by Pepper North
Protecting Priscilla: A SANCTUM Novel
Pepper North
Cover Artist
Allysa Hart
Text copyright ©2019 Pepper North
All Rights Reserved
Contents
Author’s Note:
Other titles by Pepper North
Dear Readers
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Afterword
Coming for Valentine’s Day 2019!
Excerpt From Sharing Shelby: A SANCTUM Novel
Author’s Note:
The following story is completely fictional. The characters are all over the age of 18 and as adults choose to live their lives in an age play environment. This is a series of books that can be read in any order. You may, however, choose to read them sequentially to enjoy the characters best. Subsequent books will feature characters that appear in previous novels as well as new faces. Prepare to enter the new world of Dr. Richards’ Littles. Enjoy!
Other titles by Pepper North
Zoey: Dr. Richards’ Littles 1
Amy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 2
Carrie: Dr. Richards’ Littles 3
Jake: Dr. Richards’ Littles 4
Angelina: Dr. Richards’ Littles 5
Brad: Dr. Richards’ Littles 6
The Digestive Health Center: Susan’s Story
Charlotte: Dr. Richards’ Littles 7
Sofia and Isabella: Dr. Richards’ Littles 8
Cecily: Dr. Richards’ Littles 9
Tony: Dr. Richards’ Littles 10
The Keepers: Payi
Abigail: Dr. Richards’ Littles 11
Madi: Dr. Richards’ Littles 12
Penelope: Dr. Richards’ Littles 13
Christmas with the Littles & Wendy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 14
Olivia: Dr. Richards’ Littles 15
Matty & Emma: Dr. Richards’ Littles 16
The Magic of Twelve: Violet
Fiona: Dr. Richards’ Littles 17
The Keepers: Pien
Oliver: Dr. Richards’ Littles 18
The Magic of Twelve: Marigold
Luna: Dr. Richards’ Littles 19
Lydia & Neil: Dr. Richards’ Littles 20
A Little Vacation South of the Border
The Magic of Twelve: Hazel
Roxy: Dr. Richards’ Littles 21
Dr. Richards’ Littles: First Anniversary Collection
Jillian: Dr. Richards’ Littles 22
The Magic of Twelve: Sienna
Hunter: Dr. Richards’ Littles 23
Sharing Shelby: A SANCTUM Novel
The Magic of Twelve: Pearl
Dr. Richards’ Littles: MM Collection
Electrostatic Bonds
Grace: Dr. Richards’ Littles 24
Looking After Lindy: A SANCTUM Novel
The Keepers: Naja
Tales from Zoey’s Corner - ABC
Steven: Dr. Richards’ Littles 25
The Magic of Twelve: Violet, Marigold, Hazel
The Magic of Twelve: Primrose
The Keepers Collection
Protecting Priscilla: A SANCTUM Novel
Dear Readers
Welcome to 2019! I hope your year is off to a great start! Thanks to a huge snow storm that trapped me inside, Priscilla’s story is coming to you much faster than I was anticipating. What else would I want to do but create great books for you while I’m watching the snow fall outside?
I have big plans for the coming year, and I hope you’ll come along for the fun reads and excitement of all my series. As always, I love hearing from you, and you can connect with me on a number of different social media platforms. Even better, come to one of the book events that I’ll attend this next year. I’d love to meet you!
Pepper North
Prologue
“Mitch, you’re awfully quiet tonight. Something bothering you?” Jeremy curiously asked the man who kept glancing at his phone.
“Something or someone keeps triggering the sensor at the back gate, but I can’t capture it on one of the cameras. It’s probably an animal, but I’ll go out there tomorrow and look for tracks,” the tall, black-haired man shared as he ran his hand over his full beard. “I just have this strange feeling that I need to go check it out.”
The men all nodded thoughtfully as they raised their beers toward him companionably. Beau, Jeremy, and Josiah, especially, were all firm believers in following that voice when it signaled something or someone was important. When a small voice whispered Josiah’s name through the nursery monitor, he excused himself to go take care of the most important person in his life. He was certainly glad he had listened when something had just seemed wrong as he drove down the highway.
Walking into the nursery, Josiah lifted his sleepy Little girl from the crib and carried her to the changing table. Shelby and Snowball slept on with quiet snores. Smiling with love at his sugar, he hoped all the men joining their celebration would be lucky enough to find their own precious Little. He knew two Little girls who would welcome new arrivals with hugs.
Chapter 1
Mitch Davis poured the last of his coffee out of the large mug. Looking around his new house, he smiled with the satisfaction of someone who was finally where he wanted to be. He’d worked long hours for many years to create a business he could run from a distance. Now, he had a group of managers he had worked with for years, and he paid them well. They would tend to his business as if it were their own.
