CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Unexpected Savior
There was a part of her that hoped that this wasn’t really happening, that this was just some sort of dream, but as Nikolai held the iron to her flesh and pressed it into the meat of her inner thigh, Jocelyn knew that she would be scarred for life with an ornate version of his first initial. It looked like it came from the Cyrillic alphabet; she had noted when he drew it from the brazier.
After what seemed an eternity, he at last removed the iron from her leg. This time the burnt meat smell was coming from her body, not Claire’s, and the thought was even more nauseating than before. The sudden coolness in the absence of the brand was almost as painful as the burning itself, and she felt like her leg was on fire.
“You didn’t scream. Good. You are a
