Punished, Tana Stone [top reads .txt] 📗

it might be Corvak. It didn’t make much sense, but maybe the warrior decided to make a stop along the way to meet me.

I stepped into the open area and immediately realized my mistake. It wasn’t Corvak. It was Donal and a couple of his friends passing a bottle of fermented algae among them as they sat on the lowest ring of stone benches. I froze and tried to back away, but it was too late.

“Sienna.” Donal’s voice was slurred as he leapt down and ran toward me.

I ran down the pitch-black entrance tunnel, my arms stretched out so I wouldn’t hit one of the stone walls in the dark. Donal sober was bad enough. I did not want to deal with him drunk. My stomach lurched when he caught up to me and wrenched my arm back.

“I wanna talk to you.” His hand squeezed my arm painfully as he backed me against the wall.

“Not now.” I twisted my head so avoid the stink of algae on his breath. “You’ve been drinking.”

“So?” He leaned his body flat against mine and the almost dead weight of him made me gasp. “You got a problem with drinking? B’cause your father’s a drunk?”

My first instinct was to knee him in the balls, but I remembered what Juliette had said. Donal and his father were powerful. If I pissed them off too much it would be bad for everyone.

“I’d rather talk tomorrow.” As difficult as it was, I used my sweetest and most placating voice. One I was startled to discover I had. “It’s late and my sister is waiting for me.”

His breath was hot on my face as he considered this. “It is late. Why are you out so late anyway?”

I opened my mouth but couldn’t think of a good excuse that I could have for wandering outside the village in the middle of the night.

“You looking for me, Sienna? Is that it? You looking for me to ‘pologize?”

I had no intention of apologizing since he was the one who’d been the ass, but if it would get him off me, I’d go with it. “Yep. I was looking for you. But I think it’s better if we talk tomorrow.”

He blew out a fishy breath that made me want to gag. “Now is better.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Now we’re alone, and no one is watching.”

My heart raced. He was right. Aside from his friends, who would never stand up to him, we were alone in a dark tunnel far enough away from the dwellings that no one would hear me call for help.

“My sister is nearby,” I said. “She came with me so I wouldn’t be alone. I really should go, or she’ll come looking for me.”

“Not before I show you how much I want you to be mine, Sienna.” He shifted his weight, so I felt exactly what he was talking about, pressed hard between my legs. He thrust against me. “Can you feel that?”

Screw how important the guy and his father were, I thought, as anger surged within me. “I sure do. Do you feel this?” I brought my foot down hard on his instep and when he flinched and stumbled back a step, I snapped my knee up as hard as I could into his groin.

He didn’t cry out. Instead, he made a high-pitched squeal before thudding to the ground.

I fumbled over his body, trying to run past him, but he grabbed for my ankle and brought me down. My knees hit the stone first and then my hands, sending pain shooting down my legs and arms.

I clearly hadn’t hurt him badly enough. That, or the booze was fueling his rage and he was feeling no pain. I wasn’t so lucky. My hands burned and my knees throbbed as I attempted to scramble away from him.

“No so fast,” Donal said, as he tried to climb on top of me. “I wasn’t done with you. I’ve been patient for long enough. It’s time I made you mine.”

“I’ll never be yours,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Once I ruin you, you will,” he panted.

“Not if I ruin you first.” I bent one leg and kicked it out as sharply as I could, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone as I made contact.

His wail of agony filled the tunnel. This time, I scrabbled to my feet and ran as fast as I could from the amphitheater, not stopping when I heard his friends’ yells as they ran to his aid, or when tears of fury clouded my vision.

I barreled through the deserted village square and up the stone path. I had to get to my dwelling before Donal caught up to me. My father was pretty useless, but even he wouldn’t let Donal drag me from our front door. My legs shook, burning from the exertion of running uphill, and I was almost grateful when I rounded the corner and strong hands closed around my arms, bringing me to a standstill.

Chapter Eighteen

Ch 18

Corvak

“Sienna?” The female heaved in ragged breaths as her body shook. Her hair was tangled around her face and tears streaked her dusty cheeks. “What happened?”

She swiped at her eyes as she looked up at me. First her expression was relieved then it darkened. She slapped at my chest. “You didn’t show up!”

“I was running late,” I said, glancing around the pathway at the nearby dwellings and the windows covered only by filmy curtains. I didn’t tell her that I’d been running late because I’d been talking myself in and out of my deal with her most of the evening. That wouldn’t calm her down, and if she persisted in shrieking, the entire village would wake up and find us together.

“Running late?” She pushed away from me, her face alight with anger. “How could you be running late? What could you possibly be doing? It’s the middle of the night?”

One of the nearby curtains fluttered. Tvek. Before she could raise her voice again, I clamped a