Page 36
Story: Lesson In Faith
His friend sighed. “Just calm down. I’ll tell you what I know.”
Supremely pissed, Merrick tried to step past him, but Ford rammed the heel of his hand into his sternum. The sharp pain was enough to calm him slightly, enough that he might not use the shredder, but just his hands instead.
“Your girl didn’t know what she was getting herself into, Merrick. Both Ericka and Violet attest to it. She came in wearing a robe, barefoot, and one of the guys thought she was just a nervous newbie. He was good with her, he didn’t pressure her. He just didn’t realize she was non-verbal.”
Something about Fordham’s tone set Merrick’s hackles rising. “What does that mean?”
The normally eloquent Master seemed to think over what he’d just said. “I—”
Merrick shoved him forcefully out of the way, then bulled through the doors into the main room. He stopped, disoriented by the dim lighting, squinting through the near darkness until his eyes adjusted.
The orgy was a sea serpent in the middle of the room, a writhing coagulation of bodies in every position imaginable. It was a knife to the gut, understanding his little owl had been in the center of all this debauchery. It only twisted further when he replayed those nine words over and over in his head.
He was good with her, he didn’t pressure her.
Who the fuck washe?
Searching the room for Tamsyn, he bit back the urge to flick the lights on and tell the frolicking, cavorting guests to get dressed and get the fuck out. His muscles relaxed a fraction when he saw Violet gliding through the darkness as though she was born there, heading straight for him.
He made a beeline for her, stepping around stray legs and a threesome slowly disengaging from the rest of the party. The unique symphony of an orgy held no interest for him now; he blanked it all out, focusing on Violet’s strained face and the rigid set of her shoulders.
“Keep a tight hold on your temper, Merrick,” she snapped in her lyrical drawl, abruptly turning on her heel when she reached him. She strode off again without pause, and he swore the darkness parted for her. “Do not lose your shit with Blake; he did nothing wrong.”
Merrick saw the guy first, standing to one side, stark bollock naked. But it was the sight of Tamsyn huddled against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees as she rocked, that took him out at the knees and sent his dominant urges roaring to the forefront.
“Motherfucker,” he growled, overtaking Violet in three long strides, his fist already bunched and raised to knock the prick on his ass.
“No! No, Merrick!”
There was suddenly a heavy weight dangling off his bicep. Violet’s arms were wrapped around the thick muscle, attempting to stop him swinging. He shook her off, determined to reduce the naked bastard into a broken heap of pain and blood, but a terrified whimper snapped his bloodlust.
Fuck.
“If you’re Blake, I’ll deal with you in a minute,” he snarled at the guest, pleased when the pissant took a hasty step back. Turning to Tamsyn, he crouched low, going down on one knee. “Bad night, little owl?”
She lifted her head slowly. He didn’t need the soft light to see how pale she was; she damn near glowed in the dark, thanks to the lack of blood in her face. Those eyes… those goddamn eyes, his ruination, were huge and distraught.
When they met his, her breath exploded on a long, hard wail.
She crawled to him, naked and trembling. The distance between them was short, but it took her forever to reach him, to rise up on her knees and throw herself into the arms he held out for her. She buried herself against him, her hand clutching at his shirt and the muscles beneath as though she couldn’t believe he was real.
“All right, darlin’,” he crooned gently, even as he ordered himself to sound strict and displeased. In order to do that, he needed to not have a heart, and unfortunately, his was too enamored with her to take heed. “Where the hell were you running to, little owl?”
She hiccupped sadly, patting his chest as she kept rocking herself for comfort.
That message was clear enough—to you.
Christ, why did he get the feeling there was a whole saga lurking behind this clusterfuck? She was terrified yet again, but it wasn’t because of his potential wrath for breaking the rules he’d explicitly set out for her safety. Whatever spooked her, it went deep, where he couldn’t reach until she found her voice.
“Violet, I need a blanket.”
“I’ve got her robe.” Ericka approached from his left, the garment draped over her arm. She spread it wide, laying it over Tamsyn’s back as his little owl cringed and hid her face against his neck. “Linnie’s on standby in case you want her checked over.”
“No, I’ll do it myself.” Of course, that meant prying her off him so he could get her into the robe, and out of the chaos in here. “Darlin’, I need you to let go, just for a minute. I ain’t going anywhere. Need to get you wrapped up again.”
“Oh shit,” Blake muttered. “Tell me that’s not Master Merrick’s sub.”
Easing Tamsyn’s grip off his shirt, Merrick managed to work the robe over her cast with a little help from Violet. Once she was bundled up and he tied the belt around her waist, he lifted her onto her feet, scowling when she immediately tried to take the weight off her soles. “Did you come out of the house in bare feet, little owl?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36 (Reading here)
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170