The blood-red orbs of Sterling's eyes drew Faye's attention once again. With his finger, he moved her hair behind her ear. This time, he realized why she was so hesitant for him to see her. Her face bore a perfect hand print where she had been recently slapped, and the skin beneath it was purple and bruised.
She watched as his eyes flashed from a bright crimson to coal black. His odd, serpent-like pupils were no longer visible. Her flesh crawled as she heard the tone in his voice. It was now dark and dangerous.
"Who touched my bride? NO! Let me rephrase this; who dare to damage what is mine?"
The room was filled with an oppressive silence as everyone exchanged wary glances.
The Duke let go of his bride and charged after Alice, grasping her by the shoulders and shaking her harshly. Shouting into her face, "Did you do it? Were you the one who did that to Faye?"
With a look of terror, Alice frantically shook her head from side to side, sending her curls bouncing wildly.
She stammered and pointed a finger at her twin brother, "I-I did not! It was Aaron. The girl was ridiculing him, and he set her straight."
The Duke's brow arched as he asked in a mocking tone, "Is that so?"
His brawny frame stalked aggressively toward Aaron Montgomery. His eyes narrowed with intense focus. Everyone gathered could feel the tension in the room as he waited for an explanation, standing face-to-face with the young master of Wintershold.
"Tell me, what did she say that was so bad? What did my bride speak that she needed to be disciplined in such a severe manner on her wedding day?"
Aaron stood there. His jaw clenched shut, refusing to answer the Duke's question. Sterling was so furious he could feel his muscles tighten and coil, wanting to lash out and beat the life out of the young man that stood defiantly before him.
Nonetheless, his common sense told him that this would not provide a solution. Sterling turned away, and Aaron's words, barely audible, reached his ears.
"Barbaric Coward."
Before anyone could stop him, the Duke raised his enormous fist and pummeled Aaron in the face, breaking his jaw. All that had gathered gasped and murmured as they watched Aaron's body go limp and slump into a heap on the parlor floor. Sterling had knocked him out with a single blow.
Chaos and name-calling ensued as the Baron berated Duke Thayer for his callous actions.
"You uncultured bastard! I will be sure the emperor hears of this incident! Do you hear me Duke Thayer!!! I will make sure you pay damages for what you have done to my only son. I will also tell him of the insults you heaped on my daughter!"
The Duke scoffed at the Baron's empty threat.
"Pfft! By all means, do as you see fit. Run off and cry to the king; He will probably laugh you out of the royal court."
The Duke turned to his men, who had witnessed the nuptials. He calmly instructed.
"We are leaving."
He latched onto Faye and dragged her from the room. Then he heard the priest call out for him to stop.
"Please, Milord. The ceremony is not finished. You must seal it with the pledge of a kiss."
The Duke halted and wrapped his powerful arms around his new bride, and before she knew it, his mouth covered her lips. He was coaxing her to open her mouth and return the pledge. His tongue slid across the seam of her lips, and she opened her mouth as his tongue roughly rubbed against hers. After a long moment, he quickly parted from her, leaving Faye breathless and slightly confused about what had occurred.
Before Sterling exited the parlor, he addressed the Baron and his son with a smirk.
"You should have taken some of the money you spent on this evening's lavish meal and found a good doctor to fix your son's face. I am sure I have crushed his jaw."
The Baron, no longer wanting to deal with Duke Thayer, exclaimed, "You have what you came for now. You should leave?"
The Duke did not reply. He turned on his heel, grasping Faye's arm, and pulled her from the house. As they walked to the carriage, she remembered her beloved bunny.
"NO, WAIT! I need my bunny."
Faye tried to release his grip on her wrist.
Then as she was about to panic, she watched as the only person she could ever trust come running from the Wintershold house to say farewell. It was the maid, Hildie. She carried an odd-looking item in her hands. It was a dirty stuffed animal bunny.
The Duke rolled his eyes and frowned, seeing the childish toy.
Hildie gave Faye a hug and kissed her swollen cheek, smoothing her hair down with her hands.
"It will be okay, Milady. Take care of yourself."
As Hildie was about to give Faye the bunny, Sterling jerked her away, and she watched in disbelief as the rabbit fell on the wet, muddy ground. Faye went to reach for it, and before her fingertips could touch it, she was roughly tugged back.
Faye cried, "BUNNY!"
The Duke ignored her plea to stop and let her retrieve her precious childhood toy. His boot stomped on it, crushing the threadbare aged stuffed animal into the muddy ground.
"Get In! You are no longer a child and have no need for such things. I must have a woman who can run a household, not a kid to look after."
He shoved Faye onto the carriage floor and climbed in behind her. She was about to get up and face the Duke to condemn him for the way he was treating her. She was his new bride, a lady, and he was roughly handling her, treating her no better than a hunting dog. When she turned to rise off the floor and take a seat on the bench across from him, his dark voice rang out in warning.
"You must earn your seat. Sit—back—down; on the floor."
She whipped her head around to see Duke Thayer glaring at her with his burning red, blood-filled eyes. His pupils were oblong once more, like that of a snake. He had a wicked smirk as he watched her in discomfort on the carriage floor.
Faye responded to his remark, "I am not an animal. I do not follow commands like a trained dog."
She went to make a move for the seat when Sterling reached out, roughly grasped her lower chin in his leather-gloved hand, and brought her face to his. He produced the marriage contract and dangled it in front of Faye's face.
"On the contrary, my sweet Duchess, you will do everything I say. It was part of the stipulations in this accord. Otherwise, I would not have agreed to this union. Here, read it for yourself."
Duke Thayer shoved the papers into her hands.
Faye's eyes scanned over the documents, but it was all gibberish to her. The Duke could see her confused expression as her eyes scanned the words and brows wrinkled, not understanding what they meant.