And if he has to come find me, five lashes with the end of his belt will be the least thing I’d have to worry about. So I rush through the mirrored corridors, relieved when I find the pool on the first try. Maybe I’m finally getting to know my way around this funhouse maze of a mansion. When I get back with my collar buckled in place, Aiden is sitting on the side of the bed, long legs crossed and the black leather belt held casually in one hand. He has the buckle end wrapped around his palm and the other end of it trails down to the floor, looking like a long black snake. When I see it, I feel my entire body break out in gooseflesh. How much is this going to hurt? “Assume the position, Emma,” he says softly, rising from the bed in one fluid motion. He’s all grace and power—all vampire. And I feel like a frightened little nothing of a witch as he strides around the bed to loom over me. “It’s all right, my darling,” he murmurs, perhaps seeing the fear in my eyes. “After the pain, the pleasure—remember?”
