Page 43 of The Red (The Godwicks 1)

It wascoming.

The man pulled back his hood and Monascreamed.

"It’s me, darling,” Malcolm said into her ear. "It’sonlyme.”

Mona found herself in the bed in the back room, Malcolm, naked on top of her, inside of her, moving within her. Mona’s orgasm shook her down to her core, her cervix contracting wildly, painfully almost, even as she screamed again in herterror.

The Minotaur—the cloaked figure who was but was not Malcolm—was gone. So were the fire and the priestesses and the chanting and the chains around her wrists and stomach and the bolder against her back. In their place there was nothing but a candle burning on a stool, paintings of women around and about the bed, the sounds of the street, and Malcolm’s own weight holding her down ontothebed.

She pushed him off her and sat back against the headboard, semen pouring out of her. Malcolm knelt in front of her, an ironic smile onhisface.

"Did I give you a little fright?” heteased.

"A little fright? Youdruggedme.”

"Never. It was nothing more than pomegranate wine. Then again, pomegranates do have very specialpowers.”

"That was not just wine. WhatIsaw—”

"You saw what I wanted you to see as always. When you drink it, it opensthemind.”

Her heart raced like she was still chained to the boulder. Her hands shook, her entire bodyshook.

"I warned you I like to play games,” he said. "I warned you that next time, you wouldhateme.”

"I dohateyou.”

"It’ll pass.” He shrugged, sent her a kiss and a wink. "Italwaysdoes.”

"Get out,”shesaid.

"If you insist. I wasn’t quite finished with you. But no harm, no foul,” Malcolm said, waving a hand dismissively. He climbed off the bed and quickly dressed in his three-piece suit. "Next time we’ll end on abetternote.”

"No next time. I don’t want you to evercomeback.”

"I’m afraid we had an agreement, did we not? You recall this?” He pulled a crisp white rectangle of paper from his inner breast pocket. He showed her one side—white and blank—and the other side, also white and blank. "You agreed to doanything.”

"You drugged me. You made mehallucinate.”

"I didn’t, actually…but even if I did, that would fall under the umbrella of ‘anything,’ wouldn’t youagree?”

Mona snatched the card from his hand and ripped it into pieces. She sent them scattering all overthebed.

"Get out. Nevercomeback.”

"You don’tmeanit.”

She pulled away from him, turned her back on him, and wouldn’t lookathim.

"You’re a monster,” she said, a sob rising in herthroat.

"It was only pretend. Iwarnedyou…”

He had warned her she wouldn’t know fantasy from reality. He had, but this was different. Fantasy and reality were one thing, but Malcolm had made her question her verysanity.

"Get away fromme.Now.”

He slammed the door so loudly she jumped. The candle blew out, and the room went dark but for theskylight.

---