To his eyes, this new structure he had built was ideal. Many years of planning had gone into its design. Still, though, the home was far from finished. Sure, the building structure was complete. There was nothing else to be installed or added, but it lacked one vital component—his own little girl.
No, not a daughter he helped conceive and raise, but a Little, an adult woman who shared his tastes and desires. A woman who would allow him to care for her completely and would love him with all her heart. He thought he’d found his Little a couple of times, but it hadn’t worked out. Each time, he had felt as if his heart would never recover.
Shrugging his broad shoulders, Mitch rinsed his cup and stacked it in the dishwasher. Enough thinking about the past. It was time to build his future. He’d heard about a dating app to match Littles with a Daddy or Mommy. Mitch had filled out the application last night but hadn’t pressed the submit button on PLAYTIME yet. He’d send it tonight after he looked over his answers one more time.
He grabbed his hat and stowed his gun in the holster at his back. As a second thought, he grabbed a couple of protein bars and put them in the breast pocket of his denim jacket. His emergency stash was empty in the SUV.
The first thing on his list was to go check on that back gate. The sensor had been repeatedly triggered in the last few days. Mitch didn’t think an animal could avoid the strategically placed cameras each time. Anything that could circumvent the scan of the security camera to reach the gate without being filmed had to be human.
Mitch closed hi
s back door but didn’t lock it. He didn’t need to do that here. Building in SANCTUM meant security. There were only two gates in the tall fencing that surrounded the property. Only those men whom he had known for years had access to enter, and they were welcome in his home. He had built his home here, trusting them with his friendship and the safety of the Little he hoped to find.
Sliding into the seat of his SUV, Mitch smiled as he drove past the homes of the Little girls already in residence here at SANCTUM. Shelby and Lindy lived with their Daddies in the community. They loved living openly as Littles here with lots of uncles around to make sure they were spoiled and watched over.
More rooflines were springing up on the horizon as members of SANCTUM began settling into the age play community. This had been a dream of a group of men for many years, and now, it was being built. The thought popped into his mind that he bet in five years, they’d all be living here.
He enjoyed the tranquility of the landscape as he traveled on the dirt road they’d cleared to each section of land and around the interior of the tall gate. As he approached the back gate, Mitch frowned to see a pile of dirt pushed inside the gate. It looked like an animal was digging a spot to wiggle under the massive iron barricade.
It must be a dog. Nothing ticked him off more than crappy people who mistreated pets. Who would bring a dog out here into the middle of nowhere and dump him? Mitch parked and slid from the vehicle to take a closer look. He squatted by the gate and ran his fingers through the dirt.
Something had definitely pushed the dirt through. Wait! An animal would dig the dirt toward them, not push it away. He rocked back on his heels. This had to be someone. He looked around for any clues and spotted a small piece of grimy fabric captured by the metal support on the side of the gate. He removed it carefully and looked at it.
Scraping his thumbnail against the dirty fabric, he revealed a pale pink color. His shoulders stiffened as he felt eyes on his back watching him. Mitch stood slowly and turned to face the sheltering trees. “I know you’re here. I’m not going to hurt you. Will you come out and talk to me? Maybe I can help,” he said gently in his deep voice.
Silence met his offer. Waiting a full minute, he held up his hands to signal that he wouldn’t hurt her before moving slowly to pull out a protein bar from his pocket. “I don’t know how you got out here, but I’d bet you’re hungry. Come out and eat, sugar. I won’t hurt you.”
Again, silence met his request. Feeling a little silly, Mitch sat down cross-legged on the ground. He could just be talking to nothingness. No, that’s not possible. I can feel her eyes. Mitch had survived his days as an Army Ranger in hazardous situations merely by relying on his gut. It was telling him now that she was watching. And that she was definitely female.
He waited patiently, scanning the tree line for movement. Minutes passed. He held the protein bar in one open palm. His military time had been over for several years, but he didn’t think he’d ever lose the discipline he had gained. He could outlast her apprehensions without any difficulty.
A small female voice tried to sound gruff and masculine. It failed miserably. “Just leave the bar on the ground and go. I’ll take it and go back under the gate.”
“I think you’re hungrier than one protein bar. Come on out. You have my promise I won’t hurt you. You don’t know me, but my promises mean something. I don’t make them often.” Mitch smiled at the direction where the voice had originated. His sharp, green eyes could make out a small figure sitting on a tree branch.
After a long silence, she spoke again. “You promise?”
“I do,” he answered immediately. He watched her awkwardly lower herself to the ground before hesitantly approaching the edge of the covering woods. When she stopped, obviously second-guessing herself, he encouraged, “Come on now. I bet you’d drink some water as well. I have some in my SUV.”
Slowly, the small figure emerged from the tree line. Her light brown hair was messy and grimy. She was thin, way too thin, as if she hadn’t eaten well for a long time. She held one arm awkwardly to her body as if she was hurt but trying not to let him know. She slowly approached and stopped about six feet away from him.
