Crimson Debt: Book 1 in the Born to Darkness series (19 page)

I knew in my head he was right but my bruised
heart and stinging bottom told a different story.

“You should have let me shoot him,” I said,
wiping my eyes again, this time on the gauzy material of the red
dress. It wasn’t very absorbent. “I could have killed the fucker—it
was point blank range.”

“You would only have enraged him.” Corbin’s
voice was grim. “You would have gotten off one shot and then he
would have ripped your head off before I could have stopped
him.”

“You don’t know that,” I said. “
How
could you know that?”

“Because I have seen it happen before—only
the one who tried to kill Roderick was a were—a powerful one at
that.”

I knew he was telling the truth—I could tell
it by his voice. And if Roderick was quick enough to kill a
powerful werewolf, he was certainly quick enough to kill me. But I
was still too angry to let it go.

“I couldn’t let him do that to Taylor,” I
pointed out. “That slimy bastard. I
promised
her I’d never
let him touch her again.”

“Never mind what you promised, she is under
my
protection now,” Corbin said sternly. “Do you really
think I would have given her over to him?”

“Well, wouldn’t you?” I demanded, glaring at
him.

“Of course not.” He sounded exasperated. “You
do not know Roderick as I do. He is one of those males who will
take what is nearest to hand. I would have given him an excuse
about Taylor when he came and offered him a willing female at the
same time. He would have forgotten your friend between one
heartbeat and the next.”

“Vampires don’t have heartbeats. And I
thought you said you don’t hire prostitutes,” I snapped.

Corbin frowned. “I don’t. But I
do
have several vampire females in my employ that would probably jump
at the chance to curry favor with one of Roderick’s stature.”

“He’s a sick, sadistic asshole,” I said
bluntly. “And he likes to play rough. Who in their right mind would
want to be with him?”

“Anyone who wanted to be introduced at court,
for one thing,” Corbin said blandly.

“What, you mean the Vampire Court? Like some
kind of royalty?”

He nodded. “And as for ‘playing rough’ as you
put it, most of our kind are not adverse to such practices. We are
much more durable than you humans and we like to pay the Crimson
Debt. So our sexual practices often tend to be slightly…
sadomasochistic.”

“Are you kidding me?” I looked at him with
disbelief. “You’re saying you consider the things he did to Taylor
normal?”

“Not exactly. Even for my kind, Roderick is
extreme.” Corbin frowned. “But he is also very,
very
powerful and not one to challenge lightly.”

“I wasn’t challenging him lightly—I wanted to
kill him,” I snapped.

“A wish I’m afraid you must forgo if you want
to live. Addison, look at me…”

I didn’t want to but he lifted my chin and
forced me to meet his eyes.

“I know you’re brave, Addison,” he murmured.
“Your courage is beyond question. But you are so terribly
breakable,
my darling. So very precious and fragile. I
cannot allow you to risk yourself like this again.”

“Oh so I’m
fragile,
am I?” I demanded.
“You certainly wouldn’t know it the way you whipped me just now! I
haven’t been beaten so hard since I was a kid and my stepfather
came after me with his belt.”

He frowned. “I was as careful as I could be,
given the circumstances.”

“The circumstances? What do you mean?”

“I mean that I had to make it real—you had to
actually cry and look contrite in order to satisfy Roderick.”

“Well, you satisfied him all right,” I said
bitterly.

“Not quite.” Corbin sounded grim. “I have a
feeling tomorrow will bring some very unpleasant surprises.”

“I don’t care what it brings, I’m leaving.” I
pushed my way off his lap again and this time he let me. But when I
tried to take a faltering step away from his chair, a sharp pain
lanced through me and I nearly fell.

“Addison!” Corbin grabbed me and pulled me
back into his lap.

“Let me go,” I demanded, struggling weakly in
his arms. “I’ve had enough of you for one night—hell, for the rest
of my whole damn life.
Let me go!”

“Not until I see if you’re really damaged.”
Corbin stood suddenly, swinging me up into his arms and carrying me
as though I weighed no more than a kitten.

“What? Wait!” I exclaimed as he carried me
through the club. “Where are you taking me?”

