Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(23)
Author: Kristen Ashley

He shook his head and cradled me closer, speaking softly, “You need to learn this lesson, pet.”

Fuck off and don’t call me pet! My mind shrieked.

He held my body in his arms and my glare with his calm gaze as I tried desperately to shoot laser beams out of my eyes and annihilate him.

This, unfortunately, did not work.

“I’ll not countenance disobedience.” He kept speaking softly.

No duh? My mind asked sarcastically.

He sighed then stated, “Leah, if you defy me again, especially if you do it in front of others, you’ll be punished.”

Do your worst! My mind challenged. It can’t be worse than what you’ve already done.

He stopped using his voice and instead spoke directly to my mind. You’ve no idea.

Dazzle me, my mind snapped.

Our eyes locked for long moments before he took up my challenge. As you wish. Tonight, I feed. Then your punishment begins.

I can’t wait, I lied.

I could definitely wait. This whole thing was freaking me out.

He looked angry but resigned as he muttered, “Stubborn.”

My mind stayed silent.

“Your punishment will be just as difficult for me as it is for you, Leah.”

Good! My mind ground out.

His eyes moved over my face, the anger drifted out of his and I could swear he looked almost pleased.

“One thing about you, pet, you aren’t a disappointment.”

I had no idea what he meant by that and thus didn’t have a retort.

I felt my mind freed, my body at my command again and I didn’t hesitate. I scrambled off his lap and backed swiftly away as he rose from the side of the bed.

“Can my lesson tonight be how you kill vampires?” I asked in an ugly voice.

Shockingly, Lucien replied instantly, “Burn to nothing but ash then scatter the remains.”

“Well then, Lucien, you better get Edwina to hide the f**king matches,” I retorted and without another word I turned on my heel and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it.

I put my back to it, drifting down to my ass.

I rested my forehead to my knees and realized I was in full body tremble.

God, I hated him.

* * * * *

This was the rest of my blinkety-blank day:

First, I had to come out of the bathroom. I couldn’t live there, as much as I wanted to at that moment. There was water but there was no food and I was hungry.

When I did the bed had been made and Edwina was setting the table between the armchairs with plates and cutlery.

She turned to me, all perky housekeeper, and smiled, asking, “And how are we this morning?”

“Murderous,” I replied.

Her body twitched and her head tilted to the side in that weird birdlike manner of hers.

She took a moment to study me. “I see you’re not in a very good mood again,” she observed.

“No. I. Am. Not,” I retorted. “Where’s Lucien?”

“Here,” he declared, sauntering in coolly like he hadn’t just humbled me, kept me from my family, shackled me with his mind.

“You haven’t left yet?” I snapped out my question.

“I’m showering, we’re sharing breakfast then I’m leaving.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to get a move on when I realized Edwina was still in the room. Not wanting a repeat of twenty minutes ago, I pressed my lips together and wrapped my arms around my middle.

Lucien watched me do this then, as he walked to the bathroom, he mumbled, “You’re learning.”

I turned to Edwina and asked, “Do we have any lighter fluid?”

Edwina’s brows shot up to her hairline as I heard Lucien’s bark of laughter from the bathroom cut off in mid-rumble as he shut the door. This made my hands clench into fists.

“I don’t think so, dear,” Edwina answered, confused at the question and the byplay.

“Maybe you should put it on your grocery list,” I suggested.

“Are you planning a barbeque?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered. “A big one.”

That’s when I heard Lucien’s second bark of laughter.

Damn the vampire.

* * * * *

Lucien and I shared breakfast.

We sat in the armchairs in my bedroom and he calmly ate while reading the paper as I made another attempt to get laser beams to shoot out of my eyes.

It goes without saying I failed in this endeavor.

Unable to take the silence, I asked, “Why are we eating in the bedroom?”

“Because I want to,” he replied.

“But why?” I pushed.

His eyes locked on mine in a way that said I was testing him and I definitely shouldn’t.

“Sorry for questioning you, my Lord and Master,” I muttered, shoving more of Edwina’s delicious French toast into my mouth, deciding if I gained one hundred pounds (which I could, no sweat), he wouldn’t want me anymore.

“I think I explained how I feel about your sarcastic titles, Leah,” Lucien reminded me.

I looked at him and chewed.

After I swallowed, I informed him, “You said I couldn’t call you ‘oh Great Master’.”

He watched me for a long moment before he spoke.

“You are correct,” he allowed. “So now I’ll tell you I won’t tolerate any of your sarcastic titles.”

I twirled my fork in the air, looking down at my plate, saying, “Whatever.”

More silence then Lucien folded the paper and threw it on the table. I looked up, hopeful he was finished so I could put in action the plan I’d hatched in the bathroom.

He was watching me. “A package will arrive today,” he started and I nodded because his plate was clean and I took this as a good sign. “You’ll be wearing what’s in the package when I arrive home tonight.”

My mind was skittering across a thousand images of me in different types of bondage gear. Therefore I missed his swift movement from seated to standing and pulling my chair around so he could lean into me, a hand on each arm.

“Did you hear me?”

I glared at him and replied acidly, “Yes, darling.”

Something flashed in his eyes, something strange, something that looked like exhilaration.

His eyes dropped to my mouth and he murmured, “I like that.”

“What?”

“You calling me ‘darling’.”

What an idiot I was!

I decided instantly never to call him that again.

He read my mind, his hand came to my neck and he ordered, “I want you to call me that from now on.”