Merrick
He settled into the booth at just past eight p.m. after a pleasant dinner with Tamsyn.
She’d never know how much she amused him, although she could probably guess given how often he laughed in her presence. As her character came out of the dark, so loud and vibrant despite being voiceless, he found that she brought out the lighter side of him at the same time.
He was different with her, changing in subtle ways he didn’t notice until they were suddenly, acutely obvious.
When she’d listened to him reading off the menu for her, her eyes huge and focused on his face as though his words were holy, he finally sensed a missing piece of his dominant side slide into place. It took a few minutes for it to dawn on him that the missing piece was actually a simple one—being important to someone on an intimate, one-on-one level.
Not a submissive who paid the club to spend time with him, getting her body worked over with floggers or tied up in pretty ropes and swinging her way into subspace, but a woman who meant a great deal to him, heart to heart.
After she’d heard the entire menu, she’d carefully ordered spaghetti carbonara, and he’d just smiled and nodded in approval of her choice—Allan, Serenity’s head chef, made sure every plate that left his kitchen was perfect in presentation and taste.
It was clear when their meals were served, however, that she hadn’t quite gotten over her aversion of cream; she’d poked her finger in the sauce, eyed it suspiciously, before her tongue peeked from between her lips to dab adorably at the sample.
Once the food passed her test, they’d eaten in companionable silence, although he’d felt the undercurrent of her nerves ebbing and flowing. A few gentle brushes of his hand over hers, his fingers on her arm, soothed her, but he wondered if she was picking up hints of his own unease.
The transition to the bar was simple—through one set of swing doors, across the hallway, through another set of doors. It took only a minute, yet the contrast between the two locations was startling.
The restaurant was winding down service as they left; the bar was just picking up, with more people flowing through the doors in both directions. Liam was strict with the club rules, but he was also a fucking magnet, enticing his customers to hang around and chat even if they’d reached their drink limit.
“Think you’re brave enough to order our drinks, little owl?” he asked before Tamsyn slid into the seat opposite him.
She paused, glancing around the busy room, then shook her head. Pointing to her throat, she shrugged her shoulders… then sighed when he reached into his pocket, pulling out a palm-sized notebook and pen.
She flinched when he tossed it onto the table.
“It’s simple enough, Tamsyn. Write down what we want, take the notepad over to the bar and wait your turn. When Liam asks what you’d like to order, give him the pad and he’ll get you the drinks.” Merrick smiled at her and named the house beer supplied by a local brewery.
Tamsyn held his gaze for one long moment. Finally, she reached for the writing utensils and, with the concentration he adored, scribbled something resembling what he’d just said. In all likelihood, Liam would get the gist of it.
“Very good. What would you like?” He frowned when she wrote water down. “Why don’t you try something more adventurous, darlin’? How about a soda? Hell, go wild and have a taste of alcohol. We’re not playing tonight.”
Baffled, she wiggled the pen indecisively.
“Leave the water on there,” he said quietly, “and add white wine. There’s a h after the w , darlin’.”
Of course, she dutifully wrote down, white whine.
Close enough, he thought. They’d work on her spelling later when her hand wasn’t shaking. He gave it a quick, light squeeze. “My eyes will be on you the whole time, Tamsyn. No one is gonna bother you, but you won’t be out of my sight.” He pointed toward the bar, his arm straight. “See? There’s nothing blocking my view.”
She wrinkled her nose, set the pen down, and ripped the page from the notebook. With a soft huff, she whirled and stomped three feet away before stopping, turning back, and giving him the sweetest peck on the lips.
A kiss for luck?
He watched her leave a second time. She was hugely aware of the people around her, and he knew the moment it dawned on her that what she was wearing was completely different to what other women—other subs—were dressed in; she visibly shrank into her baggy jeans and sweatshirt, anxiously glancing back at him for reassurance.
Perhaps it was mean, sending her off on her own so soon, but this was about as controlled as a controlled environment could be. Both Liam and Jonah were keeping an eye out for her and wouldn’t make her wait too long once she reached the bar; Liam was going to escort her back and carry the drinks for her.
Fordham slid into the opposite booth, followed swiftly by Violet.
What the hell?
Merrick scowled at him and checked his watch. “Ten minutes late and you bring Vi?”
“I tagged along.” Violet tracked his gaze over to where Tamsyn tried to move around a group of friends blocking her route to the bar. “I figured your manly men conversation involves that sweet little thing, and manly men do stupid things when they get their heads together. A woman’s perspective comes in handy.”
