“She certainly deserves a warm bottom for putting her health in danger,” Ethan told them.
“Are you allowed to say that?” she demanded.
“What?”
“You’re a doctor. My doctor. Pretty sure you’re not supposed to tell someone it’s okay to spank me.”
His gaze narrowed at her. “Are they abusing you? When the nurse questioned you on arrival, you said that no one had hit you or threatened you. Was that incorrect? Would you like to have them forcibly removed?”
“What?” Wolfe asked, scowling at him.
“Of course we’re not damn well abusing her. What the fuck?” Aleki snapped.
“No, I wasn’t lying. They’ve never once hurt me.” Now she felt terrible.
“Nothing will happen that’s not fully consensual, doctor,” Caleb said stiffly. “We’ve all been in the lifestyle for a number of years. We’d never do anything to abuse a submissive’s trust.”
Ethan looked around at all of them. “I’d like to speak to my patient alone for a few moments.”
“What? Why?” Aleki snapped.
“Aleki, Wolfe, come on. Let’s give them a few moments.”
Aleki gave the doctor the death glare. Which kind of surprised her, that was more Wolfe’s thing. But Wolfe had that damn list of foods out again.
She really needed to find a way to burn that thing.
Soon it won’t matter, remember? They’re returning to Escana. And you can’t go with them.
* * *
Aleki growled as he paced up and down the passage outside her room. No way they were going any further, not when there was a chance of her taking off again.
“What’s wrong with you?” Caleb asked as he leaned against a wall. “Why are you so worked up?”
“Question is, why aren’t you? He just implied that we’re abusers.”
“He’s looking out for her best interests.”
“More like he wants in her pants. I’ve seen the way he looks at her. Like he wants to eat her.”
“And you’re worried that she’ll prefer him to us?” Caleb asked.
Aleki ran his fingers through his hair. He hated feeling this way. So uncertain of where things stood. “What if he convinces her to stay here? We’re already on rocky ground with her.”
She ran from them.
That shit had to stop.
Even if he had to lock her in her bedroom for a year. Hmm, that had definite possibilities.
Okay, now he was starting to sound like Wolfe. Never a good thing.
“Not going to happen,” Wolfe commented as he stared down at the list of food the doctor had given him.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Because I have a plan. How does one prepare kale? It’s on this list. She needs to eat it.”