Book 14: Broken and Bound

Maeve

My back hits soft, cream-colored carpet as the sitting room in my private apartment in the palace materializes. Gloves’s hand is still wrapped around my neck, but his grip is loose. His body is a dead weight pressing mine into the carpet. My vision blurs as pain like I’ve never felt before cascades through me like a waterfall of pure fire. My ribs ache from multiple cracks. My cheeks, jaw, and nose are bruised. My head pounds where his fingers were tangled. I’m sure I’m missing chunks of hair… and I taste, and smell, blood. Lots of blood. Probably mine and his.

I suck in a painful breath and shove him off me. My arms tremble against his weight, but I manage to slide him to the side and kick out.

Gloves is completely unconscious lying face down on the carpet when I roll onto my hands and knees, gasping for breath he’d stolen from me. I spit blood and tooth fragments onto the carpet, wiping my mouth on the back of my swollen, bruised fingers.