Hello everyone,

I am so excited to post this chapter. Why? Because we are coming to a turning point in this story and I'm very excited to share it with you.

I just wanted to say how thrilled I am that everyone is enjoying the story, and all of your questions will be answered in good time.

Thank you for continuing this journey with me. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following.

Please review…

Chapter 6

Edward punched the security code into the alarm system as he slipped in through the garage. It'd been a long fucking day, he thought, running his hand through his hair as he cut through the kitchen to make his way towards his study. Luckily everyone was preoccupied with dinner, and so his journey was a peaceful one as he waltzed into his office and secured the door behind him.

His lashes touched his cheek when a quick tap sounded on the door. Impatiently he glared at the structure as he strode toward the brandy on the drinking cart. "What?"

Of course, Jane's head popped inside, pinning him with a hungry stare. Instantly, his stomach was a frisson of knots as annoyance gripped him hard. "I just wanted to see if you wanted me to bring you a plate. I was serving the family when I saw you head this way."

"No," Edward stated firmly. Seeing no way around the inevitable, he waved her inside. His lips were pinched as he regarded the maid through narrowed slits. "Jane, from here on out, do not come to this study. Do you understand? Don't even look in the direction of the fucking door. If I want something, I will summon anyone else to deliver what I am seeking at the time I am seeking it."

Jane's lashes fluttered as hurt swallowed her blue eyes. "You've been out all day. I figured you must be starved …"

"Stop," Edward stated fiercely as a stony expression enveloped his features. "You are not my wife. You are not my girlfriend. Am I making myself very clear? You are nothing to me other than the maid of this house, and if you would like to keep said employment, you will avoid pestering me relentlessly. Do you understand?"

He would have to be an idiot not to notice the wounded look twisting her features—not that he gave a shit. When she remained silent with tears filling her eyes, Edward's aggravation discovered new heights.

What the fuck did he have to do to get her to leave him alone?

When Jane remained silently staring at the floor, Edward leaned a fraction of a centimeter closer. "Jane, am I clear? Don't come back here again if you would like to keep your job."

Her jaw trembled with emotion when her lips parted as if she would respond. Instead of listening to her whining, he motioned toward the door. "Get out and close the door behind you."

Breathing heavily, he turned back to the liquor calling his name. He had just finished taking a sip from the glass, rolling the burning alcohol on his tongue when the wail of his house alarm resonated throughout the study. On impulse, his startled gaze shot toward the window and saw his fucking prisoner running hell bent across the lawn. "Motherfucker!"

Edward was fairly sure the drink in his hand shattered at his feet as he tore out of his office and gave into pursuit. Like a bullet, he shot through the house and burst out the back door.

Bella ran for all she was worth. She moved so fast she had to wonder if her feet even touched the ground, and if the soles of her feet weren't digging into cool grass as she went, she could've sworn she was flying. Luck was on her side as the descending sun cast shadows over the open stretch of land. Bella was about to celebrate her escape when she chanced a look over her shoulder, and her heart squeezed when she spotted the king bearing down on her, and he looked pissed.

With each step she took, Bella willed her legs faster, her heart stuttering as rational fear gripped her soul. Never in her life had she seen someone look so angry before, and the fact that the distance between them was rapidly dissipating spurred on her instinctive urge to flee. Trying to maintain focus on the tree line, Bella cursed as the breath was knocked out of her when she was tackled to the ground.

Her lungs were on fire as she fought for breath, and a heaving weight remained on top of her. Bella sputtered as she ate a mouth full of grass, twisting and turning as she tried to break Edward's hold on her. "Get off of me. You can't keep me here against my will. Beast. Tyrant. How do you sleep at night? Asshole."

Edward planted a knee in the small of her back to hold her in place. Leaning forward, he growled in her ear. "Hold the fuck still. You have got to be the most unruly woman I have ever known. If I weren't a better man … Jesus … Isabella, I am only going to tell you once more to stop your insistent struggling."

"What are you going to do about it? Huh?" Bella didn't heed his warning, fighting against his hold as she tried in vain to wiggle out from beneath Edward. "Let me go. Right now, or I swear to God …"

Breathing hard, his lips grazed her ear as he stated adamantly, "Woman if you insist on acting like a child, I will treat you like one." Gripping her upper arm in a firm grasp, Edward pulled Isabella to her feet and forced her to look at him. "Settle the fuck down."

Bella yanked against Edward's hold. She groaned when his grip turned bruising as he held tight, refusing to be budged. "I'd rather not, " Bella argued with anger laced in her tone. "If you just let me go, I will be out of your hair in a hot second."

