She didn't turn around, but she didn't move either, so a little effect I did have on her. I waited for a little while to see what she was going to do, and then slowly she finally turned around It was then I noticed she wasn't wearing shoes, and her feet were dirty and clearly bleeding a little.
"Where are your shoes?" I asked her.
"I threw them away. Bad for running," she said and crossed her arms as if she was challenging me.
I really had to take some deep breaths here so I didn't lose my mind.
"Here. Now," I told her again and pointed at the ground in front of me.
She looked around as if she was looking for an escape route, but it was clear she couldn't run from me, and if she tried, I would simply catch her and throw her over my shoulder. It was all up to her how this night ended.
Slowly she took one step forward and then another and another, and then finally she stood in front of me. She couldn't really look me in the eyes, which wasn't so surprising, but she remembered to keep her back straight and her chin up, but I could smell her fear. She knew she would be punished for running from me, and she was just waiting to see what I would do. I reached out and gently wrapped my hand around her throat. She gasped, even if I wasn't grabbing her hard, and then I pulled her closer to me.
"Didn't I tell you to stay put?" I asked.
"Actually, your friend did," she said.
A small smile played on my lips. She was a feisty one, I had to admit. Not many ... No, no one dared to speak to me like this, and I could only say Lara was surprising me over and over tonight. Maybe it wasn't so strange the little half-blood had turned out to be my mate. She had a certain power in her that not many did.
"You don't run from me, you hear me?" I said in a dark voice.
She didn't do anything to indicate she had heard me.
"Lara!"
She finally looked up into my eyes, but it was only for a second, before looking down and then she nodded.
"Good. I can't protect you if you run from me," I said, my voice lowering a little, and I was surprised I could sound so gentle.
Again, her eyes darted to me, but only shortly, though I did manage to see the disbelief in hers. She truly didn't think I wanted to protect her, but it was all I could think about now. As my mate, her safety was the most important thing to me.
"Now, you will apologize for running from me," I told her, leaving no room for discussion.
She shook her head, which just made me smile. So defiant.
"I will punish you when we get back to the hotel if you don't or you can make it easier on yourself right now," I told her leaning down to whisper the words in her ear.
She shook a little against me, and it was good to know she wasn't so unaffected by me, as I knew she would like to be. She might be a half-blood, but we were still mates, and even she had to feel something. I knew it wasn't only fear because there was something so very sweet about her scent when I was close to her like this. She would surely deny it, but I could still smell it.
"Well?" I said and leaned back.
It was clear she was in an inner conflict with herself, but then finally she took a deep breath and said:
"I'msorryforrunning."
"I didn't catch that," I said amused by how quickly she had said those words.
"I am sorry ... for ... running," she finally got out.
"Good enough."
She sighed and looked away, not liking she had given in to me, and I slowly released her before running a finger down her cheek. She pulled away, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the fire so clearly still burning in her.
"Come. Let us get out of here, and get you cleaned up," I said.
"I want to go home," she told me.
"We are leaving tomorrow."