“I don't want to die," I said as he moved closer. "It was a a stupid thing to say...Master Damien," the Last of the statement came out in a whisper.

He continued to pace slowly forward and didn't say a word. I scooted back off my kneeling place. When I hit the pole I was tied to I slid up it and stood facing him.

“Attacking the man was a mistake, too, Master Damien," I said gripping the pole and steeling my resolve.

“I heard Christof and he was in pain. I had to help him. You would have done the same thing..."

I saw the bruising on Damien's face as he drew closer. The lightening marks of his punishment gave his visage a savage appearance. The pain and fatigue must be overwhelming.

Giving into my instincts I reached forward and brushed a hand along the rough stubble on his cheek and into his hair. My other hand made the same trip on the other side of his face. Damien drew closer allowing me to massage the tense muscles in the back of his neck.

For a moment his eyes drifted closed and the Lines on his face relaxed. He Loved to be touched and rubbed. I smiled to myself thinking I had distracted him. Damien's eyes were open in an instant watching me.

“Look me in the eye and tell me if you wish to die,” he commanded grabbing my hands and pulling them down to rest on his chest. I met his steely grey gaze. "No, I do not wish to die."

The cord on my neck was cut. Damien leaned in until I felt his breath in my ear.

“You protected the family well, Sister. Your form when you attacked my cousin was flawless. However we need to work on your timing of the strike," he said kissing my neck. "You missed him by far too large a margin."

I looked at him feeling stunned. "The General said not to attack his Warriors."

Damien grinned and shrugged. He couldn't care less what anyone else wanted. It was honorable I had tried to protect the family.

“The other Warriors wanted me dead," I hissed at him.

"They could have tried," he said in a conversational tone. "We would have stopped them. It would have been our decision, whether they Liked it or not."

“You and your Brothers," I argued as he took my hand and walked out, “against the whole compound?"

We walked to the wall and Damien opened it and stepped out. I followed him trying desperately to look like a demure slave and not an indignant one.

"My Brother," Damien said as he walked into the forest, “could have easily removed his bonds. We are always prepared."

Shaking my head I followed him to his favorite spot. Once we were there, Damien stopped and considered me for a moment.

"Your strike was well executed, only poorly timed. We thought it best to stop you before you got hurt. That was not a shopkeeper you attacked, but a trained Warrior. At some point the man would have gotten over his surprise and that would have been a problem. Evan had to be in control of you so the other men would not dare to touch you.”

The rest of the lunch went like that. Damien wasn't fazed by his lack of sleep or his pain. He entertained himself talking about me taking a swipe at his cousin.

“The General," I explained patiently, “said he would kill a slave that raised a hand to his Warrior. You didn't tell me they would try to kill me for that."

Damien sighed theatrically the way Hannah had done, "No one in this compound would dare the wrath of my family. The decision of your punishment was ultimately left to us," he explained patiently. "As you will note, you are not dead. The General knows not to anger me."