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“Then I’ll run away again,” Lorna declared, to take advantage of this hold she had over him

It unleashed the violence in hiers forced their way inside her bonnet to grab a handful of hair, loosing it fro the bonnet off her head His brutal grip pulled painfully at the roots to tilt her head back Lorna felt the first quiver of alarm

“Like hell you will” It was a snarl, followed by a cruel violation of her lips

Lorna struggled in panic, but his arainst hi pressure of his h whiskers scraped her tender skin

He was exacting retribution for her threatened desertion of hi her physically to destroy the seeds of revolt

In his mind burned the memory of a mother who had abandoned him and the years of hell his father had endured It was this black and bitter hatred that drove hi hi him only with a violence that he couldn’t control

Her whimpers never penetrated the fieryof what he was doing when he forced her to the ground and fought his way through folds of arments He didn’t taste the blood on her lips or feel the wet tears against his skin He was athe female

When his fury was spent, she was lian to dissolve His eyes focused on the face turned away from him—the wetness of her cheeks and the red stain of blood on her chapped lips She was shaking with sobs that made no sound

Benteen was sickened by what he’d done to her A violent nausea rose in his throat to choke hi his eyes He’d never felt less athat could never be undone

“Lorna” His fingers moved tentatively to touch her cheek

“Don’t” She flinched frohtly

If she had stabbed hireater In sharp contrast to his brutal possession, he tenderly rearranged her clothes, but she continued to lie unaze was turned skyward

“God, forgive me” It was a barely audible murmur that he didn’t offer to Lorna, because he didn’t think she ever could forgive him Then he turned back to her, unable to walk away and leave her like this “Lorna”

“Leave me alone” Her broken voice ive to her

“No, I won’t leave you,” Benteen said quietly “And I don’t bla me”