Damn, now this wasn’t just going to be a friendly discussion and a potential proposal between two Doms—of all the Mistresses in Serenity, she was the mother hen, willing to take anyone under her wing. If she thought Tamsyn was at risk, she’d fight Merrick, Fordham, any fucking Dom who tried to stand in her path.
“All right, I need to lay this out before Tamsyn comes back. None of it gets back to her; I’ll talk with her if we reach an agreement.” Merrick nodded at Liam as his friend took pity on Tamsyn and gestured for her to step behind the pass, away from the throng of customers wanting service. “There’s a problem and I need to find a way around it. Been thinking of a solution for a week or two now, and I’m hoping you’re it, Ford.”
“Me?” Interest piqued, Fordham lifted his eyebrows.
“Things are heating up between me and Tamsyn. Sex is inevitable at this point, but…” He trailed off, leery about divulging her secrets but confident this was the right way forward. Lowering his voice, he said, “She’s a virgin.”
Dark eyebrows winged up. “Honest to God?”
“Yes.”
“Lucky bastard.” Fordham grimaced when Violet jammed her knuckles into his upper arm. “Ow! What was that for?”
“Read the room,” she snapped, then glowered at Merrick. “Be careful what you say next. If it’s anything other than asking for advice on how to make that girl’s first time the best damn time, we’re going to have a bigger fucking problem than the one you’ve already got.”
Well, he’d never heard that tone of voice from the Mistress before; she wasn’t kidding around. He really didn’t want to piss off a southern Domme who occasionally delighted in torturing her sub’s testicles until he was hoarse with pleading, but he wouldn’t let her threaten him.
“That’s exactly what I’m doing, Vi. I can’t be the one who… not the first time. I’ll hurt her—don’t give me bullshit about how it always hurts or that it doesn’t have to—and that’s what I won’t tolerate.” He smacked his hand on the table when Violet opened her mouth. “I know what I’m fucking talking about, and so do you. She’s tight, Vi. I’m too big. That’s the be all and end all of it.”
“Wait, wait.” Fordham held up his hand. “ That’s the problem?”
Merrick nodded curtly.
“And you want me to fix the problem?” Snorting, Ford shook his head. “Yeah, right, Merrick. I see the way you’re watching that girl even now, and there’s no chance you’re letting another guy fuck her. No way you’re watching her walk away with another Dom, knowing that when she comes back, he’s had his hands all over her, his dick inside her.”
That gave him pause. Shit, he’d been so focused on the goal, he hadn’t thought about the finer details.
“She trusts you , Merrick.” Violet said gently. “She wants you.”
“She trusts me not to harm her, and I can’t guarantee that. Fuck’s sake, Vi, she’s young and in the prime of her life. One bad experience now will ruin her.” He caught Liam’s wave from the corner of his eye and cursed. “Look, she’s heading back. Fordham, I’m asking you as the only fucking Dom I trust with her to consider doing this. Because I don’t know how to do it without damaging her.”
Fordham’s head turned toward the bar, his mouth twisting pensively. “Can’t tell you it’s the right decision, Merrick, and you’re going to regret it if you go through with it, but… yes, I’ll do it. If Tamsyn consents, and if you promise not to break my neck.”
Violet growled and threw her hands up in frustration. “Just make her orgasm five or six times until she’s soft and pliant, you idiot.”
The subject of the conversation was following Liam like a lost lamb through the tables. They only had a minute or so before she was within listening range.
“Tomorrow night,” Merrick stated, needing to lock it down. “Got plans?”
“No. I keep Valentine’s Day clear on principle.”
“Not this year. Tomorrow night, nine o’clock, upstairs.”
“What, here?” The look of distaste on Ford’s face matched Merrick’s knotted gut. “What about the cabin?”
No .
Merrick’s jaw tightened. He might have to sacrifice his claim on being Tamsyn’s first, but he wasn’t tainting their bed, the memories they were already making there, with another man.
But , a little voice niggled at the back of his mind, wouldn’t she be more comfortable in familiar surroundings? Her own sheets, her own bed, everything where it should be in her ordered world.
Wasn’t that a betrayal of her private space? A breach of her sanctuary?
“Why don’t you come over to my cabin tomorrow night?” Fordham asked loudly. “Bring this sweetheart with you and we’ll continue the discussion then?”
