Page 16 of The Collector

"It's okay, Stoker. I got this. Just get us home so we can all be more comfortable. I'm ready to get this night over with."

He shrugged, momentarily taking his eyes off the road, his face contorted in restrained frustration.

"I'm just trying to make things easier for you, Rave. By all means, carry on. I've just never seen one this beautiful.'"

His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror, lingering on her. At the sound of the compliment, she looked up, looking up with his eyes with a hard stare—almost hateful.

"One—? You act like I'm some prized show animal for you to handle," she snapped, her voice sharp with defiance.

Raven took her entirely in that moment. There was no doubt in his mind—this girl was a fighter and breaking her would be no easy feat. With a wicked grin, she lifted her hand and flipped Stoker off, her irritation laced with false bravado.

"You'll regret that later."

Not if Raven could help it. He rolled his eyes, looking out the window.

Why was he so possessive of this girl? It wasn't if his father would condone him in a real relationship with her. Fuck her, yes, have her no. After all, how would it look if his son were to marrythe help?

"I told you earlier, there is no reason to act undignified. You're here to fulfil an obligation. Not your own, regrettably, but one you agreed to be responsible for, nonetheless. As long as you do as you're asked, you'll be treated with respect. Act like a brat, and you'll be treated like one. Do you know how I treat brats, Butterfly? If you keep testing me, you'll find out soon enough."

Mynx leaned forward to the back of his seat, putting her face inches from his own. And then ran her tongue around the edge of her lips while looking deeply in his eyes and taunting him.

"You want me quiet. Soft. Submissive. You want me to pretend I'm less so you can feel more. But I won't. I won't be your pet, your puppet, your pretty little prisoner. So go ahead—hate me for it. You'll find I don't care. Yes, you've forced me into a situation I don't want to be in. But I won't be treated like anything less than I am."

Turning to face the front again, Raven clenched his teeth, his words coming out in more of a growl than actual words. "We shall see— Butterfly, keep it up."

She slammed herself back into her seat, boots driving forward. The impact reverberated through the car, jolting the front seats and bucking both men forward. The sheer defiance in her actions was impossible to ignore, a physical manifestation of her simmering frustration.

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was throwing a temper tantrum. He looked at her, his eyebrows raised in a crook, in a face of disbelief. She smirked at him.

She did, she just threw a fucking temper tantrum.

"Pull over, Stoker."

Clearly, a little lesson in propriety was in order. Raven didn't want to make the situation any more difficult than it had to be. But if she treated the wrong member of the organization the way she just treated him, she would be dead.

Easing to the side of the road, Stoker put the car in park and looked at him expectantly with one eyebrow raised in disbelief. Raven held up a finger in response, a silent request for patience. He said nothing as he moved swiftly to the back door. Slipping inside, he settled into the seat beside her, his presence immediate and deliberate.

For a moment, shock froze her; wide-eyed and motionless, she stared at him beside her in disbelief. The look on her face changed drastically when the realization hit her that she had gone too far; it morphed into panic—raw and undeniable.

He grabbed her by the arm, attempting to pull her to him. She recoiled instinctively, pressing herself into the corner of her seat, as if the distance could shield her from him. Tears spilled down her beautiful face, her lips trembling as she stared at him, unwavering. She no longer resisted, though something in her eyes had shifted—remorse flickering in their depths.

"I'm sorry, please stop, I'll behave, I promise. Just don't hurt me."

He didn't want to scare her. But she needed to know who he was and what she was dealing with. People rarely defied him unless they were willing to pay the price, their blood.

Mynx no longer carried the fierce presence of a lioness — she looked more like a drenched kitten, small, fragile, and stripped of her fire. Raven pushed the softness in her away. Struggled to keep his face blank.

Good, she needs to learn her place before her actions get her killed.

"Get over here and take your punishment like a woman, or it will be worse for you later, I promise you."

She shivered, shrinking into herself.

He was doing his best not to laugh at just how scared she was pretending to be of him. He was fully aware of how imposing his presence was; in fact, in his line of work, it was a blessing. He was no fool, though she was trying to play the victim to avoid punishment. She hesitated, her movements slow and uncertain, yet inch by inch, she began to slide his way.

"Whatever you need to do to make yourself feel better." She batted her eyes, her expression shifting into something fiercer, more defiant.There you are, Butterfly. He pulled her to him until her full weight sat on his lap. Locking his eyes with hers, he showed no emotion as her panicked heartbeat pounded against his chest.

"Over my knee— now. I won't hurt you. I'm going to teach you a lesson."