Red

41. Forbidden Fruit

listen to this song by H.E.R. (my favorite artist EVER) towards the end of the chapter, and thank me later. hehe

AND GUYS. i cannot believe that we are almost at 200k reads! this is crazy. i cannot express my gratitude enough, and to thank you as much as i can, i made this chapter SUPER LONG. like, 5000+ words long. and i hope you love it as much as i do ;) ITS A SPICY ONE if you couldn't tell by the chapter title

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I was about two seconds from stabbing Fareoh in the chest. Just imagining the rush of relief that would fill my body when the knife secured on my side plunged deep into his skin—

"Scarlett," Hands slammed down on the table in front of me, startling me from my detailed visions. "Concentrate." Fareoh snarled, anger flaming in his mismatched eyes.

I held my breath to keep from saying something vulgar.

"Build the blocks in your head, one by one. Then layer them until you can no longer hold the image in your head. That is when you will have a sturdy wall."

"I'm trying," I growl out between my teeth, frustrated and infuriated with this session. I'd been in this godsdamn room for hours with him. It was beginning to feel suffocating. "I really am."

"Well your trying isn't doing much," He states, eyes narrowing. "Try harder."

Closing my eyes, I envision the blocks inside my head building to unknown heights. It was a barrier against evil, against anything I didn't want entering my mind.

I felt invisible hands tug at those blocks I built, trying to leech its way inside. I pushed against them.

"Good, but be stronger." Fareoh says softly behind me. "Put everything you have into blocking me out."

I think of what would happen if I didn't block him out. If I didn't block Mathus out.

I could be destroyed. Rome could be destroyed. My unborn... Never to see the light of the world if I allow such darkness to take hold of me.

So I fling everything I have into keeping him out. The walls remain solid, and his presence vanishes from my mind as if I had blew out a match.

     Finally. I exhale a deep breath, feeling the tension in my shoulders loosen.

     "Good. Very good." Fareoh says approvingly. "Continue that exercise throughout the day. Build and tear down those walls until they become instinctive to you. It needs to be muscle memory by the end of this week. Your excused."

     I don't hesitate to stand—the chair I sat on squeaking against the floor with the movement. "Got it. Thank you."

     I make my way towards the entryway of his tent, but abruptly stop when Xael bursts through the tent opening and nearly runs straight into me.

     "Oh, good afternoon Scarlett." She blinks, yellow eyes wide. "I thought you finished up lessons earlier, but I suppose I was wrong."

     "We finished later than I would've liked thanks to her defiant nature," Fareoh remarks from his desk behind us. "It's quite irritating."

     "Irritating?" Xael presses a finger to her pursed lips, raising a brow as she looks at her mate. "If anyone is irritating, it's you. You have the temperament of a two-year-old child. You're lucky I even stick around, because I doubt any other woman would want to even be within a hundred yards of you with that dark aura surrounding you like a permanent shadow."