Captured: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 1)

by Felicity Brandon

  Hannah’s gaze caught sight of the leather in Lawes’ free hand, and sure enough, she could make out what looked like a leather gagging system. There were straps everywhere, and a bit that would likely be forced between her teeth like the kind she’d seen on horses. Her heart pounded furiously while he led her across the floor and around to the part of the basement where Fuller had disappeared to last night. It was even more difficult crawling now that her legs had been spread, the chain between her wrists jangling forebodingly, the noise reinforcing her subjugation.

  The space opened into a much larger room, and to her horror, Hannah’s gaze fell over the scene. There were women on all fours, just like her, positioned all around the room. Each was dressed in leather reins, a couple in harnesses as full-on as the one she was now buckled into. She tried to catch her breath as Lawes drew her onward, but it was damn near impossible. Every woman was chained with their noses toward the wall, their plugged asses held high in the air while their faces were lowered into what looked like metal bowls. Their leashes were secured to metal hooks above their places, effectively keeping them in place.

  Looming over them were two younger men, and when they turned at Lawes’ arrival, Hannah recognized the faces. One was Zander, the guy who’d assisted Lawes during her so-called dental assessment, and the other was Matthew, the first guy Hannah had met at the place. Both men smiled as their gazes fell over Hannah, and a hot blush engulfed her face.

  “Mr. Lawes.” Zander moved toward them with a grin. “We were wondering when you’d both be joining us.”

  “Yes, Hannah needed a little correction this morning, then I had to get her properly attired.”

  Matthew’s lips twitched, and Hannah glanced away from him. It was the first time he had seen her naked, and somehow, it stung harder than Zander’s appraisal. There was a time yesterday when Hannah had been genuinely attracted to Matthew. She’d watched his tight little behind when it walked away and contemplated asking him out on a date. The fact that she was now nude, leashed, and harnessed in front of him made her so distraught with hot humiliation, Hannah wanted to cry.

  “She needs feeding.” Lawes was talking again. “Then I’ll get her set up in this.”

  Hannah didn’t dare to glance in Lawes’ direction, knowing without needing to look, he was referring to the terrible gag she’d spotted in his hands.

  “I’ll take her, Mr. Lawes.” Matthew moved forward, gesturing for Lawes to hand Hannah’s leash over.

  She grimaced. Of course, it had to be Matthew. Of all three of them, he would ensure Hannah was the most chastened. And he’d manage it without even needing to try.

  “Thank you, Matthew,” Lawes replied, handing him the end of the chain she was attached to. “Zander, perhaps you can take me through the other patients’ progress this morning?”

  “Of course.”

  Lawes and Zander moved away to Hannah’s left, leaving Matthew towering over her.

  “Come on then, Miss Bowman.”

  Hannah pulled in a breath. Hearing that name from his lips when she was like this was preposterous. She scurried after him when he turned, trying to make her hands and knees work in unison, but it was hard work, not to mention demeaning to be made to crawl this way while the men in the room wandered freely on foot.

  “Here’s your bowl.”

  Matthew dragged Hannah into the far corner, away from most of the other kneeling women, and dropped to his haunches while he secured her leash to a hook set into the ground. Glancing around as best she could, Hannah could see similar hooks were set all over the edge of the room—as though the place had been constructed with leashed women in mind. She shuddered at that thought. It was as disturbing as it was delicious.

  Once she was bound, Matthew pointed toward the metal bowl. “Get your face in there and eat. There’ll be nothing more until supper time, and you have a long day ahead.”

  Hannah’s heart threatened to rise into her throat at the command. Not only was it the young, charismatic Matthew giving it, which seemed worse than the more mature Lawes, she knew he was right. Hannah had no idea what was in that bowl, but if she didn’t eat now, she might get nothing else all day, and despite everything, she was starving. The last time she could remember eating was in the office yesterday at lunchtime.

  Edging closer toward the bowl, Hannah’s knees scraped the hard floor. From either side of her corner, Hannah heard the sounds of women eating from bowls just like this one, on their hands and knees—the tapping of the metal collars against bowls, the panting sounds as they caught their breath between mouthfuls. That was what was expected of her now.

