"P-Please! Leave me, damn it! I'm injured! Emotionally! Spiritually! Physically!"
I flailed dramatically as Asperia dragged me into the room like a hunter pulling in her kill. My back hit the floor with a heavy thump, and I barely had time to breathe before the glowing menace stepped over me.
She looked down at me—arms folded, legs bare, dress still clinging damp to her thighs like a threat.
"Stand up," she said flatly.
My eyes twitched. "You're going to hit me again, aren't you?"
She tilted her head slightly, golden hair spilling over her shoulder, then calmly said:
"If you don't stand, I'll kill your lower region."
Instant clarity.
I shot up like a soldier who'd heard a gun cocked next to his testicles.
"Cough!" A sharp cough hit my throat from the sudden motion, and I hunched forward, one hand clutching my chest as I bowed deep—ninety degrees, perfectly formal.
"As you say… my princess," I rasped out like some court butler awaiting execution.
She stared at me.
