fear had gotten to me, and I’d missed his attention more than I could ever say. I’d missed his fire, his brutality, his absolutely immoveable certainty that I belonged to him.
I needed that assurance now, desperately.
“You won’t punish me here,” I said. “In Kent’s own bedroom, you wouldn’t dare –“
“You think I wouldn’t?” His voice had dropped dangerously low. He stalked around me as I stood there, heart pounding with the rush of pushing him. I wanted a reaction, and if challenging him would get it, then that’s what I’d do.
“What if you’d caught me in here a few months ago, Leon?” I said, resisting the urge to turn as he stalked behind me. He’d managed to wipe from my mind the fear of the monster lurking outside, turning all my attention to him and what he was doing.
What he planned on doing.
“What if,” he murmured, then chuckled. “What if, indeed? Are you trying to suggest, that if I’d caught you in here while I was still in Kent’s service, I would have caused you harm?” He brushed his fingers across the back of my neck, stroking through my hair, his claws sharp as they scratched lightly over my skin. “You underestimate me, Rae. Kent never even would have had to know I’d caught you here. But I still would have had to punish you, if only to teach you a lesson about sneaking into places you shouldn’t.”
I gulped. His hands slipped around my waist, claws digging through the fabric of my sweater to prick against my hips. His lips brushed against my neck, then caressed beneath my ear, and I closed my eyes as my breath shuddered.
“So nervous,” he said softly. “What do you need, doll?”
“A distraction,” I whispered. “I need to feel safe. I need…I need you.”
I felt his lips curl into a smile against my skin. “A distraction? Shall I distract you with the thought that even if Kent still commanded me, I wouldn’t hurt you?” He came around to stand in front of me again, his claws tracing along my jaw until they pressed into the tender skin right under my chin. “Even as I punish you, as cruelly and brutally as I please, I’m still going to protect you. Is that the distraction you need?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Please.” He chuckled. “It sounds so pretty when you say it. Are you going to submit willingly, or do I need to force you to accept what you want?”
I took a slow step back, then another. I was restless, my limbs trembling, tingling with adrenaline and the need to fight, to run.
“Ah, so by force it is.” He came after me, every step just as slow and measured as mine. My face was hot, and he inhaled deeply before his eyes flashed gold, and he gave me a wide, sharp grin. “I can smell that. Your dripping arousal, so fucking eager for me.”
I shook my head, but inside I was screaming yes. The fantasy of being taken by Leon — forcibly, as punishment — made my pussy throb. Very real terror lurked outside, but in here, I was safe in his hands. Safe, even as he played my fear like a violin.
Dangerous fantasies felt cathartic when there were so many real things to be afraid of.
“You shouldn’t have been wandering in forbidden places, doll. See what happens when you do?”
He lunged for me, and I catapulted across the bed to make a run for the door. I knew I wouldn’t reach it. I had no desire to get away. But my heart still leapt into my throat when he grabbed hold of me and yanked me back, throwing me down on the mattress. His strength was irresistible; he threw me around like a ragdoll, flipping me over so that I lay on my back with him straddling me.
It felt good to throw my fists at him, to kick and buck and wiggle. I knew it was all useless, that I wouldn’t get away. But struggling released my tension, it eased that jittery energy in me. When he snatched my wrists and pinned them to the bed with one big hand, and used his other hand to grip around my throat, arousal burned through me like wildfire.
I panted beneath him as he leaned close, laughing wickedly. “Tell me you remember, Rae. What makes the game stop?”
“Mercy,” I whispered.
“Good girl.” His grip tightened roughly, his claws digging into my neck. He looked terrifying and unknown with the mask on, and I could