How The Warrior Fell (Falling Warriors series Book 1) (36 page)

“I said, ask your wife,” Hiinex finally managed to wheeze out, watching as Xavier slowly started his way back to him.

“What would Leawyn have to do with any of this? With you?” Xavier growled down at Hiinex when he was standing right in front of him again. Hiinex shook his head, his smug grin taunting that he knew something important Xavier didn’t. Which he did—and that pissed Xavier off more.

“You’re blind,” Hiinex said. “You all are,” he added, shooting a look over Xavier’s shoulder at Tyronian and Tristan, who stood there, their faces a picture of anger at the accusation Hiinex was presenting them with. “That’s why you're going to fail.” Hiinex sneered up at Xavier. “You’re going to lose, and I’m going to enjoy watching you all die. 
Especially
 you,” Hiinex glared at Xavier.

The air grew unbearably tense. Xavier bent forward so he was nose to nose with Hiinex. “You are nothing but a calf pretending to be a bull,” Xavier said, his voice dangerously low. “You need to reevaluate your situation. You’re bound, helpless, and the chances of you living through what I’m about to do to you are very, very, slim,” Xavier promised darkly, his eyes filling with malice. “But I can save you a slow and painful death, if you answer my three questions, and tell my cousin and brother here,” Xavier nudged his head behind him in the direction of where Tristan and Tyronian stood, “anything else they would like to know. Otherwise, I promise you, I’ll strip you of your skin piece by piece. Now,” Xavier held out his hand behind him, and Tristan stepped forward, pulling his dagger out from its hip holster as he did and placing it in Xavier’s outstretched hand.

“First question,” Xavier said as he turned back to Hiinex and placed the dagger under his armpit. “Where is the army hiding?”

Hiinex met Xavier’s eyes bravely, his face twisting up in a hateful sneer. “Fig’re it out yerself.”

“Wrong answer,” Xavier growled, and without further warning, he smashed the dagger into the soft flesh and twisted. Hiinex jerked against the chains holding him up, but otherwise didn’t make a sound except a long groan of pain.

Xavier yanked the dagger out swiftly, blood rushing to the surface and spilling down Hiinex’s side.

“I’ll ask again, where is the army hiding?” Xavier growled out. Hiinex stayed silent, shaking his head as sweat gathered heavily on his brow and lips. Xavier smirked and stabbed the blade back into Hiinex’s body and dragged the dagger downward, cutting the flesh in a smooth line as blood splayed out of Hiinex and stained Xavier’s shirt.

“Where?” Xavier asked calmly over Hiinex’s muffled shout. But still, Hiinex didn’t answer.

Xavier’s eyes flashed, and the hand not holding the dagger into Hiinex’s flesh reached up to where his skin protruded from the broken rib bone. Xavier quickly pushed against it, forcing the bone back in roughly.

Hiinex let out a terrifying pain-filled scream, jerking against the chains in his agony as his feet kicked out.

“Where is the army hiding?” Xavier yelled at Hiinex over his screams. “Tell me!” Xavier jerked the dagger down and out, and with a quick flick of his wrist, a clean strip of Hiinex’s flesh landed on the ground in a bloody mess.

Xavier stepped back from Hiinex as he slumped against the ropes, his body shuddering with agony and shock as blood continuously oozed from his wounds. As promised, the skin was completely flayed from underneath Hiinex’s armpit all the way down to his ribs.

Xavier stared coolly at Hiinex, not at all phased by Hiinex’s heaving breaths or the prisoner’s blood that had gushed all over him.

“Where?” Xavier asked calmly.

Hiinex weakly lifted his head to meet Xavier’s cold eyes.

“Just kill me,” Hiinex said in a whisper, his breaths ragged and uneven as he spoke. “Because I’ll never tell you.”

Xavier looked upon Hiinex with grudging respect for his tenacity. But that didn’t change anything. He needed answers.

Xavier tossed the dagger from hand to hand as he circled Hiinex. He would get the answers he needed, one way or the other. He was a man of his word, after all.

Xavier raised his bloody knife again, and Hiinex’s screams filled the air as Xavier tortured him.

For hours, Xavier did as promised and stripped Hiinex’s skin off his body piece by piece.

The door slammed open with an almighty crash. Leawyn let out a short startled scream and shot to her feet from the bed. Her mouth dropped open in shock at the sight of Xavier, who was covered with blood from head to toe, as he charged toward her with a murderous expression.

“Xavier what—”

Leawyn choked on her words when Xavier grabbed her around her throat with one hand and lifted her off her feet until her back slammed hard into the wall behind her. Leawyn’s shocked cry of pain was short-lived when Xavier squeezed her throat tight.

“What do you know?” Xavier growled down to Leawyn, his eyes icy. “What did you do!” Xavier yelled, slamming Leawyn against the wall again and holding her up higher.

Leawyn’s eyes bulged in shock and fear, her hands flying up to clasp Xavier’s hand around her throat. “I don’t know what—”

Xavier let out what could only be described as a growl as he pushed his weight into Leawyn. “Don’t you dare lie to me!” he seethed.

Leawyn’s eyes filled with tears of fear, and she let out a choked whimper when Xavier’s hand flexed around her slim throat. “Please!” Leawyn gasped.

“What did you do, Leawyn?” Xavier roared, enraged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Leawyn cried fearfully, clawing at his hands. “Xavier . . . please!” she begged, her tears streaking down her cheeks when Xavier flexed his hand against her throat.

He stared coldly at her a moment, lowering himself so his face was close to hers. Even though Leawyn was suspended high by his hand, and the top of her toes barely made contact with the floor, Xavier still towered over her.

