Page 78 of Sinful

I slipped into the pants and buttoned up the shirt as fast as I could, heart pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation. I wasn’t sure if I could trust him when he said he wasn’t taking me into that awful punishment room. It could be a nasty trick, designed to play with my mind.

He opened the glass door and led me up the concrete stairs. When he pushed open another door in front of us, I almost cried out with relief.Daylight.

“It’s raining pretty heavily,” Sebastian said, turning back to me. “You don’t have shoes, so I’ll have to carry you.”

“Okay, Master,” I whispered.

He hoisted me up over his shoulder, carrying me like I was an errant child. Then he strode out of the shelter and into the pouring rain, hurriedly making his way over a large patch of grass toward the back of his house.

“Are you letting me go home?” I called out over the howling wind and rain.

“No. This is just a treat.”

“What did I do to deserve a treat?” I asked, but my voice was lost in the wind.

Sebastian hurried up the wooden stairs that led to the back porch of the expansive house. Then he set me down on the smooth boards, grinning as he wiped his dripping face with the back of his hand. “Fuck, it’s really coming down,” he said. “We look like drowned rats.”

With that amiable, joking tone and the smile on his face, it was difficult to see him for what he truly was. A monster. Instead, I saw the man I knew back in Alderwood, when we were still friends. Sociable, kind, funny, patient, and oh-so handsome.

But that version of him was a lie, and let’s face it… we were never friends, even then. We were always something more. Something ineffable.

He opened the glass sliding door and ushered me inside. “Don’t worry about getting the floor wet. It’ll dry,” he said, eyeing my drenched hair. He nodded toward the left. “This way.”

“Where are we going, Master?” I murmured as we headed down a hall.

“Bathroom,” he said. “I figured it’s about time you had a proper bath, and we’re already soaked, so why not, right? I’ll get us some food and drinks as well. You must be hungry.”

My heart was pounding, mind reeling. Why was he suddenly being so much nicer than usual? Surely it was another one of his tricks.

“Why am I getting a treat, Master?” I asked.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “You don’t have to call me that anymore. I changed my mind about it.”

“Why?”

“I just remembered that all you Covenant folks call the Entity your Eternal Master. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I figured it’s probably too confusing for you to call me Master as well.” A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Let’s just go back to Sebastian. Seems easier.”

“Okay… Sebastian,” I murmured. I still didn’t trust this nice version of him. Not at all.

“Anyway, to answer your question…” He stopped short and turned to face me, eyes flickering with indecipherable emotion. “To be honest, I feel bad.”

“You feelbad?” I asked, brows shooting up.

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to hurt you yesterday. I mean… shit, yeah, Idid. But not like that,” he said. “I just wanted answers, and I got carried away. I hurt you so much you passed out from the pain, and now you don’t even remember any of it. Obviously, I took things way too far.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t going to argue with his assessment. Not when my back was still covered in red welts and thin scabs from the whipping he’d doled out.

I chose to ignore the part of me that enjoyed it and begged for more. Ihadto block it out, because it was too confusing to think about, and I already had enough confusion and worry in my life at the moment. Especially with this strange new mind game Sebastian was playing.

He stepped a little closer. “Just to be clear, I’m not letting you go, Rose. But I do want us to find some way to get along. A way where we don’t hurt each other.”

“Okay,” I said, averting my eyes. I would love to believe that this friendly side of him would remain, but I knew better. I’d seen the monster come out. Seen the terrible wrath in his eyes. He couldn’t just shove that down forever. Sooner or later, it would be back.

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