Tamed
Book Two in The Dark Necessities Trilogy
By
Felicity Brandon
Copyright © 2018 by Felicity Brandon
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]
This book is entirely a work of fiction. The author does not condone, nor endorse any of the acts in this book.
First edition December 2018
Cover design by Eris Adderly
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This book is dedicated to Mr. Brandon.
He has given Felicity life, and this book his seal of approval.
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin.
Chapter One
The world was a blanket of darkness. The black night stretched out all around her, punctuated only by the edges of cruel, twisted branches which ripped into her skin, and still the agony went on. Her feet pounded against the hard earth, sending the same message to her brain over and over. Run, Molly! You did it, you made it! You’re free, but you have to keep running.
Guide books about England were frustratingly misleading. Based on the albeit limited reading she had done before her trip to London, Molly Clary could have sworn the country was supposed to be tiny, but as she forced herself through the cold, dark wood, she knew better. She’d run for what felt like hours, her head hammering almost as loudly as her heart. Although she had no way to be sure how long she’d been outside in the elements, Molly knew her legs were bleeding from scratches gifted to her by the unrelenting branches, and her palms were also ripped to shreds. She could feel the wetness of her own blood against her skin, though her extremities were mostly numbed by the stony, night air. It was supposed to be the summer, God dammit, but the earth felt freezing against her naked feet. Molly pulled the blanket she’d taken from Connor’s hut more tightly around her shoulders, stopping to catch her breath.
She was out in some English forest in the middle of the night. She didn’t have a shred of clothing to her name after enduring days of captivity at the hands of Connor Reilly, and she was beyond exhausted. Something inside her was keeping her going though. It was like an inherent tenacity, and Molly refused to lie down and give in. She may be a woman, physically weaker than him, but she was also fiercely independent. Or maybe it wasn’t actually independence, perhaps it was just her damn stroppiness and strength of will. Either way, she was free. Finally, free. She didn’t belong to him – or anyone – and critically, neither did her writing. He may have had her body, but she wouldn’t let him take that part of her, too. Molly’s writing was all she had left.
Connor stirred from his hard bed on the floor, smirking in the darkness. The one downside of the cabin was that there was no real furniture, and his back ached a little from hours on the unrelenting floor boards, but still, it didn’t spoil his mood. She’d gone, his silly little pet had made a run for it, and right now she’d be out there somewhere, crashing through the dark forest without a scrap of clothing. The thought of Molly in such a vulnerable state filled his mind. Her arse would still be red raw from last night’s lessons, and he could only imagine how frightened she’d be in the woods, but still he didn’t move. Not yet. Let her have her head start. Let Molly think she’d got one over on him; let her relish the feeling. It would be all too brief, and just as soon as he rose from the floor, Connor knew he’d be after her.
He inhaled deeply, ignoring the throb of his cock as the scent of Molly wafted over from the blanket she’d once laid on. Fuck, she made him hard. Harder than anybody he’d ever known, but still, he could barely believe she’d been stupid enough to have made a run for it. Connor had been wide awake as she’d snuck away. He recalled the pressure of her small palm against his chest as she’d searched for the key to the padlock at the door. At that moment, he’d frozen, his mind racing as he contemplated what he should do. Inevitably, he had considered hauling her back over his lap for such an outrageous act of insubordination, but for some reason, he hadn’t done so. He wanted to give her leave to continue. He wanted her to think he was asleep; to see just what she would do. Connor had assumed his decimation of her body the evening before had been enough to break her, to grind her will down until all she could think about was her submission to him. But Connor had been wrong. And as he felt the warmth of her body leaving the hard floor, that reality had hit him.
Molly Clary was not like other women. She didn’t like the same things other women liked, and she sure as hell didn’t react the same way. Another woman may well have been broken by his debauchery, but not Molly. It seemed the only thing each smack of his paddle had done was make her focus, sharpening her will to escape. As he heard her shuffling against the wooden floor on her way to freedom, all Connor could do was smile.
He didn’t know how long he’d laid on the floor since she’d slipped from the wooden door, but for sure, some time had passed. All the while he pictured her hurtling through the trees, like a deer running for its life, his smile widening as his fervor about the idea grew. He supposed there should be a part of him which was concerned by her departure, or worried even. What if she found help; what if she made it to the authorities? And yet somehow, Connor knew there was no need to fret. Wherever she was, she certainly couldn’t get far. Even if she had an hour’s head start on him, which he doubted, she was on foot and naked, plus Molly didn’t have a clue where the hell she was, or where to head. They were a little over a mile to the nearest road, and even if she had found it by some miracle, there would likely be no one on it in the middle of the night. The thought was reassuring, but it wasn’t enough. He knew he’d have to go and get her. He’d hunt her down as he’d promised to do, and no doubt he’d love every moment of the chase. In the pit of his stomach, where that dread about her escape should have been, there was only amusement at her stupidity, combining with excitement about what was to come. Molly was quite the story-teller, and she looked set to ensure this next chapter of their tale was equally as exhilarating as the beginning had been.
