Sighing, Anara sat in the grass atop a hill near the ruins. Looking out over the Wind Steppe, a light breeze tickled past her. It was so peaceful, and even though the flats were nothing new to her, she enjoyed watching them drift through skies on moonlit nights like this. She breathed in deeply as the grass rustled softly about her.

Raizha snorted as she picked at the strands of growth. Anara found herself wondering about the Thithians again, as she always did. What dark magic had they practiced to destroy their own civilization so thoroughly?

No one knew. There were legends. Some said it had been an accident, others thought the ancient wizard Klaus Schuar had done it—but that was mostly the thought of foreigners. Anara had no idea, but…

The hooves of a pegasus thundered behind her. Anara jerked, her hand coming to her chest as she jumped to her feet. Whoever it was, he must have glided in to keep his mount from alerting her by flapping its wings.

Who would—

The man came into view from behind his mount. “There you are!” Ulshar shouted.

Anara backstopped, but he took her by surprise before she could fully react. With a steel grip that pained her, Ulshar pulled, flinging her into the grass. Anara protected her face by raising her forearms.

“I can’t believe you make me leave the feast to come looking for you,” he snapped. “Get up! We’re leaving.”

Anara got up, feeling the heat in her cheeks as she made fists. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Your father sent me.”

“What does he want?”

Ulshar sneered. Instead of saying anything, he regarded her for several moments. Finally he said, “He’s finally decided to get rid of you. Duke Korr of Atalaya awaits his betrothed.”

She felt something twinge in her guts.

She’d wondered about this for two years. Anara didn’t think it would come to pass. It couldn’t be true. “You’re lying,” she said coolly.

He chuckled, and something deep in the Wind Steppe princess knew he was telling the truth. Ulshar grabbed her by the upper arm, but she squirmed out of his grip.

“If you weren’t one of my father’s sycophants I would gouge your eyes out!”

He sneered at her again, the infuriating little worm.

Trying to feign an uncaring attitude, she waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t care. And Ulshar, if you touch me again, I’ll be telling my father.”

“Do you think he’d believe you?”

She looked at him then. Something in her reacted. She reached forward, trying to lay hands on his face, but he batted her away. Unable to take the man physically, she used words instead. “You’re a creature.”

He laughed, snatched her by the arm again and thrust her toward her mount. “Let’s go.”

“And you’re a brute,” she continued, making for her pegasus. Raizha kicked at the ground, evidentially as angry as her rider was. Under her breath she muttered, “Impotent little man.”

This hadn’t been the first time Ulshar had laid hands on her. He liked it; abusing her this way.

“Impotent?” he snapped.

Gods, she thought. He had heard her. She ignored him completely, though she was concerned about that tone. She was both surprised and yet expectant when he gripped her arm again, his fingers digging into her muscles there.

“I’ll show you impotent, you whore!”

Anara cried out as he forced her to the ground. “I’m a maiden, you idiot!” She scratched for his face, but he held her arms down.

“Don’t think I don’t know why you come up here,” he growled. This wasn’t the first time he’d thrust her to the ground so he could play with her. Dominate her. “You little slut!”

Her turning down his marriage proposal had shown her his true colors; hate and loathing. The first time was utterly humiliating, enough so to make her hide and sob afterward. She wanted to throttle him now.

“You’re a dirty-minded little wanton,” he said, wrestling with her, keeping her from getting her knees under him. “I know you like it. That’s why you never say anything.” As he spoke the words he grabbed her breast.

Anara winced in pain of from his roughness. “Get off, you sticky little worm!”

As she struggled against Ulshar, Raizha came up behind him and bit him on the shoulder. He screamed and leapt off of Anara.

She rolled, struggled to her feet and ran to her mount as Ulshar nursed the bite he had taken. Anara patted Raizha. “Good girl,” she whispered into the pegasus’ ear.

With a deft grab of her pummel and a swing of her body, she mounted her pagasus.

Ulshar then proceeded to yell at her as if she had committed some kind of evil against him. Anara yelled right back, but after a time she began to feel dizzy with the exertion of it all.

At least Ulshar left her alone as they headed back to the banquette. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseous, wondering if what he had said was true. It couldn’t be, could it? Her insides told her differently.

Please let it be a lie, she thought as she promised to herself that if Ulshar touched her again, she would do something about it. She decided against massaging her breast. He might see. She’d had enough of his disgusting abuse and he would probably take some kind of perverse pleasure in seeing her do it.

She might have liked to be handled roughly by another man. But not a cretin like Ulshar. Smirking in contempt, she thought that perhaps she would feed his manhood to his pegasus.