She searched his face. What game was he playing? Sure, tell the sadist which items would upset you the most so he doesn’t have to do any work to figure it out.

He sighed. “Faith, what happened to the trust we built?”

Her gaze went back to the metal tray with all the different canes lined up.

She gripped the tray to stay upright while he went to get the black leather book. He opened it to a fresh page and uncapped a pen.

“Well? We don’t have all night.”

Faith ran her fingertips over the smooth canes. “This one is the worst,” she said, touching the metal cane. “Followed by this one and the rest like it.” She pointed to the rattan.

The pen scratched against the paper in a quick scrawl that probably only he could read.

She took a breath and looked up at the wall. “I-I don’t know what these are.”

“Those are clamps. Those are called butterfly clamps and the others are alligator.” he said.

“What are they for?” She thought she knew, but she hoped she was wrong.

“Nipples. But I have other kinds for labia.”

Not wrong.

“Do they hurt?”

He raised a brow at her. Stupid question.

“Of course they hurt, but the alligator aren’t bad. They hurt more when they are being removed than when they go on.”

“Why?”

“Blood rushing back to where it was denied. You go numb so it doesn’t hurt as much, but when the clamps come off, sensation rushes back all at once.”

“Why do you like this?” She couldn’t blend the Leo who was into causing pain with the Leo who had protected her more than once from Angelo. Or the Leo who’d shown her mercy and given her a private room, or who had chosen to create a sham engagement and marry her so she wouldn’t have to be kept tied up in the dungeon during the holidays. All of those things were so extremely kind, and this was so extremely evil. His contradiction was more frightening than if he could keep to one persona consistently.

He shrugged. “I’ve experienced every object in this dungeon. When I first decided to explore this lifestyle, I hired a dominatrix to teach me. I asked her to use everything on me because I wanted to know how they felt. I felt it was my responsibility to be intimately familiar with each item. She taught me how to moderate my strength and how to deliver the amount of sensation I wanted to deliver and nothing more or less. There is nothing here you will endure that I haven’t been through myself.”

Leo raised his sweater and turned around. Faith couldn’t help running her fingers over the thin, faint scars that criss-crossed his back.

“Are you going to mark me like this?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“I haven’t decided.”

“I’m not as strong as you. I can’t take what you can take. Please…”

He pulled the sweater down and turned to face her, brushing the tears that had already started forming again, off her face. “Whatever happens or doesn’t happen, when it happens you will be able to take it, whatever it is. I’m not going to throw you down and scar you. I’m not an animal.”