  Her utter debasement.

  Seventeen

  Debasement

  If Hannah had assumed her punishment had been arduous, evidently, she’d underestimated the challenge of eating from a bowl. Peering into the thing, she made out what looked like a portion of cereal hoops and risked a nervous glance at Matthew. He towered above her, and for the first time, she noticed the riding crop in his right hand. Hannah was sure he hadn’t been holding that a moment ago, or maybe he had? She was so weary and demeaned, thinking straight wasn’t easy. It was also possible, she reasoned, Matthew could have collected the crop from around this Godforsaken place. No doubt, the basement was littered with implements designed for tormenting the women.

  “Get going,” he warned, tapping the tongue of the crop onto the already tender skin of her backside.

  Startling, Hannah yelped and concurred, lowering her mouth toward the hoops unthinkingly. Hannah’s lips parted to collect the cereal, her brain acknowledging the mortification as she collected them and sucked them into her mouth. She was being made to degrade herself, along with all these other women, all chained here for feeding time. Heat furled in her core at that notion while she closed her eyes and chewed, the whole awful reality sprawling out in her mind.

  This was her life now—her new reality—and unless Hannah could find a way to escape, this would be her future. Chained up in Lawes’ cellar, debased and humiliated while she was conditioned into whatever they chose her to be, and all the while, Hannah wouldn’t know whether she was coming or going. Whether her disgust and outrage could rival her utter gratification of the acts that were bestowed, and worse than even that, whether any of that truly mattered.

  Because while the collar and leash were on, Hannah was theirs.

  Their patient, their pet—whatever the hell they called her. Whatever they demanded of her.

  She couldn’t break the chains, and she sure as hell couldn’t overpower them. And if last night had taught her anything, she couldn’t try to escape again until she’d done her homework. Hannah needed to know the layout of the place and where the exits were and the benefit of daylight to assist her in that endeavor. Only then would she stand a chance of succeeding next time.

  The crop splintered her thoughts as it blistered her ass with five powerful strikes. Matthew might look elegant, but he could wield that thing with ferocity. Clenching around the plastic shoved into her backside, Hannah mewled at the unexpected hurt.

  “Faster.” Matthew sounded like Lawes now, his tone hard and unrelenting.

  She gasped at the order but buried her face into the hoops. They were tasteless, like cardboard, but they were inoffensive, and Hannah forced herself to take in another mouthful and chew.

  “Better,” he snarled. “Keep it going.”

  Hannah kept her face buried in the bowl, gobbling up the cereal as fast as her mouth would allow. She was surprised by how easy she found the deed. The hoops collected conveniently at one end of the bowl, her heated breath seeming to do enough to draw them toward her tongue. At the same time, as she leaned down over the bowl, the leather strapped around her body seemed tighter. Hannah was painfully aware of the way her breasts hung from the open leather triangles, her nipples beading disgracefully despite the ignominy of the act. And it was difficult to forget there was a tail swishing from her backside, a view that would be available to all three
men in the room.

  Within moments, the bowl was empty, the final few hoops forced down her dry throat.

  “Very good.” Matthew sounded pleased. “She’s done well, Mr. Lawes.”

  Hannah heard footsteps behind her—Lawes, she presumed.

  “I knew she could be a good little girl.” Lawes’ accent washed over her. “When she tried. Time for a drink now, Matthew?”

  Matthew shifted in her peripheral vision, his footsteps echoing around the grim basement space. Hannah waited on her hands and knees, painfully aware Lawes was watching her. She swore she could feel the weight of his stare, the way his gaze devoured the plastic buried in her ass. Matthew returned a moment later, falling to his haunches beside Hannah’s head and placing a new bowl of what looked like water between Hannah’s bound hands.

  “What do you say?” Lawes’ voice reverberated around the low ceiling.

