by Cara Adams
“Raise that ass higher,” he ordered.
Before she could move he slashed the whip over her creamy skin just once as a hint for her to behave. She startled slightly but didn’t appear to flinch, so he took that as a positive reaction.
“Your Masters know what is best for you,” Colter said.
“They will always have your pleasure as their aim,” Asher added.
“Your only task is to wait patiently and trust them,” Declan concluded.
The three of them stomped noisily around the room a few times, and then silently each took a toy from the rack. Declan exchanged the heavy whip for a lighter paddle. It would still hurt, but it would spread the heat over her skin, not focus it on a single line of flesh as the whip did.
This time, Asher went first, trailing the strands of the flogger over her shoulders and across her back. Declan knew every inch of skin that the flogger touched was chosen because Asher was determined to arouse and please Kenz. From time to time a single strand would slide across the edge of her breast, as if by accident. Declan wondered if Kenz knew how much skill such an inconspicuously innocent stroke took. Harsh whipping made it much easier to group the strands than such slight, gentle movements did.
Colter stepped forward and caned her ass. Since they were tall, having her on the floor like this actually made punishing her even more difficult than if she was chained up, but they’d decided to save tying her up and blindfolding her for later tonight. They wanted to introduce the various elements of punishment slowly and carefully so as not to overwhelm her and risk that she withdrew from the program.
That was one of Declan’s fears. That she’d decide she didn’t like BDSM after all. He’d much prefer it if she developed a taste for being punished, or even better, if she turned out to be a true sub. However, if she didn’t like it they would adjust and find other ways to pleasure her. Claiming a mate was the most important thing in their lives right now, not pushing an agenda for BDSM. But both would be better.
Asher played the flogger over her again, this time flicking it over her skin so it would sting from time to time and never in a pattern that Kenz could come to expect. It always needed to have that element of surprise to it. Then finally it was Declan’s turn. Both his brothers had performed their tasks flawlessly. He concentrated hard and squatted on his haunches behind her, paddling her ass and the exposed parts of both thighs quite hard. Her ass was pink, but not damaged at all, so he was certain a little paddling would be all right. Punishing her thighs was to add a touch of the unexpected to his session with her.
As he moved away he wondered how much she could see. She’d kept her forehead on the floor as instructed. It balanced her body as well as restricted her vision. This position was good for when they didn’t want to use a blindfold. It was quite difficult for a sub to see much without turning her head, and even as inexperienced a sub as Kenz knew not to turn her head without permission.
“Stand, slave,” Colter ordered.
To her credit, Kenz stood up gracefully with no signs of needing to grab the floor so she didn’t fall. That was amazing after she’d been down on her knees for a while.
“Close your eyes,” Declan said.
“Hands by your sides,” Asher added.
They grouped themselves closely around her, not touching her but with their bodies only inches apart. Like this they could touch her almost anywhere without moving. Declan watched her, but her eyes were shut as she’d been instructed, and she was still and seemed relaxed. Her head was slightly cocked as if she was listening extra hard for any clues as to what they’d do next. That was very perceptive of her indeed. Damn, she was amazing.
Declan gazed over her head at Colter. He was the one who’d give the sign. Colter winked at him and Asher, and together they began exploring her body with their fingers. Their aim was to touch her so lightly she almost wouldn’t feel them, yet at the same time she ought to be aroused by their feather-soft, barely there attention.
Declan used the pads of his fingers to stroke lines and spirals on her side and one leg. He licked a finger and ran it over her shoulder and down her arm. Next he used the heel of his hand on her belly, rocking it backward and forward up and down her flesh.
It was a challenge to touch her so lightly, yet erotically, to keep his hands moving over her body, always changing the amount of pressure he used, and the area on which he focused, yet not getting in the way of either of his brothers or copying them. Declan thought it was a hell of a lot more difficult than it looked, but he didn’t have to break off what he was doing to avoid the actions of his brothers. So they were all managing okay.
Even better, he could smell her arousal. He crouched down to pay attention to her lower leg, specifically to inhale her feminine arousal even deeper. Damn, she smelled delicious, and he was sure she’d taste even better. Unfortunately, he couldn’t taste her yet. Right now was all about finding her limits. He tickled her lightly here and there, but she didn’t pull away or giggle.
He picked up a foot and stroked her toes and her heel, then her arch. Only when he rolled his fingers over her arch did her foot wobble in his hands. He wouldn’t go so far as to say she was ticklish precisely, but she had responded to him. Finally he’d found one of her weaknesses, and that was excellent to know for planning future scenes with her.
Declan was aware time must be almost up. He rose again and a licked a finger to run across her lower back, and Colter caught his eye. Reluctantly Declan stopped touching his wonderful woman. He wanted Kenz so much it was like a physical ache in his soul. He’d never felt this way about any woman before, so it couldn’t just be desperation to find a mate. It had to be a more intimate connection to her. Mackenzie Weymouth was perfect in every way to be their mate. If only she felt the connection as well.
The three of them stepped back from her and grouped in front of her again.
“The session is over. You’re free to return upstairs,” Colter said.
“That’s it?”
