might to forget, he remembered every time she"d beaten him.
When he endured too much pain, the beast took over and had none of the same reservations about harming her. The result was always horrific. Though he had no control, he witnessed every brutal moment, every shriek. Afterwards he would ask her why. She always answered with a pain-ridden laugh and a statement that it was for his own good.
Ingrid dragged the tarp several feet closer before pulling the covering back partway to reveal her daughter. The female inside was bound, and only a thin robe covered her naked body. Chestnut hair, damp with sweat, clung to her face and 42
neck. The muscles of her shoulders stood out as she pulled against the bonds.
The ferocity of her rage was beautiful to behold. Even stronger than her mother"s, her rampant power rose around him until his breath came short. Her anger hit his barriers like churning currents of heated air.
A growl started deep in his throat. His muscles tensed as he yanked at the bindings holding him to the post. He tore his gaze away from the struggling Dagny and glared at Ingrid.
“You know I"ll hurt her. Don"t do this.” Her laughter was a cruel, mocking sound. Ingrid grabbed his jaw in a tight grip. “Beg me.” He didn"t hesitate for an instant. “Please, let her go.
This will destroy her.”
“I know.” Her hand became tender on his face. For an instant, he thought she would relent. She slapped him hard enough to make his ears ring. “The sooner she knows not to trust anyone, the better off she"ll be.” He stared up into her face, still hoping he could get through to her. “She doesn"t have to learn that lesson. You can protect her.”
“No one protected me.”
Shame struck him harder than she ever could have, and he sagged against the post. “I"m sorry I failed to protect you from him. I"m sorrier than you can ever know.” The apology was far too late, but she deserved to know the humiliation he felt.
She hesitated a long while, her eyes locked on his. With a small shake of her head, she said, “Your arrogance is astounding.” She turned away from him, her mouth set in a tense line.
He looked down at Dagny, convinced there was nothing more he could say. She"d ceased moving and her eyes fixed on him, twin pools of moonlit mercury studying his face.
Her expression carried a strength he couldn"t fathom considering the disaster that awaited her.
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Coiling a long, thin strap around her hand, Ingrid stepped back to him. She snapped her wrist, and the leather jumped forward, cutting his chest. She continued, her lashes precise and methodical. Once the strap sliced open his skin, the pain doubled with every strike.
Brand roared a challenge when she finally stopped for a break. She tied the strap to the back of the torc and pulled it through a ring high on the post. The metal came up under his chin to bite into his throat and almost cut off his air. He straightened with a groan so that he wouldn"t choke himself.
Dagny struggled at the edge of his vision, trying to work her hands free. He contemplated telling her how useless it was to test Ingrid"s knots.
Considering the situation, he felt clearheaded. The beast had settled back almost at once. He said in a hoarse voice, “It"s going to be all right.”
Ingrid snickered next to him. “Don"t lie to her.” She balled a wad of fabric in her fist and approached her daughter.
Ingrid sliced into her upper arm with a long knife. Dagny glared up at her mother and bared her teeth in a snarl. Ingrid scrubbed the fabric over the wound to soak it in Dagny"s blood.
When Ingrid returned to Brand, she crammed the cloth into his mouth so far back that it choked him. The vivid scent of Dagny"s blood filled his head. He tasted Dagny"s anger almost as if it were his own. His barriers wavered, then crashed around him. The fabric stuffed into his mouth mostly stifled his groan. He sagged back against the post.
Ingrid selected a spiked strap of leather from the pile and moved back toward him. She circled the strap, with the sharp tines facing inward, low on his belly. The insidious thing cut into him as she tightened it. The pain, so like the cut of dozens of teeth, drove the beast to the edge of fury. The rage boiled over. He struggled, but that