Chapter 10 - The Sovereign Boundary
The man reached out slowly.
His hand was large, the veins standing out sharply against the back of his knuckles.
"What are you doing here?"
Her voice cracked completely, shattering on the final syllable.
She pulled her arms tighter around her belly, trying to hide the stain on her apron.
The man did not answer her question.
He placed his palm firmly over her trembling, mud-covered shoulder.
His thumb brushed against the collar of her red dress.
The heat radiating from his hand bled instantly through the cold, wet fabric.
Her shaking slowed.
He slowly turned his head.
He looked upward, from his position in the mud, directly at the blonde woman.
His dark eyes were entirely devoid of warmth.
"No one touches what belongs to me."
The words vibrated in the damp air.
He shifted his weight, placing himself slightly more in front of the red dress.
He turned his body into a physical wall.
"When the big bad wolf comes to the door," he whispered, his eyes never leaving the blonde woman.
"You don't blow the house down."
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He gripped the pregnant woman's shoulder a fraction tighter.
"You buy a heavier lock."
