Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90404 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 452(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
And he gives me that terrifying smile again.
Except it’s up very, very close.
“There is no per-son-al space. Or a-lone time.” He even says the words like they are foreign concepts. “You are my consort. Your time is my time.” He pulls me even closer, so that my nose touches his cool, leathery lion’s nose. His liquid amber cat’s eyes blink sideways as he peers straight into my soul. “Your space is my space. Your body, my body.”
I nod, terrified. Terrified… and something else I’m not prepared to name. But nothing gets past him and that damnable nose of his.
He pauses and sniffs, then puts his hands underneath my armpits and lifts me up straight off the ground until my—
“Hey!” I screech and bat at his face—which is now avidly sniffing me… down there.
He grins up at me. “My consort is not opposed to these ideas. Your body tells me so.”
I’m freezing and upset, and I can’t even believe— Just because my dumb body happens to remember how good last night felt has absolutely nothing to do with how pissed off I am at him chaining me up and dragging me around—
I kick, hoping to get in a good smack in with these strong new calves, and put some real force behind my efforts.
But he’s lowered me, gently placing my feet back on the freezing stone.
“Time for that later,” he says, which he amends with a sideways tilt of his head. “Soon. First, we eat.”
I’m about to tell him that no, first, we finish the conversation about boundaries, and then we find me some clothes because not all of us can regulate our temperature with fur because you know, I don’t have any—
But then my stomach rumbles with hunger. Dammit, when was the last time I ate?
And by that point, he’s already dragging me over to the long table.
He points down to the floor where a small cushion rests beside the large chair at the head of the table. The steak on the plate in front of his chair smells delicious as steam wafts off it—it’s freshly cooked. I look around for my plate.
“On your knees. Not a morsal unless you are in consort position.”
My mouth drops open, and I’m sure my eyes blaze as I stare up at him. We’ve been in the morning light for about half an hour now. And well, after the first shock of how damn big he is has finally started wearing off… He’s not all that terrifying, I suppose.
Yes, it is still somewhat frightening to see a man-shaped guy with lion’s features, short golden fur like a lion might have all over his face except for his exceptionally furry eyebrows. Yes, those big, black goat’s horns are a smidge disconcerting... And those unnerving eyes. Not to mention the dark lion’s nose and that split-lipped mouth that I remember all too well from last night…
As if he knows exactly what I’m thinking, he flips out his long, long tongue and licks those self-same lips.
I step back from him, hands on my hips. “Why the hell did you give me working legs if all you’re going to do is order me to my knees?”
That wicked, terrifying mouth of his twists up in a grin. “You only get to your knees when I tell you. It is I who gave good legs to you, and I who can take them away. So you bow to me on your knees when I command it.”
His answer only infuriates me more.
“So this is how it’ll be?” I ask, totally pissed now. I’m not new to people thinking they can take advantage of me. There’s this general idea out there that people are nice to the disabled, but that’s BS. I’ve been treated like crap my whole life. When I’m not being looked past as if I don’t even exist, I’ve had people try to take advantage of me because they assume I’m helpless.
When I visited Chicago, I was robbed. Naturally, the pickpocket looked around and thought I looked like a perfect, weak target.
Even my own mother. She always assumes I can’t do things. And rather than let me figure out how to do them on my own, she just quickly grows impatient with my slowness and does them for me.
It’s why I like Drew so much. He trusted me to do things for myself. At least until he didn’t. I frown, even more angry and not sure why.
I focus on the monster in front of me.
Yes, that’s what he is. A monster. I rattle the solid metal ring around my neck as if to prove it to myself.
“You’ll just threaten to take back my legs if I don’t do exactly what you want? If I don’t bow and scrape to your every whim for the rest of my life, you’ll just keep threatening me? I thought we made a deal.”