Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“It’s almost time for me to leave you, min gudinne. But first, we need to make sure we don’t have another incident like this morning.”
Her eyes widen, and she struggles against me as I hoist her naked body up over my shoulders. She’s so slight it takes very little effort, and I wonder about her ability to take all the darkness I have to give as I carry her to the St. Andrew’s Cross on the other side of the suite. I wonder if Ella has even had time to notice the contraption or the wall of tools designed for pleasure and pain.
“What are you doing?” she shrieks as I set her down in front of the apparatus and force her legs apart to secure her ankles.
“You misbehaved this morning,” I inform her. “And now you have a punishment coming your way.”
“Please—”
Her cries fall on deaf ears as I loosen the rope around her wrists and jerk her arms up above her head to secure them in the last two restraints. When I step back to examine my masterpiece, I’m not quite certain I ever want to take her down. She’s a deity up on my altar, and it would be just as tempting to worship her, which leaves me feeling unsettled.
Yes, she’s pretty, but she’s just a toy. A vessel to provide me a distraction and a release. If this is going to work, I can’t allow myself to think otherwise. But I’m having difficulty remembering that with her blue eyes staring deep into my soul, rattling me on a level I’m not accustomed to.
“Where is Alfred?” she chokes out.
“Alfred?”
“The kitten.” Her voice wavers. “You didn’t… hurt him… did you?”
Her assumption prickles more than it should. To hear that her opinion of me is really that low irritates me more than all the others. I’ve been accused of many things in my life, but barbarity toward innocent animals isn’t one of them.
“The kitten is fine,” I answer sharply. “He was safely tucked away in the barn when we left.”
She eyes me suspiciously but seems to accept what I’m telling her as the truth. “Are you going to leave me here like this?”
“Did you have any doubts that I wouldn’t?” I trace the line of her jaw beneath my fingers, and she shivers. “That is the point of punishment. You will grasp this concept soon enough, should you accept my offer.”
“Are you telling me I have a choice?” she challenges.
“You always have a choice.” I shrug. “You chose to sneak into the palace and lie about your identity. You chose to get into my line with an ulterior motive, passionately delivering a speech for those animals you wish to help. And finally, you chose to get into my car, and now here you are. You’ve come this far in your pursuit. You just have one last decision to make.”
“What is it?” She swallows.
“You can go back to England to face the consequences of your fraudulent actions at the palace, or you can choose to save your precious sanctuary.”
Her shoulders cave inward, but she lifts her chin, determined to show her bravery. “What would I have to do?”
The words sound like sweet music to my ears, but I refuse to let my victory show. I already know what she will choose. This woman doesn’t have an ounce of self-preservation in her body. She isn’t capable of being selfish, and despite the light that shines out of her like sunbeams, I can recognize the darkness in her too.
“Two months,” I tell her. “Two months of doing whatever I want, whenever I say. You will submit to me, and you will please me. And for every day you spend in my captivity, serving me, I will donate a sum of three thousand pounds to the Hilliard Animal Sanctuary. And when our time comes to an end, I will donate one additional lump sum based on how satisfied I am with our time together.”
Silently, she does the math in her head, calculating how many animals she could save with this money she so desperately wants. But doubt still lingers in her eyes. She doesn’t know if she can trust me.
“I will make the first donation by the end of the day, should you choose to accept, and you will have the evidence of each receipt delivered to your room by morning.”
She doesn’t answer me right away. It’s taking longer than I anticipated as she debates her options, and I can’t have that.
I check my watch and issue an ultimatum. “You have thirty seconds to accept or decline my offer before I remove it entirely.”
“Yes!” she blurts, horrified by her response. “I accept.”
“Very well.” I give her one last lingering touch before I turn my back on her. “I’ll be back later, gudinne.”
12
Thorsen
“Thorsen!” My mother gasps when I walk into the room. “What on earth happened to you?”