She wasn’t complaining, but it was more than just a request for confirmation of Colter’s words. It let Declan hope that she really did want more from them all.
“For now. Soon we’ll be back to teach you more about BDSM,” Colter said.
She collected her clothing and dressed quickly. “Thank you,” she said almost formally before going upstairs.
Asher followed her immediately. Declan cast a quick look around the dungeon, but they hadn’t made a mess anywhere. Besides, they’d be back in less than an hour to collect her and take her to their dungeon to sit out the hurricane.
“We’ll talk later,” Colter said as he unlocked the door to the cottage.
Kenz nodded but didn’t say anything.
Once they were outside, it was really noticeable that the wind had increased. Declan wanted to talk about Kenz, but they needed to get home, get everything organized, and then return for her. There was no time to waste. Fuck! He really wanted to spend more time with her and touch her a lot more than those light, teasing strokes.
Chapter Three
Kenz was stunned by the session with the men. It wasn’t anything like what she’d expected. She’d thought she’d be chained to the ceiling or maybe buckled to the spanking bench, not left on the floor. The punishment had been arousing, but it was over much too soon. The touching had been—weird, really weird. It had aroused her. That went without saying. It’d also made her crave a much firmer and more potent touch from them all. Maybe that was the idea. To teach her that harsh could be better than gentle.
She shrugged. She needed to go to sleep straight away if she was to be up early in the morning to look around the island by herself. She’d been lucky before. She’d only been home a few minutes when they’d arrived. She cleaned her teeth and climbed into bed, leaving her jeans on the chair beside the bed for a quick start in the morning.
It seemed like only minutes later that Asher was speaking quietly to her, telling her to get up and dressed. Surely she hadn’t
overslept. She’d been sure she’d wake up early. She dressed immediately and packed her luggage as Asher was telling her to do before she was awake enough to complain.
“Wait a minute. Why am I am I packing my case so soon? I’m supposed to be here for a week.”
“There’s a hurricane coming this way. We’re taking you to a hurricane shelter,” Declan said.
He had a pile of towels in his arms although she had no idea why. “What hurricane?”
“There’s no time to talk now. Is that all your luggage?” asked Asher.
“Yes. We were only allowed to bring a small case with us.”
“Good. Come with us now.”
Asher took her small carry-on, Declan opened the door and switched off the light, and the two men led her along a track. Both had strong, powerful flashlights, and it was easy to see where the rocks and uneven parts of narrow dirt trail were. She was surprised by the wind. It was gusting quite strongly. Their story about a hurricane must have been the truth. She’d wondered if it was just the beginning of another BDSM scene.
Kenz wasn’t given time to look at the building they took her to. Immediately she was hurried inside and down two flights of stairs into a space that was both storeroom and dungeon. The walls were raw rock, so she really was in a Cave of Correction, but there was a proper floor and ceiling. One section of the room was packed, with crates and boxes lined up against the wall. There were also huge containers of water and several gaslights.
“Will the power go off?” Does it usually fail when you have a hurricane?” she asked.
“There hasn’t been a hurricane here for many years. They generally go away instead of bothering us. This one started to leave and then came back,” Declan said.
She wondered if that translated into the fact that they didn’t know, but she supposed it didn’t matter anyway. Clearly, there was enough food, water, and gas to last them a while. The hurricane would likely be all over by the time she woke up anyway.
Kenz yawned, and Colter pointed to a pile of blankets and bedding on the floor. “We’re still checking everything is prepared. Why don’t you go back to sleep while you can.”
“Good idea.”
She went to remove her shoes, but he shook his head. “Don’t worry about getting the blankets messed up. It might be hard to find your shoes in the dark so leave them on.”
“Okay.” Kenz crawled onto the mattresses, pulled a couple of blankets over her, and snuggled against the pillow. It was warm and soft and just as cozy as a real bed. Later, she was aware of loud wind and rain and pulled the blankets right over her head without really waking up. Later again, when she woke, it was silent, and the men weren’t there.
“It’s all over. I wonder what it looks like outside.”
She went upstairs without seeing any of the men. The door to the outside was locked, but she had her hairpins and credit card still with her from earlier, and it didn’t take her very long to open the door. For a moment she wondered if one of the men would return and worry about where she was, but they’d gone and left her, so she supposed they’d be just as blasé about her going outside.
She stepped through the door and looked around. The pathway was littered with twigs, leaves, and even small branches, but it was easy enough to step over them. The light was strange, sort of grayish, but there was no wind or rain, so she had no reason to worry. Maybe it was still quite early in the morning.
She wished she knew where she’d seen the panther. She’d like to know they were safe. “I suppose the flowers will all have been blown off the bushes or been wrecked. It’s too late to see them now.”
Nevertheless, she walked to the end of the track and turned right, looking back the way she’d come to ensure she could find the correct path to get back after her walk.
This track went for a long way. Other tracks branched off it, but it seemed to be the equivalent of a main road, so she stayed on it, carefully counting how many paths led off to the left so she’d know which one to take to get back. “I turned right coming so it’ll be left going back,” she reassured herself.
