Page 12 of Loved to Death

“Harder,” she said.

Putting a bit more force into the blow, he hit the tree again. Some of the bark chipped away, but there wasn’t even a hint of pain on his knuckles.

“Harder. Put your shoulder into it.”

He glanced at the skin on his hand. There were no abrasions. He pulled his fist back but found it quite difficult to go against his instincts to avoid pain. He closed his eyes, pictured his father’s face, and then punched the trunk with significant force. To his shock, a large crack appeared in the wood and the fifty-foot tree shook as though it might topple. He stared at his undamaged fist in awe.

“Amazing,” he muttered.

“Now give me your hand.”

He held his hand out. She grasped his wrist and slapped the back of his hand.

“Hey!” he complained, snatching his hand back to rub out the sting.

“I can hurt you. The sun can hurt you. Fire can hurt you. Not much else can. At least not that I’ve found. A knife will cut you and a bullet will go through you, but it won’t hurt. You’ll bleed if you’ve fed recently but that won’t cause you any harm. Cuts will heal themselves if you’ve fed recently or as soon as you feed next.”

Thomas shook his head. “That defies all laws of nature.”

“We defy the laws of nature.” She turned her face to the side and pointed to her cheek. “Punch me.”

“What? No. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re half my size.”

“Your hand will break before I feel any pain. This is an object lesson. I can hurt you. You can’t hurt me. Go ahead.”

“Be that as it may, I won’t hit a woman.”

“Not even a slap?” She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

“No. Women are meant to be protected, not harmed. Any man who hurts a woman is no man at all.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, but he couldn’t read her expression.Anger maybe? Sorrow?

Polly stepped into his personal space and trailed her fingers across his chest, down his stomach, and almost to his groin. “What if the womanreallywants you to hit her?” She looked up at him with a smirk.

“Oh.” Thomas’ dick twitched at her touch for the first time since becoming undead. Pleased to know that part of his anatomy still seemed to work, he cleared his throat. “I uh…I don’t know.” Jeffrey had liked it rough, and Thomas enjoyed causing the other man pain, but the thought of hurting a woman in the same way made him uneasy. “I’ve never done that. I don’t think I could.”

She rolled her eyes and stepped back. “I suppose you’ll just have to take my word for it then. If you hit me, you’ll only be hurting your own hand.” She started walking again at a brisk pace and said, “Come. We’re nearing the farm. We’ll need to stop talking in case men are there. Stay behind me and don’t do anything unless I tell you to.”

He bristled at her patronizing tone but didn’t disagree with the plan. He fell in step behind her and quietly contemplated everything he’d learned.

When they made it to the edge of the bordering woods, Polly stopped and stared at the farm before them for several minutes.

“Your horse is in the pasture,” Thomas whispered. “No one has been here.”

“Or it’s a trap. You stay here while I go check.”

“If it’s a trap, I should go with you to help.”

She took her eyes off the farm to glare at him. “If it’s a trap, it’s set for you, not me. I’ll be able to get in and out. Men don’t expect me to be a threat.Youcertainly didn’t. So do as I say, stay here, and stay hidden from sight.”

“But—”

She grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm behind his back again until he winced. “You may not be willing or able to hurt me, but I assure you that I’llenjoyhurting you if you don’t obey me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.” He could hear the strain in his own voice. “I just wanted to help.”

“Don’t be a simpleton. You’ve been undead for two days. You’ll help by listening to me when I give you orders.” She let go of his arm with a little shove.

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