Corbin gripped the steering wheel and sworefluently in a language I didn’t recognize, though the gist of whathe was saying was pretty clear.
Finally he took a deep breath and looked atme again. “What you have done was tantamount to offering to commitadultery in front of high-ranking witnesses. In Roderick’s mind, Inow wear the cuckold’s horns.”
“The what?” I asked but Corbin only shookhis head and continued.
“Roderick will draw one of two conclusions.Either he will think that I am weak and unable to control my ownconsort or he will deduce that I was lying and claiming you falselyas my own. Either conclusion puts us in a very, very badsituation.” His voice so quiet I could barely hear it yet so filledwith menace it made me shiver.
“I didn’t know,” I said.
“You must have had at least some idea. Itold you when I was healing your scars.”
“You never specifically said—”
“Silence.” Corbin held up a hand and lookedaway from his driving to glare at me. “We will have to find a wayto rectify this situation later. In the meantime, you are not togive Taylor any more of your blood.”
“How is she supposed to heal if I don’t?” Idemanded, throwing a concerned glance over my shoulder. Taylor washuddled in on herself, a small ball of misery in the back seat.“You saw what he did to her,” I said to Corbin in a softer voice.“She needs me.”
He looked at Taylor in the rearview mirror.“She needs more than you can give her right now. She will be givenbagged blood when we get back to the Fang.”
“But bagged blood won’t keep her alive forlong,” I protested. For some reason unless blood is fresh from thevein, it doesn’t have the nutrients and life force vamps need tokeep going. Otherwise I wouldn’t have had to play pincushion slashblood bank for my best friend for so long.
Corbin frowned. “It will suffice until I canfind one who owes me enough to pay the Crimson Debt and let herfeed from them without the use of glamour.”
“The Crimson Debt? What’s that?”
“It is none of your concern,” he growled.“You’re lucky I’m seeing to your friend at all. I should let herstarve as part of your punishment but I am not like Celeste—I findno pleasure in cruelty.”
I was about to thank him, albeitreluctantly, when what he’d said really sank in. “Wait aminute—what punishment?”
Corbin glanced at me. “The one you haveincurred by being disobedient and making the Area Inquisitorsuspect our duplicity.”
“You’re delusional, Corbin—you can’t punishme!”
“Watch me,” he said evenly. “We made anagreement and though I have honored my end of it, you are failingmiserably so far at yours. You have actually weakened mystanding with the Inquisitor. Some very serious punishment isdefinitely in order.”
“What are you going to do? Put me over yourknee?”
I was joking but Corbin appeared to actuallyconsider the idea. Finally he shook his head. “I fear you’re toostubborn for corporal punishment although it would be well withinmy rights to spank your lush bottom until you cried tears ofcontrition.”
I didn’t like the way this conversation wasgoing at all. “Look, when we agreed to work together I never saidanything about letting you punish me if things went wrong.”
“You didn’t have to. You agreed to act as myconsort and as such you tendered me the right to do whatever Iwanted with your mind or body.”
“I did not! Or if I did, I didn’t know it,”I protested. Talk about not reading the fine print! But Corbin wasshaking his head.
“Ignorance of the law is not excuse forbreaking it. Make no mistake about it, Addison, you willtake your punishment or I am taking your friend right back toCeleste to do with as she chooses.”
“You bastard!” I wanted to hit him but Iknew I wasn’t strong enough to hurt him. “I can’t believe you’dblackmail me into letting you do whatever you want.”
“Then you do not know me very well,Addison.” We were pulling into the employee parking lot around theback entrance of Under the Fang and he stopped the Mercedesand turned to face me. “From the moment I saw you, I knew I woulddo anything to have you and I do not care how I achieve my goal. Byfair means or foul, you will be mine.”
“But…but why?” I said desperately.“Look at you, Corbin—you’re rich, you’re powerful—hell, you cangive multiple orgasms with your mind. You could have anywoman you wanted. Why me?”
He smiled humorlessly. “Maybe someday I willtell you. For now all you need know is that you are my ideal and Imean to have you. And tonight I am going to punish you.”
So we were back to that again. “Look, I’mnot going to let you—”
He put the key back in the ignition andstarted the car again.
“Wait, what are you doing?” I demanded.
“Taking Taylor back to Celeste. Youobviously wish to renege on our deal.”
“No, I don’t! Anyway, you’re bluffing. I sawthe way you looked at Celeste—you wouldn’t take Taylor back to herafter what she did.”
He raised an eyebrow at me and put the carinto drive. “You think I am bluffing? Would you care to call mybluff then?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. Damnyou.”
Corbin frowned at me again. “You know, Icould chain you up and do what I wanted as Roderick did to yourfriend. But as I said, I dislike such practices. Will you yield tome willingly or not?”
I took a deep breath. He wasn’t giving me achoice. “Fine. I’ll, uh, yield to you. But I think after this weneed to spell out the terms of this contract between us. And also,you’re an asshole.”
Corbin smiled grimly and killed the engine.“I have been called worse. Now, come—the night is not getting anyyounger and I want plenty of time to savor your punishment before Ihave to think of a way to keep us both alive.”
Chapter Six
Corbin called some of his underlings to takecare of Taylor. Then he escorted me to an underground chamberbeneath his office I hadn’t even known was there. But when heopened what looked like a reinforced cellar door and made an “afteryou” gesture, I balked at going
