Page 53 of Reaper Flame

“I won’t,” I replied. As much as I’d like to inflict serious bodily harm, I wouldn’t do it on his fucking terms.

“It wasn’t a request.” Zander returned to his previous position on his knees. He leaned forward, curving his spine as an invitation.Nausea stalked my stomach. In this pose, he was vulnerable. I could snap his neck, and he’d be utterly defenseless. “You agreed to follow my orders.”

He wasn’t begging. His tone was matter-of-fact like it was an inevitability.

I kept my voice level. “I don’t want to.”

“What you want doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter to me before, so why should it matter now?” Zander snapped. “Do it.”

I raised the whip and slapped it gently on his back, making light contact. It was more of a brush than a slap. I’d been dreaming of ways to make him pay, but this isn’t how I imagined having my revenge.

“Is that really the best you can do?” Zander snarled. “Remember what I did to you, Candy.”

I raised it again and hit harder this time. The leather made a satisfying crack as it caught his shoulder blade. An angry red mark appeared quickly in its place. The first time Zander called me into his office in Lapland, he bent me over his desk and spanked me. He made his mark on me, and this was my turn. Zander had always been the one in control. He was the leader, the person everyone submitted to, but he was handing over the power to me.

“You’re not even trying!” Zander blasted. His face contorted with fury as he caught my gaze in the mirror, then he shot me a twisted smile. “Do you want to know what I’m thinking about? I’m thinking about how much I enjoyed your sweet, tight pussy, knowing that I was planning to give you to Hiram. Every time we fucked, I knew what was I was going to do.”

Anger rose in my chest, blinding all my senses as the Kitten rose to the surface. She remembered what Zander had done, and she enjoyed making bad men pay.

I hit him again. And again. And again. I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. The urge to make him suffer was overwhelming. It was too strong...

THWACK!

Returning to Blackthorne Towers was something I could deal with, but knowing someone I trusted was behind it ruined me all over again. All the anger I’d been holding came out like a volcanic eruption.

THWACK!

I’d shared my body with him! Hell, I even let my guard down enough to believe that being part of the Sevens was like belonging to a real fucking family.

THWACK!

Why did I fall for his act? Zander built our connection on a web of deceit. How could I have seen a future with him? I cared about my loyalty to the Sevens so much that I’d been willing to trade my freedom.

I raised my hand again.

STOP!

A small voice in the back of my head whispered into my monster’s ear. It was a quiet murmur but loud enough to bring me out of my frenzy. Whenever I killed, I went into a hypnotic state. Hiram’s training had desensitized me from seeing the horror.

I took a step back.

Blood and large welts from where the skin hadn’t broken covered Zander’s back. His breathing came in short, gasping bursts, but he hadn’t moved or objected during my attack. He allowed me to keep going. The whip fell from my shaking fingers and hit the floor with a bang.

“Why?” I stammered.

“It’s what I deserve, Candy.” Zander stood up. Every movement must have been agony, but he didn’t flinch. He spoke quietly and inclined his head. “Every action has consequences, remember?”

I thought his mantra about consequences only applied to other people. Since when did he hold himself to the same cruel standards? He grabbed a clean shirt and headed into his adjoining en-suite. His jaw clenched in determination. No matter how much pain he was in, he refused to show it.

“You can go,” he dismissed.

“No.” The word came out before I could stop myself, and I followed him into the bathroom. “Let me help you.”

“You want to stay?” He frowned in confusion. “Why?”

I ran the faucet and ignored his question because I didn’t know the answer. I’d not caused him enough harm to warrant missing my best friend’s engagement party, but I couldn’t leave him. Not like this.

“Turn around and stay still.” I held up a warm washcloth and signaled for him to rotate, hoping he didn’t sense my hesitation. I wasn’t the nurturing type. My usual clean-up jobs involved cutting up body parts. It was easier to work with a corpse who couldn’t complain. Zander’s shoulders tensed as I dabbed his skin. “What part of ‘stay still’ don’t you understand?”

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