I get angry when...

I glared at the groveling man in front of me.

Ling sat beside me, still trembling from surprise at being held hostage.

I wanted to kill every single one of them, but her hand held tightly on my sleeve.

“I am most sorry, your majesty. I will severely punish them myself-”

“Not enough.” I grumbled and stood, despite the insistent pulling of my sleeve. “Your men not only attacked me but my Shen Ling! Threatened her!” I hissed a little louder than I intended, and the whole room shook.

The man’s head hit the earth again.

I wanted to growl and kick him, but I knew that his only mistake had been in hiring idiots as guards. I was not going to bully an innocent man because I needed to vent. I was not that kind of person.

I allowed Ling to pull me back to my seat, where she held onto my arm like a lifeline. I wasn’t sure if it was to alleviate her fears or to prevent me from killing the captain of the guard.

I let him grovel some more, while I tried to get my temper in check.