  Hannah inhaled, pulling the dank air through her nose. She was parched. In reality, she wanted a drink, but the prospect of having to thank the men who’d taken her—who’d done this to her—was galling.

  “Thank you, sir.” She lowered her head while she muttered the words.

  Laughter filled the room, and it sounded as though all three of the men joined in.

  “Not very heartfelt.” Lawes had wandered toward her and loomed in the place Matthew had previously stood. Matthew edged toward her rear, and Hannah could feel his feathery touch at her tingling backside.

  “But still,” Lawes continued. “We should accept your thanks graciously. Now, get your mouth in that bowl and lap.”

  Hannah glanced up at him quickly. Like all of them, Lawes was so damn big—big, powerful, and in control.

  A forceful slap broke her train of thought, and she glanced behind in surprise to find Matthew smiling.

  “Mr. Lawes asked you to lap, Hannah, so get to it. Join the rest of your sisters and drink up the water.”

  She gasped, turning to acknowledge the rest of the women in the room. It seemed they were all now lapping at water, the sounds of their tongues swishing through the filled bowls echoing all around her. As Hannah turned back to her bowl, she couldn’t decide if it was reassuring to not be the only one demeaned this way, or if, as she suspected, the ritualistic nature of the humiliation only made it worse. This was obviously what all mealtimes would be like—the women dragged by their leashes to this windowless room and fed in animal bowls. And this happened twice a day? She shook her head while she lowered her tongue into the water. It was cool, and despite the position she was in, Hannah welcomed the refreshing liquid.

  “So, she can be trained, Mr. Lawes,” Matthew sniggered as Hannah attempted to drink the water.

  His hand trailed a line over her cheeks to her tail, and gently, Matthew tugged at the thing. Hannah gasped, her body tensing, her tongue pausing.

  “Of course.” Lawes sounded almost wistful. “I had every faith in that fact, Matthew. They can all be trained. All women need is the right impetus.”

  ***

  Hannah remained lowered over the bowl even after most of the other women were led away on their leashes. She was aware of the movement, noticing their departures in her peripheral vision. The whole time, Matthew continued to nudge at the dildo, easing it out an inch or so, pushing it back firmly, fucking Hannah with it for a few minutes. She panted at the intrusion, half outraged at his audacity and half aroused by the ongoing intrusion.

  “Is everybody else out in the training yard?” Hannah lifted her chin at the sound of Lawes’ voice.

  “Yes, Mr. Lawes.” Hannah recognized Zander’s voice with little effort.

  “And what about this one?” Matthew pushed hard against the butt plug, stretching Hannah’s ass further.

  “That’s a good question,” Lawes replied. “Hannah could do with some rest. Goodness knows, she didn’t get much last night.” He laughed at that, and Zander joined in.

  “Yes, Mr. Lawes, I also had the pleasure of viewing her miserable time in the closet.”

  “It was most enjoyable,” Lawes confirmed. “But it means Hannah has had very little sleep. I think she’d struggle with a full regime of training today. Speaking of which, you should go, Zander, and ensure our pets are behaving themselves.”

  Hannah listened as Zander’s footsteps echoed away, her mind spinning at all the perverse information.

  “But if we cage her all day, she’ll be awake all night, Mr. Lawes?” Matthew’s inquiry was met with a fresh investigation of the tail wedged into her ass.

  She breathed hard while he pulled the plug against her tight ring of muscle. Hannah didn’t know what to do with herself. Her instincts told her to clench and try to deny his pursuit, but she already knew that feat was pointless. Like all of them, Matthew could do whatever the hell he liked.

  “Agreed.” Lawes declared. “I suggest we only pursue basic training today. Hannah can stay with me.”

  “What about the muzzle?” Matthew’s question sent apprehension pinballing around Hannah. She’d forgotten all about the awful gag and hoped Lawes might have as well.

  “Leave it for today.” Relief emanated from her pores at Lawes’ instruction. “It’s unnecessary for what I have in mind.”

  Matthew sighed behind her, releasing the plug and permitting her ass to suck it back inside her again. “As you wish, Mr. Lawes.”