A tray of drinks thunked onto the table between them, and Liam lifted an eyebrow. “Never been called sweetheart before, Ford. Didn’t think you’d missed me that much.”
Grateful for the distraction, Merrick held his arm out as Tamsyn skirted around the bartender and all but dove onto his lap. She burrowed into him, trembling lightly, and he couldn’t help breathing deeply into her hair—he loved smelling his shampoo on her.
“Always a travesty when your pretty face isn’t where it belongs.”
“Yeah, well, this pretty face didn’t win over a certain little sub.” Liam chuckled and tipped his head toward Tamsyn. “I think she thought I was trying to kidnap her to my lair behind the bar. Took me a minute or two to realize she’s mute. You finally decided to keep one, Merrick?”
“All mine,” he agreed.
“Good for you. I noticed Ford and Violet joined you, so I added their drinks to the tray.” He tapped his fingers to his forehead. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, guys. Nice to meet you, little one.”
“It is lovely to have him back,” Violet commented, reaching out to take one of the glasses of wine. “Sierra is positively radiant, and Mack resembles the cat who ate the cream.”
Tamsyn’s head whipped up, obviously remembering how recently she’d been that cat.
“Have they decided whether they’re staying or not?” Selecting the tumbler with only a finger’s worth of scotch, Fordham took a leisurely sip, but his dark blue gaze didn’t leave Tamsyn’s face.
“Elias mentioned extending Liam’s contract,” Merrick said in a quiet voice. “Jonah’s learning the ropes quickly, but he’s still lacking in confidence and social skills. He works best when Liam’s back there with him, and everyone loves Liam. Add in the stuffie sanctuary for Sierra and the fact Mack’s teaming up with Grit to boost the security systems, I think it’s likely they’ve made their minds up.”
“It must be hard, being torn between two places you consider home.”
Violet lifted her shoulder. “Just because you’re not there anymore doesn’t make it any less home. Phoenix is both heaven and hell for them; Sierra has a lot of bad memories there. She loves the people she left behind, but friends of the heart stay with you wherever you go.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, Vi.” Fordham flicked his gaze briefly in her direction. “How many friends of the heart did you leave behind in Louisiana?”
Merrick saw the pain flash across her face, a lot more fleeting than her melancholy smile. The Mistress had secrets of her own, it seemed. Ignoring the opportunity to pry, he took the other glass of wine and pressed the fragile stem into Tamsyn’s hand. “Take a sip, darlin’.”
“Just one,” Violet answered, then laughed when Tamsyn obediently sampled the wine. “It’s an acquired taste, sweetie.”
The conversation rolled on without him, little more than buzzing in his ears. He felt the shudder of revulsion ripple through the woman on his lap, then a second as she took another sip of wine.
In twenty-four hours, everything was going to change.
Would she feel different when she curled up on his lap? Would he still be able to hold her and feel her innocence seep into him as though her energy was his lifeline?
Fuck, by this time tomorrow, she might hate him.
Did it really matter if his cock wasn’t the first inside her? Christ, he’d already staked his claim on her in so many ways—his fingers and mouth were the first to touch her, taste her. He’d taken her first kiss, the purity of her mouth with his cock, and her first taste of cum came from him. One day, when he knew her limits by heart, he’d be the only one who fucked her ass.
For a man who stayed away from virgins, he was awfully hung up on being the man to sully this one.
He supposed that was what an idiot deserved for falling for a woman he had no right to lay hands on.
Maybe his punishment was having to watch his friend eyeing Tamsyn up as though figuring out how he was going to strip her, take her apart piece by piece, and make her come until those tawny eyes were blind.
“Merrick. Earth to Merrick.”
He blinked, casting off the horrible funk, and returned back to the conversation. “Vi?”
“I asked if you’re thinking about observing any interesting scenes tomorrow night,” the Mistress said with a slow, calculating smile. Her eyes were hard, conveying her displeasure, and warned him she was aiming for his heart. “Valentine’s Day is a special occasion for lovers, right? I know a lot of Doms who spend weeks planning the perfect scene for their subs.”
He glared at her. “No.”
“A quiet evening with Fordham, then—”
Anger and frustration tightening his guts, Merrick kissed his little owl’s temple and shifted her to the other side of the bench. “Wait here, darlin’. I need a minute with Mistress Violet in private.”
Tamsyn nodded slowly; he noticed her glass was almost empty.
