Crimson Debt

  Corbin obviously sensed what was happening because 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 wall between me and the hateful fear that was trying to invade.

  I was still standing behind him and I was glad—I didn’t want to see if his face had turned into a horror mask with glowing red eyes like Roderick’s. Didn’t want to know if he had also lost every last scrap of his humanity and become a monster.

  “No,” he shouted at Roderick. “Stop it! Addison is too fragile to endure such treatment.”

  “She must be punished!” Roderick’s voice had deepened 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 step toward the howling horror monster Roderick had become. “But not by you—she is my consort! If you break her, no matter what the provocation, 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 face became marginally less scary. The wind of agony and terror I felt whipping around my mental shield seemed to die down somewhat as well.

  “She must be punished well,” he snarled, still sounding more animal than human. “I want to see her bleed.”

  “No.” Corbin’s voice was cold. “I told you, she is too fragile for such treatment.”

  Celeste frowned. “She shouldn’t be if you’ve bonded her to you. You could at least break a few of her bones—she richly deserves it.”

  “Shut your mouth, Celeste, and let your betters talk,” Roderick snapped.

  Celeste frowned but moved back a step, clearly not willing to risk a run-in with the much more powerful vamp.

  “Addison has only recently become my consort,” Corbin said, talking only to Roderick and ignoring Celeste who was pouting to one side. “I didn’t want to bond her to me until I was certain I intended to keep her. Therefore she is not bonded and cannot endure rough treatment. She will however be punished.”

  Roderick frowned. “If you do not intend to make her bleed or break her bones, what will you do?”

  It was a good question—what was he going to do? I felt my whole body tensing with dread. God, this whole night had gone so much worse than I had even imagined it could. And yet, I couldn’t regret my words or actions. Roderick had to know he couldn’t just take my friend against her will. I had promised Taylor that no one would ever hurt her like that again and, damn it, that was one promise I intended to keep!

  Corbin took a deep breath. “If you knew Addison as I do, you would know that what she fears most isn’t pain but humiliation. The punishment I give her will make her sorry she engaged in such rash actions tonight, I assure you.”

  “Fine. Humiliation is a good, if rather subtle tool.” Roderick nodded. “Proceed.”

  “What, right now?” I gasped as Corbin turned and took me by the arm. I had hoped he would “punish” me after everyone had gone home. And what kind of humiliation did he have in mind, exactly?

  “Yes, now.” His voice was tight with anger as he dragged me up onto the dais. There was a throne-like chair with a high back where he usually sat during club hours, allowing the regulars to admire the rare and powerful four-star vamp. Corbin sat in it now and pulled me to him. Then, before I could protest, he yanked me down onto his lap and flipped me over.

  “Hey, stop it!” I struggled but of course it did no good. Corbin’s arms were like steel bars, holding me down.

  “This is for disobeying me,” he announced.

  He flipped up the gauzy red dress and yanked down my panties at the same time. Before my mind had time to register exactly what he was going to do, I felt his large, hard palm connect with my bare ass. Smack!

  “Ouch!” I gasped, unable to help the note of surprised pain in my voice. Earlier Corbin had said he didn’t think corporal punishment would do me any good—so why was he doing it now?

  I didn’t have much time to wonder because he did it again.

  “This is for threatening one I ordered you to be respectful to.” Smack! Again his palm connected with my backside, followed by a rush of humiliating pain.

  “Ow! Stop it!” I wiggled furiously but he only held me tighter. From the corner of my eye I could see that bitch Celeste smirking and Roderick nodding, a little smile on his lips. God, that they should see me like this—that they should witness my pain and embarrassment as I was turned over Corbin’s knee and spanked like a naughty little girl was almost more than I could bear.

  And still Corbin wasn’t done.

  “This is for speaking out of turn when you should have been silent,” he growled, spanking me again. Smack!

  My ass was burning by now and there was nothing erotic about it. It wasn’t like one of those scenes in the spicy romance books where the stern master whips his naughty little slave while she secretly gets off on the pain and submission. I had no wish to submit to Corbin—not like this. And I certainly had no wish to do it in front of Celeste and Roderick. Last but not least, the spanking really hurt. Though I was determined not to cry, I could feel hot tears stinging my eyes. God, if he kept on like this I wouldn’t be able to sit down for a month!

  “This is for your stubborn insistence on willfully endangering us both.” Smack! Corbin continued talking and spanking but after a while I lost track of what he was saying. I was stretched out on his lap, my hands clenched into fists as he blistered my bottom, struggling not to cry. It was so demeaning, so humiliating…especially when I heard Celeste laughing at me.

  And though I didn’t want to admit it, it hurt so much. I hadn’t been spanked since I was a child and I had forgotten the stinging pain a really harsh whipping can bring. My stepfather had gotten it down to a science but that had been years ago—I had never expected to have to endure such abject humiliation and agony as an adult.

  But worse than the pain was the sense of betrayal. I had let Corbin into my mind…and maybe just a little into my heart. He had treated me, up until now, as an equal—someone to respect, someone to be reckoned with. And now I was nothing but a naughty child in his lap, one who had to be disciplined for her own good. That hurt—hurt a lot.

  The tears of rage and pain standing in my eyes abruptly overflowed and streamed down my cheeks. I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood but despite my desperate effort to hold it back, a hoarse sob escaped me. And then another and another.

  Immediately Corbin flipped me back over and pulled me into his arms.

  “All right, Addison,” he murmured, rubbing one hand over my back. “It’s all right. Everything will be all right.”

  I wanted to push away from him but I was too weak. Instead, I crumpled against his chest and sobbed, feeling like he had broken me. Here I was, a strong, respected vampire Auditor, able to look any vamp in the eye and push the kill button as casually as flipping on a light switch and Corbin had reduced me to a sobbing bundle of emotion.

  “I hate you,” I whispered against his chest, knowing he could hear me. “God, I hate you.”

  “Nicely done,” I heard Celeste say with a laugh in her voice. “Exactly what she deserved—the little human upstart.”

  “A good show, I’ll admit,” Roderick replied. “But this isn’t over, Corbin. Expect to reopen the issue when I come to inspect your territory tomorrow night. Come, Celeste.”

  I didn’t hear them go but suddenly the room felt empty—empty of the vampires, anyway. Then there was a soft shuffle of feet, which must be the two human “snacks” they had brought with them leaving as well.

  Finally the door to the club closed then it was just Corbin and me, alone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I yanked at my panties and dress, pulling one up and the other down, covering myself and my wounded dignity as well as I could. Then I tried to get off Corbin’s lap but I was too weak and besides, he wouldn’t let me go.

  “Addison…” His voice was low and soot
hing as he held me by the arms, his grip gentle but completely unbreakable.

  “Let me go, you son of a bitch.” My voice was still thick with tears and I couldn’t look him in the eyes. “Let me go, you’ve done enough for one night.”

  “What I did was save your life.” He sounded both angry and regretful.

  I swiped angrily at my eyes. “Right, of course—by humiliating me in front of those bastards.”

  “Isn’t a little humiliation better than letting Roderick mind-rape you?” he demanded. “He is strong, Addison—I couldn’t have kept him from breaking through your shields much longer. I did the only thing I could—the only thing that would satisfy him.”

  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.