Unfolding the crumpled note, I scanned the list and sighed.
There was only one more item left, and I dreaded going there, but it was the only place for miles unless we wanted to butcher our own meat, and we didn’t have any animals other than fowl. I entered the rundown butcher shop and covered my nose from the smell. Tobias was the one manning the counter, and I trembled at the sight of him. He was one of the men that attacked me, tried to get under my skirt, and my sister had killed his friend while defending me.
It’s fine. I told myself. Just keep my head down. I came in and slid the paper across the counter. Tobias wiped his bloody hands on his apron and looked at the slip. His greasy hair hadn’t been washed in weeks, and his acne had only gotten worse since I last saw him.
“We just butchered a cow today. It’s fresh,” Tobias said.
It was a lie.
What a pretty thin. I would love to see what’s under her hood. Forget the hood. I wonder what’s under her skirt.
I stumbled into the counter as Tobias’ crude thoughts assaulted me.
“How about pork?” I said, keeping my head low.
“Yeah, I got pork. What cut?”
“Shoulder,” I whispered.
“What? Speak up, wench.”
“Shoulder,” I said louder.
He pulled down brown paper and leaned over the counter. “You seem familiar. Have we met before?”
I shook my head.
“Now, if you want, I can throw in some of that beef for a discount if you want to help me out a bit.”
Crude images flashed in my mind of the things he wanted to do to me.
I was going to throw up.
I tossed the coins onto the table and grabbed the package before he had even finished wrapping it and ran outside. I rushed around the corner and put the basket on the ground, and leaned over, my hands on my knees as I tried to focus on breathing. I pulled my hood down and after a few deep breaths. I felt better, but a shadow fell over me, and a dark aura made me terrified.
I stood up.
“I knew I recognized you.” Tobias held the butcher’s knife in front of him. “You and your red-haired sister killed Armon. You’re one of the Eville girls.”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” I snapped. “What happened was an accident, but if you don’t leave me alone, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Tobias’ face turned ugly. “I’m not afraid of you. I remember that you were a coward, a crybaby. But now, there’s no one to protect you.” He grabbed my braid and yanked me down an alley between his shop and the next.
I screamed as he pulled on my braid. “Let go!”
“Not until I get revenge for Armon,” he breathed into my neck. His breath smelled of death and rot.
He slammed me into the wall. My head cracked against the stucco, and piercing pain radiated out of my skull. The knife appeared at my throat and the edge pushed against my jugular. Dèjá vu all over again. Tobias reached for my skirt, and I heard a tear as he ripped it away.
Fear paralyzed me, and all the spells and attacks I knew rushed out of my mind. I became helpless against the numbing fear.
“I will teach you what it means to bow down to a man. When I’m done, you’ll be screaming my name.”
Tears filled my eyes, and my vision was blurry as mother’s words came back. “You need to protect your mind.” This was a lesson I didn’t want to learn.
No one would come for me. Meri couldn’t save me now. I was alone.
No. I wasn’t alone because I was enough.
I tampered my fear, dug deep into the pit of my soul, and turned to look into Tobias’ lust-filled eyes. “You’re wrong, Tobias,” I whispered, feeling the blade nick my throat. “When I’m done with you, you’ll be screaming my name.”
I reached out and prepared to cast a spell.
A shadow fell over us. Tobias was flung backward and knocked into the ground, a flash of steel, and Liam had his sword pointed at Tobias’ throat.
“You piece of trash,” Liam growled. He carefully used his sword and drew a line of blood that matched the one Tobias gave me. A bloody red necklace. “How dare you lay a hand on a lady?”
“I won’t touch her again,” he cried out. His fat, blubbering face produced fake tears.
“I didn’t need your help,” I said sourly. “I was fine.”
Liam grabbed Tobias by his collar and held him up to the wall while he addressed me. “You were about to be accosted.”
“I had a handle on it,” I said, putting my fists on my hips. My foot tapped angrily, showing my displeasure.
Tobias had other plans. I will teach this jerk a lesson, he thought.
“He won’t stop.” I pointed toward Tobias.
Tobias ducked and tried to get away. Liam punched Tobias in the face. Blood spurted from his lip, but the man glared wickedly. He went limp.
As soon as he turns his back, I’ll kill him.
Liam thought Tobias had learned his lesson, dropped him on the ground, and turned his back to face me.
I sighed. “Don’t turn your back.”
Tobias grabbed the hidden knife out of his boot pocket and charged. Liam spun to defend himself, but he didn’t have to. I stepped between the two men and reached for Tobias’ head. I brushed my fingers across his brow as he ran past.
“Compassio.”
I released all of my fear and emotion from the day of the attack months ago—back into him. I let him feel what I felt. Let him have a taste of my empathy magic and then some.
“What’s going on?” Tobias stumbled backward. The knife fell from his hands. A milky film covered his eyes as I took him back to each person he ever beat up or abused. He relived every moment, but from the victim’s perspective.
“Stop!” Tobias cried out. “Don’t touch me.” He backed into a corner and covered his head. Cowering on his knees, he sobbed and ran his hands along the ground. He would be blind until the vision wore off, and hopefully by then, he would know what it was like to be the victim, and therefore no longer be a predator.
But I doubted it.
“What just happened?” Liam said in disbelief.
I couldn’t answer. I stumbled out of the alley as I was also forced to relive the same nightmares simultaneously. There were so many. I collapsed on the ground, pressed my forehead into my knees and cried.
Chapter Five
A hand patted my back awkwardly, and I rolled my head to the left and stared at Liam. He sat next to me on the ground and held a handkerchief out to me.
“Here.”
I didn’t want his fake sympathy.
“Go away,” I said. “I don’t need a heroic-ridden knight to rescue me.”
“Well, actually, you were right. You didn’t need my help. You handled yourself quite well. Although, your tactics were a little unorthodox. You could have taken him out well before I arrived if you had the right kind of training.”
I couldn’t believe him. He was insulting me all over again.
Liam sighed, and his hand lifted from my back. “But it seems that this heroic knight needs you.”
I snorted. Grabbed his handkerchief, thoroughly blew my nose, and handed it back to him. He took it and stared at it in disgust.