“No more wine, little owl.” He plucked it from her hand, then stood and gestured for Violet to walk ahead of him. “Ford, if you’d keep an eye on her for a few moments?”
“Of course.”
“Where would you like to ream me out, Master Merrick?” Violet asked sweetly.
“Outside.” At least she wasn’t pretending she didn’t know why he was pissed and trying to hide it from Tamsyn.
They crossed to the exterior doors in rigid silence. Ever the gentleman despite his growing anger, Merrick stepped ahead to open the door for her, then followed her out into the cold, crisp night air. Before he could let loose with the half-formed lecture he’d been slicing together in his head, Violet took control from his grasp with ease.
“I’m begging you to reconsider this, Merrick. I understand you believe it’s your only option here, but you’re wrong. That woman loves you, she’s chosen you to be the man she shares herself with for the first time. Do you know how important that step is in a woman’s future? Virginity isn’t a prerequisite for an arranged marriage anymore—it represents a woman’s first major decision; it’s a statement of trust and freedom.”
“She comes from a community where her virginity is her only worth, Violet. They deny women the right to choose who they sleep with, when they have sex, and they’re traded like baseball cards from the age of twelve. From what we know, the survival rate is low.”
The Mistress’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“Tamsyn—”
It was the only word he got out before Violet slapped him, her hand striking his cheek as she vibrated with ethereal fury. Even with his beard absorbing the blow, she packed a punch. “How much of a fucking idiot are you, Merrick? Christ, you’re not only a fool, you’re a coward. I never thought I’d say this, but she deserves better than you.”
Well, fuck.
Merrick ignored the urge to rub his hand over his heart where the barb bit deep. Being called an idiot he could take. Coward… that was a hard insult to swallow. It was those last five words that really got under his skin and sank their claws into him.
Violet wasn’t finished with him yet, however. Practically seething with righteous anger, she smacked her palms against his chest and shoved him. “Are you so fucking blind you can’t see what she’s giving you? If it’s true about this… community , she’s not just spreading her wings and learning to fly, Merrick. She’s been taught that sex is a contract, one that likely leads to her death.”
He braced to block another blow as her accent thickened.
“She’s willing to give herself to you without restriction despite the fact she knows it could be the last thing she does. Because she loves you. Because she trusts you. And you…” Violet scoffed in disgust. “You’re as bad as the people she ran from, trading her off to another man—not because the trade has value, but because you’re a fucking coward who is so scared of hurting her physically, you’d rather detonate a shrapnel bomb in her heart and scar her down to the soul.”
Merrick took a step back. She was intent on getting her point across, regardless of how blunt she needed to be, wasn’t she? “How many times do I have to repeat myself, Violet? This isn’t about me. I’m trying to do what’s best for Tamsyn.”
“If you’re still spouting that line, you haven’t listened to a single word I’ve said. Stubborn, idiotic man,” she muttered to herself. “Forget it, Merrick. You’ll do whatever harebrained scheme is in your head and pull Fordham into it with you. But mark my words, when you fuck yourself so royally that girl can’t stand to be in the same room as you, don’t come crawling to my door, asking for my help. It won’t be open.”
Slamming her hand against the door, she shoved it open so aggressively, Merrick thought he should probably be grateful all he’d gotten was a slap. It wasn’t friendly, laidback Vi stalking through the doors back into the bar; it was her alter-ego, the fierce and protective Mistress Violet.
He stood there in the cold, running the last few minutes through his head. There was no doubt her perspective was right; in fact, it was an angle he hadn’t even considered. Maybe because he was too close to the situation? Perhaps he didn’t want to think about Tamsyn wondering whether losing her virginity would lead to her death.
Hell, did she believe that of him?
That he could be inside her, move inside her, and then snuff her out like she meant nothing?
Of course, she could. She’d been raised among men who obviously committed murder once they got their rocks off. How many of them played the system, claiming they were dissatisfied with the product they’d bought, just so they could do it all again?
What was the lure?
Fucking virgins or murdering them?
It was something he needed to make clear to her. Sex shouldn’t be a life or death choice, for fuck’s sake, and while he recognized she was smart enough to know he wouldn’t harm her at any goddamn point, it wouldn’t hurt to dispel any doubts she harbored.
Violet’s accusation that he hadn’t listened to her was gnawing at him. He understood where she stood on the matter, and if he was honest, he was right there beside her. Yet he was wounded she believed he’d make a decision of this magnitude without taking Tamsyn into account.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
Did Vi honestly believe he wasn’t sick at the thought of another man essentially laying claim to what was Merrick’s? That another fucking man got to be the one who watched those gorgeous tawny eyes widen in awareness, darken with pleasure, focus on him as her world evolved?
