Demon Disgrace Page 15

  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.”

  He crouched slightly, letting me know that the ass whooping was about to begin.

  “I didn’t realize fey had fetishes,” I said, assuming the same stance but far warier. “Spanking, I could see, but the need to dominate a species that had no chance of possibly besting you is just sick.”

  “I am not doing this to dominate you.”

  “It is just about the spankings?” I straightened. “Then put me over your knee and get it done. My legs are too sore from last night to put up a fight anyway.”

  “I am not doing this to spank you.”

  “My ass begs to differ. It feels like your handprint is still there. And you were far too excited in the kitchen about the prospect of spanking the other side. Admit it. You liked spanking me. Does Emily know?”

  I was on my back in a second. I tried to bite him, but he arched out of the way and had me on my stomach in the next second. His hand came down on my other cheek just as he’d promised. The sting wasn’t as sharp as last night, and I grinned at my forethought…until I realized his hand was still on my butt. And, that it moved in a slow circle.

  “What the hell are you doing, pervert?” I tried bucking off his hold, but he had one hand in the center of my back, pinning me in place.

  His hand traveled up to my waistband. I knew I was in trouble the moment his fingers dipped into the elastic.

  “Emily! He’s going to ass rape me, damn you!”

  Merdon ignored me and tugged the hand towel free. I let my head fall to the mat in defeat. There’d be no sitting later today.

  “This is cheating,” he said softly, tossing the towel on the mat near my face. “You will learn nothing without the sting of failure.”

  “I’m learning nothing now, other than you’re a sadistic asshole. If you want me to learn something, teach me; don’t beat me.”

  His hand left my back, and he lifted me to my feet like I weighed nothing.

  “I get that life isn’t fair, in general, but you getting me on my back is a sure thing.”

  “Is it?”

  “You know it is.”

  “Yet you managed to avoid it a few times last night.”

  “Because I got lucky, played dirty, and was desperate not to get spanked.”

  “So, do it again.”

  “It wasn’t easy!” I let my frustration bleed through. Mostly because if we were talking, he wasn’t smacking my ass.

  “It’s not supposed to be. You’re too slow, too weak, and aren’t thinking. You need to get better at all three if you want to have any chance.”

  I fisted my hands as he crouched.

  “Don’t just tell me why I’m failing. Show me how to fix it.”

  “Crouch low, anchor your feet, and be ready. When I come at you, read how I’m coming at you. If I’m aiming high, go low. If I’m going low, go high.”

  “Go high? That’s your advice? I’m not fey. I can’t jump like you.”

  “So don’t.”

  He charged at me, going slower than normal. His gaze was on my face. His hands reached for my arms. He was going high. I dropped and rolled. Instead of rolling away, I tumbled toward him, tripping up his feet.

  Had he been less nimble, I would have liked to believe that he would have fallen on his face. I wasn’t that lucky, though. He recovered his balance. Springing to my feet, I ignored the protest in my legs and braced myself for another attack.

  “That was good,” he said. “You saw what I intended and did the opposite. Rolling toward the danger isn’t smart, though. Use your head.”

  “Says you. You’re too fast. Rolling toward you was to try to trip you up. Rolling away from you wouldn’t have done any good. You would have still caught me. This gave me a chance to get to my feet.”

  He grunted and got back in the crouch position.

  “No spankings. Today, I’ll bite.”

  “What!”

  He moved. I barely had time to pivot to the left and run, squealing.

  “Good,” he said, returning to the center of the mat.

  I unwedged myself from between a stack of boxes and looked at the insane grey man calmly regarding me.

  “Good?” I demanded. “You just told me you were going to bite me. That is not okay. I want the spankings back. No biting.”

  “I won’t break the skin.”

  I couldn’t even respond to that. In no way was I reassured.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “You said you wanted me to teach you.”

  I snarled at him, knowing he was purposely misunderstandin
g me. He took the snarl as go-time because he immediately dropped into a crouch and charged me. Thankfully, he was continuing to hold back. I dropped to my knees this time and aimed a fist for his dick.

  He quickly spun out of the way with a growl, and I popped to my feet to watch him.

