Page 78 of A Debt of Darkness

“I. BEG. YOUR. PARDON?”

She swallows. Thank the gods she has the decency to be nervous.

“I said no.”

The calm colors of her room contrast sharply with the emotions flowing through me. I’ve got to keep control, despite the outright defiance. She might have outmaneuvered Rowan, but this is a challenge I intend to meet.

“One of two things is going to happen now, pet. You can thank me—properly—and accept a lesser punishment. Or you can behave like a fucking brat and I will deal with you accordingly.”

She stares at my feet and bites her tongue.

No other pet would have this choice. They’d have been dragged by their hair until I strung them up. I’d lash them until their back bled and I’d drink their blood as it oozed down them, enjoying the exquisite taste of their pain.

This won’t be Ivy’s punishment.

But—fuck me—she’s pushing it.

What she wants is to know she’s safe with me. That no matter how far she pushes things or how bad things get, Iwon’t lose control or hurt her—beyond what she can endure.

“Choose, pet.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Choose or I will choose for you. Last chance, pet.”

She pouts.

Ivy’s made her decision and the toss of her head is her way of trying to prepare herself for what’s coming. This is going to be a test. For both of us.

“What do I expect?”

She huffs. “Effort and acceptance.”

I nod.

“You’re doing neither.”

Her mouth falls and her eyes snap up to mine. She genuinely thinks she’s doing at least one of them. That’s a surprise. I was sure she was pushing to test my control and check her safety. Maybe this is going to be another time Ivy surprises me.

“You aren’t trying, pet.”

“I am,” she replies and her lip quivers. “I really am. This isn’t fucking easy, Henry. You’re being unreasonable.”

I slide my finger under her chin and tip her head back further. The angle makes her strain and feel more vulnerable, forcing her to hold her balance while she waits for me.

“You’ve been pushing for days, pet. I’ve been patient. I’ve given you space. I’m not the one being unreasonable.”

“Nothing about this is reasonable,” she hisses. “I’m trying, but this is fucking insane. I need more time. I can’t do this.” Her eyes water as she looks away. “It’s too much. I don’t want this.”

I tense. My first instinct is to scream it doesn’t fucking matter what she thinks or wants because this is going tohappen. She can fight as much as she wants, but this is what we’re meant to be and she needs to fucking accept it.

But my heart shudders and it’s begging me to listen. It’s whispering that she’s trying to tell me something, and we’d be better off if I was brave enough to listen.

It’s risky.

Ivy might realize how much power she has and that could make this worse. She’d fight harder and I’d have to be harsher to bring her back in line. We could spiral even further out of control and that’s dangerous. For her. For us. For me.

“What don’t you want?”