“What are you hiding?” he said coldly. She could feel the rage from Xavier’s grip, and she was quickly losing her air supply if the dots in her vision were any indication.

“Please,” Leawyn whispered, squeezing her eyes closed. “I . . . don’t . . . know what you’re talking . . . about.”

Just when she thought she would pass out, Xavier released his grip around her neck with a sneer and stepped back when she dropped to the floor. Leawyn coughed roughly as oxygen quickly rushed back into her lungs.

She didn’t get much respite when Xavier gripped her by her upper arm and jerked her into a standing position. She found herself against the wall again when Xavier pushed into her personal space, and she couldn’t control her flinch when he raised his hand to slam his palms on the wall on either side of her and caged her in.

“I swear, Leawyn, if you’re lying to me . . .” Xavier warned dangerously. “I’ll—”

“You’ll kill me?” Leawyn interrupted. “What else is new?” she spat hatefully. “Why don’t you just do it, then? I’m so sick of you threatening me, you bastard!” Enraged, Leawyn pushed against Xavier’s chest roughly.

He didn’t budge, except to narrow his eyes at her.

She quickly reached down between them and pulled Xavier’s dagger free, brandishing it in front of them. Xavier narrowly avoided Leawyn slicing his chest.

“Do it!” Leawyn growled, thrusting her hand forward and offering the knife for him to do exactly what he threatened. “I have 
nothing
 left! Kill me and get it over with! You sure threaten me enough, so do it!”

Xavier gritted his teeth, staring her down silently, his chest heaving just as much as Leawyn’s with the emotions swarming within him.

Her eyes turned into slits, and she took the single step needed to go chest to chest with Xavier and glared up at him furiously.

“DO IT!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, shoving the blade toward him. Taunting him. Challenging him.
Pleading
with him.

Xavier snapped.

With a savage growl, he effortlessly swatted the knife away so it clattered to the floor, and pushed Leawyn back against the wall again.

They silently stared at each other, their eyes spitting with rage.

Groaning low in his throat, Xavier dipped his head and captured Leawyn’s lips in a soul-shattering kiss, their breaths rushing out of them as their lips meshed together as their tongues battled to express everything they were feeling.

Leawyn lost herself in the kiss for a second before she wrenched herself away from him with a cry.

The sharp echo of her slap penetrated the air as her hand met Xavier’s cheek, the force behind it causing his head to tilt to the side.

The room was silent sans their harsh breathing until Leawyn spoke.

“I wish I never was given to you,” she whispered hatefully, her eyes filled with rage-induced tears. “I wish I didn’t have you as a husband, and I wish—” She stopped, her breath hitching as her bottom lip trembled.

“What do you wish?” Xavier growled lowly, his eyes boring into her fiery gaze.

“I wish my body didn’t want you the way it does,” Leawyn finally whispered brokenly, her tears making a silent trail down her cheeks.

“My heart will never alight with happiness. I’m 
stuck. 
Captured and caged by you. Like a bird with broken wings denied the freedom to soar.
”
Leawyn hiccupped, blinking against her tears as her face compressed in torment and loss. Xavier’s nostrils flared, and he turned his back to her as she spoke.

“I will never know the touch of a lover who 
loves me,
” she said, a small sob escaping her. “You have 
ruined
 that for me, Xavier. You’re ruining 
me.
”

“You’re ruining me!” Xavier finally bellowed out, whipping around to look at her, neck muscles bulging. He growled low in his throat, the sound ripping out of him as he clutched his hair and started to pace. “I can’t get you out of my head!” he screamed. “You’re all I think about. I can’t concentrate! I can’t be the leader I need to be because all I can think about is 
you!”

Leawyn flinched at the level of Xavier’s voice.

Xavier stopped, whirling around, his face red with anger. In seconds, he was in front of hert, owering over her slight form as he glared daggers at her. His eyes were like liquid fire.

Slowly, he lowered his head until they were eye-level, his palms smacking the wall above her head again.

“You. Are. Ruining. Me,” he said through tightly clenched teeth.

Leawyn was silent, her eyes spilling over with more tears as she looked at him. This broken, hardened man who didn’t know what it was to love or be loved. The warrior who conquered everything he set his eyes on. Including her.

They were both trapped in each other. The harder they fought, the more explosive they would be. They expressed hate and pain in their touch to hide the fear of themselves. They couldn’t accept they were both broken. How could they grow if they constantly suffocated each other?

It was in that moment Leawyn made a choice. She reached up and grabbed Xavier around the back of his neck, bringing his face down to hers.

“No,” Leawyn said, her voice a touch above a whisper. One of her tears caught on Xavier’s lips when she pulled him closer. “I’m saving you.”

Xavier’s face crumbled and his eyes closed as Leawyn trailed a finger down the long scar that ran from his eyebrow to his cheek.

Then, she crushed his lips to hers.

“W
HERE ARE WE
going?” Xavier grunted, trying to ignore his instinctive reaction and jerk his hand from Leawyn’s as she dragged him behind their hut and toward the mass cluster of trees that surrounded their village.

Xavier scanned the trees warily. They shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be letting her drag him here. It wasn’t safe. Though, Xavier mused to himself, nowhere is really safe if his instinct was right, and it always was. It’s what kept him alive for this long.

“You’ll never be able to wash all that blood off in our small basin,” Leawyn said, looking over her shoulder at him. Her face pinched in both disgust and fear before she quickly masked it and turned away. “You need to wash in the lake.”

Xavier studied his small wife, taking advantage of the moment she couldn’t see him. In such a short time, she’d grown; physically and mentally.