Crimson Debt Read online

  “Because you have the only blood that won’t make her sick,” I said, glaring up at the big were. “You’re blood bound—that means Taylor can only drink from you.”

  “What?” Now he looked really upset and pissed off. “She has to what? You’re kidding me!”

  “I assure you, my friend, this is not a joke,” Corbin growled warningly. “Taylor is your responsibility. Do you not remember the part of your vows where you promised to protect and nourish her?”

  “I thought that meant like…I don’t know, bringing home the bacon or some shit like that,” Victor protested. “I didn’t know I would actually be the bacon.”

  “Forget it,” Taylor said, lifting her chin. She turned to Corbin. “Master, there is no need for this now—Rod…the one who sought to hurt me is gone. I no longer need protection so this marriage is pointless.”

  “In other words,” I said. “Can she please get a divorce?”

  Corbin frowned at them. “I am afraid not. The union the two of you entered into is both legally and spiritually binding. You need each other. If you try to break the Laws of Qwnership there will be serious repercussions for both of you.”

  “He’s right,” Victor growled, surprising me. “We’re stuck in it.” He jerked his head at Taylor. “Come on. My truck’s out back.”

  “Wait a minute.” I stepped in front of her. “You do remember that you swore not to hurt or molest her—right?”

  Victor looked irritated. “What is it with you people? Look, if it’ll make you feel any better, I swear not to lay a finger on her—literally—the entire time she’s at my place.”

  “That does make me feel better, actually,” Taylor said quietly. I had expected her to be in hysterics by this time but she looked strangely calm. “All right,” she told Victor. “I’ll go with you.”

  “About fucking time,” he growled. “Hurry. The moon’s going to be up soon and I need to be on my land.”

  Taylor gave me one last quick hug.

  I kissed her cheek. “Just hang in there—it’ll be over soon,” I whispered. “Love you, roomie.”

  “I love you, too,” she said and then she followed Victor out of Corbin’s office and was gone.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  “Darling, you have to stop worrying about your friend,” Corbin said later when we were down in his daytime resting place. “She will be fine. Victor is rough around the edges but he is a decent male. He won’t hurt her or starve her to death.”

  “I hope you’re right.” I sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, then winced when the mattress rubbed against one of my many sore spots. “Ouch!”

  “Are you all right?” Corbin was suddenly kneeling in front of me, a concerned look in his eyes.

  “Fine,” I said automatically, then changed my mind. “No, you know what? I’m not fine. I ache everywhere.”

  “That is my fault.” He looked so remorseful I wanted to let him off the hook immediately.

  “Hey, don’t start that again.” I reached out and cupped his scratchy cheek. “I do have a question about it though.”

  He nodded. “Ask. I will do my best to answer.”

  “All these, uh, marks you accidentally left on me,” I said carefully, not wanting to make him feel worse than he already did. “Why didn’t you just, you know, heal me?”

  Corbin frowned. “You mean molest you in your sleep?”

  “Oh please…” I snorted impatiently. “Seriously—molest me?”

  “You know that when I heal you it is a very sexual thing, darling,” Corbin murmured. “I washed you and dressed you as gently as I could but I didn’t want to take any more liberties while you were unconscious. Especially after what had just happened. I suppose…” He sighed and looked away. “I suppose I felt I had lost the right to touch you in that way.”

  “Oh Corbin…” I stroked his cheek. “Are you really going to keep torturing yourself like this? Can’t we please just move on and forget it?”

  He shook his head. “I can’t forget. Not while you still wear the marks of brutality I put on your skin.”

  “There’s an easy answer to that,” I said. “Heal me, Corbin.”

  He frowned. “You’re certain after what happened between us, you still want me to touch you… to taste you?”

  My cheeks were getting hot but I nodded anyway. “Yes. Now more than ever.” I slipped one arm free of the dark green kimono and held it out to him. “Help me out,” I said, nodding at the dark, finger-shaped bruises on my pale skin. “Please, Corbin, it really hurts.”

  He sighed. “As you wish, darling. But this will be for healing only. I do not think we should do more tonight.”

  “What?” I frowned. “Why not?”

  “You know why not, Addison. Though you claim to be just ‘fine’ after our encounter, there is no way you could go through what you did last night with me—no way you could pay the Debt—without incurring some emotional trauma.”

  I could see the sense in what he was saying and it was true—after my frightening experience with his darker side, I should probably want to run away screaming or at least put some distance between us. Instead, all I wanted was his hands and mouth on my skin, his body covering mine. Why was that? Could it be that paying the Crimson Debt had healed me too? But how could I convince Corbin of that?

  The answer was, I couldn’t. We would have to take things slowly.

  “Just heal me then,” I said, holding out my arm again. “Please?”

  “All right. As long as it is only healing.” His face was serious as he took my wrist gently in one hand and began to lick a long, slow trail up my arm.

  I felt my breath catch in my throat as the tingling warmth spread through me, making my nipples hard and my pussy wet. Feeling embarrassed at my instant reaction, I tried to concentrate on the healing Corbin was performing on me. It was amazing to watch how the bruises disappeared, melting away like magic as he licked and kissed my tender skin. Before I knew it, my left arm was completely healed.

  “Much better,” I said, holding it out and examining it in the firelight.

  “There is more to heal.” Corbin’s eyes were hooded as he tugged gently at the other sleeve of the kimono. “May I?”

  “Yes.” My breath was coming fast as I slipped my other arm out of its sleeve and let the top part of the robe pool around my waist. “Yes, please.”

  Corbin growled in approval at my voluntary nudity and went about healing my other arm as well. By the time he was finished with that one, my body was throbbing and I would have been happy to skip the rest of the healing and get down to business. But Corbin was having none of that.

  “I want to heal all of you,” he said, stroking my cheek. “I want to erase every mark I put on your creamy skin, darling. I won’t feel right until I do.”

  I could see the hurt in his eyes and I knew this was something he had to do.

  “All right,” I whispered, offering him my throat, which was still raw and tender from the savage way he had sucked it the night before.

  “I think we need to reposition,” he murmured, coming to sit on the bed with me. “Come, Addison—sit on my lap. And you can leave the robe on the floor.”

  Being completely naked with him still made me blush but there was nothing but love in his eyes as I shed my robe completely and crawled into his lap. Corbin cradled me in his arms and I turned my head to the side and offered him my throat, just as I had the night before. The position brought back no traumatic memories—in fact, it made me even hotter, remembering how I had submitted to him, had given everything he demanded and more.

  He took a long time healing my neck, caressing my sensitive flesh with his tongue and covering my throat with slow, hot kisses until I thought I was going to scream.

  “Corbin,” I gasped at last, squirming against him. “Corbin, please, you’re driving me crazy.”

  “Forgive me, darling. That was not my intent.” He looked at me seriously. “I simply want to be certain you’re truly heal