Risciter’s hands were all over Ariana’s body. “So beautiful,” he murmured. He turned to Keirth. “Should I make her suck my cock? Would you like that? Or should we just skip right to the main event?” His hands trailed between Ariana’s legs, one finger probing her.
Keirth looked away. He shouldn’t be seeing this.
“Fuck you, Risciter.” Ariana’s voice was shaky, but still full of fight.
Keirth had to get free. He leaned against the chair leg again, hearing the wood splinter a little further. Frightened Risciter had heard the noise, he glanced at him.
But Risciter still had his fingers inside Ariana. He was watching her face, smiling as she struggled and glared at him.
Keirth pushed on the chair harder. Another splintering sound.
Risciter moved his hands to his trousers, leering at Ariana as he undid his clothes.
Keirth felt dread and fear surge through him. This couldn’t happen. He had to try harder. He had to stop Risciter. He pushed on the chair leg harder.
But Risciter was climbing onto the bed with Ariana.
“Risciter, don’t,” Ariana was pleading. She was crying again.
Keirth dragged all his attention away from the bed and focused on the chair. He rocked on it, throwing his full weight onto the damaged leg. There was a resounding crack as the leg splintered completely, pitching Keirth onto the ground. His leg was free.
Risciter turned at the noise. “You’re always trouble, boy.”
Keirth struggled with the rest of the chair on the floor. One of his legs was free. The rope tying it to the broken leg had slipped off. But he was still bound to the arms and leg of rest of the chair, which was intact.
Risciter surveyed him. He thrust into Ariana.
Keirth screamed in rage. Not again. He would not watch this monster do this again. With his free leg, he kicked at the chair. He yanked against the ropes with all the strength he had, throwing the force of his anger behind it.
The chair snapped into pieces. Keirth stumbled to his feet, pieces of wood still tied to his limbs.
And then he was pulling Risciter off the bed, and the two were wrestling on the floor. Keirth punched Risciter in the nose, and he started bleeding.
But Risciter had his knife still. He stabbed at Keirth, sinking the blade into Keirth’s shoulder.
Keirth yelped, searing pain flooding his body. But he wasn’t going to let Risciter stop him. Not this time. He reached up and yanked the knife out of his shoulder. Now he was armed and Risciter wasn’t.
Risciter backed away from Keirth, fear in his eyes.
Keirth leapt on him. He plunged the knife into Risciter’s stomach.
Risciter grunted.
Keirth pulled the knife out. There was blood all over his hand. He didn’t care. He stabbed Risciter again, this time in the chest. More blood.
Risciter shrieked.
Frenzied, Keirth raised the knife over his head and began bringing it down over and over again, sinking it into Risciter’s skin one time after another. Blood sprayed over Risciter’s clothes, over Keirth’s hands. It spattered in his face.
After some time, Keirth realized Risciter wasn’t screaming anymore. He stopped. He stood up. He backed away from Risciter, who hardly looked like Risciter anymore. He was a twisted piece of meat and blood, mangled by the knife.
Keirth looked down at the knife in his hand. He dropped it, letting it clatter on the floor.
This wasn’t how he’d pictured it. He’d thought that he’d say something scathing and witty to Risciter. He’d thought he’d wrench an apology from the man, make him plead for his life. Instead...
Ariana made a little gasp behind him.
Ariana!
Keirth found a blanket on the ground and threw it over her body, covering her nakedness. He fished the knife up off the floor and cut her ropes.
She was shaking. She pulled the blanket tight against her body. “Thank you,” she said.
He looked at Risciter’s remains on the floor, at the blood all over his hands and arms. He wasn’t sure “thank you” was the thing he would have said to him right now.
Ariana sucked in a shuddering breath. “I want to take a shower,” she said. “You should take one too.”
He should wash away this blood, shouldn’t he? He probably looked like a monster to her, not a rescuer or a hero.
“But we have to be quick,” Ariana said. “Risciter called someone on the comm. They think you did this.”
* * *
Hyperspace streamed by on the visual in the bridge. Ariana sat on a chair, hugging her knees to her chest. She and Keirth had left Scranth behind only an hour ago. They hadn’t spent much time talking. They were both in shock. That was what she thought, anyway.
Ariana didn’t know how she should be feeling right now. She felt like she couldn’t quite remember what had happened to her. She’d woken up tied to the bed in the cottage. There were flashes of Risciter talking to her. Flashes of his hands on her, which made her shudder. Flashes of his knife, glinting wickedly in the light. Flashes of him inside her. Ugh.