Pressure built inside him, an endless eruption of steam with no way out as his mind spun in a circle between the only two viable options. There was a third, but there was nothing in heaven or hell that would make him let her walk away, out of his life, without fighting for her every step of the way.
Spinning around, Merrick gripped the porch railing in both hands, hunching his shoulders, and bellowing into the dark night like a dying bull moose. The sound bounced around the heart of the club, resonating off buildings, startling a couple walking hand in hand back to their cabin.
In forty years, he’d never been so torn. Normally, he didn’t give a flying rat’s ass about other people’s opinions, but Violet was part of his inner circle, his best friend. If it came down to being a demon in her version of events or Tamsyn’s…
His little owl took precedence, every time.
He heard the door open and without looking around, growled, “Go away.”
It closed again, but all the hairs on his body stood to attention before a familiar presence pressed against his back. Arms looped around his waist; a cheek rubbed against his shirt. He felt her silent demand to help hum inside him as clearly as if she’d spoken.
“Little owl,” he murmured, covering one of her hands with his. “Go back inside, darlin’. It’s too cold for you to be out here.”
She fisted her hand in the front of his shirt and didn’t move.
Her point was clear— I’m not going anywhere unless you come with me .
Merrick sighed and squeezed her fist. Answers weren’t going to bless his sorry ass while he was standing here in the cold, and he wasn’t going to risk Tamsyn getting sick waiting for him to sort out his muddled thoughts. “Promised you we’d explore the club tonight, didn’t I?”
She shimmied around him until she stood between the railing and his body. Before he could straighten, she tilted her head back, touching her lips to his in a gesture that was more comforting than arousing. She knew something was troubling him, but how would she react if she understood the reason?
Still, it didn’t stop him from tasting her, closing his eyes and savoring the sweet, hesitant brush of her soft lips. He didn’t push her, didn’t force it beyond the gift she was offering; he accepted it in the spirit in which it was given.
She’d been in his life for a month now.
He couldn’t imagine her not being in it.
How the hell did one little stray walk into a man’s life and change it so irrevocably that it felt as though he’d be losing a limb—or worse—if he lost her? Fuck, at this point, he’d rather surrender an arm or leg if it meant seeing her smile when she woke from a nap or watching excitement bloom in her eyes when her favorite show came on.
“Thank you, darlin’,” he whispered when she eased back. “I needed that, more than you know.”
She pressed her hand to his heart, then to her own. When she cupped his cheek and gave him a look that blatantly said, You can tell me …
It wrecked him. She destroyed him with nothing more than compassion and her eyes.
“I have to make a decision,” he told her, unable to hold the words back. “It’s a difficult situation, and I don’t know if my choice will be the right one.”
Oh, that brought her eyebrows down into a worried frown. She mused that over for a few seconds before tapping two fingertips on her chest.
“Yes, it involves you.”
Fear illuminated her face better than the porch lights ever could. Flinging her arm out, she pointed to the mountain, twisting away from him and stepping back, almost falling in her haste.
Merrick snagged her wrist, hauling her against him before she hurt herself. “No. No, Tamsyn. That’s something you never have to worry about again. No more community, no more trades, no more being treated as something less than human.”
Horror replaced fear as her legs buckled.
Catching her, he settled her on his hip and began to pace the porch, rocking her as his boots clomped on the wood. “Planning on keeping all that a secret, were you? Naughty girl. I know about some of what you went through up there; Anarchy’s been a busy bee, digging up all the dirty deeds Jedidiah and his friends want to keep hidden.”
Her sharp inhale exposed her distress.
“There are things in motion now, darlin’. People involved who believe the women and children trapped there deserve a better life than what they’ve got. Because of you, because you did a fucking courageous thing and ran away despite the dangers, they’ll have a chance to find their own freedom.” He kissed her forehead when her lip quivered. “Maybe you were just trying to save yourself, little owl, but you’ve ended up doing a lot more than that.”
A tiny head shake, a glimmer of tears.
“Are you worried about your father?”
That dried up any notion of tears, he noted. There was no love left in her for the man who’d sired her, raised her, if there’d ever been any to begin with—kind of hard to love someone who only kept her around to sell her to the highest bidder.
