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Her heart jammed up into her mouth “What?” She hit the panel to open the door and flew out, followed by Talia and Bayla at a run

In the Great Hall, she found her father crouched over Erick, pounding his fist into Erick’s face

“Stop!” she screa herself at her father “Get away froed her body between theirs and draped her torso across Erick’s

Leora shot forward froht her father’s ar him back

“Why weren’t you fighting back? What in the hell is going on?”

When Erick just panted and looked at her with pained eyes, she understood He thought he deserved this So—either what she’d done at Neo’s or what had happened at Priu his own form of punishment

She stood up and put her hands on her hips “What do you think you’re doing here?” she demanded

Her father’s jawbrothel”

She didn’t think, just swung her own fist and landed it squarely on her father’s jaw She knew he could’ve ducked He was the Master at Arms, after all, but he let it fall Maybe he was too stunned to believe his own daughter would punch him

She advanced on hier in the center of his chest “You don’t get to exact retribution on ht about my sex life”

He flinched She felt a ripple of shock go through the room, which had filled with a hushed audience

“I arown female I have a past, not so different from many of the females on this pod I don’t have to bewho believes I was dishonored I won my own freedom, and I make my own decisions, now”

She stopped and served a hard look to every being in the pod “I’m a warrior, same as you If I choose to use my body as a weapon for the Zandian cause, I’ll do it, and I won’t be ” She looked over at Erick, who had cli myself”

He opened his arms, his expression soft

She ran into theainst his solid chest, and let hiht out of her