Page 95 of Bloom
“That’s it? You’re going to go to bed and leave me hanging?”
Aleric couldn’t believe his ears. “I just said I’m not in the mood. It doesn’t feel good, and I’m tired. I thought I’d get into it, but I can’t, and I’m done.”
“We’re not done.” Gautier grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him back down over the bed. “Use your heat. You’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want to use my heat!” Aleric jerked when the belt hit him, and the leather left a hot stripe of pain across his rear that wasn’t pleasant at all. “I said red! Red!”
Another strike came. He twisted and kicked out as he tried to loosen his wrists.
“How many times do I have to say red?! Stop hitting me!”
“I said to push your heat. You’re not going to get me excited and stop after five minutes.”
“Get off! I said I don’t want to!”
Gautier held him down and gave two hard strikes with such force, Aleric yelled out of desperation. Nobody was staying in the room directly above or below him, and nobody was down the hall either. The chances of anyone hearing him were quite slim. He screamed the word help, hoping someone would hear and realize he was in trouble.
“Be quiet!”
“Let me go!”
Gautier grabbed him by the hair, shoved his face down into the bed, and ignored his struggles. Aleric gasped at the next lash.
Nobody had ever hit him with the buckle end of a belt. The rectangular piece with scalloped edges wasn’t very big, but thesharp strike of metal against his flesh hurt more than anything else he’d felt. He’d barely had time to process the pain before it struck again.
It hit everywhere on his ass and thighs, bringing spots of searing pain. He kicked, twisted, and struggled to get up or slide down. Anything to get away from it. His scalp stung as Gautier tightened his grip.
“You can’t give me something simple I want, and now you’re denying me? I see how this relationship is going to be.”
Aleric clenched his jaw to keep quiet as he stiffened and tried to brace himself for each lash. It didn’t help. Twice, the belt wrapped around and caught his hip. When the metal struck bone, he bit his tongue until he tasted blood.
Gautier finally released Aleric who slipped to the floor as his legs trembled. His wrists stung as he pulled on the rope and tried to get up to move away, afraid the belt buckle was going to hit him again.
Gautier grabbed his arm, and Aleric’s breath hitched when he saw his other hand curl into a fist.
“Alex-please-”
The fist to Aleric’s gut knocked the words from him.
“You could have used your heat and taken it. I wasn’t asking for much tonight. I guess after a couple of years, you think you can deny me whenever you want now.”
He dropped Aleric who tried to curl up around the pain in his gut. He could barely breathe, not that Gautier cared. The belt hit his arm, and he huddled down, trying to protect himself. If Aleric screamed or begged, it might excite him more, and he was positive Gautier was going to rape him once he finished with the beating.
The thought almost paralyzed him, and when the belt lashed down again, he thought of his sword leaning in the corner across the room. Too far. The buckle hit his back. His dagger was onhis chest of drawers. Also too far. He jerked his wrists, and the burning sting in his wrists was nothing compared to the next five lashes.
The belt clinked when Gautier stepped back. Aleric couldn’t hear anything except his own ragged breathing as he lay on the floor with his hair covering his face. Agony raged through his back, his ass, and his legs. Gautier was going to drag him onto the bed at any second. Or he’d hold Aleric down on the floor.
Aleric wouldn’t beg or give him any satisfaction.
The belt clanked once more, and he almost flinched at the sound.
“I didn’t think you’d be a tease after this long. You shouldn’t tease a dominant. Your mouth got you in trouble not long ago. I guess you learned nothing. Then again, I didn’t think you’d feel pity for werewolves to start with. Perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered with a man who’s half Rowland.”
Too afraid to sit up or even move, Aleric opened his eyes. Through the strands of his hair, he saw the lord snatching his shirt from the floor. His coat went on next. He fixed his trouser ties, slid his belt through the loops, wiped the buckle with the edge of his black shirt sleeve, and buckled it. Neat, presentable, and like his lover of the past two years wasn’t bleeding on the floor, he walked out of the room.
The silence rang in Aleric’s ears for several seconds before he finally drew in a deep breath. He heard his sitting room door shut, and his mind reeled. Gautier hadn’t even untied him.
The first time Aleric said no…it was like the past two years had meant absolutely nothing.
