Page 149 of Heimlock

Shortly after, we say our goodbyes. The flight home is short and quiet. In less than forty-eight hours, our lives will change forever. One way or another. The fear is sinking into my bones, making me feel brittle.

Once we’re finally in the apartment, Trinte immediately grabs me a bottle of water. “Drink this.”

“I’m not thirsty, though,” I say, eyeing it.

I’m startled as he walks into me so fast, I’m forced to slam against the door. Crowding my senses, he says, “You’re going to need to be hydrated because you’ve asked all five questions and I’m collecting on my half of the bet.”

I swallow hard, knowing exactly what that means. I take a sip. “Is this because of the chair?”

“Yes, but also because I really want to fuck your throat, Firefly.” Excitement flutters in my belly. I’m about to pull my shirt off when he stops me with a hand. “Wait. We need to discuss boundaries.”

“Boundaries?”

He dips his chin. “The safe word is pickles, but what are you not comfortable doing?”

I think about the question. Ticking my answers off my fingers, I say, “I’m not into blood, scat, pee, weapons, or multiple things in my pussy at once.”

His smile turns deliciously feral. “That’s all?”

That look has me pausing, wondering if I’ve forgotten anything. “Um, I think so?”

His thumb brushes along the point where my shoulder and neck meet. “And what are your thoughts on claiming marks?”

I think of the one Orliana has on her neck. How proud it makes her. “They’re pretty hot.”

His head rests against mine as he murmurs, already turning breathless, “Baby girl, please tell me I can mark you today.”

My blood thrums with anticipation. “Will it hurt?”

“Probably, but I promise to make it all better after.”

My breath hitches and my hips thrust forward at the visual of him making it better. “Then, by all means; mark me.”

I close my eyes, anticipating the bite, but it doesn’t come. The warmth of his Fyre intensifies, though, and when I reopen my eyes, he’s staring down at me with the hungriest expression in existence.

He brushes a knuckle along my cheek. “You think I’m going to do it without making you earn my bite, Firefly?”

I furrow my brow in indignation. “Earn it? I haven’t earned it yet?”

Trinte’s hand wraps around my throat, tightening until air becomes impossible to inhale. With a vicious tone that raises the hair across my body, he murmurs, “I’ll decide when you earn it. Understood?”

Heart beating at a punishing pace, I nod. He leans his head down, inhaling me deeply with a groan. “Fuck, you smell delicious. But you don’t smell of me yet.” Nipping my ear, he promises, “We’re going to fix that.”

The words turn my knees to jelly. When his hand releases my throat, I gasp, but before I can catch my breath, he tosses me over his shoulder and smacks my ass hard. I squeal with a kick, forcing him to lay an arm across my thighs.

“Naughty pretty creature,” he purrs, marching to his bedroom. “You’re going to pay for so many things.”

I laugh, torso bobbing with each step. Wriggling my ass right next to his face, I taunt him, knowing full well he's about to teach me a very valuable lesson. “I don’t believe you, manservant.”

When he spanks me again, the pain shuts me up. For the first time, I’m a tiny bit afraid of what I’ve woken up.

I’m unceremoniously tossed onto the bed. For a moment, we stare at one another, his gaze roving over my body. My skin flushes at the promise in those eyes.

“Stand up.”

I frown. “Why did you—”

He grabs my ankle and yanks me to the edge of the bed. Before I can react, Trinte flips me over with a ruthless smack to my ass. I cry out and try to scramble away, but his hand holds my ankle firmly as he smacks the opposite ass cheek.