After about half an hour she’d seen no animals at all, not even a bird or a lizard, far less a panther. And as she’d suspected, all the shrubs had lost their flowers, so she turned around and began heading back to the hurricane shelter. For the first time she wondered if it was actually the men’s home. She hadn’t really seen much of it, but it appeared to be a house to her, and the men seemed to know what they were doing. Besides, no other people were there, which she would have expected if it had been a true hurricane shelter. No, it was a cave below a house, and her guess was it was where the men lived.
A breeze picked up her hair and blew it over her face, reminding Kenz that she hadn’t brushed it despite going to bed twice. Wind, she ought to know something about wind. She tucked the hair behind her ear and pushed her glasses up higher on her nose.
“Oh dear. The hurricane hasn’t gone away, has it? This is the eye of the damn thing. Well, fuck. I’d better hurry back.” Kenz walked faster and turned a bend in the track to see a panther racing toward her. It skidded to a stop, apparently as surprised to see her as she was to see it.
“Hi there, panther. Are you the one I saw yesterday? This is only the eye of the hurricane. You need to get back to your family and stay safe.”
Even while she was speaking, Kenz realized she was being stupid. The animal couldn’t understand her. She should stand back off the track and let it go past her.
It seemed to be looking at her quizzically almost as if it understood her. She moved into the bushes and waved at the path. “You can go past me if you like. I won’t hurt you.”
The panther gave a coughing noise and turned back the way it had come, swishing its tail at her and then looking back over its shoulder at her almost as if it was telling her to follow it.
“Yes, this is the way back to my hurricane shelter. I know that. You need to go to your place of safety.”
Instead, it ran ahead of her, stopping now and then as if to check she was still following it. Kenz counted the number of tracks off to her left and was surprised when the panther stopped at the one she needed to take.
“How did you know this is my turn off? Either I’m hallucinating, or you’re a very strange animal indeed. Thank you for your help, but I’m fine, truly I am. You need to go look after yourself now.”
The end of her sentence was lost in the roar of the wind that seemed to come from nowhere, ten times wilder than it had been only seconds before. Kenz hurried down her path but stopped to look back. The panther was gone as if it had never been. She pulled out her hairpins to open the door, but it was snatched away from her, and she was dragged into the house by a furious Colter.
“Where the fuck have you been? There’s a fucking hurricane out there. And how did you get out that door? I locked it myself.”
Without waiting for her to answer him, he almost dragged her down into the hurricane shelter. Declan was standing there, his hands on his hips. “Where were you?”
“I just went for a walk. Truly, I was fine. I came back the moment the wind started again. Where’s Asher?”
“He went looking for you. We came back in here and you’d gone. Have you got any idea how worried we were about you?” Colter asked, still obviously angry with her.
“I’m sorry you missed me, but how was I supposed to know? I woke up and everyone was gone. There was no noise. I thought it was all over, and so I went outside—”
“The door was locked,” Declan said.
“I opened it.”
“How?”
* * * *
Asher was beginning to think Kenz would be the death of him. In fact, he was pretty sure she’d killed off two of his nine lives already. One when he’d returned to the dungeon after helping his brothers check the roof of their house and found she was gone, vanished completely. And two when he’d been following her in panther form so he could track her scent, and he’d bounded around a corner and
almost knocked her over. And then she’d spoken to him as if he was a cute little kitty, not a big, black, fierce panther who she ought to have been scared witless about. Well, she ought to have been scared witless by being out in the eye of a hurricane as well, but that hadn’t appeared to faze her either.
It was good to know she wasn’t a nervous, frightened little mouse of a woman, but a modicum of good, plain common sense might have meant he still had a full complement of his nine cat lives. Then he grinned. Dammit, he liked that she knew what she wanted and just went off and did it. Although outside in the eye of a hurricane wasn’t a smart move. Yes, sure she came back inside before it got too wild out there, but what if she’d gotten lost?
Again he shook his head. She’d known exactly where she had to go. But how did she do that? It wasn’t as though there were street signs on the island. His ancestors had purposely left the island as uninhabited-looking as possible. Even the main trails were narrow dirt paths, only wide enough for people or panthers to walk in single file. And how the fuck had she gotten outside in the first place? If Colter said he’d locked the door, it was locked. There was no other possibility.
He dressed hastily in his bedroom after transforming back to human form and securely locking the front door. Then he arrived back in the dungeon just as Colter asked Kenz how she’d opened the front door of the house.
“Yes, I’d like to know that as well,” he said.
Kenz sighed. “I can pick locks.”
“I’d already worked that out. Are you a thief?” Declan asked.
Asher winced. That question could have been phrased better. A hell of a lot better.
“Of course not. I’d be either stinking rich or in jail if I was.”
Overhead thunder crashed and the sound of rain got louder. Asher hurried to close the door to the dungeon, which was soundproofed.
“Let’s sit down and talk about this properly,” Colter said.
Once again Kenz sighed, and Asher was certain she’d be happy to skip over the entire incident. He hoped this wasn’t going to be painful for her, but he wanted to know where she’d learned to pick locks and why she wasn’t frightened of panthers as well, although not being frightened of panthers was good news. It meant she’d be more likely to agree to mate them when she learned their secret.