“And do you know what happens to girls who don’t obey?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“It’s rather simple, really.” My steps close the gap between us until I have her pinned against the side of the piano. “Girls who don’t obey get punished.”
Her eyes dilate from fear, and I delight in it. The intoxicating sensation that her fear breeds inside of me is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. It’s addictive and I want to bask in her terror, entice more of it and, when she thinks it can’t get any worse, prove her wrong.
I grind my teeth as dark images swirl to life in my mind. “Come with me.” I snatch her wrist and drag her away from the piano, heading toward our bedroom.
“Where are we going?”
“To our bedroom so I can show you the true monster you married.” I don’t look at her as I drag her up the stairs. All the while, she’s fighting against me.
The desire to break her fight and shatter the beautiful creature behind me is more and more difficult to control. I’m coming to realize that Eliza is a catalyst for the darkness inside of me. The desire she elicits only brings my most primal urges to the forefront. I want to bask in her blood while she writhes beneath me.
Rein it in.
I try to, but I’m too far gone. Tonight, Eliza will see the monster she married in all his glory. She really will know how sick I am and I can stop pretending to be something I’m not. Calm and controlled.
I push her into our room. “Strip and bend over the bed,” I order, surprising myself with how detached my voice is. My whip and knife are in the closet and I’m not sure which I want to use, but I grab both.
The knife will take this one step further to the edge of insanity, but I want to use it on her more than anything. To watch the way Eliza’s pretty skin breaks open under the pressure and see how well she bleeds. Make a masterpiece out of her.
I return to the room to find her naked and bent over for me as I ordered, her spine stiff and rigid. Her thighs spread apart enough to give me a teasing view of her glistening cunt.
I place the whip and knife onto the edge of the bed, pinching the bridge of my nose as an ache forms between my eyes. It’s always the same when I let my impulses take over, but there’s no fighting it now.
Eliza will break for me tonight, just like a fragile China doll being dashed against concrete.
19
ELIZA
Asharp pain arcs through my shoulder at the impact of Adrik’s whip. It takes my breath away as I try to arrange my thoughts, but can hardly think past the searing pain.
Punishment was always going to come after I walked out on him in the early hours of the morning and refused to return at his request, but I wasn’t prepared for it yet. Clearly, Adrik made sure that no one told me he was being released today.
The whip connects with my other shoulder and I scream at the pain, struggling to draw oxygen into my lungs.
“You need to understand who you’re dealing with, Eliza.”
I shake my head and gather my thoughts. “I’ve always known I’m dealing with a monster.”
“But do you know how depraved I really am?”
Tears prickle my eyes as I realize the man behind me will show me no mercy. He won’t stop until I’m as broken as him. That’s what these monsters do. Bend and break until there’s no good left.
The whip whistles through the air and strikes my skin harder, the pain so intense I can hardly breathe.
“I asked you a question.”
My body trembles as I shake my head. “I know you don’t have a heart.”
He makes a disappointed sound. “That doesn’t answer my question, though. Does it?”
I lick my bottom lip as I try to gather my thoughts. “You’re as depraved as they come. A man who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering.”
“Hmm, what exactly do you think I enjoy about inflicting pain?”