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He sighed in relief. I could see that it had spread much further across his chest than when I’d last seen it and that scared me. Without thinking, I rushed over to him and pushed my fingers against the mark, tracing along the darkened swirls of color. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against the very ends of it, closing my eyes and leaning against him for the briefest of moments. When I pulled back, I drew in a breath as I watched the mark retract slowly back to where it had been when I’d first seen it for the very first time.
“It seems I can’t be without you for very long, my little mate,” he murmured softly.
“It would appear that you’re right,” I answered with a breathy sigh of relief at seeing him once again.
“I missed you,” he said quietly, showing his emotion with the gentle shake of his voice. The gravity of his words was not lost on me, especially because he said them in front of all the other Aberrants that Greyburne had taken along with me.
“You shouldn’t have sent me away,” I replied, and he stilled, before winding his arms around my shoulders.
“I know. I’m sorry I sent you away, but because of that you showed me something about humans that I never would have known. You’ve shown me that humans are strong and that you in particular, little girl, are fiercer than even the strongest warrior. You’re intelligent, cunning, and I couldn’t have asked for a better woman by my side. You’ve got a great many surprises tucked into that head of yours, don’t you?” he murmured into my ear. He paused for a long moment before pressing his lips against my forehead in a gentle kiss. My heart warmed at his apology. I knew it wasn’t easy for him, especially in front of others, but he’d done it anyway. He was a good man. He was mine and that made my heart pulse with love.
When he pulled back, he began to speak again. “Still, I think you need a firm reminder of your place though. Am I wrong?” he asked as he rolled his palm over top of my hardened nipple. I sucked in a breath at his expert touch.
My core jolted greedily at his words. I could still feel Greyburne’s knife against my tender skin, could still feel the hardness of his cock pressed against me and my lips burned with his juvenile kisses. I didn’t want to feel him anymore. I wanted him gone. I wanted him erased from my memory.
I wanted Vane in his place. I wanted to feel his mark, to be forced across his thighs and spanked until he decided I’d been punished enough before he threw me down on my back and fucked me senseless. I wanted to forget everything that had happened, and he was the only one capable of doing exactly that.
“I was rather defiant, wasn’t I?” I asked and I knew he had smiled at my words without even looking.
“I should punish you for that,” he said gruffly, and I shivered hard. He pulled back and peered back at Mari and the others while he pressed me back against the bars of one of the cells. “Head out that door and my men will be waiting for you. They’ll guide you safely back to my ship, where the other Aberrants are safe and sound.”
Mari met my gaze and I knew she was trying to figure out if she and the others should intervene. For a moment, I contemplated fighting for my freedom, but in that moment, I realized something about myself.
I didn’t want to be free.
I wanted to be owned. I wanted to answer to someone and that someone was Vane. There would be no one else for me. Even now, my heart was beating for him. The sense of relief at seeing him walk into the dungeon to rescue me had felt like a massive weight that had lifted off my shoulders.
I realized then that I was choosing him.
He’d taken me some time ago, without caring if I had wanted it or not. He hadn’t given me a choice, but right now I had a chance to make that decision myself. I turned my head toward Mari and shook my head.
“My place is by Vane’s side,” I whispered to her and she narrowed her eyes before nodding with understanding. She turned away and walked toward the exit of the dungeon. I watched her leave and in the ensuing silence, I heard Vane clear his throat. We were together now, and I knew what was to come was going to hurt, but I wanted it to. I wanted him.
“Your place is with me, isn’t it, my little human,” he murmured, and his arms wound around me even tighter than before.
“Only that’s not the only thing that your place means,” he murmured, and I shivered against his warm embrace. I could feel his grin press against my shoulder, and I didn’t answer. We both knew what that meant.
I belonged with him. Naked. Wet. Ready for his use.
I was ready for him to show me my place once more.
The rest of the Aberrants filed out of the dungeon and the two of us were left completely alone. He stilled and looked over my shoulder into the cell I’d been held captive inside not long ago. With a quiet laugh, he pulled back and gazed down at me with an amused twinkle in his eye.
“That’s Greyburne over there, isn’t it?” he questioned, his smirk growing as I squirmed beneath him.
“Yes,” I answered with a shrug. I could feel a smirk edging at the corners of my lips.
“He doesn’t appear to be moving,” he observed.
“Nope,” I replied evasively. I was quiet for a long moment before I finally spoke again and explained myself. “I killed him with his very own dagger,” I added, unable to stop myself from grinning with my victory.
“You are a downright menace to society,” he replied, amused but very clearly impressed too.
“Perhaps, but I can think of a certain someone that has volunteered to remind me of my place from time to time,” I countered, and he chuckled.
“In due time, little human. I think you and I are going to spend some time in this ancient dungeon and you’re going to remember what happens to defiant little girls who forget what it means to be obedient,” he threatened. I bit my lip, feeling a soft heat caress my cheeks. “First though, we’re going to have to get rid of that body before it starts to really stink, and I have just the men waiting outside to do that for me.”
“He already stinks,” I replied rather matter-of-factly, remembering the smell of him as he pressed his body against mine.
