Camden knows I’ll follow her to the ends of the Earth and he’s using that against me. By moving her to Kinrith, he’s ensuring I move with her.
“Youmotherfucker!” I yell at the top of my lungs, renewing my struggle with such vehemence that Camden actually stumbles a step back. I slap him across the cheek with all my strength, so hard that his lip splits and a trail of blood drips from it before the cut quickly heals.
Then I do something I never thought I would; I call forward my flame with lethal intent. I’ll kill Camden before I let him have my little sister.
This time, my black fire doesn’t just ignite in my palm—it covers the entirety of my hand, as well as some of my arm.
Anger fueling me, I strike Camden again, fully expecting him to turn to ashes on the spot and not caring that I’ll be killing my so-called soulmate. Not caring that I’m about to take a life because all that matters is protecting Leisel from his kind.
Shock flares on Camden’s features as I slap him with my flame-covered hand, but nothing happens. He doesn’t disintegrate. Not even a scorch mark is left on his cheek.The fire doesn’t affect him at all.He must have immunity to my abilities—evidently, a side-effect of the bond. The fire on my hand dissipates.
Camden’s blue eyes burn brighter as they lock with mine, and I instinctively stiffen. Being given that raging stare from a being who’s an apex predator in every way makes me freeze. He sucks in a deep breath as if trying to calm himself, and when he speaks, his tone is cold and flat. “Did you think that would kill me?” He gives his head a single mechanical shake. “Mates can’t kill each other, Sierra, but attempting that is something that will earn you a heavy punishment.”
Chapter Eleven
Camden seizes my arms and pulls me to the bed, tossing me face-down on it. When I try to scramble upright, he presses a hand to my spine and holds me down, not seeming put off in the least by my struggles. I’m sure, in his mind, I went way too far with my attempt to kill him. In reality, he’s simply yet to realize that I will do anything to protect my sister. He holds me down for several minutes, and I get the sense that he’s trying to calm himself—but that doesn’t stop me from continuing to try to escape.
Finally, he speaks, the words chillingly cold. “You were afraid for your sister,” he says, as if to himself. “Likely assumed she’d come to harm while under my care. That made you lash out, which is understandable, but trying to kill me is stillnot fucking acceptable.” After another pause, he continues. “I’m going to stripe your ass with my belt—perhaps that will act as a deterrent for any future foolish endeavors.”
Stripe my ass with his belt?I don’t think the bond could turn that level of pain into pleasure. The spanking before was a mere warning; this will be an example of what Camden’s going to do if I cross him so severely in thefuture.
“Wait,” I rasp. “I’m sorry—”
“Oh, you will be,” he says darkly. “I’ll make sure you’re sorry enough to never repeat an assassination attempt. The more you struggle, the harder I’ll go on you, so it’s in your best interest to stay still.”
I fall motionless at once because I fully believe he’ll deliver on any threat he makes right now. Although I was acting rashly out of fear and anger, Ididjust attempt to murder him. To him, not punishing me for that would be a concession of weakness—something I doubt he or his wolf would permit.
Camden still keeps a cautioning hand on my back, but I hear him take off the belt with the other. “You get to keep your pants on this time, but if you ever do something that suicidal again, I’ll whip your naked ass until you bleed.”
With that, he lets the belt swing. I hear the telling displacement of air before a stripe of pure, torturous fire ignites my ass from the impact. I can’t help it—I cry out. My entire body jerks involuntarily. Camden isn’t going to take it easy on me.
“Stay. Still,” he warns, before hitting me again and again, not deterred by my yelps and eventual screams when the pain simply becomes too much.
He hits me ten times in total, the blows so shockingly aggressive I’m surprised he didn’t snap my tailbone. The agony is scalding, burning, and unbearable. My entire ass is on fire, and the slightest twitch only amplifies the pain.
When he’s done, I shut my eyes against the tears of pain threatening, forcing them back. I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I simply lie motionless on the soft bedding, trying to regulate my breathing.
Camden lets out what sounds like a breath of relief. “Don’t make me do that again.”
When his hand moves from my spine up to my face, in an attempt to brush the strands of hair covering my face aside, I snap, “Don’t youdaretouch me, you piece of shit!”
I sit up on my haunches and face him, wishing that he wasn’t immune to my power but knowing better than to try to hit him with my flame again.
He stands fully upright, crosses his arms, and gazes down at me. It looks like it takes every ounce of his willpower to remain still. “Go home. Pack your necessities and Leisel’s as well. Tomorrow morning I’ll be taking you to Kinrith.” His tone gentles slightly when he sees traitorous tears welling in my eyes. “It won’t be so horrible, Sierra. Don’t try to kill me, and I won’t belt you again—that’s a punishment that’ll only be administered in extreme circumstances.”
I don’t say anything because as soon as I open my mouth, I know I’ll cry. Not from the pain though—it’s already subsiding, and I have a pretty high tolerance. I suspect that though I’m not a healer, the magic within me does make me heal faster than humans. No, I’ll cry because Camden is quite literally ruining my life, and worse, Leisel’s.
“You’ll want for nothing,” he tells me softly. “Anything you could possibly wish for will be yours.”
After that, I hear his unspoken words:Anything but your freedom.
***
The ride home is unbearable. Every jostle on Shadow reignites stinging pain on my backside. I keep my winces to a minimum because I don’t want to frighten Leisel even more than she was being confined in a room with shifters for upwards of twenty minutes.
When I walked back to the dining room, I refused to hang my head like a disciplined mate would. My chin was in the air, my eyes disdainful as I took in the curious shifters. My posture was straight as if every step wasn’t painful. I got the sense that Camden somehowlikedthat about me. When he bid Leisel and me farewell—in the smuggest way possible, of course—I’d seen a glint of pride in his eyes.
Well, fuck that and fuck him. If the bond was a physical thing, I’d light it on fire and watch gleefully as the connection between us was destroyed. Unfortunately, it’s magical and impervious to tampering.
