The other vampire was…growing somehow.Changing into something not human. Well, he hadn’t been human tostart with—not for the past six hundred years. But now he didn’teven look human. His eyes had gone blood red for one thingand he seemed to grow larger, or maybe it wasn’t his physical massexpanding but his mental sphere somehow. A cloud of darknesssuddenly surrounded him and his face elongated frighteningly untilit looked like a horror mask you might see on Halloween.
“You dare!” he thundered and I felt a senseof all-pervading dread. A terror that came from outside my mind,rushing around me like a hurricane force wind. It clawed roughly atmy mental shield, trying to get into my brain.
I tightened my defenses, trying to hold backthe panic that wanted to rise in me at the attempted invasion. Isensed that if I let the fear in, it would drive me insane.Roderick could break the delicate inner workings of my mind andleave me a drooling vegetable as easily as I could crush an ant andhe would enjoy doing it.
Corbin obviously sensed what was happeningbecause he grew larger as well, shielding me in more ways than one.I could feel him reaching out to protect me, trying to form a wallbetween me and the hateful fear that was trying to invade.
I was still standing behind him and I wasglad—I didn’t want to see if his face had turned into a horror maskwith glowing red eyes like Roderick’s. Didn’t want to know if hehad also lost every last scrap of his humanity and become amonster.
“No,” he shouted at Roderick. “Stop it!Addison is too fragile to endure such treatment.”
“She must be punished!” Roderick’s voice haddeepened and thickened somehow. He sounded like an animal talking,an ancient crocodile, maybe, that had somehow learned to speak.
“She will be!” Corbin growled, taking a steptoward the howling horror monster Roderick had become. “But not byyou—she is my consort! If you break her, no matter what theprovocation, you will have me to deal with.”
This seemed to calm Roderick down somewhat.Or at least, the cloud of darkness around him receded and his facebecame marginally less scary. The wind of agony and terror I feltwhipping around my mental shield seemed to die down somewhat aswell.
“She must be punished well,” he snarled,still sounding more animal than human. “I want to see herbleed.”
“No.” Corbin’s voice was cold. “I told you,she is too fragile for such treatment.”
Celeste frowned. “She shouldn’t be if you’vebonded her to you. You could at least break a few of her bones—sherichly deserves it.”
“Shut your mouth, Celeste, and let yourbetters talk,” Roderick snapped.
Celeste frowned but moved back a step,clearly not willing to risk a run-in with the much more powerfulvamp.
“Addison has only recently become myconsort,” Corbin said, talking only to Roderick and ignoringCeleste who was pouting to one side. “I didn’t want to bond her tome until I was certain I intended to keep her. Therefore she is notbonded and cannot endure rough treatment. She will howeverbe punished.”
Roderick frowned. “If you do not intend tomake her bleed or break her bones, what will you do?”
It was a good question—what was hegoing to do? I felt my whole body tensing with dread. God, thiswhole night had gone so much worse than I had even imagined itcould. And yet, I couldn’t regret my words or actions. Roderick hadto know he couldn’t just take my friend against her will. I hadpromised Taylor that no one would ever hurt her like that againand, damn it, that was one promise I intended to keep!
Corbin took a deep breath. “If you knewAddison as I do, you would know that what she fears most isn’t painbut humiliation. The punishment I give her will make her sorry sheengaged in such rash actions tonight, I assure you.”
“Fine. Humiliation is a good, if rathersubtle tool.” Roderick nodded. “Proceed.”
“What, right now?” I gasped as Corbin turnedand took me by the arm. I had hoped he would “punish” me aftereveryone had gone home. And what kind of humiliation did he have inmind, exactly?
“Yes, now.” His voice was tight withanger as he dragged me up onto the dais. There was a throne-likechair with a high back where he usually sat during club hours,allowing the regulars to admire the rare and powerful four-starvamp. Corbin sat in it now and pulled me to him. Then, before Icould protest, he yanked me down onto his lap and flipped meover.
“Hey, stop it!” I struggled but of course itdid no good. Corbin’s arms were like steel bars, holding medown.
“This is for disobeying me,” heannounced.
He flipped up the gauzy red dress and yankeddown my panties at the same time. Before my mind had time toregister exactly what he was going to do, I felt his large, hardpalm connect with my bare ass. Smack!
“Ouch!” I gasped, unable to help the note ofsurprised pain in my voice. Earlier Corbin had said he didn’t thinkcorporal punishment would do me any good—so why was he doing itnow?
I didn’t have much time to wonder because hedid it again.
“This is for threatening one I ordered youto be respectful to.” Smack! Again his palm connected withmy backside, followed by a rush of humiliating pain.
“Ow! Stop it!” I wiggled furiously but heonly held me tighter. From the corner of my eye I could see thatbitch Celeste smirking and Roderick nodding, a little smile on hislips. God, that they should see me like this—that they shouldwitness my pain and embarrassment as I was turned over Corbin’sknee and spanked like a naughty little girl was almost more than Icould bear.
And still Corbin wasn’t done.
“This is for speaking out of turn when youshould have been silent,” he growled, spanking me again.Smack!
My ass was burning by now and there wasnothing erotic about it. It wasn’t like one of those scenes in thespicy romance books where the stern master whips his naughty littleslave while she secretly gets off on the pain and submission. I hadno wish to submit to Corbin—not like this. And I
