Page 20 of Bloodmoon Ritual

When we passed out of the heavy press of traffic and into one of the less-traveled streets past abandoned and burned-out factories, Rhyder moved.

He swung fluidly, carefully into the lane beside me, and when I looked over at him, my palms sweaty on the handlebars, my brother flicked his fingers over to the side of the road, and I saw his mouth move.

Pull over.

I set my mouth in a thin line.

I was going to throw my whole fucking back into escaping him.

So instead of pulling over, I took a side street, turning so sharply that the gravel and pebbles shot up under my tires.

Shit fuck.

That had been a mistake.

I could feel myself losing control as the bike hit the loose gravel and rocks andholy shit,I was about to hit the pavement at 60 mph and split my head open on the concrete, and the bike started to throw me sideways when I felt a strong hand on the back of my dress, yanking me away and through the air until I was set firmly down on Rhyder’s bike in front of him.

My brother turned and spun his motorcycle in a tight circle, driving one-handed so he could keep his other hand on me, his big fingers splayed across my stomach. Then he bent low to the handlebars, forcing my body so flat that I was squashed painfully against the console.

For a moment, I struggled against his grip, then I realized why I was getting practically flattened when I heard the first explosion, the crashed motorcycle behind us igniting into a fireball.

We sped away, and I heard another explosion as the crashed bike blew up with a terrifyingboom,sending metal pieces and a wave of heat and flames toward us. Rhyder’s body surrounded mine protectively, and I heard the sparks from the explosion sizzling as they landed on his broad back, the frightening sound of pieces of metal hitting the motorcycle like shrapnel, but he made no complaint.

There was another shower over us of sparks and flame, and I smelled the burnt leather of his jacket. But his hand stayed on my belly, firm and unmoving, digging into my flesh and shielding me from the fire and flying metal.

The blood rushed hard in my ears with terror. My body was laid flat in front of him, and he finally moved both his hands to the bars, leaning on top of me to send the motorcycle flying so fast down the road the scenery blurred before my eyes. I felt my brother’s harsh breath on my neck, rolling with intimacy under my long hair, and I closed my eyes, only opening them when Rhyder pulled over just past a city bridge.

He smelled like leather and fire.

“Are you all right, Temperance?” he rasped, his hands feeling my shoulders and back carefully.

But not a spark had touched me, not a flicker of flame, not a scrap of metal.

“I’m fine,” I said shakily, my legs and hands still trembling.

My brother put one huge boot down on the ground. Then he flipped me face first over his big thigh and landed a hard, sharp slap on my ass.

“I never want to see youeverdo something so dangerous again!” he shot at me through gritted teeth, his big arm pressing my chest forward so my ass was higher in the air.

One hand on my back had me pinned me tight, the other one spanked me again.

My brother waspissed.

“Let me go!” I shrieked, and I was subjected to the humiliation of seeing all the passers-by immediately cross the street to avoid us.

In the cities you knew to look the other way and never interfere with whatever a Congregant wanted to do to a woman.

And no one wanted to mess with anyone the size of my brother.

Growing up, I had gotten very little physical punishment in the Congregation.

Many years ago when I was very young my mother had been caught at a border gate trying to escape and been killed by the Elders. My father had been beaten so severely for his lack of discipline that he was permanently disabled and died only a few years after. That left Rhyder as the Head of House in charge of me until we came of age.

And he took any punishment meant for me on his own back and did not permit anyone to touch me. Even himself.

“Stop, dammit! Fuck, Rhyder! Getoffme!”

But he landed blow after blow brutally on my ass, the sound echoing loudly in the quiet space.

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