“Can I really have that bar?” she asked with her big blue eyes riveted to the food.
“Yes. Here, catch,” Mitch instructed as he gently tossed the bar her way. He didn’t like the way she held her arm against her body. He could tell immediately that her arm wasn’t the problem. At the least, she had several cracked ribs.
She leaned forward, eager to grab the bar, but extended her arm out by mistake. With a cry of pain, she briefly bent over to catch her breath as she pressed her arm back against her ribcage. All too soon, her hunger overcame the pain, and she reached carefully out to snatch the protein bar out of the dirt. Ripping it open with her small white teeth, the thin woman rammed half the bar into her mouth and began chewing as if desperately hungry.
Mitch didn’t move. He wanted her to eat. He’d seen people in dangerous situations in the service when their food supply was compromised. They had this same glazed look in their eyes when they finally had something to eat. As she finished the first one in record time, he pulled out the second bar he had tucked into his pocket.
Tossing it to land gently in front of her, Mitch watched her fingers close urgently around the second bar. He could see her struggle to not rip it open immediately as well. She had been hungry long enough to know to hoard food for later.
“If you won’t run away, I’ll get a bottle of water for you from the back of my car,” he offered, holding her gaze to assess whether she would bolt. When she slowly nodded, he stood and walked to the back hatch to get a bottle of water.
Returning with two, he stopped a few feet away as he watched her muscles flex in preparation to jump to her feet. Mitch gently asked, “May I bring this to you? I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“You promise?” she warily asked.
“I promise, sugar.” Mitch walked slowly forward and set one bottle on the ground within her arm’s length before backing up a couple of steps to sit on the ground near her. He opened his bottle of water and took a drink to show her it was okay.
Instantly, she reached for the water and took a big drink. Choking on the dry protein bar and the gulp of water, tears streamed from her eyes as she tried to swallow. One hand frantically brushed away the tears as she struggled to see.
“Take it easy, sugar. Take some small sips. It’s been a while since you’ve had something to eat and drink,” he quietly observed.
She nodded as she followed his directions. The small swallows worked better for her. “Thanks,” she whispered. The silence stretched between them as she drank slowly and her fingers crinkled the wrapper of the bar in her hand.
Mitch could tell she was still ravenous but forcing herself not to devour the second bar. “I hope you’ll tell me sometime how you got out here. We’re pretty isolated from the surrounding towns. But I’m more concerned that you are hurt. Will you let me take you home to help bandage your ribs? You can leave any time you wish. In fact, I’ll take you wherever you’d like to go.”
Her hand automatically reached across her chest to press against her ribs. She looked at him suspiciously. “I’m okay,” she tried to bluff.
“Your ribs aren’t. I’d say you’ve fractured at least two on your right side. They need to be tended to,” he responded without elaborating about the risk of puncturing a lung. She’d either let him help her or not. Mentally, he crossed his fingers. She had to let him help her.
Her shoulders slumped wearily. “Okay. But I’m not going to thank you with anything funny. You know, sexual favors.” She glared at him with suspicion.
“Understood. Drink, little one. Go ahead and eat the second bar. I’ll feed you whatever you like after I wrap your ribs.” Watching her follow his directions and tear into the bar, his head rocked back slightly as it hit him. She followed directions automatically…just like a Little. He took a deep breath and forced his j
umping heartbeat to slow back down.
She scrutinized him carefully as she took a large bite from the bar. “Who are you? What is this place?” she asked, waving the bar with her left arm.
“This is SANCTUM, and my name is Mitch Davis.”
“I read the sign outside. What is SANCTUM?” she demanded before shoving the last bite into her mouth.
“SANCTUM is exactly what its name states. It’s a sanctuary for people away from the mainstream world. It is a community my friends and I have been dreaming of and working to establish for a long time,” Mitch said honestly. “Are you ready to go to my house so I can patch you up?”
“You’re not going to hurt me?” Her pointed question went right to his heart. What type of people was she used to dealing with?
“I’m not going to hurt you.” He steadily held her gaze, allowing her to see the sincerity in his eyes. “Will you tell me your name?”
“Priscilla,” she whispered.
“It’s nice to meet you, Priscilla.” Mitch slowly stood and reached a muscled arm out to help her up. When she was on her feet, he stepped back to avoid crowding her. “Come on, sugar, your coach awaits.” Gesturing to the large SUV, the very fit ex-soldier noted that the young woman painfully leaned over to pick up the empty water bottle and a scrap of one wrapper.
He allowed her to precede him to the vehicle. Opening the door for her, Mitch watched her hesitate. “I won’t hurt you, sugar. You have my word.” Her eyes searched his face before nodding and gingerly climbing into the SUV.