Chapter 18 – Hit Me

Raine

I followed Cage through unknown hallways of the estate, until we reached a large gym.

Excitement ran through me.

He was going to teach me to fight!

Even though I was looking forward to spending more time with him, I couldn't help examining the new surroundings and cataloging the rooms and hallways, determining if any of them would be conducive for my future escape.

If Cage observed my extra attentiveness to the layout of the building, he didn't mention it. I doubted he noticed or maybe he just felt like I wouldn't try to leave. But I knew I was going to have to face the truth sometime – and definitely before an irreversible mating ceremony – that none of this was real. It was all based on Cage's ridiculously honorable, but misplaced senses of obligation and duty. And the longer I waited, the harder it was going to be to say goodbye. Of course, I wouldn't get the chance to say a real goodbye, because he seemed determined to keep me here, which meant I was going to have to sneak out and get far enough away, that he wouldn't be able to find me. Once I had access to my funds again, I could easily make that happen. I could disappear without a trace.

We entered a large room with every kind of work-out equipment, scattered in rows. To the side, there was a large ring for sparring matches. The mirrors on the walls made the room look even larger. I was in shape and fairly athletic, so curious to see what results Cage expected to get from our training. 

When we reached the center of a large area with a soft cushy floor, Cage turned to face me. "Okay, hit me."

I blinked. "What?"

"Just hit me."

Okay.

I reached my hand up to slap him.

He caught my wrist in mid-air, closed his eyes and sighed, "No, don't hit me like a girl, really hit me."

I narrowed my eyes.

I had taken an aerobics class once that included punching and strikes. I closed my fist and aimed for his chest. He caught my hand in mid-air again, this time examining the positioning of my fingers and thumb.

I humphed petulantly, "If you're never going to let me make contact with you, how am I going to learn anything?"

"You would like to make contact with me?" he smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "Right about now, I would like to kick your ass. Could that be arranged?"

"I would like nothing more," he purred. "Keep your wrist and arm aligned. Now try again."

I struck again, landing the punch squarely in his chest, which felt a little bit like hitting a brick wall. "Ow! Fuck, okay, maybe you shouldn't let me make contact with you."

His eyes shifted to concern as he contemplated. Then he disappeared and reappeared holding two cushioned mitts. He held one in each hand. "Here, hit these."

I didn't hesitate, striking hard with my left hand and immediately followed it with another hit with my right."

His eyebrows rose.

I smirked.

"Okay, again."

We repeated the process several times, with him showing me various ways to position my body and attack. After thirty minutes, we added in kicks. Another hour went by and I was sweating, but it felt fabulous to exercise my muscles and push my endurance.

Suddenly, he disappeared, and I felt him make contact with my body. I squealed in surprise as we tumbled to the mat. Surprisingly, the landing didn't hurt at all. I was on my back, and he was next to me with a leg draped over my body to keep me down.

"What the hell was that?" 

He smirked, "New lesson."

Before he could say anything, I twisted my body hard. My surprise maneuver caught him off-guard, allowing me to roll on top of him. I wanted to do a little victory dance as I held his hands down above his head, but a smirk would have to do. "Lesson learned."

His disbelief at our new positioning lasted for less than a second, before his pupils dilated completely and he was looking at me with a whole new intensity.

My abdomen curled tightly in response.

"Not bad." He grinned wickedly as he purred, "My turn."

I inhaled sharply with no idea what he planned to do.  I didn't have to wait long for the answer because abruptly, I found myself on my back and he was hovering dangerously over me – nestled between my legs.

And there was no mistaking his very large erection.

He growled in the back of his throat and pushed his hips into me once. The movement was like a shot of adrenaline to my system. Fire ripped through my body. I whined loudly and writhed beneath him, searching desperately for more friction.

Maddeningly, he didn't repeat the movement. Instead, he asked huskily, "Did you like that?"

Was he insane?

Fuck yes, I liked that.

And he was going to need to repeat it, quickly, before I lost my damn mind.

My chest heaved to keep up with the sudden and dramatic acceleration of my heart. His mouth came down to my neck, kissing and licking at my flesh. Still, I couldn't concentrate on anything but his hard-on between my legs and the one thing that I wanted. I whimpered, "Cage, please..."

He pulled back and watched my expression as he pushed his hips into me again, demanding, "Do you want more?"

"Yes!!!" I cried out.

"Do you want me inside of you?" His low growl caused a heat wave at my core.

I couldn't breathe, but found a way to chant, "Yes, yes, yes!"

He chuckled and promised, "Soon, Dulce Tigru...very soon, I am going to be inside of you."

Soon wasn't quite quickly enough for my tastes. His mouth took ownership of mine, and I writhed harder against him, arching my back and clawing at his shoulders and arms.

"Fuck, you are so damn responsive," he breathed.

Suddenly, we were interrupted by a voice that caused my skin to crawl, "You know it works much better if you remove her clothes first."