"Isabella," Edward hollered in a loud tone. He attempted to pull her along behind him, yet the wench dug her heels into the yard, stalling her efforts. Obviously, Edward was much stronger than her, and if he kept pulling on it, he could've yanked her arm out of the sock. Despite his frustration when it came to dealing with her, Edward had no desire to harm her in any fashion. Instead of dragging her up the hill, he did the next best thing. With little effort on his part, his long arm wrapped around her legs, and he heaved her form over his shoulder.

Of course, his actions only inspired Bella to fight harder, her fists pelleting his back as he turned toward the house. Edward didn't even break stride as he crossed the lawn at a brisk pace.

"Put me down," Bella yelled, wiggling on the perch of his shoulder. Without hesitation, she hit him across the back as he entered the terrace doors she'd escaped from and easily navigated the maze of a house. "Edward, just let me go. What is the point …"

Bella's voice faltered as a sting vibrated through her buttocks. With a hiss, her back arched as she fought to understand what had just happened. Before she could comprehend what caused the burn in her ass, another smack landed on the opposite butt cheek. That's when it dawned on Bella. He was fucking spanking her like a child, she determined, and instead of succeeding in whipping the disobedience from her, Edward's actions only instigated her reaction.

"You miserable, asshole," Bella yelled, flaying about like a fish out of water. Without giving her reaction rational thought, she smacked the ass her face dangled against.

Bella instantly regretted her decision, however, when a growl rumbled from his chest, and a series of fiery stings erupted across her bottom. Bella wasn't sure if the spanking actually hurt or if the humiliation was enough to spark the tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. Her eyes burned as her backside smarted, and before she processed the change in her environment, Bella found herself flung onto the bed where she'd slept since coming here.

Fury soured Edward's tongue as the witch leapt from the bed and bum-rushed the door. Grabbing a fist full of her sweater, he yanked her around to face him. "What do I have to do to make you listen? Do you really want to be strapped to a chair?"

"I want you to let me go," Bella was starting to become breathless as she continued her rant. "I want every person dictating my existence to eat dirt. That's what I want. Just let me go, Edward. Please …"

"There is too much money at stake to let you walk out of those doors," he announced, his face inches from hers as he spoke. When she didn't pause in her efforts to walk through her bedroom door, Edward placed himself between her and the opening with a hiss.

"Are you eager to get back to your fiancé?" Edward asked with a glare as he stared into Bella's upturned face, his gaze roaming the curve of her heart-shaped chin. Meeting her eyes, he jerked her to him as she went still at the mention of Winthrop. "Had a meeting with your loving fiancé, and he is quite eager to get you back."

"I am not marrying that old sloth," Bella grunted, yanking fruitlessly, trying to break the steely grip he had on her. "I will—I will ..." Bella didn't want to put into words what she would do if she were forced to marry the aging government official. Just the thought caused dread to fill every cell of her existence.

Edward's voice dropped an octave as he studied her intently. "You'll what? Huh? Kill him? Because besides that, there is no way out of your fate. If you step foot off this property, you are fair game. Do you catch my meaning? There's nothing I can do past that point."

Was Edward saying in some sick twisted way, he was actually trying to protect her? The mere idea gave her pause as she stared into snapping dark blue eyes, and a frisson of heat lanced her gut. Refusing to acknowledge the burning in her belly, her chin tilted at a stubborn angle as she tried again to pull out of his grasp. "There are other ways."

Her statement had Edward freezing, his fingers pinching into the arm he held. "Like?"

Bella swallowed tightly, and this time she avoided the murderous glint shining in his eye. Licking dry lips, she gritted her teeth as the idea took root, refusing to be shook. "He can't marry me if I am not here."

The way she emphasized here gripped Edward in a way he hadn't expected. By the way, she spoke, her meaning was beyond apparent. "Are you talking about suicide?"

Bella didn't answer, her gaze jaunting around the confines of the bedroom. When the silence stretched between them, her eye came back to land on the king. "It might be preferable. I am nothing more than a game devised by men. Every man from the beginning has dictated my life, and there is no escape. If it isn't my father, it's the mayor, and if not him ... it's ... it's ... you. "

Edward couldn't dispute her logic. Isabella had a point, and suddenly the blistering spanking he'd dished out came back to haunt him, and regret wormed its way into his soul. Even now, the itch in his palm reminded him of the welting stings he'd delivered.

"I came here looking for help and found myself locked in a room. It might be a beautiful one, but I am a prisoner nonetheless. And you aren't doing it because you care; you are doing it until you get your money. Like my life is only worth a few measly cents." Bella shoved the fallen hair from her face as she angrily returned his gaze. "As you said, as soon as you get your money, I will just face the same fate anyway. What's the point?"

Please review... If you are looking for a more upbeat Mobward please check out Under Fire.