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Mouth twisting in disgust, Tamsyn turned back to her bowl, tossing her spoon into the milk with a splash. Shoving it away, she slipped out of her chair and batted his restraining hand off her shoulder.

The elders called itThe Rejuvenation.

It was celebrated in the younger girls, a sign of transformation from child to adult, opening up the window of trade.

For a wife, however, particularly a bred one, it was a death sentence—an omen that she was unfit for purpose, voiding the contract.

“I’m not going for a check-up, and you can meet those people on your own.”

The tension in the room changed subtly, charging with something primal and electric. She felt the current ripple over her skin, lifting the fine hairs, as she headed for the door.

“Time for your first lesson in submission, little owl. Sit down, please.”

The power in his voice slowed her steps. Her irritation was strong enough to battle with it, even as part of her collapsed to the ground, begging for forgiveness.

“Sit. Down.”

One more step and she was at the threshold.

“Darlin’,” he crooned darkly. “Think carefully about what you do next.”

She heard the warning and chose to ignore it, taking that step.

“Oh good,” Merrick rumbled. “Now I get to play.”

His bare feet slapped on the kitchen tiles, heading in her direction. Slow and unhurried, which told her she was in trouble. Big, stupid trouble. Predators didn’t rush when they stalked their prey—they bided their time until they had the perfect opportunity to pounce.

Unless, of course, the prey panicked and ran.

With a frightenedeeep,Tamsyn bolted for the bedroom.

Merrick’s laugh followed her down the hallway. “Darlin’, you can’t run fast enough or far enough to get away from the spanking aimed at your ass. Gonna smack that shitty attitude out of you and make you feel a whole lot better.”

She raced into the bedroom, her robe flapping around her legs, skidding around the bed and charging for the bathroom. Oh, bad idea. She’d be trapped in there with no room to evade him; not that she had a chance in hell of doing so—he was bigger, stronger, taller, and faster.

Spinning around, she jumped onto the bed as he filled the bedroom doorway. Standing in the middle, she felt her belly erupt with an explosive flutter of butterflies when he grinned wickedly at her.

“Don’t ever make your Dom chase you for a punishment, Tamsyn. It makes everything worse in the end. Not to mention, if he has a chase kink—like I do—you’re gonna flip his switch.” He leaned his shoulder against the jamb, eyebrow raised. “Now if a naughty little sub with a bad attitude comes to me, could be I’ll be lenient this time.”

She wasn’t falling for that.

The mattress wobbled under her feet as she shifted her weight, ready to leap off either side of the bed if he made his move. Despite her foul mood, she could admit the thought of being chased—by him—sent her heartbeat soaring.

“Ten. Nine. Eight.”

Tamsyn frowned. Why was he counting?

“Seven.” He straightened, stretching as he spoke. “Six. Five.”

Her eyes widened when he stepped into the room and shut the door.

“Four. Three. Two.”

Merrick stalked toward the bed, all those sinful muscles flexing. She loved it when he was barefoot and bare chested; with his jeans unbuttoned and his face slowly losing that mischievous edge, he was dominance personified.

Unfortunately for her, she got lost in his eyes as she was prone to do, and didn’t think to flee to safety when he reached the end of the bed until it was too late.

“One,” he growled, and lunged forward. One huge hand hooked around her calf, yanking her toward him, while the other snared her hip.