Page 7 of Empress of Ruin
I claw at his hand, digging bloody gouges into his skin. I’m not myself right now; I’m the verycharacterizationof a primal fear response. I don’t care what he said or the bullshit promises he made. There’s only one way this ends, and—
“At least you didn’t make me wait for your decision.” His voice is as calm as it previously was, without the faintest note of exertion. My struggles are draining me, but not impacting himat all. That only drives my rage higher, prompts me to struggle harder, and in effect,tires me out.
“I warned you.” His hand moves to my hair, and he pushes me to the cold ground. “Youwantthis, don’t you? Youwantme to chase you and spank you like an errant child.”
“Getoffme, yousick fuck—”
“I wouldnotsuggest annoying me anymore than you already have.”
Annoying.Annoying?He makes me sound like a petulant little fairy he can swat away!
“Fuck you!”
“Patience.” His hand grasps the back of my neck, pushing my face directly into the patches of wilted grass.
Hewasn’tlying, or exaggerating. But then, I knew that he’d follow through on his promise, didn’t I? Of all the terrible things he is, Killian isnotsomeone who breaks his chosen course of action. Now, whether he reveals his true plans to anyone else is a different story entirely.
So why did you run?
The answer is simple: dignity. Escaping the humiliation of giving in. It’s easier when I don’t have a choice. I canlivewith myself when I fight and struggle—I don’t know how I’d live with myself if I just gave in.
“You’ve lost weight.” His tone conveys his displeasure as his fingers skim over my hipbones. “Struggling to take care of yourself in my absence, Little Bird? That’s alright; we’ll fix that. But first…”
I’m wearing sweatpants purely for comfort, but the unfortunate side effect is Killian can easily yank them down, and so he does. I scream again into the soil, thrashing, trying to push myself up. Killian’s response to this is crack his hand down on my ass. A stinging pain prickles over it, momentarily rendering me silent and still. Then, he smacks my other cheek, and I jerk with a gasp.
“Be still.” He yanks my panties down my legs.
My eyes dart around in horror. “Not here.” We’re in public. Anyone could walk past at any moment, and they’d see me—someone who’s already been the star of a sex tape—ass up, titsdown, being spanked by a man who probablystillplans to kill me at some point. Just not before he’s had his fun.
He spanks me again. I hiss and flinch. His hits are hard, sharp, and precise, meant to inflict maximum pain with minimum effort—and it works. Three spanks in, and my struggle has ceased.
“Killian, please—nothere,”I hiss. “Not in public—ah!” I cut off when he spanks me twice in a row, at the extra-sensitive juncture where my ass meets my thighs.
“Not inthiscemetery!”
I brace myself for the next strike, but it doesn’t land. Instead, a thoughtful hum fills the air.
“Are we negotiating?” he sounds mildly curious.
I squeeze my eyes shut. Open them again. Doingthis, so close to the proximity of my entire family’s resting place, is untenable. I didn’t considerthatangle before running. If I negotiate, I’m sure he’ll demand concessions I amloatheto give.
Then again, I’m beyond keeping my promises to him. I’ll say what I have to, then do what I need to.
“Yes,” I hiss.
He spanks me again. “Try again, sans the attitude.”
Dick. I almost forgot how overbearing he is. Nevertheless, I make an effort to soften my tone. “Yes.”
“Good.” He strokes a hand up my thigh and rests his palm on my ass. The other hand is still firmly holding me in place, face-down against the ground. The position is humiliating, and if I want it to change, I have to play ball. “A few terms. First, your punishment will double for your little stint—even if you come with me willingly. So, you can stay here and get your ass reddened, or you can come with me and it’ll probably be bruised.”
“You’rereallyselling the wholecome with you willinglyidea,” I mutter.
His fingernails dig into my flesh, and I gasp.
“Second, you will stand up willingly, take my hand, and walk out of here with me. If you run again, I’ll forget my benevolence.”
Benevolence?He’s a fucking sadist, not some benevolent overlord.
