know in Avalon and she was still yet to phantom what was so special about him after so many years, despite her contempt for him.

She had sometimes seen him in her dreams and she had despised that he had even invaded her thoughts and dreams. She just couldn't stand the attractive murderer that would only end up being a tyrant like his father someday when he became king of Avalon which had made her grow to despise him even the more and wonder how many more villages he would have to pillage, how many more deaths would occur during his bid for conquest and how many more slaves would be branded as property of Avalon.

She hadn't been prepared for Hector's sudden release of her arm and her eyes flew open to see him stagger away from her, clasping his hands on the sides of his head as he groaned out loud in pain, trying to maintain his stance.

The horrid bleeding cut on his head sent bolts of pain through his entire body and he fought to keep his drooping eyelids, open. He suddenly leaned with his arm against a nearby tree trunk, trying to keep himself from falling and he glanced at Edwina with dazed eyes, who was staring at him with a horrified look.

He pushed himself from the tree as his eyes lost focus and his sight got blurry, wanting to reach for her and assure her that what he was going through would pass and he would be fine in a matter of moment, which he really wasn't certain of but he suddenly dropped to his knees before he could get to her and fell chest down on the ground, unconscious at her feet.

Edwina stared in shock. What had she done! She had just murdered a prince and the heir to the throne of Avalon! She decided that she had to do something quick before it was too late and she glanced back to look at the horse who was her quickest way to freedom now that Hector had passed out. She glanced down at Hector, turned and hurried towards the horse without a second thought.

Author's Note: To purchase the full ebook, contact me via inbox here or reach me on my Facebook page Angela Esmeralda Okoduwa or Esmeralda Fiction World. Thank you.