Page 18 of Plug and Claim

“Of course. Unless you want to be fed on, I suggest you lock your door.”

“Will the lock keep you out?”

Nathaniel’s smile slipped. “No. Not if I really wanted to be inside.”

The air thrummed with tension as they faced off, her insides coiling unpleasantly at the thought of what he was insinuating, at least until she realised… He’s teasing me again. The tug of his lips gave it away.

“Then what’s the point of locking my door?” she whispered into the silence.

“It might bring you a lovely, false sense of security.”

“Great.” She rolled her eyes. His meaning was clear: while progress had been made at the academy, few things had changed, and it was still a dangerous place for anyone who wasn’t a vampire.

“It bears repeating,” Nathaniel said, his humour vanishing, “that unless you want one of the vampires to feed from you, or to do other things to you, it is best you keep your door closed in the evenings. It will save you from some rather awkward conversations…and from unwanted visitors. Understood?”

She nodded.

“Good. Now, come here.”

She didn’t budge.

He arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you want me to remove the collar?”

Well, yes, but…

Kira sighed, her legs feeling like lead as she dragged them forward across the small room to where he stood in the doorway.

“Turn around.” It was a harsh command, and she could tell by his tone that he would not accept anything less than full obedience.

Resigning herself to the situation, she turned. There was a long pause in which she dreaded he would make her kneel.

Another second dragged by, and she became certain he was considering it.

Please no.

She could not submit a second time. She was barely holding herself together as it was. And this was supposed to be her room, her only sanctuary in this parasite-infested hellhole.

Her thoughts stilled as his hands brushed her hair aside, sweeping it over her shoulder so he could undo the collar. His touch was agonisingly gentle, a contrast to the collar’s tightness, and she did not hate the brush of his fingertips against her skin as much as she ought to have.

The collar fell away, and her hands flew to her neck, massaging it in relief. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned to face him.

Nathaniel was quiet, his expression inscrutable as his gaze roved her neck. He seemed reluctant to leave, and the longer he hesitated, the hotter the tension became. The air simmered with it, making the room feel too small, as if there was not enough air.

They were standing too close, but her feet felt glued to the floor. She couldn’t move away, could not move a single muscle as her heart pounded in her chest. The collar dangled in his hands, and he looked very much like he wanted to put it back around her.

Fucking move, she yelled at herself, finally getting her feet to cooperate as she took three quick steps back. Was the vampire turned on? She was too afraid to look, her eyes locked on his, but heat flared in her core, the low throb of desire beating like a drum.

Nathaniel snapped out of it first. “Susie will be here in approximately two and a half hours. Try to get some sleep.” He turned to leave.

“Nathaniel, wait,” she called after him.

He turned back, his head cocked to one side. What did he see when he looked at her? A damsel in distress? “Yes?”

She kept her voice cool. “If you ever dare put a collar on me again, I will rip your fucking heart out.”

He nodded solemnly and began to leave.

Kira felt a small burst of triumph, at least until he turned back and said, “The next time I collar you will be because you beg me to.”