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Listlessly she pushes a carrot around her plate with a fork “The chain won’t let rounds”

“No It won’t” Not until I rescind my vow to marry her

She raises accusing eyes to mine “You won’t let me leave You could free me”

“Yes,” I agree softly “But I won’t”

Her jaw clenches and her lips tre from the blue of her eyes Abruptly she pushes away fro her dishes to carry into the kitchen

“I will let you leave the room,” I tell her “Does that please you?”

She hurls her plate at my head

I have always loved that Cora is a fighter I’ve always loved that she never gives up

But I cannot bear another day of watching this

The beast urges e,hih my skin

Each of her sobbing, gasping breaths rips a gaping hole intofrom her nape to the hall in the distance, yet she’s still straining against it Fighting

Let her fight me, instead

Roughly I snag ainst h!”

“Lether back toward the manor house Instantly the tension on the chain eases “Damn you, Gideon Go back!”

Her voice is hoarse, fro her neck, and her skin is raw and reddened There’s not a chance in hell that I’ll let her go and I a back

Her fists land solid blows against h my shins

The beast loves it My cock is a thick iron bar that grows hotter and harder with every blow she lands

I don’t love it Not when her ragged sobs accoles rapidly weaken until she’s lying liainst my shoulder

“You will never do this again” Forced through the raw ache of my throat, the command is harsh and thick “If you do, I will lock the doors so that you cannot even leave the house”

“Then I will jump from a !”

Cold fear pierces h the holes her words ripped in !” I roar and when she flinches against ht for the calain “Would you?”

In a quiet voice, she says, “No”

Yet it must have crossed her mind Hoarsely I ask, “Do you want to escape me so badly?”

“I want to be free!” Despair fills her cry and she pounds her fist against my chest “Do you not understand the difference?”

I do But I can’t let her go yet

And at least she is fighting again “Will you marry me, Cora?”

“Fuck off,” she says

For days, Cora takes herme at the table As the rows shorter—but she is not completely absent I watch her froarden, and although she rarely strays fro, the entire house is filled with her scent Each breath I take carries her into ed with the cold bitterness I know too well after years spent alone

With every step, that loneliness hangs around her like a shroud

Perhaps that is why she finally joins ain This time I do not immediately ask her to marry me, but allow the tension to ease out of the silence between us—and allow her the first word