Page 80 of Slaughter

“Nothing,” he growls.

“You’re lying.”

He tosses his phone onto his nightstand and then crawls in next to me. “How do you feel?”

“Fine.”

“Now you’re lying,” he snaps back, and I frown.

“Avery …”

He jumps on top of me, pinning me down on the mattress. I hiss in a breath when my sensitive skin rubs against the sheets. He reaches down, hooking his finger into my collar—the only thing I’m wearing—and yanks my head off the pillow by it. He lowers his head, drilling his blue eyes into mine. “Who do you belong to, Bunny?”

“You,” I say without thought.

“Whose slave are you?”

My eyes narrow on his. “No one’s.”

He lets go of my hook and slaps me. And just like before, wetness pools between my legs at the sting. “Wrong answer.”

My lips part, and my breathing hitches.

“Whose slave are you?” he asks again.

I take a deep breath. “No one’s.”

“Bunny, I won’t ask you again.”

My anger for him grows even though my body tingles. “What are you going to do to me? Slap me? Whip me?” I snap. “Do your worse, Avery. I will never call myself your slave.” I won’t do it. Not for him. Not for anyone.

His phone starts ringing, and he groans. “Goddammit.”

“What is wrong?” I ask, truly worried about him.

He ignores my question, and his eyes fall to the collar around my neck. “You are never to take this off. I’m gonna put a lock on the back and throw away the key. And hook a leash to it. You will go everywhere I go. And everyone will know you belong to me.”

“You are talking crazy,” I say breathlessly. The fact he never wants to let me go has my heart pounding. I’ve got to get away from him. My life depends on it.

“You make me crazy,” he snaps.

“Avery…” I place my hand on his face, but he pins them both down by my head, and my pussy begins to throb.

“You are my slave, Bunny. You always have been and always will be. It’d be best if you remember that.” His words are spoken evenly, but a fire burns in his dark blue eyes.

“Stop calling me that!” I snap. “I’m not a slave, Avery. I’m a person.”

“Not anymore,” he states simply, and it makes my stomach drop at the coldness in his tone. “You are my property. My trophy.” He lowers his lips down to mine, but not close enough to touch. “And I will do with you whatever I please.”

His phone rings again, and with a growl, he gets up and answers it. “Hello?” he snaps.

I sit up and watch him pace back and forth, running his hand through his hair. “I appreciate the offer, but the answer is no.” He comes to a stop, and his eyes lock with mine. “Is that so?” he asks slowly, and my heart picks up, wondering what he is talking about. “Well, you were misinformed,” he assures whoever is on the other line. Then he hangs up without saying goodbye. Before he puts his phone on the nightstand once again, he powers it down completely. Then he walks into the closet. He returns with rope dangling from his right hand, and I know he intends to use it on me. Possibly punish me. But I don’t care what he plans on doing because I will never tell him or anyone else that I am his slave. I can’t voice those words out loud. I fought too long to escape that world. I won’t allow him to drag me back in.

_______________

I stand in the foyer of his house in where I now know is Rio with the same black duffel bag by my feet. Darrell stands to my right, and Avery faces me. “It’ll only be a couple of days. Max,” he says, running a hand through his hair. He is still on edge. Whatever that phone call was about last night was not good. Even after we fucked, he turned distant and left me alone in his bed. I don’t know where he went or what he did, but I ended up passing out. I woke to him crawling in bed with me to fuck me again this morning.

“Then why can’t I stay here with you?” I ask. I’ve spent my entire time trying to get away from him, but now I don’t want to be without him. Just like when I was a teenager, I’m starting to depend on him again. I have a feeling this was his plan all along.

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