to go farther because Merdon hadn’t moved. Even with the additional height of the steps, I had to tip my head to meet his gaze.
“I hope the timer isn’t still running,” I said.
He blinked at me.
“For the five minutes,” I clarified. “It’s not fair if you block the way so I can’t meet the requirements.”
“Do you find anything fair?” he asked.
“Since the quakes? Never.”
He grunted and stepped aside to let me pass. I hesitated, not trusting that it wasn’t some kind of trick, then cautiously moved forward with narrow-eyed suspicion. I hoped he didn’t think my hesitation was due to fear. It wasn’t. It was due to a healthy respect for his big hand and fast reflexes.
When I veered to the basement stairs, he stopped me.
“No. Breakfast first.”
I wasn’t expecting that. I also wasn’t expecting to see Emily in the kitchen despite his warning that she wasn’t in her room.
Frowning suspiciously, I glanced back at Merdon as I made my way to the kitchen island. If Emily was cooking, had he locked her door because he’d known I would try to use her windows? I didn’t want to think about the implication of him anticipating my actions when I was so clueless about his.
Emily didn’t say her usual chipper ‘good morning’ as she set a plate of eggs and pancakes before me. Her silence suited me just fine. We had nothing to say to one another, except maybe goodbye.
Merdon took the seat beside me. He received a warm smile from her, which I pretended not to notice, and a plate full of reconstituted eggs. The heaping mess of yellow, crumbly goo made me cringe. I’d never be able to eat that much and keep it down. Even the amount on my plate, a third the size of his, would be a struggle. Especially if he intended to flip me around on the mats like he had the night before.
Maybe that was his plan. Make me slow and heavy with food and unable to save my backside. No, thank you.
I only planned to eat lightly because of that. But the first bite tasted way better than I remembered, and I was starving from yesterday’s liquid diet. Before I knew it, every single bit of food was gone from my plate.
“Do you want more?” Merdon asked.
“No. Am I allowed to go to the bathroom, or will that get me tossed to the floor and spanked?” I asked, looking directly at him.
“Hannah, you’re not a prisoner,” Emily said, speaking for the first time.
“Tell my ass that,” I said without breaking eye contact with my tormentor. “You might want to inform your muscle that he needs to take it down a few notches today or I won’t be able to join you for another quaint family meal this evening.”
She gave me a hurt look.
“Stop being mean to Emily. She’s done nothing to deserve it.”
I could hear the warning in Merdon’s tone but didn’t care. I leaned toward him, challengingly.
“Or what?”
His expression hardened.
“Use the bathroom upstairs then meet me in the basement. You have two minutes.”
“And if I say no?”
A hint of anticipation lit his gaze.
“There’s always the other side.”
It took a moment for me to realize he meant my other butt cheek. My face flamed with anger, and I stood stiffly.
“I’ll be right back.”
My legs protested any form of hustle as I made my way upstairs, and they shook when I sat to use the toilet. They’d be fine in a few more days. Hopefully. I wasn’t as certain about my backside, though, so I stuffed a fluffy hand towel in my pants.
Satisfied with my handiwork, I went back downstairs. Merdon was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps again. Did he think I’d try to make a break for it if he wasn’t there guarding me? He was probably right. I hated feeling this trapped even as I acknowledged there wasn’t anywhere I’d be able to go where Merdon wouldn’t find me. If I even got that far. Stupid fey.
Ignoring both Emily and Merdon, I marched to the basement. I could feel him behind me the entire way. When I reached the mat, I turned and watched him, unwilling to walk onto the black mat with him at my back.
He didn’t stop until he reached the middle and faced me.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“For another beating? No. I’d rather not repeat that.”
“You know what to do to avoid it. Don’t let me get you on your back.”