  “Good.” The word was grudgingly given. “That won’t always work, though.”

  “I don’t need it to always work. I only need it to work enough to not get bitten.”

  He grunted and crouched.

  I wanted to scream in frustration. This wasn’t teaching me anything useful. No matter what he said, he had to be getting some kind of sick pleasure from chasing me around and beating me. And now, biting me, apparently. I really, really didn’t want that to happen.

  He shifted his weight. That split-second warning was what I needed to bolt in the opposite direction as he came at me. My pride at seeing what he intended quickly evaporated as he adjusted course and was on me in a blur.

  My back hit the mat. Panic and desperation flooded me. I couldn’t be bitten.

  I used everything. Fists, nails, knees, hips. I bucked, and I twisted, and I fought like a wild cat. None of it stopped him from grabbing both my hands, settling his weight on my torso to pin me, and biting down on my bicep.

  It fucking hurt. I cried out and struggled harder.

  He got off of me and stared down as I glared up at him.

  “You failed because you panicked.”

  “I failed because you’re bigger, stronger, and a mean son of a—”

  The bastard flipped me over and spanked me. Hard.

  I squealed and scrambled to a sitting position.

  “You said no spankings!”

  “Stop being mean.”

  I glared at him in silent mutiny, my backside stinging with the irony in his statement.

  “If you don’t want to be bitten, keep my mouth away from you. Hitting me and kicking me are useless. You know none of that will stop me, so why do it?”

  I hated him for biting me. I hated him for forcing me to do this. But mostly, I hated him for repeating what I’d been trying to tell him all along. I had no chance of winning against him. Oblivious to my growing anger, he continued.

  “Think, Hannah. Don’t panic.”

  He motioned for me to get up.

  I wanted revenge so badly that I snapped. I didn’t just get up; I flew at him. His eyes went wide as he caught me. I opened my mouth, ready to bite his nipple clean off since it was the closest thing at the moment. But, he blocked me with a forearm under my chin.

  My teeth clacked together as he nudged upward and back. I stumbled away, effectively stopped from succeeding. Instead of getting angry about it, I grinned ferally. He was teaching me something.

  “Finally,” I growled.

  He blinked at me, and surprise registered on his face as I flew at him again. I went for the same nipple. There was a good chance he wouldn’t repeat the previous blocking move. But, he seemed to always do the exact opposite of whatever I thought he’d do.

  Finally, I got something right.

  He thrust his hand out. I could see that he meant to plant it in my chest. I ducked, mouth open. His middle finger deep-throated the hell out of me. I swallowed my gag and clamped down.

  All motion stopped.

  A breath hissed out of him.

  He didn’t try to pull his finger free. He probably would have ripped my teeth out if he had. And, I didn’t let go. I was biting down on his fucking finger for all it was worth.

  “Bis is whab ib feews wike,” I said. “Nah goob, inna?”

  He wasn’t looking at my face. He was staring at his lost middle finger.

  “I suggest you stop now, Hannah,” he said, his voice rough.

  When he looked up, the cold, calculating look in his eyes terrified me. I immediately released him and gagged when his finger brushed my uvula on the way out.

  He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just stared at his finger.

  Swallowing thickly, I looked down at the twin marks my front teeth had made just above the base of the third knuckle. It was bad. As in, almost-broke-the-skin bad.

  “Go drink some water,” he said, without looking up at me.

  I tried not to let my surprise show and bolted for the stairs.

  Freedom.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Where’s Merdon?” Emily asked suspiciously when I appeared without him.

  “Downstairs.”

  I went for my coat and quickly shoved my feet into my boots.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “Anywhere but here.”

  I had the door open and was making a run for it before I finished the last word.

  How much of a head start would I have? Thirty seconds? A minute? I needed a plan. I needed help. As I ran, I looked around, but the ever-present, wandering fey were mysteriously absent.

  No help, then.

  I sprinted for the wall.

  An arm circled around my waist. The steel band close-lined me, flipped me, and spun me around. My stomach gave a queasy lurch and threatened to heave breakfast as it met a hard, familiar shoulder.

  I went limp, arms swinging free, as Merdon turned around and started for the house.

  “Smarter,” he said. “But not smart enough.”

