Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,30

the promised witches, the one that should have been here to protect the witches from turning dark.

“You think she’ll talk to me?” Siobhan scoffed, crossing her slender arms over her ample breasts. “I am a camp follower, which is one step up from being a whore. I make tonics and serve her enemy. She’s very aware of my stature here, Brander.”

“Aria differs from what you assume. Could you try?” he pleaded, his eyes filling with hope.

“Fine, but when she spits in my face or kicks my ass like she did Bekkah’s, you will be the one doing the suturing.”

“I’ll use butterfly fingers to fix your beautiful face.” I watched him, narrowing my eyes at his smooth play on words. Siobhan blushed, and I barely contained the snort that threatened to leave my lips.

“Come, Soraya. You’ve been through hell, correct?” Siobhan asked, and I turned from the mesmerizing sapphire eyes to look at her. “You’re entirely too gorgeous to have made it this long without being forced into sex.”

My throat bobbed, and I dropped my eyes beneath Brander’s curious gaze. I nodded, and Siobhan unfolded her arms. Shame burned in my eyes as I lifted them to hers before glancing at Brander to find him studying me, pain tightening in my chest.

“Do you want the fucking details?” I snapped, watching Siobhan’s eyes narrow. At her nod, I recanted my time on my back, servicing beasts that had brutalized me. I’d barely survived, and by the time I finished my tale, both of them looked at me with pitying eyes that I wanted to scratch from their sockets. “Is that enough abuse to fit in, Siobhan? Or do you want more details about the time they raped and mutilated me beside the road because I wasn’t fast enough to escape my attackers?”

Siobhan swallowed with tears swimming in her eyes before shaking her head, peering up at the cerulean blue sky. Her throat bobbed before she lowered her gaze, locking with mine once more. I shoved the emotion away while she watched, uncaring that the king’s brother noted my reaction.

“Then you can assist me in trying to bring back Princess Hecate.” Siobhan shoved her trauma down as we both glanced at Aria, who had risen from the ground and was staring at the people brought into camp. “Come, she’s flighty as shit right now.”

I didn’t speak as we moved toward her, watching as Aria’s wide, turquoise eyes swung to us before we’d even gotten close to her. Even with the trauma fresh, she was sharp and defensive, alert of threats. Her gaze narrowed, moving between us as if she expected an attack. Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides, and I swallowed, pausing at a safe distance from her.

“It is my understanding that you could use some female companionship,” Siobhan offered lamely.

Aria didn’t speak, sliding her stare between us. She turned to where Brander stood with the king and another man. Her throat moved, but she stayed silent. Her attention focused on me, and I paused, frozen in place at the golden flecks that seemed to float in her eyes.

“It’s okay to feel angry or even ashamed that it happened at all,” Siobhan continued. “It isn’t your fault or anything like that.”

“It’s okay to want the mother-fucking slime-ball dead,” I stated, watching the full force of her attention swing to me again. There was power in her stare, and it gave me pause. It was like standing in front of raw, unchecked power that leaked from her eyes to hold mine, locking me in place. Something within her was studying me, and it caused my heart to jackhammer against my chest. “Anger is good; rage is healthy. I screamed when I escaped. I screamed until my voice was raw, and the pain was gone.”

“Yes, that’s good. Let’s scream,” Siobhan offered.

Siobhan screamed, but it was weak. Aria’s eyes swung from her to me, and I opened my mouth as a squeak escaped. Aria snorted, opening her mouth, releasing a horrifying scream that ripped from her throat. Flames erupted, forcing us to jerk back as everything around her caught fire. Her agony-filled scream changed to rage, and then raw, unchecked anger that had me gasping as I stepped further away, opening and closing my mouth as she fucking burned.

Aria didn’t stop, not even when the entire camp stood staring at her in open shock. She tightened her hands at her side and bent over. Her scream grew in force until it changed to