Page 34 of The Star's Sword

Mark grabbed the bars and winced, making a hissing noise, but then with one hard yank pulled the cage apart, tossing both sides to the ground. He walked toward Samael, who moved in front of me to protect me. “Try again, celestial.”

Sam merely extended his katana to the side, getting in a fighting stance. “I’m gonna turn you into vampire steaks.”

“You and what army?” Mark asked, fangs extending, wings outspread to both sides, nearly matching the wingspan of Samael’s, which were still out.

“I like when they’re too stupid to know what I’m going to do to them,” Samael said meanly. “I like seeing the smugness turn to surprise. The surprise turn to fear, and then the understanding.” Sam’s blade glinted as he shot a look at me over his shoulder. “You all right waiting until I kill this vampire for me to take you home, Cleo?”

“There’s no need to kill him.”

Sam jerked around to face me. “What? Weren’t you kidnapped? Did you come here willingly?”

Mark made a lunge toward Sam’s turned back, but Sam merely put out a hand, made a fist, and punched out, catching Mark squarely in the chest and sending him flying backwards so hard he went through several pieces of furniture and hit the wall at the back, sliding down with an oath of shock. “Fucking ninth-realmers.”

All the while Samael’s eyes, which were red with rings of burning gold despite his angel form, stayed on me. “You have five minutes to explain yourself, Cleo.”

“I did kidnap her,” Mark said, standing and brushing himself off to walk over to us, retracting his wings. “But look, nothing bad has happened. No harm no foul, celestial. I caught her sleeping unawares and decided to take her back for questioning. And teach her a little about vampires.”

Sam’s lip curled with pure rage, first at me, then at Mark, and I could feel steam coming out his ears, his body was so tense with anger. “That better be all you taught her, vampire.” He glared. “I’ll be telling Simon about this.”

Mark merely shrugged. “I can do what I want.” He looked at me, as Samael grabbed me and checked me over, as he picked me up in his arms and hauled me against his chest possessively. “Cleo, you’re welcome anytime.” He smirked. “Or you know, just fall asleep in front of a tree again.” He winked, completely unfazed by Sam throwing him across the room or his window being broken. Maybe he was just like Simon and hated being bored.

Either way, it was time to go back with my incubus, who was stepping backwards onto the windowsill, keeping his eyes on Mark.

“Touch her again, ever, and I’ll tear you in four pieces and bury you in different places so you’ll never know what it means to be whole, or feel sunlight, ever again.”

Then Sam jumped backwards out of the window, making me almost scream until his wings beat out, lifting us up into the air and away from the part of the keep I’d been taken to.

The tower Mark lived in was tall and extended high above the other turrets on one of the four castles that made up the above-ground portion of Simon’s keep.

I stared at it for a moment, swearing I could hear Mark’s echoing, deep laugh as we flew up into the clouds.

I was just glad to be back with Samael, and I decided to just cuddle in against his chest and wait until we landed at the cathedral.

“Don’t get too comfortable, Morningstar,” Sam grated out angrily. “I still have to punish you for your little stunt.”

Anticipation mixed with fear filled me at that. “Um, can it be in a sexy way?”

“It will be punishment,” Sam said. “Because you could have been killed, and I need to send a message. You will not like this punishment, Morningstar. But you will take it for the worry you caused me when I found out you not only didn’t stay with Zadis, but even left Griffin and Os and just disappeared completely.”

I sighed, heart sinking slightly. He had a point. But I still just snuggled in against Sam, happy to be with him again. “Thanks for coming for me.”

But Samael was merely quiet, and I could tell this truly was about to be dealt with when we got home.

He wasn’t just going to let me off easily, it seemed.

Damn it. What was he going to do?

13

As Sam finished tying me to his liking, and stepped back to enjoy his work, I struggled lightly, never having felt so helpless before.

I was suspended completely in front of him, all parts of me tied up carefully to keep me splayed and totally exposed, ropes around each ankle and hand, plus my waist and hips, plus elbows and knees, to keep me floating in front of him, face-down, still completely clothed.

I couldn’t move, except to wiggle in place. I felt a bit like a sexy marionette, face-down, spreadeagle, completely tangled in Sam’s web.

He walked around me as I hung there, helpless, trying not to get wet in anticipation, since he tied me often, though not like this.

It was hard to remember this was a punishment, with everything Sam could do to me feeling so damn good.

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