“My naughty little, pet,” he breathed into the darkness at the memory of her escape. Connor’s cock swelled at the thought of what he would do once he caught up with her. If he thought taking his pet had been thrilling, then his mind boggled at the prospect of truly taming her.
“Here I come, little one!” he cried to the empty blackness around him.
Jumping to his feet, he lurched toward the door in the darkness, managing to crash into one of the large boxes he’d left in the center. It had been an impromptu chair to sit and enjoy Molly’s performance, but now it was just an obstacle. His brain was racing, sending him lists of things he would need if he was going to find and contain his foolish pet. Before he even had a plan, Connor’s feet were moving toward the far corner where he kept his flashlight. He stomped past the boxes this time, threatening to crush them with his powerful stride if they dared to challenge him. Flicking on the light, he found his boots and pulled them on his feet as he growled into the black around him. He couldn’t tell if it was adrenaline
or lust which was fueling him now, but he felt more alive than he’d ever been, and he knew one thing was for certain. Wherever she was, she had better run, and run fast. Because when Connor found her, he was going to make her pay. He was going to make her cry enough tears to fill a fucking ocean. He was going to exert his control like never before.
“Run, little pet,” he sneered, grinning as he headed for the door. The stark illumination from the flashlight cut through the black, giving him a route out of the cabin and through the first few trees. “Run fast, because when I find you, I promise you there won’t be any running in your future.”
Connor smirked into the darkness at the idea, breaking out into a run, back along the same path he’d taken the day before. Soon enough there’d be no running, no walking and no moving at all for Molly. Let her enjoy these precious moments of freedom. Molly had a whole world of pain coming, and he was going to relish every second of it.
Chapter Two
Everything hurt. It wasn’t the first time Molly had experienced this, of course. The prior afternoon with Connor had been torturous; an absolute living hell, yet even that had ended eventually. The pain had been extinguished by the night, and the eventual sounds of his sated sleep. This new hell was different, blacker and colder. Molly was so cold she could hear her teeth chattering in her jaw, the sound oddly distant to her ears. She knew her feet were bleeding now, as well. She swore she could feel the warmth of the blood as it trickled over her skin, despite the numbness of the area. Still, her injuries were the least of her worries.
She had absolutely no idea where she was, or where she was going. Molly hoped for progress. She hoped the trees would end and the road would come into view. She prayed for it like she hadn’t prayed for years, reaching out for a God she wasn’t even sure she believed in. She had been moving for what seemed like an age, but in truth, she could have been stumbling circuits around the cabin for all she knew. And all there ever was were more trees, more roots to find her feet and trip her; more branches to cover her in cruel scratches, but nothing else. No sign of the road he’d brought her here on. No sign of life. No sign of hope.
Worse than all of that though, was the only certainty Molly had right now, and that was Connor. He would wake up any time now, and when he found her gone, he was going to be after her. And he was going to be pissed. She’d never really witnessed his wrath. Up until now he had always been so in control, that even when he was exacting some awful punishment on her, he was usually eerily calm. The prospect of his anger at finding her gone terrified her. It was a real, potent fear which curled in her gut like a living creature. If Connor was capable of being a monster when he was calm, what was he capable of when he was livid? The question knotted in her belly, making her nauseous as her feet stumbled forwards. God only knew the answer, but she was sure of one thing. She didn’t want to be the one to find out.
It didn’t take him long to retrace the route he’d taken to the cabin, and he ran most of the way, fueled by the adrenaline pinballing around his body. He was even faster without the handicap of his pet to carry, and barely out of breath when he finally reached the car. Reaching into the pocket of his trousers, his fingers found the outline of the key fob. Connor had no way of knowing which way his pet would be headed on foot, but he’d already checked his watch, and at barely one o’clock, they had all night. If she wanted to play cat and mouse, then that was just fine with him. He knew the layout of these woods, and he knew where all the roads in the area intersected with the forest. He also knew instinctively she would head for the main road, looking for someone driving around to take pity on her. Connor would drive around until he spotted his little pet. She must be cold and terrified by now, out there all on her own.
Fuck. If he wasn’t such a sadistic son of a bitch, he might almost pity her.
The key was in the ignition as the levity passed over him, and he smiled as he drove out from the trees and found the main road. Connor’s headlights cut through the darkness as he swung left, his gaze peering into the forest for signs of life. She had to be somewhere here, lurking in the shadows. He just knew it.