Tension rolled through Cage's body. He carefully got off of me and pulled me to my feet.

Vladimir's words sounded bored, but his eyes looked a wild and dangerous. I remembered Cage's comment about the scent of my arousal being irresistible. There was no way Vlad could have missed it. Not with the way Cage was making my body sing for him.

And then I noticed who was standing behind him.

His pet!

And she was completely naked.

And if that were not bad enough, the bastard actually held a leash attached to the jeweled collar around her neck. I thought I was going to hurl right there.

Vlad continued with a smirk, "See, if you kept her as a pet, you wouldn't be having these problems now. She would always be ready for you."

That slimy bastard! If he tried to give us a demonstration of his pet's readiness for him, I wasn't going to be able to hold myself back from jumping on him.

"Raine, why don't you go get a drink." Cage pointed me toward a small refrigerator. I wondered for a moment if there would be anything other than blood inside, but guessed there had to be if he recommended it. I was dying of thirst, so eagerly walked across the room and thankfully found bottles of water. I pulled one out and drank about half of it.

When I turned back toward Cage, my heart almost stopped.

Vlad had left the leash in his pet's hands and was now stalking Cage!

They circled slowly.

Rage and power coiled through my body, hard and strong. Rather than beat faster, I felt my heart slow and my body calm down. There was that same familiar vibration in the air. The one I had heard before the hunters showed up at the chalet.

Cage's head snapped toward me.

But I wasn't looking at him.

My eyes were trained on the threat – Vladimir.

I inched forward, keeping out of Vladimir's peripheral vision. No doubt, he would never suspect that I would attack him. But he was wrong. I would attack – if it meant saving Cage.

Suddenly, we were all in motion.

Vlad went to strike, and I darted forward to get between them. Instead of deflecting the attack or counter-attacking, Cage lunged in my direction. He spun our bodies, so that I did not take a direct hit, but not quickly enough to avoid Vlad's impact to my shoulder.

I cried out in pain.

"What the fuck?" Vlad hissed and stared at me in utter astonishment.

Cage held me while I whimpered. His eyes blazed crimson as he roared at Vlad, "Get the fuck out!!"

Vlad looked between us in continued stunned confusion before walking toward the door and spitting, "Crazy bitch!"

Cage lifted me as gently as he could. I still had to bite back tears as pain shot through my shoulder.  When we reached his suite, he set me carefully on the bed and made a call. It sounded like he was speaking to a doctor. When he was finished, he disappeared into the bathroom and ran a hot bath. He came back and instead of raising my arms to remove my shirt, he simply tore it down the middle and slid it off of my arms. Once the rest of my clothes were discarded, he carried me into the bathtub.

The hot water helped soothe my muscles, but didn't do much to take the edge off of the pain in my shoulder. Finally, Cage spoke, his eyes tense. "What were you thinking?"

I stared at him apprehensively. "When?"

A muscle in his jaw clenched. "When you decided to jump in front of Vlad's attack. He could have easily killed you."

"I was angry," I replied defensively. "He's a disgusting pig. And treating that poor woman like an animal and his personal sex toy is reprehensible."

"The practice of human pet ownership was established hundreds of years ago and many vampires indulge in the behavior. It was never my choice, but it is established tradition. You cannot jump in between two vampires just because you don't like it."

I stared at him in shock and spat, "Tradition? No, it's appalling, is what it is. And it needs to stop!"

Anger rolled over his features. "You do not understand our culture."

"I don't have to understand any culture to know it's wrong!"

A knock at the door interrupted us. Cage stood, walked out of the bathroom and returned a moment later with a small woman. Oh, I tried to shift my body so that I was 'less naked' but pain shot down my arm. Cage murmured, "Shh...It's okay. She's a healer. Let her look at your shoulder."

I stopped moving. She had slightly greying hair and kind dark brown eyes. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?" she murmured almost to herself, as her fingertips lightly felt my shoulder.

I tried not to cry.

Finally, she leaned back. "It's a miracle there isn't anything broken. It should have shattered with a hit from Vladimir."

I grimaced.

She pulled out a bottle of pills and handed them to Cage. "Have her take one three times a day for the pain. Other than that, we will just have to let her body heal of its own accord. She recovered at a surprising rate last time, so hopefully, she will again."

As she left, Cage murmured, "Thank you."

He fished out one of the pills for me and I took it with water. Twenty minutes later, the liquid in the tub had cooled considerably and the pain medication had kicked in. Cage reached down to gather me into his arms. I only winced slightly. He tucked me into the bed without bothering with clothes.

He turned out the overhead light and climbed in next to me. His voice was quiet and low. "You have to stop."

"Stop what?" I breathed.

"Stop jumping in between danger and me. Why do you do that? You were willing to give your life for mine, even when you knew I planned to kill you. Why...would you do that?" he searched my eyes intently.

I wished I had an answer for him, but I didn't.

I whispered, "I don't know."

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