Their Reign (The Rite Trilogy 3)

5

JUDGE

It’s the middle of the morning when Mercedes finally stirs. I haven’t closed my eyes for more than a few minutes.

She rolls onto her back, arching, stretching, feline-like, her arms over her head with a soft, luxurious moan. The birds chirping outside can be heard through the window, which is open a crack. She yawns, covering her mouth, blinking her eyes open momentarily before rolling back onto her side with a sigh.

For a moment, I think she’s going to go back to sleep. I wouldn’t be surprised. The thought irritates me. But then she bolts upright, sucking in a panicked breath, her eyes huge as they center on me. She clutches the blanket to her chest, and I smile.

“Morning, princess.”

The words are barely out of my mouth before she bolts, throwing the blanket off and scrambling toward the closed bedroom door so fast she’s a blur, all dark hair and flowing white cotton gown. She gets to it. Her hand closes over the doorknob. But before she can open it, I strap an arm under her breasts and lift her, tossing her back onto the bed.

“I don’t think so, Mercedes.”

“Judge, I—”

She takes one look at me as I eat the space between us and lets out a yelp, flipping onto hands and knees to scurry across the bed.

I grab an ankle, tug her back and drape myself over her.

“You what?” I say, fisting her hair and turning her head enough so I’m sure she can see me. “Tell me, Mercedes. You what?”

“I… How…”

I raise an eyebrow. “How did I find you? The better question is how did you think I wouldn’t?” I get off her, keeping her pinned with a hand at her back and tugging the nightgown up to her waist. I smack her ass, and she yelps. “That’s just the start, little monster.” Smack. Smack. Smack. I tug her panties down and do it again, three more on the other cheek.

“Let me go!” She kicks her legs, twists and turns as I slide her onto my lap and let loose on her ass, spanking hard enough to leave big red handprints. “It hurts! Stop!”

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I ask over the blows.

“Stop! Judge!”

She’s half on her side, trying to escape me while she pulls at the nightgown to cover herself.

“When did you get so fucking modest?” I ask as I rip the fabric away and trap her legs between mine to spank her again, concentrating on her thighs.

“Please! You don’t understand!”

“I don’t fucking understand? Me? Do you have the first clue what I’ve been through?”

She doesn’t answer.

“Do you?” I spank again, and she cries out.

“It hurts!”

“That’s the fucking point, princess.” I flip her onto the bed and lift her to her knees. “Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through? I thought Vincent Douglas fucking kidnapped you! I thought it was him who destroyed your condo and took you. But you’re a good actress. I’ll give you that.”

“It wasn’t…”

“Very realistic.”

“I swear I—”

I push the goddamn fabric of the too long nightgown away and smack again. “That’s how red your ass will stay for the foreseeable future. Spread your legs.”

“Judge, I—”

“Spread your goddamn legs.”

She does, taking her knees wide. She’s on her elbows, looking straight ahead. I take her in. Open. Exposed. She looks back at me.

“Face forward.”

“Judge, I can explain.”

“I said face fucking forward!” I hear how I sound. How angry. How not like myself.

“Judge?”

“Do what I say, or God help me.” I undo my belt buckle, not sure what the hell I’m even thinking because I have no intention of using it on her, and the instant I do, she lets out a scream and jumps from the bed.

“No!” She runs across the room, as far from me as she can get, panic in her wide eyes. She picks up the closest thing she can get her hands on, a small, decorative vase, and throws it across the room at me.

I duck to avoid it, and it crashes against the wall. It shatters and she uses that moment to get past me to the door and slips through my grasp, leaving me holding the fabric of the nightgown when I reach for her. But as the door opens and she charges out, I don’t let go and the gown rips, leaving a naked Mercedes stumbling down the hall.

“Get back here!” I go after her and manage to grab a handful of hair to tug her backward. Her arms flail as she falls into me. I catch her, wrap an arm around her, and that’s when I feel it.

When I feel the thing that stops me dead.

It’s like time stops. The whole fucking world comes to a fucking halt.

“What the—?”

She scurries away when I loosen my grip, and I get a good look when she stands still, letting me.

It takes an eternity to drag my gaze from her small, rounded belly up over her breasts swollen like I’d noticed weeks ago when I’d thought nothing of it, up to her tearstained face.

My mouth falls open as she stares at me, breathing hard.

“Jesus.” It’s all I can manage.

“I didn’t know what they would do. I couldn’t let them hurt the baby.”