XERXES
Emma's knees buckled and she fell to the floor. I stood over her, shaking with fury, while wishing I hadn't done that. I had never raised my hand on a woman before.
"Xerxes!"
My stomach dropped and I whirled to see my parents staring at me with identical expressions of shock and disbelief. All at once, I felt the rage bleed out of me, leaving me feeling shaken and hollow.
"Dear goddess!" my mother gasped, her eyes darting from me to Emma who was slowly picking herself up from the floor.
"Did you just slap your mate. Did you..."
Her pursed her lips as words failed her. My father had not said a word. He seemed to be swelling with anger.
And then he took a sudden step forward and started shouting, "How could you do something like that, Xerxes? Your mother and I raised you better! How could you?"
He looked down at Emma who raised a trembling hand to her cheek. A red print bloomed there and worse, a thin rill of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
