Bellona (Part 1.5 of The Saskia Trilogy) by Aoife Marie Sheridan Read Free Book Online Page B

a jagged scar rips through it and runs down his face. I know how he got that scar. It was done at my hands while whipping a servant for disobeying me, and his name comes to me just as my mother speaks it.
    “Ace, please come in and thank you for agreeing to help me, you truly are a loyal servant.” His smile to my mother is filled with glee, but when he turns towards me his smile is cold as his one good eye roams the full length of my body. He was meant to be dead, Marcus had disobeyed me. I could see from the look in Ace’s eye that he knew what I was thinking. 
    “Mother,” I protest, feeling sick right now. I haven’t a clue what she is up to.
    “Ace told me what you did to him,” she says and her own face is now clouded with anger. “Ace warms my bed and you marked his once beautiful face.”
    I take a step back, appalled that she is sleeping with this servant. I wonder, does my father know? Then again I don’t care what either of them do, as long as I am left alone.
    “One day, Bellona, when you are Queen and Nierra tires of you, you will do the same as I. And trust me he will tire of you very quickly.”
    I shake my head in denial. I love Nierra. My mind races, this room, my mother is making me feel like I am losing my mind. I want to get away from this, from her, from them. I take a step back, but it isn’t my mother who stops me but Ace. His hands dig into my forearm roughly. “Get your hands off me now!” my voice rings out around the room but Ace doesn’t even flinch, and fear consumes me, what has my mother given him permission to do to me? No, no, no , my mind grows frantic.
    “Bellona, stop it, you are making a fool of yourself.” My mother’s words calm my panic and tears brim my eyes. Her words are truthful, she does think me a fool and for some reason that relaxes me. I am overreacting.
    “Now kill the girl,” she demands, as if I have wasted enough of her time. I pause, my body feeling weak and confused. I don’t move and I watch with fear as my mother nods at Ace. I don’t have a second to brace myself as his fist hits my face with a crack that sends me to the ground. Blood gushes through my fingers as I hold my nose. I look at my mother with horror; why would she do this to me? She nods at Ace again. I raise my arm, trying to fend him off, but he kicks hard and fast. Pain that I have felt many times before rocks my body and I wheeze for air. Before he can attack me again, I turn to the maid. She remains standing, but her eyes are closed.  I look for a weapon to kill her with but can’t see any.
    “Use your hands.” My mother sounds almost bored, but I can see the excitement in her eyes, tears mixed with blood drip onto the floor.
    “I can’t …” I sob, I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore. A kick to my spine sends me sailing to the floor. Holding up my arms, I protect my face as best I can from the harsh impact with the hard floor. The pain runs up my arms and I roar into the floor in frustration and anger before standing. My body rears back at me in agony as I stumble to the maid, with hands balled into fists. I’m not a fighter, I wasn’t strong, so how was I supposed to kill her?
    “Ace,” my mother says, and he moves towards me with something different in his eyes. I land on the ground, my head bangs and my vision blurs, a weight falls on top of me as Ace climbs on me as if I am nothing more than a whore. He pulls at my dress and I glance at my mother, wondering how far she will let this go, but the air on my exposed chest and the rough hands that now grab my flesh sends me into a frenzy. I scratch his arms like a wild animal; his hand hits me solid across the face and blood from my nose splashes across the marble floor.
    “Enough,” my mother commands. “Bellona, if you don’t kill her I am leaving this room and Ace can do as he wishes.” Her words fill me with horror and dread, but something snaps in me and I stand, my dress in shreds. Ace’s eyes tell me he