Don’t get stuck on your back. Don’t get stuck on your back.
Swinging out a fist, I jerked upward, but he was still holding the chain and pulled it back. The back of my head cracked off the stone as he caught my fist and then my other hand. Tsking under his breath, he pressed my wrists together as he transferred them into one hand.
“Keep fighting me,” he said. “I find it greatly amusing.”
Lifting my hips, I twisted toward him, kicking out. The heel of my foot connected with his thigh, causing him to grunt. The burst of satisfaction was short-lived when he drew my arms up over my head.
“Kicking is not nice, little bird,” he admonished. Panic choked me just as badly as the band had earlier when cool metal clicked around my wrists, securing my hands to the stone. “You wouldn’t like it if I did it to you.”
“Fuck you.” I kicked out again, catching him in the stomach.
The blow to the side of my head stunned me. I hadn’t even seen him move, but I felt the explosion of pain. White crowded my vision as I breathed through the agony.
“Didn’t like that, did you?” He had a hold of my leg as he moved down to the end of the slab. “I can do much, much worse.”
“You…you hit like an…underdeveloped five-year-old,” I said, blinking to clear the starbursts from my vision.
Cool metal snapped around my right ankle and then my left, and the only good takeaway was that I wasn’t spread eagle. But when I dipped my chin and peered down, I could see that the hem of my dress was riding up. Not like it had far to go to begin with.
Aric stalked back toward me. “I didn’t know you had such a mouth on you.”
“Surprise.”
He gave me another tight smile as he placed his hand over mine. “I’m going to have to teach you how to be mindful of what you say to me.”
My heart tripped over itself as he trailed his hand down my arm. “Good luck.”
“I won’t need it.” His hand left my arm, and he gripped my cheeks. “You will, but you will find none of it.”
I forced myself to meet his pale eyes. “I’m not scared of you.”
His smile increased as did the pressure on my face. “That is a lie. Do you know how I know that?”
He was right. God, he was. I was terrified of the Ancient, but I’d be damned if I gave him the satisfaction of admitting it. “You’re a super special, know-it-all fae?”
“Cute.” His chuckle dripped ice down my spine as he guided my head up. “I can smell it in your sweat. It reminds me of kerosene.”
“Sorry I…”—I swallowed back a groan as the pressure on the joints of my jaw increased—“I don’t smell better for you.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.” Using his grip on my face, he pulled me upright as he held the chain in his other fist, shortening the length until the cuff pressed into the front of my throat. My back bowed painfully, and my arms stretched. “I love the smell of fear. It gets me hard.”
My heart stuttered and then sped up. A whole new horror swamped me. There were a lot of things I could deal with. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself. Pain. Humiliation. Fear. None of those were new. But this possibility? I didn’t know how to deal with that.
“You’re sick,” I gasped out.
Aric aligned his face with mine, causing my hands to open and close. When he spoke, his icy breath coasted over my nose. “Not sick enough to fuck you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
A rush of relief pounded through me so fast and hard, I almost lost it. A burn in my throat crawled upward—
“Don’t be too relieved to hear that. It offends me, and”—he tilted his head, his gaze traveling over the length of my body, lingering in areas that caused my skin to crawl—“well, I can always be swayed.”
Revulsion threatened to choke me as he lifted his gaze to mine. I glared back at him, my hands trembling as they curled into fists. Once again, I found myself wishing I was wearing anything but the sleeveless sheath dress. Then again, I had a feeling if I were wearing a parka or a head-to-toe shapeless jumpsuit, I’d still feel stripped bare.
One side of Aric’s lips kicked up. “But right now, there is something else I want from you.”
“I’m not going to tell you a damn thing about the Order.”
“Silly girl.” He jerked the chain, snapping my head back. “There is nothing about the Order that I don’t already know. They are no threat to me.”