  She heard Matthew stalk away and mentally, she imagined how he looked as he passed out of the bleak room. Hannah glanced sideways at Lawes’ face. He was smiling down at her, and she looked away quickly, her face flushing once more.

  “So, it’s just you and me again, Hannah.”

  She swallowed. “Yes, sir.”

  “You did well with your food.”

  Hannah blinked at the praise, uncertain what to say.

  “Did you enjoy it?”

  She gasped at the question. “The food, sir?”

  Lawes smiled. “Leashed and eating naked from the bowl?”

  Her throat dried as the contradiction loomed. Hannah wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself. What sort of a freaking ridiculous question was that? How could anyone enjoy being treated this way? Being forced to kneel and beg and crawl? And yet, as the blush deepened in her face, Hannah knew the truth. A part of her had enjoyed it—and the evidence was there for Lawes to find. All he needed to do was sweep one finger over her pussy. Hannah was soaked, her skin flushed, her nipples hard.

  “No, sir.” She lowered her gaze while she answered, just catching sight of his grin. “It’s horrible.”

  Lawes lowered himself to his haunches, one large hand grasping the front of Hannah’s collar and jerking her body toward him. Hannah’s heart banged loudly at the treatment, her eyes wide with shock.

  “That is the last time you lie to me, little girl.” Lawes pierced her with the full intensity of his gaze. “Do you understand?”

  Hannah pulled in ribbons of hot air through her nostrils. She could feel herself literally shrivel under Lawes’ scrutiny. She took a second, deeper breath before she forced the words out.

  “Y-yes, sir, I understand.”

  Eighteen

  The Training Yard

  Hannah’s head ached with a weariness she had never known before, but as Lawes tugged at her leash and forced her hands and knees past the rows of empty cages, the exhaustion fell over her like a cloud. Her body was tired too, the hard leather of the harness around her body, making the ungainly movement even harder to bear, and the plug in her ass, a constant reminder of her degradation.

  “You’re slowing down.” He still seemed unimpressed after her denial in the feeding room, and the curtness of his tone furled tension in Hannah’s belly.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” she just managed to gasp as the leash tightened. “I’m so tired.”

  Lawes snorted. “You should sleep well tonight, pet.”

  The anxiety twisting inside her knotted. Had he just called her pet?

  “Y-yes, sir.”

  They rounded a corner at
the far end where Lawes had harnessed Hannah, and the dark place opened out into a third, even larger space. She blinked. The place was like a large sunroom, long and rectangular, set up like an odd-looking mix of obstacle courses. Hannah supposed it must have been the conservatory she’d spotted from the parking lot yesterday, and her belly flipped. If only she’d known what this place would have in store. If only, she’d never contacted the damn place, at all.

  If only.

  Her attention fell over the room. There were areas with ropes and what looked like hurdles you might find in a show jumping event and another space with large recliners that reminded Hannah of the ones she’d seen around the pillory. The other women were scattered around the place. Four or five of them were being put to work around the obstacle course. Hannah gulped as she watched them trying to maneuver the jumps in their leather reins. The floor was covered in what looked like sawdust, and Zander stood over them, a long riding crop in hand, presumably ready to physically chastise anyone who didn’t put in a good performance. Hannah pressed her thighs together at the scene. It was so wrong—none of those women had chosen to be here, demeaning themselves for Lawes and his friends—yet as she looked on, Hannah could feel her arousal peaking, furling at her core, then spreading as though it was a real, living entity with a desire of its own.

  It was starting to feel that way.

  A sharp yank on the collar at her neck had Hannah moving to the left, and Lawes led her in the direction of the high-backed plush chairs. The floor of this part of the room was carpeted in rich, luxurious rugs, and while Lawes sunk into a large chair, Hannah pressed the fibers between her fingers. This was her life now—a thing that evaluated the quality of a place based on the flooring. Her nipples tightened at the thought, despite her exhaustion.

  “Do you like the look of our obstacle course, little girl?”

  Hannah turned her head at Lawes’ voice. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Sir.”