“If you want a fey in your life so bad, then you spend time with him. I’m not here to keep your beyfriend entertained.” She glanced at me in shock, but I didn’t stop. “Thanks to you, I’m losing half my night to my fucking dreams; and when I finally get to sleep, he’s waking me up. We both know sleep deprivation is just as bad as alcohol.”
Her gaze shifted from me to Merdon and back again.
“Beyfriend?” she echoed, fixating on the wrong thing. “He’s not my anything.”
I opened my mouth to tell her to pay attention to what I was saying when her words settled into my mind. Not hers? If he wasn’t here to fix me for Emily, then why in the hell was he torturing me?
Her gaze flicked to him. I looked at him, too.
His steady gaze met mine. For a brief moment, I saw the truth there before his expression shuttered.
“No,” I said slowly. “I’m not yours.”
He didn’t speak; he didn’t need to. His lack of denial said it all. He wasn’t here for Emily.
The over-forceful and prone to sadism fey was here for me.
Chapter Sixteen
“Come,” Merdon said, holding out his hand.
I backpedaled a step, shaking my head. It wasn’t just his command that I was denying; it was all of him.
“No, I’m not yours. I don’t want you here. You need to leave.”
He crossed the room in a flash, standing tall in front of me.
“You need to eat. Will you sit with, or without, help?”
I swallowed hard, struggling to catch my breath as my heart raced in my chest. I knew that steely glint in his eyes. He wasn’t going to give an inch, let alone just leave.
“You don’t want me. I’m too mean, remember?”
His lips curled slightly.
“Too mean for my brothers, not for me.”
He leaned toward me, bending until we were close to eye-level.
“You are mine, Hannah.”
“I don’t want you.”
“I know.”
“Then go away.”
He straightened, crossing his arms.
“No. Last chance. Go eat. Now.”
I snarled my frustration, and he snarled back. To avoid another caveman carry, I skirted around him and went to the island. Emily watched us with wide eyes.
“This is all your fault,” I hissed at her. “He’s way past stage five.”
Her gaze darted to Merdon, who was slowly making his way to the seat beside me.
“Be nice, Hannah,” he warned.
I dropped my gaze to my plate and angrily ate what was there. It wasn’t like I had a lot of choice. If I tried to leave, he’d return me to my seat. Forcefully. If I refused to eat, he’d feed me. It wouldn’t be pretty. As he’d confirmed on more than one occasion, consent wasn’t required for what he deemed necessary.
When I finished, I set my fork aside and turned to him.
“What now, my malevolent master?”
“Change and meet me in the basement in—”
“Let me guess. In five minutes?” I curled my hands into fists. If he wanted me down there, fine. But there’d be no boundaries because of fear. Today, I’d rip his fucking ears off. It wasn’t like he used them, anyway.
“Merdon, would it be possible for me to borrow Hannah for an hour or so today? James and Mary are worried about her, and a visit would ease their minds.”
My thoughts raced with the possibilities. There was more than a potential reprieve from fighting with Merdon to be found by going to James and Mary’s. I might get the help I needed.
Keeping any hint of the hope from my expression, I met Merdon’s gaze as he considered me for a long moment.
“Maybe we could go before she gets all sweaty and tired?” Emily added, a hopeful note lacing her words.
“You choose, Hannah,” he said softly. “Do you want to speak with James and Mary or spend time in the basement?”
Like it was even a choice.
“Visit.”
“Go dress. If you’re not down here, ready, in two minutes, I’ll know you changed your mind.”
I fled the kitchen, pulling my top off before I even cleared my bedroom door. I didn’t know if it was guilt that had Emily throwing me a lifeline, but I’d take it, whatever the cause. James and Mary were kind and cared about me. If they found out what Merdon was doing, they’d put a stop to it. They had to.
Not only did I dress in record time, but I also managed to spritz my hair into manageable ringlets before bounding down the stairs.
Merdon waited at the bottom, his hard gaze taking in