“Where I can give you both privacy and
healing.” His voice brooked no refusals but I tried to refuse him
anyway.

“Never mind, I’m fine—I don’t need medical
attention or healing or whatever it is,” I protested. I wriggled in
his arms and then groaned when my stinging bottom rubbed against
his arm.

“If you were really fine, you wouldn’t be
crying in pain when I barely touched you.” Corbin frowned at me. “I
thought that I held back enough to keep from actually damaging you
but now I see I may have been wrong.”

“No, seriously, let me go. I’ll just go sit
on an ice pack or something,” I begged but he was already carrying
down the narrow stairs that led to his hidden daytime resting
place.

Once he got me through the thick bank vault
door, he took me directly to the bed. He laid me gently on my
stomach and stripped off his suit jacket and tie, like a man ready
to do some serious work. Then started to pull up my dress.

“Stop!” I half turned, though the motion was
painful, and batted at his hands. “What the hell do you think
you’re doing?”

“Examining you.” He tugged at the loose
material again. “This is a lovely dress, Addison, don’t make me rip
it.”

“I don’t give a damn about the dress!” I
snapped, trying to hold it in place.

“Very well.” With one sudden, fierce motion
he ripped the gauzy material right up the back. For a second time
that night I felt a cool breeze on my backside.

“Corbin, honestly…
”
I flipped over on
my back though the motion hurt my behind and shook my head. “I’m
all right, really.”

He frowned. “I will be the judge of that. Now
turn over.”

“You don’t really care if I’m hurt,” I said,
staying firmly on my back. “You just want another excuse to look at
my ass.”

Corbin gave me a steady look. “While I admit
you have a lush and delectable bottom, I am honestly just trying to
be certain I didn’t hurt you too much.”

“And what are you going to do if you
did
hurt me?” I demanded.

“I will heal you of course.”

My breath started coming faster. “What—you
mean the same way you healed my scars?”

“Naturally.”

“This is ridiculous.” I shifted on the green
and gold bedspread and let out a sound that was half groan and half
laugh.

Corbin frowned. “What is so funny?”

“You are.” I shook my head. “I mean, after
what you pulled tonight I’ll admit I’m tempted to tell you to kiss
my ass but to have you actually
offer
to do it…”

“This is not a joke, Addison.” He gave me a
stern look. “You are my consort—your wellbeing is my
responsibility. If I have harmed you, then I must heal you as
well.”

“I’m not really your consort—we’re just
pretending,” I protested.

“That doesn’t matter.” He looked at me, long
and steadily. “Addison, roll onto your stomach
right now
and
let me see if you’re hurt.”

I felt my face getting hot. “What if I don’t
want to?”

“What are you afraid of?” Corbin stroked my
cheek. “If you think I want to repeat the scene we enacted for
Roderick’s benefit, don’t worry, my darling—there will be no more
punishment tonight, I swear it.”

“None for tonight, huh? What about tomorrow?”
I demanded.

“Stop trying to change the subject. Are you
going to turn over and let me examine you or must I turn you over
myself?”

I could see he wasn’t going to let up until I
did as he said. And seeing that he had literally all the time in
the world to be patient, I wasn’t going to win this one.

“Fine,” I muttered, turning over at last.
“But make it quick.”

“I will take exactly as much time as is
needed,” he remarked, parting the torn dress. “And I will need to
remove these as well.” He tugged gently at my lacy black
panties.

I nearly groaned. “Are you
serious?”

“How else am I supposed to see what damage I
have done? Come, Addison, don’t be difficult.”

“Fine.” I gritted my teeth. “Just don’t—” I
didn’t get the chance to finish because Corbin had already leaned
over me and bitten clean through the thin side straps of the black
panties with two quick snaps of his super-sharp fangs.

“You were saying?” he said as he whisked the
ruined panties away, leaving me bare.

“I was
about
to say just don’t hurt
them—they’re my favorite panties.” I threw him a withering glance
over my shoulder.

“My apologies,” Corbin said smoothly. “I’ll
see that they’re replaced. Now then, let’s see…”

I felt him lean over me again and my breath
caught in my throat as the heat of his big body radiated against my
bare thighs and buttocks. He seemed to take forever examining my
naked backside. I pressed my legs tightly together and stared at
the green and gold bedspread, waiting for it to be over.