  Anger pushed aside defeat, and I considered his butt. It was extremely firm and tight. Could I bite it?

  “Do you need help, Merdon?”

  I jerked my head up and, bracing my hands on Merdon’s lower back, glared at Tor.

  “Does he need help? Seriously? I’m the one who ran for her life and is being dragged back to her one-room prison.”

  Merdon’s hand settled on my butt. Right over the spot he’d smacked today.

  I stiffened and wanted to swear.

  “Do you have anything else to say, Hannah?” he asked.

  I kept my mouth firmly shut.

  “I don’t need any help, yet. Thank you for watching her, Tor.”

  Tor smiled, waved at Merdon, and jogged away.

  “Watching me?” I hissed at Merdon, twisting around to try to see his face.

  His hand twitched on my backside, a reminder of his control over me. I stopped moving around and used my head. If Tor had been watching me, and all the other fey were hiding, then I’d been right about Merdon having the support of the other fey to keep me within the walls of Tolerance. I truly was a prisoner.

  Merdon was right. I needed to be smarter.

  He patted my butt, smoothed his hand over it, then surprised the hell out of me.

  “Would you like to walk?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  He actually put me down. Nicely.

  I pushed my hair out of my face and looked at him, trying to guess his motivation.

  “Was I too heavy?” I asked.

  “You weigh nothing.”

  “Why are you letting me walk?”

  He took a step toward me, and I retreated with my hands raised.

  “I’m walking! I’m walking.” I hustled back to the house with Merdon trailing two steps behind me.

  Emily was at the door, waiting for us.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, looking at Merdon.

  It stung.

  “Everything is fine,” Merdon said.

  “Sure, for both of you,” I muttered, kicking off my shoes and tossing my jacket to the floor. “Not the second-class occupant of this house.”

  I glared at Emily, who was refusing to meet my gaze.

  “He bit me. That’s what you’re allowing him to do when he drags me down there. What in the hell has happened to you?”

  Merdon grabbed my arm and towed me to the basement without a word.

  I hated his protectiveness over her dumb feelings. Five minutes alone with her, and I would have her coming around to my way of thinking. I always did. Instead, she was standing there, looking at her toes while he dragged me back down to the basement of doom.

  Tugging at hi
s hold did nothing to free my arm. I stumbled after him, down the steps and onto the mat.

  He didn’t even give me a chance to get ready. He crouched low and came at me. I thrust my hand up, heel first, and hit the bottom of his jaw. It was like smacking stone. Still, he backed off briefly before coming at me from a different angle. I didn’t try the same move. This time, I ducked and tumbled around his legs, springing up behind him.

  I knew very well he was moving at “normal” speed and could have grabbed me if he’d wanted to.

  On and on it went until I was panting for air and my limbs were shaking.

  “I need to stop.”

  “Again.”

  “Damn your ‘again.’ What is the point of trying to kill me after stopping me from doing it myself?”

  He stalked across the mat. I backpedaled my way into a stack of boxes, cornered. He crouched, and I thought he was going to come at me once more. Instead, he got right up in my face.

  My pulse spiked. He’d pulled too much shit for me not to be wary.

  “I am not trying to kill you, Hannah,” he said with soft menace. “I am saving you.”

  It wasn’t easy to find my voice and enough backbone to say what I needed to say.

  “I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I hurt all over. This doesn’t feel like a save.”

  He leaned down farther so we were eye to eye. His slit pupils narrowed to thin lines as he studied me.

  “You are not tired. You will eat again when you are tired. And you have suffered much more than the minor aches you experience now.”

  I flinched away from the reminder of what I’d endured. Yet the thought made me realize that, since the dream last night, all this tumbling around had given me something else to focus on. It shocked me to recognize I hadn’t thought of Katie once since then. Guilt hit me hard.

  “No,” Merdon said, giving me a rough shake.

  When had he grabbed me?

  “Lose focus, and you fail. Do you understand?”

  Fail meant spanking. Or did it mean biting now? Either way, I didn’t want to fail, so I nodded and focused completely on Merdon.

  “Good.”

  He released me and strode to the center of the mat.

  “Again.”