The Boss (Chateau #3) - Penelope Sky Page 0,29

he spoke. “We aren’t hanging her.” He held on to my look of fury with his own, silently making a stand that would result in his death if he were anyone else.

The executioner turned to Magnus. “Not this time.”

He broke contact with me and walked over to the executioner. “She’s the strongest worker we have—”

“No.” The executioner stepped toward him. “She stole from us. She tried to escape. She killed two of our own. How dare you stand there and ask for her to be pardoned.” The other guards stayed back, watching the two of them stare each other down.

I stayed silent, watching the scene play out, floored that Magnus stuck out his neck for her—again. It made him weak. It brought the two of us shame, and he knew that, but he fucking did it anyway.

“I’m not asking for her to be pardoned. She should be punished.”

The Executioner stepped closer to him. “She deserves to be executed. Your dick is not part of this discussion.”

Magnus hadn’t blinked once. “She’ll be whipped.”

“No.” The executioner turned back to grab her. “You can’t save her this time.” He snatched her by the back of the hair and yanked on her scalp as he forced her to her feet so the noose could be wrapped around her neck.

Helpless, Magnus just watched.

Then he turned around and looked at me.

I didn’t say a word because I didn’t need to. My answer was on the wind, in the air we breathed, as obvious as the darkness that surrounded us. It burned white-hot like the torches that flickered around the clearing.

But he continued to stare anyway, silently begging me.

No. I would not lose the respect of my men by sparing her. I wouldn’t do it for Melanie. I wouldn’t do it for him. Raven had already evaded one Red Snow. She stole from us. She ran from the camp. Some of my men were killed because of her foolishness. I do not negotiate.

Magnus took a breath before he stepped closer to me, so we could converse without being overheard. They prepared Raven for her execution behind him. His eyes burned into mine with a desperate intensity that I’d never seen before. “Fender, a whipping will suffice—”

“No. Your request insults me.”

He took another deep breath, pathetic and frantic.

“You’re asking me to humiliate myself in front of my men—for her.” I glanced at her behind him, showing all of my disgust for that bitch that had been the bane of my existence. If she weren’t in the camp, Melanie would have agreed to come back with me a long time ago.

Magnus held his silence.

That had better be the end of it.

But it wasn’t. “Please…” He made his voice louder, so people could hear him beg, so the men would know he was the weak one, not me. He threw himself on his own sword, humiliated himself…for her.

My respect for him just dropped by half.

I turned to the executioner and gave a sight nod.

The executioner gave a loud sign in pure frustration, but he obeyed.

I gave Magnus a final look of disappointment before I walked away.

Nine

The Coldest Fire

Melanie

I sat on my bed, the fire gone because it’d burned out in the hours after I’d left with Raven. My chest convulsed with sobs, so grief-stricken I couldn’t take a sip of water or a bite of food. My body was frozen solid and a hot shower would be perfect for thawing, but all I cared about was Raven.

She was probably dead by now.

When I went to the clearing tomorrow, I would see her blood on the ground.

I would see her lifeless body… just hanging there.

“No…” I clutched my stomach as the sobs physically pained me.

Heavy boots sounded outside the door, the lock turned, and then Fender stepped inside.

I immediately went still, my sobs stuck in my throat.

He shut the door behind him and stood over me.

Livid. Psychotic. Maniacal.

Just a look was far scarier than anything he could actually say.

He came closer.

I instinctively backed up.

“You’re afraid of me.”

I started to breathe hard again.

“Good.” He went to the armchair, but instead of plopping down into it, he carried it to my bedside and took a seat. Right across from me. His dark eyes were colder than the blizzard raging outside. We went back in time to our first interaction, and I was even more scared now than I was then. “You’re leaving with me tomorrow. You don’t get a choice. You forfeited that luxury when you betrayed me.”

It was too intense to look