“Had he traded you off when you ran?”
The slight hesitation made him pause and backtrack, reading deeper into the stilted shrug she eventually gave him. It wasn’t a yes or no, so the answer was somewhere in middle ground.
Merrick cocked his head. “No, that was what forced your hand, right? He told you there was a deal on the table and he was gonna take it?” He grunted when she nodded. “How much warning did he give you? A day, a week?”
Tamsyn snorted in derision, holding up a single finger then tapping it on his watch.
“An hour?”
It made sense, he supposed. The asshole probably hadn’t expected her to run, but if the community elders didn’t inform the products that they were being sold until the last minute, the stock had less time to cause problems or plan an escape.
“Do you know who bought you?”
Revulsion curled her lips, sparking in her eyes until they glowed with a hatred he didn’t think she was capable of feeling, let alone barricading it down where it couldn’t be seen. She scrawled letters over his chest, too fast and jerky to decipher.
“Again, darlin’. Slower this time.”
B.A.D. M.A.N.
“Bad man, huh? I get the feeling they’re all bad men up there, little owl.”
Eyes solemn now, she shook her head and tried to grip his throat in her small hand, mimicking choking him.
Ice cold fury finished the job for her, stealing his breath as he fully comprehended what she was trying to tell him. “Does your father know the guy he sold you to likes to murder his purchases? Of course, he does,” he said, answering his own question in the next breath. “He’s an elder, and I’m guessing elders know every-fucking-thing that goes on in that place. You know how many trades Jedidiah’s made?”
Tamsyn sighed sadly and held up her hand, all her fingers and her thumb widespread.
Yeah, the fucker wasn’t going to balk at selling his own damn daughter to a murderer when he was responsible for numerous deaths himself.
Personally, Merrick didn’t have much faith that Tabitha would make a dent in the community, if she even got that far, but her brother and sister-in-law seemed adamant that Grit’s submissive was actually some kind of legendary monster in the dark who hunted bad men for sport.
He wouldn’t mind a one-on-one opportunity with some of the community bastards—Tamsyn’s father and the dick who thought he could trade shit for something precious were at the top of his list. He’d happily make a trade of his own—whatever it took in exchange for their miserable, pedophilic lives to end.
“It’s all gonna stop, little owl. My fierce, brave runaway is gonna bring those fuckers to their knees after decades of sacrificing and dehumanizing women. So proud of you, Tamsyn.” He nuzzled her cheek, her jaw, and felt the chill of her skin. “I hope you’re proud of yourself, too.”
She squirmed and wiggled until she was no longer on his hip, but clinging to his front. Her good arm looped firmly around his neck, her cast hanging over his other shoulder as her fingers found purchase in his shirt again. Her legs hooked around his waist, anchoring her even though his hands automatically shifted to her ass for support.
Her eyes were wet when she rested her forehead against his, seeking simple comfort.
“Let’s get you inside, it’s fucking freezing out here.”
Tamsyn shook her head, her forehead rolling over his. She might not be consciously bothered by the cold, but her body was feeling the effects, shivering in an effort to keep warm.
“No arguments, little owl. Linnie, Fordham, and Violet worked hard so you could keep all your fingers and toes; they’re not gonna be happy with me if we have to do it all over again.” Turning to go back inside, he arched a brow when she nipped the tip of his nose. “Are you resorting to violent protest now?”
She did it again, sharper this time, and pointed in the direction of the residential cabins. Of course, she didn’t know that each time that tiny bite of pain irritated his skin, his cock jumped in response.
That was probably a good thing, given how quickly she was learning to read him.
“Don’t want to socialize, huh? Yeah, I’m not much in the mood for it myself now.” It wasn’t a lie; the anticipation of the evening had dwindled after Violet handed his balls to him, and he wanted to be in the right frame of mind when Tamsyn started to explore. “Did you say goodnight to Fordham and Violet?”
Her face mirrored Violet’s furious expression at the mention of the Mistress’s name before she shrugged.
“She was angry,” Merrick agreed, spinning around to the porch steps. “Unfortunately, that’s on me. The main thing is, she’s not mad with you.”
Tamsyn huffed, kissed his nose, then laid her head on his shoulder as he navigated the steps carefully and followed the gravel path back towards home. Her shivers grew stronger as the wind changed direction.
“I’ll make everything right, little owl,” he murmured, picking up his pace as the need to get her warm and safe eclipsed all else. “One way or another, I’ll make it right.”