Page 8 of Deal with the Devil

“I’m already in trouble,” she whined.

“Mmm, not yet.” Knox swiped his fingers across her slit, and she shivered. The warm, gooey chuckle of his against her ear made it near impossible to move. He reached back and grabbed something. Then the fucking water bottle was back in her hands.Plus a second one.

“Oh, so you want me to pee like a horse!” She snorted, struggling to get out of his grip. Part of her didn’t want to, part of her knew better than to linger.

His charming cackle as he let her go did damage to her composure as he took up another water bottle of his own. “I’m a fan of being drenched, sure.”

Knox led her from the kitchen after she finished off her starting water bottle. Painfully slow, he made her take steady sips that only made the intense look in his eyes worse.You hate this guy, remember, he was going to hurt Penny.

Which reminded her, as she tossed her empty bottle in the trash. The swinging kitchen doors behind them, she spoke up. “Penny’s home, right?”

“Hmm?” He pulled out his phone from his pocket and sent a text. They stopped in the middle of the foyer while he stared at the screen. She worried if asking it again would result in a bad answer, so she waited. No matter her rage or horny thoughts, she needed to know Penny was home safe. A small ding went off in his hand and he gave a quick nod. Knox twisted the phone screen toward her, and she saw Penny at the front door with Brayden, her nephew. A sigh of relief ripped through her as she leaned into Knox’s arm. The pair were pictured in front of Penny’s humble one-story home. Amelia would know those atrocious peony flowerbeds anywhere.

“Thank you.”

“No need, it’s a part of the deal. And so far, you’ve held up yours.” He poked his phone back in his pocket. The centaur from before sauntered up to the pair. “Denver, could you have one of the housekeepers run a hot bath, and have new clothes set out for Ms. Armstrong.”

She snorted, “why?”

The centaur raised both brows high enough they nearly rocketed off his face. Yet, Knox seemed incredibly tickled pink. He smirked at her over his shoulder. “Because, at some point, you and I will need to eat something. And as much as I will devour your pussy with abandon, I do use table manners at the dinner table. Which includes wearing, at the very least, pants.”

Amelia eyed him. “You’re so strange.”

“How was that strange?” He scoffed, tossing a handout to his side with his eyebrows knitted down on his face.

She wanted to tell him, correct him, and remind him that normal people didn’t offer to just eat people with abandon.Maybe that’s just everyone I’ve slept with.She looked away, notwanting to get into it in front of Denver, who lookedincrediblyuncomfortable with the conversation. That’s when her gaze landed on the maze of hallways. From the foyer, she could see networks of channels within the house, illuminated with orange light as the sun set around them. It was getting late. This was it; she was here, and she was his. There was no escaping it.

“Don’t even think of it,” he teased, taking her water from her. She let it go without a fight.

Amelia returned her attention to him, face pinched in confusion. “Think of what?”

Denver had collected items from Knox’s pockets before bowing his head and leaving them to their strange squabbling.

“Running.” There was a look in his eyes that told her, he was thinking of it. She hadn’t been thinking of running. What fool would try to run? She didn’t know where they were, and the man had acres full of who knows what. She’d seen horses and a shit ton of goons. They were everywhere. She’d likely get a foot out the door before being ripped back inside. Plus, there was the deal to consider. If she tried to back out of the contract, she had no idea what he’d take as payment. Not just Penny, but…that’s how magic contracts were, they all came with a heavy price. Knox chuckled darkly, ripping her out of her trance. He twisted toward her, taking up her chin between his forefinger and thumb. “The house is a maze and we’ve hardly seen a quarter of it. So many hallways and rooms that lead to other hallways, you’d surely get lost. But, let’s say youdoget outside, where would you go? I have acres of grass then acres of woods, you wouldn’t get far. Besides…when I catch you, because I will catch you, I’ll simply fuck you wherever I find you for running. So, best not to tempt fate. Be a good pet and do as your told.”

His purple eyes bore through her. He was practically begging her to do it. Amelia spent her whole life reading between thelines of books. She knew he was salivating over the idea of chasing her down.

Didn’t he already get his fill? Besides…he didn’t actually catch her the last time, she made the mistake of trying to take cover…she wouldn’t take that chance again.But…it’s not breaking the contract if that’s what he wanted her to do, right?

He wanted a chase? Fucking fine, she’d give him a chase. His mistake.

He let go of her chin, turning toward the stairs. Before he said another word, she bolted for it. A gazelle at top speed, she ran for the first hallway. His wicked laugh followed her down the hall. “Good pet, I’ll give you five seconds. Let’s see how fast you run.”

Was it wrong to feel a sharp tingle between her legs as she zipped around a corner? Staff and random strangers jumped out of the way as she scrambled down the halls rapidly. One after the other, she desperately searched for the back wall. She could find a back door once she found a wall. However, every hall only brought her deeper into the house.How fucking big is this place?He wasn’t lying when he called it a maze.

She elbowed her way past two elves in chefs jackets and bolted down a new hallway. There were shrieks of surprise and the echo of “Sir?” that followed her. Her heart was in her throat, beating against her tongue. Amelia could taste her panic.It tasted like excitement. Amelia’s legs stung from their life or death run earlier. However, now she ignored the prickling pain in her muscles to fly down another hallway. A single guard stood at the end, guarding a glass archway.A greenhouse. The way out was before her and she didn’t care, she was getting out.

The guard eyed her with bewildered suspicion, stuck in between the glass entryway and a bull coming to knock him clear of it. Before he could put hands on her, she dropped into a slide. Her flipflops were lost in the transaction as he grabbed for her. Amelia scrambled to her feet. Clawing against the tinted glasswalls, she flew into the greenhouse. A pixie and a human were watering the plants. Both screamed bloody murder as she bound over a plant box and barreled through them to the door. She didn’t have time to be polite or apologize.

Besides, they worked for her enemy.

Amelia was at the door, shouldering it open when she caught sight of him. Knox flew into the greenhouse doorway. His eyes were blown wide with a primal hunger aimed directly at her. “There you are, pet, you sure are fast.”

“Just wait till I’m outside!” She tossed her words at him as the door creaked open. The hinges were rusty and stiff, but they gave way, and she was free. Her bare feet slapped against the concrete steps down into the yard. However, delightful grass tickled the bottom of her feet as she ran for the tree lines. Staff cleared out of her way, watching with baffled expressions as she flew past them. Clearly running in nothing but Knox’s trench coat, blue ponytail whipping behind her, she soared. The trees were within reach.

Amelia might not be a ballerina, but she was the shortest girl in a boxing class full of minotaurs, orcs, and other people three times her size. She had to be fast. Amelia bound over a log, the rush of freedom licking her insides.

It all came crashing down as someone snatched her by the ponytail. She cried out, feet ripped out from under her. Another hand had ahold of the back of his jacket. She fell, face first, into the grass. Knox dropped on top of her, forcing her to look to the left. Her cheek was stained by the yard. Fingers curling in the earth, toes digging, she tried to claw her way out from under him. He stretched her hands above her head and locked her wrists together. His cane was pressed against her, and glittering magic swarmed her hands. The long, glossy black metal was warped into unforgiving black cuffs that were exactly the size of her wrists. A metal fox head topped her bound wrists, the rest ofthe cane used as a spike to ground her. She tugged for all she was worth and found it didn’t give.He caught her.

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