Driving slowly, he passed the edge of the woods, scanning the area as thoroughly as he could from the car. He went on for miles, following the perimeter of the forest, certain he would catch sight of his little pet at any moment. But as he drove on, the only consistency was the dark of the night and the pounding of his heart. There was nothing else. No-one. Everything was desolate and black, and there was no sign of Molly. His stomach knotted at the stark reality. There was no sign of her. None.
She was gone.
Something in Connor’s head shifted as the realization washed over him. She was gone. She’d slipped away in the dead of the night, and he had let that happen. Why hadn’t he stopped her when she’d fled? Why hadn’t he chained her in the first place? He smashed his fist down against the steering wheel. Dammit! His inaction had facilitated her escape as much as Molly’s misguided ingenuity. Driving on, he racked his brain, trying to make sense of the place he now found himself in. The woman he’d abducted and abused had escaped, fleeing to fuck knows where. The chances of her making it out there were slim, but if she did – if a passing motorist did find her – he was in real trouble. She knew his name, could probably describe something of his house, and would be literally covered in his DNA. It wasn’t good.
How had he let this happen? Why had he brought her out here to the woods so soon? He’d been so blind-sided by his lust that it was like he’d lost sight of the real prize, training and taming his pet. Connor was a collector, and Molly was a keeper. There was never a contingency plan for her escape, because she was never going to escape. Or, at least, she wasn’t supposed to. Caught in the excitement of the moment, Connor had decided to let her run. He’d wanted to play her game. But now, in the stark reality of the dead of night, he knew better. Connor was fucked unless he found her fast.
He pulled onto the verge, cutting the engine and the lights as he considered the dilemma. Connor’s heart was racing as all the possible endings played out in his head. If he couldn’t find her, there were two plausible outcomes. Either she had gotten away and the police would be on his trail in a matter of days, maybe even hours depending on how fast they moved. He still had a few friends on the police force, but he wasn’t sure they’d be able to help him out of this one. Usually he was so organized, so certain, and so in control. It was unlike him to land himself in a hole this way. The realization stung more than anything else. He had fucked up and let this happen. It was all down to him.
The alternative option was even worse somehow, and that was that she might not make it out of the woods. She could have gotten lost, or really hurt herself, and she could be in there right now, waiting to be rescued.
Rescued.
The idea made him chortle, in spite of himself. He should be the one to rescue her, since he was the one who fucked up. She shouldn’t be out there at all, stumbling around naked. He should never have brought her here so soon, he should never have let her leave. Inhaling deeply, he collapsed over the steering wheel, his usual cool composure crumbling under the weight of the spiraling events. In the end, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been draped over the dashboard. It could have been only long moments, or perhaps it was half an hour or more, but as he raised his head, his mind was made up. He had to find her. Losing his pet now was simply not an option.
At that moment, motion in the trees to his right caught his attention. It was only a small movement, a few leaves swaying in the wrong direction, the swipe of a branch in the gloom, but it was something. Or maybe someone. He shifted in his seat, unfastening his seat-belt slowly as his eyes trained on the dark expanse of forest just beyond his window. He’d seen something move, there was no doubt about that, but the question was, what was it? At this time of night, it could have been a rabbit, a badger, or even a deer, but his senses told him it wasn’t. The movement had been too high in the branches for a woodland creature. Whatever this was, was a
pparently much larger than that.
It was then that he saw her, the long, slender body of Molly Clary creeping forward from the branches. It was difficult to make her out at first, but the pale blanket from the cabin which clung to her body, highlighted each motion. He couldn’t discern much of her expression in the darkness, but her body language told him that she hadn’t found the road yet, and he guessed his black sedan was adequately camouflaged in the blackness, too.
Connor’s heart raced as the reality hit him. This was it! His moment to seize her and take back what now belonged to him was here, and he didn’t waste a second of it. Acting on impulse, he swung the door open, leaping from the driver’s seat with lithe precision. There was a dull thud as his feet hit the tarmac of the road, and a small yelp as his pet registered what was happening, but by then it was too late. By the time she turned back to the trees to run, he had already crossed the road and was almost on her.
Catching the edge of the blanket, Connor yanked hard, pulling her off balance. His right arm wrapped around her body, controlling her as the left dismissed the cover and snaked to her waist. Molly was kicking and screaming by now, going berserk as he tried to contain her. She was screeching, and digging her nails into his hands as his limbs tightened around her body. Somehow, her reaction just made him smile. He loved the fight in her, all that hot-blooded passion and fire which he was going to exploit. Just as soon as he’d made her pay the price for running.
“Settle down, pet,” he instructed, excitement spiking throughout his body as he drew her closer.
“No, no!” she yelled, flinging her heels back into his shins. He guessed the action came with as much force as she could muster. “Get off me, you psycho! Leave me, alone!”
Tamed: (A Dark Romance Kidnap Thriller) (The Dark Necessities Trilogy Book 2) Page 1