“Kait, if we go forward, you bind yourselfto me. No more playing games, no more deceptions large or small. You become mine. Trust me, and I’ll show you what power exchange really is. And wewillfind justice for your sister.”

Kait found it difficult to breathe.

A moment later, Aurelian stood up. “Think about it, Kait,” he said calmly. “I’m going into the other room. I have to deal with your would-be assassin and find out what he knows. So take the opportunity to think about it. I expect your answer when I return.” Just like that, he turned and went down a hallway and out of sight.

Kait wiped the remaining tears from her face and took a stiff drink of brandy. She wished she could call Carenna. Hell, she really wished she could talk to her sister. Kait felt a wave of sadness.Even when you were alive, we stopped talking about that sort of thing many years ago. If we had kept talking, would you have run away?An impossible question to answer. The real question was, what was she to do next? Aurelian had laid it on the line clearly. Do things his way, submit to him, or that was it, and they didn’t see each other again.

Just like that.

You got into this to get justice for Talia.But if you commit, it won’t just be about Talia anymore. It will be about you and him.Kait found the bathroom and tried not to think about what was happening down the hall. Was Aurelian torturing the creature? He had said he was going to “deal” with him. What did that mean? Did she even want to know? Kait shuddered.

Ugh, what a mess. Kait surveyed the damage the tears has done to her makeup and worked on repairing her appearance. Aurelian had restrained the Shazlik assassin in his “playroom.”There’s so much I don’t know about power exchange. I mean, does he get off on torture? Is he turned on by what he’s doing in there right now? Does he want to tie me up andhurtme?She stopped what she was doing and just looked at herself in the mirror.Does a part of me want him to?

She took a deep breath because she suddenly knew the answer. The answer was yes. Yes, she wanted to lie over Aurelian’s lap while he spanked her, even though it hurt. Yes, she wanted Aurelian to tie her up and have his way with her. Yes, she wanted to kneel at his feet and await his orders. Even justthinkingthose words was getting her wet. “Okay,” she said to herself. “Time to do this.”

Holy shit, Kait. You’re really going to this.