Punishments IV

Damon's arms wrapped around me before I could drop to the floor. The moment he had me in his embrace, I let out an uncontrollable sigh of relief, curling further deeper into his hold. He was shirtless, and the extra skin-on-skin contact was doing wonders in improving my mood and clearing my head, even as the throbbing between my legs grew more intense. 

The fragrance that lingered on his body was a mix of perfume and something purely his― the foreign scent had me boiling all over and I wanted nothing more than to rid him of it and replace it with my own.

I nuzzled his neck, trying to replace that interloper's scent with my own, quiet growls escaping my throat. How dare someone lay their grubby little hands over what was mine? Who was the person who had the fortune to spend time with my shirtless mate? 

I looked over Damon's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the culprit responsible, only to see a regrettably familiar face.

It was Susie, and she looked as delighted to see me as I was to see her. If I longed to claw out her eyes for daring to look at my mate, she was just as willing to return the favor.

However, I spotted one key difference. The dark gray collar on her neck was now replaced by a pure black one. This must be what Blaise meant by punishment― Susie's rank must have fallen, judging by the state of her collar. But I didn't know what consequences there were to dropping a rank, and I had no intention of finding out. Instead, my arms wrapped around Damon as I all but plastered myself to him.

Blaise's amused voice came floating from behind me, "Brother, as always, you have impeccable timing. Harper is feeling particularly needy now. Are you free to satisfy her desires, or shall I stand in for you?"

Damon let out an amused chuckle, putting his hand on the small of my back. Even through the fabric of the borrowed towel, I felt the searing warmth of his palm, as though it was a brand on my skin. I let out a whine. I wanted —no, needed — his hands on me. The towel that I considered a necessity not too long ago was starting to become a hindrance. 

"You don't have to tell me, Blaise; I can smell her coming from a mile away."

"She's not coming though?" Blaise pointed out mischievously, and they both shared a laugh at my expense. Then Blaise peered into the room. As he caught sight of Susie, I noticed the way he licked his lips as his eyes darted to her new collar.

How interesting. 

"You are finished with Susie, I suppose?" 

"Yes, you're free to take her wherever she's needed," Damon said, "I'll take Harper to my rooms to alleviate her heat."

A downright wicked grin crossed Blaise's face, and my own face burned a bright red. It was all too easy to imagine how Damon would alleviate this burning sensation threatening to overwhelm me. I had a night's worth of blurry memories to reference. I couldn't help but shoot Susie a triumphant look, delighting in the look of enraged despair on her face.

"Of course," Blaise said cheerfully, "I'll bring her to Elijah first then. She needs to thoroughly apologize to him for causing trouble. Come on, Susie. Let's not waste time." 

Damon adjusted his posture, tugging me along to make room for Susie to emerge. I watched Susie drag her feet reluctantly towards Blaise, and I wondered. Elijah seemed to be easy-going enough, and from what I saw earlier, he wasn't too enthused about getting her in trouble. Why was she so worried?

Maybe I was thinking too much. Maybe Susie was just someone who hated apologizing, no matter who it was too. After all, I didn't get an apology from her either. Instead, Susie only shot me a hateful glare as she walked past me, her nose wrinkling at the smell of my heat. 

I sucked in a deep breath to calm myself down. Susie had already been punished, and I wasn't going to pick a fight with her. It was beneath me, and I had better things to do with my time― things namely Damon. 

Damon, who agreed to help me alleviate my heat. 

Susie's appearance had temporarily distracted me, but after she and Blaise walked away, I could only focus on the scorching ache taking over my body. I all but clung onto his arms, wordlessly pleading with my eyes for him to please do something. If he refused, I might simply explode, and I would make sure to kill him too. 

Damon gazed down at me, his eyes ripe with amusement. He tilted my face towards him and smirked. 

"Little rabbit, you don't know what you're in for."

Oh, what an asshole. Irritation rose to combat the arousal. 

"Believe me, I have some idea," I retorted, feeling inordinately pissed at his patronizing words. I was influenced by the mate bond, but I still had pretty vivid memories of the night before, and souvenirs of said night decorated my neck. I pointed at the hickey Damon left behind. "Or did you actually forget who you were in bed with last night?"

Damon's eyes flashed at my words. "You have an impertinent tongue. Is this the attitude of someone begging for help?" 

"So are you actually going to… help me? Like you said you would?" I asked, giving him a disbelieving glance.

I was in no position to make demands, but frankly, the heat coursing through me was becoming near unbearable and it loosened my mouth. I didn't trust Damon Valentine to do anything nice for me, and helping me with my heat sounded something too altruistic, even if he was technically getting enjoyment out of it.

After all, he had many other women to warm his bed. I was just one of many, and I even managed to piss him off. If I were him, I would simply leave me to burn in anguish. 

Perhaps I should have chosen Blaise. Or even better, I should have found a way to kill these two brothers before the mate bond reared its ugly head. 

But it was too late now. 

I met Damon's eyes, his gaze electrifying. A lesser wolf would have ducked their heads and looked away, but I refused. I was a needy mess, with my heat making a mess of my thoughts. 

But I was not some toy he could use and discard. I bared my teeth and waited for his answer.