“See?” I said at last, when I couldn’t stand
it anymore. “I’m fine.”

“Actually, you are not.” He sounded
regretful—maybe even upset. “I have marked you, Addison and for
that I must ask your forgiveness.”

“It’s all right,” I said uneasily. “Just…let
me go home and we’ll call it even.”

“I cannot even consider letting you go home
like this. I must heal you.”

“No, you don’t have to. Really, you don—”

The words died on my lips when I felt a soft,
hot kiss pressed to the stinging skin of the tender undercurve of
my right buttock.

“Corbin?” I whispered. I was almost unable to
speak at all, I was feeling so short of breath. “Corbin, please
don’t.”

“Why not?” He kissed me again, this time in a
different spot. “Why should I not heal you?” His voice had dropped
to a soft, sensual growl I could feel vibrating through my entire
body as he continued to kiss me.

“Be-because,” I stuttered, trying to think of
a good reason. But my brain seemed to have taken a vacation and
left my body in charge. I could feel the warm, sexual tingling that
always seemed to accompany his healing touch circulating through
me. But this time he was healing a much more intimate area and I
couldn’t help reacting to him.

“I never meant to hurt you,” Corbin murmured
as he continued the slow, soft, hot kisses that were driving me
crazy. “Never meant to mark your delicate body—you have to believe
that, Addison.”

“I…I believe it,” I assured him, shifting
uneasily. God, was this ever going to end? Earlier when he had
kissed my thigh and panties before biting me I had thought I might
melt with lust. Now I
knew
I was going to. I could feel my
pussy getting embarrassingly wet again and my nipples felt tight
and sensitive.

Finally, when I thought I couldn’t stand it
anymore, Corbin stopped.

“Very good,” he murmured and I bit my lip as
he stroked my ass gently with one large, warm hand as though
admiring his handiwork. “For the outside, at least.”

My heart started jack-hammering in my chest.
“What do you mean…the outside?” I asked.

“Exactly what I said—the outside of your
buttocks are healed. “Now I need to look at the inside—your inner
thighs. Get up on your hands and knees for me.”

“You didn’t hit me there,” I protested. “I
feel fine now—better than fine. You should just let me go
home.”

“Not until I’m sure every bit of you is
healed.” He sounded like he was frowning. “Now are you going to get
on your hands and knees for me, Addison, or do I have to put you
into the position myself?”

“Corbin—” I started to protest but he was
already moving me, pulling me up onto my hands and knees, getting
me into position like a life-sized doll. Only dolls don’t swear at
you.

“Such language,” he said mildly when I let
loose. “Come now, Addison, there’s no need to be so upset. This
won’t take long.”

I hoped he was right. I was in the position
he wanted but I made sure to keep my thighs together as I waited
for him to look at me. I was ashamed to admit that I didn’t want
him to see how his healing had affected me. Didn’t want him to know
that I was wet and hot and achy for him. But Corbin clearly had
other ideas. His big, warm hands stroked over my bare ass and down
the backs of my thighs.

“Open for me,” he murmured.

“No.” I kept my legs stubbornly closed.

“Addison…” There was a warning note in his
deep voice. “I will not let you go home until I see all of you.
Open for me
now.
”

“And if I do…you’ll let me go home?” I wished
my voice wasn’t quite so breathy.

“As soon as I heal you, yes.” His hand
stroked over my sensitive skin again. “Come, darling, you know I
won’t hurt you.”

“Fine. But I don’t…don’t need any healing.”
Finally I parted my thighs though I was biting my lip with
embarrassment as I did so.

“I will be the judge of that,” Corbin
murmured. Then I felt him lean closer to me again, felt his breath
warm and intimate against my exposed pussy. I waited for him to
touch me some more or to say something but he was silent.

“Corbin?” I asked at last. “I’m, uh, feeling
kind of exposed here. Can I please just go?”

“Not until I heal you. Here…and here.” I felt
his long fingers brush over my outer pussy lips and had to bite
back a moan.

“No, ab-absolutely not.” I said, stumbling
over the words. “I can’t let you, um, kiss me there.”