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There is another reason for my reluctance to go further. Her squirming red cheeks are doing things to me, making my cock become rock hard with the demand to take my mate. If I keep looking at her this way, and punishing the deserving soft rounds of her cheeks this way, I may very well lose control of myself entirely.
I lay down the ruler and return the dress to its proper location. I like this wrap style. It is always one swift tug away from no longer being a dress at all.
“We will finish this when I get you home,” I tell her, so she knows she is in for more. “And speaking of home, I believe it is time we said our goodbyes. Thank you for a very nice meal, Thorn. I am sorry we couldn’t be better company.”
“Well, you’ve certainly been good entertainment,” he replies with a chuckle. I know he is relieved that it is my mate causing the trouble, and not his — for once.
Raine
I know he just let me off lightly, but that was still the most humiliating experience of my life. Of all the people to be stripped naked and paddled in front of, Sullivan has to be the worst. Now she has something to remind me of when it suits her. She will be able to gain the upper hand in conversation effortlessly, so I’m glad we’re leaving.
“Bye, Raine,” she says. “Hope you can sit later. Nice to see so much of you again.”
Ah, to hell with it. I know I’m going to regret this, but sometimes you do things you know you’re gonna regret because the payoff in the moment is just too damn good.
I pick up a handful of something with a similar texture to mashed potatoes and I sling it at Sullivan’s smug face. It’s a good shot. It catches her right on the cheek and splatters instantly up into her hair and down over her fine dress.
“Raine!” She gasps my name, half-horrified, half-laughing. “What the…”
I was angry when I threw the mash, but there’s something about throwing soft foodstuffs that’s just inherently amusing. Dammit, that was a tactical error. I was all wrapped up in fury and shame and now the muscle in my cheek is twitching and I am a split-second from bursting out laughing.
I tell myself that I want to beat the hell out of Sullivan. There have been times that I thought we’d all be better off if she was dead. But I get the chance to do something, and I reach for spuds. I hate how much I care about her. I hate what my caring about her has done to me and to the crew. I don’t want to actually hurt Sullivan. That’s what’s frustrating. Anybody could just kill her. She’d snap like a fucking twig. In spite of my anger and annoyance, I have never wanted to see her actually harmed.
SMACK!
I shouldn’t be surprised when Avel’s hand meets my ass in a hard slap, and I’m not. I am, however, pained by it. The slap stings and burns and generally reignites the pain he laid down not long ago with that damn wood stick.
“That was immature. That was beneath you.”
“It was something,” I say.
“It was the last thing you’re going to do in the alpha’s house tonight. I can say that with certainty.”
Avel picks me up under his arm and carries me off into the night.
There’s a moment when he extends his wings and beats them hard to take off, a surge of power that thrills me to my core. Avel is so fucking hot, and I am his helpless captive. As the lights of Grave City diminish beneath us, I sink into his grip and hold onto him. I depend on this creature for my life, and that is never so clear as it is when we are flying. He is flying. I am being held, protected against the inexorable forces of gravity which would take me and destroy me if he let them.
The trip back to his roost is too short. I could stay in the skies with him forever. But all too soon, I am being put down in the very center of his little home and being led to the bedroom. I am ready for whatever comes next, and I am hoping it will be hot.
Once we get into the bedroom, I see that Avel is not smiling. Not even a little bit. He didn’t find my behavior amusing — or if he did, he’s good at hiding it.
He looks down at me from his great height, and I feel as small as can be as he sighs.
“I wanted you to behave. For one evening. That is all you had to do.”
I suddenly realize that he’s disappointed in me. I knew he’d probably be pissed. I knew he’d probably whip my ass. But I didn’t think he’d be disappointed. Dammit, now I feel guilty. And that guilt is circling around to anger, because fuck this, why should I care if I disappoint an alien who has captured me for no goddamn good reason?
I let myself be overwhelmed by him all the time. From practically the first day we met, I’ve been bowing and scraping for his approval. For what? For why? There’s no reason for me to be his captive. I’ve barely broken any rules on this planet at all. The only thing I tried to do was rescue Sullivan from the clutches of the alpha she’s fallen for. If that’s a crime, I’d commit it again. And again. And again.
Fuck these guys. These creatures think they own everything. It doesn’t even occur to them that they don’t have any right to imprison us.
I hate that he’s got the power to make me feel bad.
“Wrong,” I snap back, sassy as hell. “I didn’t have a single thing to do. Because I don’t owe you anything.”
Avel draws in a deep breath. “You don’t owe me anything? Raine, you owe me your very life.”
“Just because you stopped me from dying a couple times doesn’t mean you get to tell me what to do forever.”
