Married To The Villain
Chapter 34: Chains Of Frost

Chapter 34: Chains Of Frost

Chapter 34: The Chains of Frost:

Gabriel walked like a predator, with his eyes only looking at Lirian.

Lirian barely had time to register his approach before his hand latched onto her wrist like an iron shackle.

"Enough," he snarled, shutting every whisper up.

Before she could even think to resist, he bent low, sweeping her onto his shoulder that left her breathless.

The world tilted; her view was suddenly of cobblestones and boots.

She pounded her fists against his back, but he didn’t so much as flinch.

"Gabriel!" she shouted.

"Put me down!"

His silence was more terrifying than any threat he could have voiced.

The crowd parted in stunned silence, too shocked or too frightened to intervene.

"Someone stop him!" Lirian called out, desperately. "He’s gone mad!"

But no one moved.

Not the knights lining the perimeter, not the murmuring nobles, not the servants clutching their aprons.

All eyes were on the Duke of Sylcrest as he strode through the castle gates, with an expression that was carved from stone.

"Gabriel!" she tried again, feeling her voice breaking. "You can’t do this!"

His response was like a low, bitter laugh.

"You think I can’t? Oh, wife," he shook his head. "You have much to learn about what I’m capable of."

Lirian couldn’t understand his actions. Why was he doing this? He hated her...belittled her...so why?

By the time they reached her chambers, her struggles had turned frantic, her breath started coming in short gasps.

Gabriel kicked the door open with a force that made it slam against the wall.

He crossed the threshold, dumped her onto the bed, and stepped back.

Lirian scrambled to sit up, her chest heaving.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, trembling despite her effort to sound strong.

Gabriel didn’t answer. He owed her no answers. He was her husband, and could do whatever he wanted.

So moved to the far wall, where a heavy iron chain hung from a ring bolted into the stone.

It had been installed years ago as part of the castle’s defenses, but now it served a far more purpose.

Her eyes widened as realisation dawned.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "Gabriel, you can’t—"

"I can," he interrupted coldly.

He yanked the chain free and approached her with slowness, like a hunter closing in on wounded prey.

Lirian scrambled backward until her back hit the headboard, her breaths coming in shallow bursts.

"Don’t do this," she pleaded. "Gabriel, please—"

But her words fell on deaf ears.

He seized her wrist, ignoring her struggles, and clasped the manacle around it with a hard snap.

"Ouch!"

She cried out as the cold metal bit into her skin, but he was already securing the other end of the chain to the bedpost.

When he stepped back, she tugged at the restraint.

The chain rattled against the bedpost, but it didn’t budge.

"Let me go!" she shouted.

Gabriel’s gaze was cold.

The humiliation he felt in front of everyone...this was nothing compared to what she did to him.

"Why should I?" he asked, quite mockingly. "You made it clear in front of everyone that you think you’re my equal. Perhaps this will remind you of your place."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall. "This isn’t the behavior of a duke," she mumbled. "You’re acting like a tyrant."

"A tyrant?" Gabriel’s lips formed into a smile. He unbuckled his belt, the leather slid free with a hiss that made her blood run cold.

Her breath hitched as he doubled the belt in his hands, the sound of the leather snapping against itself was something that Lirian didn’t want to remember.

"You listened to your father when he whipped you," he said, slowly. "Maybe I should do the same. Maybe then you’ll learn some respect."

Lirian’s stomach churned at the mention of her father.

"Don’t," she whispered silently.

But Gabriel either didn’t hear her or didn’t care. He raised the belt, the muscles in his arm taut with the force he intended to unleash.

Lirian flinched, her body curled into itself instinctively. But the blow never came.

Instead, Gabriel lowered the belt. "Look at you," he stated..."The great Duchess Lirian, reduced to a trembling little girl. Is this what you wanted? To prove how weak you really are?"

She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Her throat felt like it had closed, her heart pounding so loudly she could barely hear anything else.

Gabriel turned away, tossing the belt onto the floor as if disgusted by the very sight of her. He strode to the window and threw it open, letting the icy wind rush into the room.

"If you want to act like a child, I’ll treat you like one," he spoke coldly as the air that now filled the chamber. "Maybe a night in the cold will teach you to stop resisting."

Lirian’s teeth chattered as the wind whipped through the room, its icy fingers clawing at her skin.

She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to shield herself from the worst of it, but the thin fabric of her dress offered little protection.

Gabriel stood in the doorway, his hand on the handle. "You think you can defy me and walk away unscathed?" he asked when he already knew the answer. "Think again."

He didn’t wait for a response.

He stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Lirian sat there, chained to the bed, the wind biting at her skin and Gabriel’s words kept stabbing her chest.

She pulled at the chain again, but it was no use. The metal held fast, strong as the man who had put it there.

Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and bitter against her cold skin.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out, but the sobs came anyway, wracking her body as she sat there, alone in the freezing room.

She will survive this. She had to...

Because if Gabriel thought he could break her, he was wrong.

"Gabriel Sylcrest..." She spoke her name through gritted and uncontrollably shaking teeth, "I’m declaring war."