“You do not possess her.” Joseph seized Jayce’s shirt and thrust him backward, tainting him with his blood. It was evidently an inappropriate remark; Molly attempted to mediate, but Jayce was swifter.
Jayce seized Joseph by the front of his shirt and violently yanked him closer. He repeatedly struck Joseph in the face until his skin was barely visible. Molly attempted to intervene and pull him away from Joseph, but her efforts were futile; he remained unmoved.
Halt! You are causing his death!Molly shouted, her voice diminutive in comparison to their cacophony.
Jayce’s visage was splattered with Joseph’s blood, a sight most grotesque. Molly implored her inner wolf for strength, and it complied almost immediately.
Molly propelled Jayce backward with the assistance of her wolf. He released Joseph and wavered slightly, gazing at her in utter incredulity. Fortunately, Joseph remained alive, though he appeared on the verge of unconsciousness. Molly knelt beside him and hesitated. Where could she make contact without inflicting pain? It seemed he was haemorrhaging from multiple wounds; the snow surrounding him was stained a deep crimson.
Are you well?Molly spoke softly, her gaze rising to meet Jayce’s frenzied expression. He tightened his bloodied fists and glowered at Joseph, poised to unleash further wrath should he utter another word. Molly silently hoped Joseph would remain silent for his own sake, as Jayce was not one to tolerate provocation, even slightly.
“I-” Joseph coughed blood, and she gently rubbed his back, uncertain of how to assist. Were his internal organs haemorrhaging as well? “I apologise, Molly.”
Joseph reclined his head against the snow and shut his eyes. For a harrowing instant, Molly feared he had succumbed. Upon observing his chest rise and fall rhythmically, she exhaled in relief.
“Did you wish to accompany him?”Jayce enquired with tension. Molly retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe the blood from Joseph’s face. She would require significantly more than a mere cloth to cleanse him adequately.
“Certainly, I did not, Jayce!” I am astonished that you would pose such a question to me!Molly exclaimed in despair, standing and gesturing towards Joseph. “Observe what you have inflicted upon him!” They will not begin to trust you if you behave in a wholly uncivilised manner towards their associates.
I am indifferent to their opinions of me. “They would find amusement in my demise at this very moment; I harbour no concern for them.” He snarled and approached her. She felt a sense of pride for not recoiling, particularly upon observing the expression in his eye.
“You ought to begin to care if you desire their allegiance,” Molly stated calmly, wiping some blood from his face. “You cannot indiscriminately kill them in a fit of rage.”
He sought to remove you from my presence. Why did you not inform me about him?
“I entirely overlooked his existence upon seeing you, Jayce,” Molly whispered. Beneath his furious stare, she discerned a hint of vulnerability that was unfamiliar to her. Molly tenderly stroked his cheek. “It would be inconceivable for him to usurp you.”
Jayce turned his head and kissed her palm, yet his brows remained furrowed in anger. She wished to caress his brows with her thumb to erase the furrow permanently. Molly looked back at Joseph and sighed.
“We must assist him; the last outcome you desire is for him to perish due to your actions just prior to the blood promise.” Molly crouched to continue tending to him, yet her efforts appeared to exacerbate the situation.
Jayce bit his wrist and presented it to Joseph’s mouth, seemingly unable to resist. He offered two drops, no more. However, that appeared sufficient, as she observed his wounds begin to close mere seconds after he withdrew from his body.
Will he be all right?Molly enquired.
He will recover in a few hours. “He may experience a nightmare or two, but he will be alright,” Jayce remarked bitterly. He then turned and walked towards the trees. Molly could only speculate that Jayce would become the focal point of Joseph’s next hundred nightmares following this incident.
“To what destination are you proceeding?” We cannot abandon him here to succumb to the cold!
I am acquiring Beckham. Remain here.
Molly squinted at his back and knelt beside Joseph once more. She endeavoured to suppress the memory of Jayce’s jealousy erupting before her. She believed she had never witnessed him so envious—except possibly on the night he became inebriated due to his brother’s engagement to his former lover.
Molly scratched the mark on her neck and dismissed her thoughts. It was inconsequential whether he still had feelings for Lady Elsie. Once they returned to the palace, she would be liberated, and they would separate.
Their romantic entanglement was fervent and insatiable, yet she understood not to anticipate anything further from him, despite his propensity for extreme violence at the mere thought of her departure.
Why did she experience an unusual flutter in her stomach? She was not meant to be aroused by such a thing.
