Punishments III

"You only need to ask," he continued. "I will be more than happy to keep you satiated."

"Over my dead body," I said through gritted teeth. 

Sluggishly, I lifted myself off the ground, struggling to walk back to where my room was. I couldn't stay out in the open for another second longer. Blaise was a walking temptation, drawing me into sin. 

Damon's mark might be on me but that didn't mean that it curbed and culled my connection with his twin brother. If anything, that annoyingly familiar face which was identical to Damon's was only causing me to fall even further into this twisted web. I wasn't willing to be entangled with one Valentine brother, much less both.

Nothing must happen between us. Not if I was to ever leave Fangborne alive.

"Why are you making it so hard for yourself?" Blaise asked. Amusement danced in his voice, merrily accentuating his every word. 

I could feel him trailing after me, carefully walking behind, close enough for me to feel his presence but not enough for us to touch. That was something I was thankful for― I wasn't unaware of the fact that there were still other wolves hovering around the packhouse, sneaking glances our way every few seconds whenever I walked past.

They could smell my heat, no doubt. To top it all off, I wasn't wearing any underwear. Hunched over like that, they would have a whole free show if they stood at just enough distance away or bent down just enough.

"Is this how you punish your guests?" I questioned, exhaling deeply when a fresh new wave crashed against me. 

My stomach coiled as a thousand butterflies took flight, curling through my insides and brushing against my sensitive walls with their make-believe wings. If I hadn't held onto the railings, I might've even collapsed and fallen down the stairs. Forced to pause in the middle of my steps, I took in a couple of deep breaths before I continued.

The stairs were dangerous. Being elevated meant that I was on a stage for everyone to look and leer at.

"By embarrassing them," I clarified the moment I started walking again. "Leaving them with nothing but the desire to bury themselves six feet underground and away from the world."

"Oh, little bird, this isn't even a punishment, in that case!" Blaise mused. He took one step every two steps I took― if he were any faster, he would be plastered right against my back. "Those that we punish are six feet underground for other reasons."

I grimaced, an image of the war-torn Stormclaw flashed across my mind― bodies strewn all over the land, fresh grass coated with a layer of red.

What Blaise said was true. At least embarrassment was not death. A day alive meant a day closer to salvation.

Or a day closer to revenge.

"Besides," Blaise continued, noting my silence, "you're not a guest of Fangborne."

"Oh? Really?" I gritted my teeth. Finally, I made it to the top of the stairs. Now to find the room that I had emerged from. "What am I then?"

The talk with Blaise was doing wonders at distracting my senses from an overload. My mind was momentarily taken off of the intense sensations of the artificially induced heat. Paired with my attempt at locating a safe room to hide in, I could almost forget the blushing feeling in between my thighs.

It didn't, however, cause me to fail to notice the wet trail I had left behind. At first, I hadn't even realized I was leaking onto the floor until I looked over the railings and down at the first floor. The lights caused the liquid to reflect. 

No wonder the other wolves were looking over. I was a walking pheromonal flower thanks to the stupid collar.

"You're the mistress of the house," Blaise said gleefully, catching up easily as soon as I increased my pace.

He watched with an amused smile dancing across his lips as I tapped and pushed at every door, trying to find one that was unlocked. I could barely remember which room it was I had stumbled out of this morning. Even if I had found it, I wouldn't want to be there. Who knew if the bed was still wet with bodily fluids or not?

I gasped when my body began to throb and tingle again. My body temperature was starting to rise and it felt as though I had just consumed a near-deadly amount of aphrodisiacs. Instead of a bedroom I could hide in, I now desperately wished to find a bathroom with a running shower or a tub. At least that way, I could soak in some cold water.

Ignoring Blaise, I moved faster — all the more desperate — in an attempt to find a safe haven in which I could hide. 

Heaven had to be against me for every door I tried only ended up locked.

"Why so quiet, Harper?" Blaise asked teasingly. 

He hovered behind me, darting back and forth, close enough that I could now feel his own body heat against mine. Just having him close sent a shiver up my spine. It offered a brief moment of relief before harshening the sensation, leaving my body drenched in cold sweat.

"Get away from me," I growled.

When he finally took one step too close, I reached out and pushed him away, ignoring the tingle that shot up from the palms of my hands to the rest of my body when we made contact. However, influenced by whatever it was that Blaise had given me, I was too weak to do much damage. While I had just slammed Susie into the wall nearly effortlessly just now, my push barely even caused Blaise to sway.

He simply reached out and grabbed my wrist, causing my goosebumps to rise when his fingers wrapped around me.

We stopped in front of a door; muffled noises emitted from the inside, though I couldn't really make out what was happening. Blaise, however, smiled even wider. No doubt his heightened hearing could easily pick up whatever it was behind that door.

"If you refuse any help, you will only be miserable for the next few days," Blaise reminded.

"I don't need your help!"

The door clicked open all of a sudden, and the moment it did, I was engulfed in a familiar scent that had my heart doing backflips from within my ribcage. I turned my head just in time to meet a pair of cobalt eyes, piercing and bright even though he stood against the backlight from the window.

I gasped, my mouth suddenly dry. My legs felt even weaker now and I could feel it― I was just a moment short of collapsing.

"Damon…"