He combed his fingers through my hair. “He’d been dropping me hints about other serial killers for years. When I killed the first one, I guess he decided to use me to eliminate the competition. As a result, I’d made quite a name for myself in the FBI. But the real test was finding him. He thought he was grooming me to inherit his evil, but I killed him instead. Maybe he still won, because he got what he wanted. A killer for a son.”
The cold, hard tone of his voice made me shiver. “So what does the two mean?”
“‘The Second Coming.’ It’s about judgment, an apocalypse more horrible than anyone could imagine. I judged him. I ended him. And I continued the work that the hunt for him carved into my soul. I am judgment. I am death. Too dangerous, too violent, too bloodthirsty, a serial killer’s son loosed upon the world.”
I leaned up and pressed my mouth to the tat, trying to take away some of the pain that cut through his voice.
He pushed his fingers deeper so he held the back of my head. An inevitable step for a man who had a naked, aroused woman nuzzling the tender skin of his groin, but I didn’t turn the movement sexual. Not yet. I kept my mouth soft, letting my lips caress his skin as I spoke. “Why here?”
“Because it wasn’t for general eyes. It’s private. It’s as much a part of me as that dick you’re tormenting to life, and it’s seen daylight just as much, which is to say hardly ever.”
In the beginning, I hadn’t been able to understand how such a gorgeous, sexy dominant hadn’t been able to find a sub to play with in years. Now I knew why. It made that year he spent slowly getting closer to me at the vet clinic all the more special and rare. “You said your last relationship was three years ago.”
“Relationship.” He laughed wryly, a hard edge to his voice. “I hired her. I didn’t dare try to date like a regular guy looking for a sweet little sub to play with. She was a pro, as much as I am. I paid her handsomely to not ask too many questions and to try and keep that side of me satisfied. I could handle it for a while, but hiding so much of my true personality was exhausting.”
“The blood.”
He nodded, his fingers kneading my head. “The cutting. The pain. That’s not what we contracted for and I suppressed all of those needs. I kept our interactions strictly dominant-sub, with only glimpses of the sadist in punishment that we carefully agreed on beforehand, and it wasn’t enough for me. Soon I couldn’t get off at all, and it quickly became apparent to her that there were shadows in me she didn’t want to peer into too deeply. Unfortunately, she didn’t trust me to walk away, so she got some thugs to try and make an impression on me. That made our parting of ways much uglier than it had to be, especially considering I’d already decided to end the contract.”
“It wasn’t Blake, was it?”
A startled laugh bubbled out of him. “No. You’ll laugh too if you ever meet her, though I pray to God that day never comes. She’s not someone to mess with.”
“Like you.”
“Very much so.” He nodded. “I want you to promise me something.”
I tipped my head so I could see his face, but kept my mouth on his tattoo.
“Do anything you have to do to survive. Anything. Lie, cheat, steal, kill, I don’t care. Dump my sorry ass for someone else. Just stay alive.”
This was too serious for me to keep playing. I raised my head and he pulled me up into his lap, bringing my face up close to his so I could feel his breath on my forehead. “There’ll never be anyone else for me, Master. Not now.”
He squeezed his eyes closed and tightened his grip on me. “I love that, and I hate it at the same time. I can’t stay here forever. Surely you know that.”
My entire body clenched and I couldn’t stifle the sound of agony shredding my heart. He folded me close, his chest hot against my breasts, his hands as desperate as mine.
“They’ll come asking questions sooner or later. Tell them everything. Don’t lie for me. Give them exactly what they want, kitten.”
Horrified, I could barely whisper, “I won’t betray you.”
“Truth is never a betrayal. There’s nothing you could ever do that would make me turn my back on you. You know that, don’t you?”
I could almost hear the sirens already. They’d find Tasker’s body. There’d be questions. Lots of questions. And if he left...
The thought of never seeing him again made me crazy. Maybe that’s why I found the knife in his pocket. Why I flipped the blade out and held the wickedly sharp blade to his throat. “You promise me something.”
“Anything,” he whispered. My threat only made his lust burn hotter, his erection a solid temptation beneath me.
“If you have to run, come back for me.”
He hesitated long enough that I dug the point into his skin. His eyes flared and he nudged his cock deeper between my thighs. “I don’t run, not exactly. I merely disappear for a while, and return as someone else.”
“Then when you come back, you find me.”
“They’ll be watching you. If they ever find out how much you mean to me, they’ll never let you out of their sight.”
My chin trembled but I was determined to win this concession from him. If I could get his word, I could survive whatever happened. I’d have the hope of seeing him again. Gathering my courage, I pushed the blade harder. Blood welled on his throat and his breath caught as he shuddered. His hands clenched, one on my neck, the other lower on my back, hard enough I’d probably wear his fingerprints a few days. Good.
“I’ll find a way, kitten. You have my word. When it’s safe, I’ll come for you or provide you a way to come to me. If that’s what you want.”
“I want.” I lifted the blade away from his throat, afraid to see how deeply I’d cut him. Blood trickled down to his shoulder, but it didn’t seem to be too bad.
Suddenly, his hand gripped mine, holding the knife so hard I winced. I expected him to punish me in some way for threatening him. Or he’d grind the ligaments in my wrist together until I dropped the blade.
Instead, he jerked my hand to his chest and dragged the blade across the width of his pectorals. Then he did it again, marking a large bleeding X on his chest. He pried the knife out of my hand and tossed it aside. Staring at the blood, I waited for my stomach to heave. But this was Charlie, my Master, and he enjoyed blood. He needed it.
I smeared my index finger with his blood and lifted it to his lips. He opened his mouth, as if he thought I was going to feed it to him, but I painted his lips red. When I leaned up to kiss him, he tightened his fingers in my hair and kept me back. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Your need is my need, Master. You’ve tasted me. I want to taste you.”
Relenting, he let me press my mouth to his. Maybe the wine had prepped my taste buds, dulling my senses to something that should have been disgusting. Because he tasted good. So good, thick and almost as sweet and rich as the wine he’d shared with me.
His breath snagged in his throat and he dragged me back and forth against his chest, smearing my breasts with his blood. His tongue pushed into my mouth and I tore at his boxers, freeing his cock so I could get him inside me. He pulled me away again, refusing to let me ride him. I struggled for a minute, unable to contain my need. He waited until I could open my eyes and understand what he said.
“Condom. My other pocket.”
I rolled my eyes but did as he asked, practically crying at my fumbling fingers, desperate to get him sheathed and seated deep inside me.
Finally he lifted me up and let me slide down that glorious length. My breath sobbed out with relief.
“Your safety comes first, Ranay. We haven’t discussed birth control. The absolute last thing in the world I’d do to you is leave you pregnant and alone.” He snagged my hands and pulled my arms behind my back, easily capturing my wrists. His voice shook with reverence as he looked down the length of my body. “God, look at you, wearing nothing but my blood.”
With my arms pinned behind me, I couldn’t ride him
as furiously as I wanted. In fact, I could barely move. My upper thighs were too short to gain much clearance over his hips and the fullness of his cock inside me demanded movement. Friction. Delicious pounding and surging and sweating. I squirmed helplessly and tried to free my arms, but he easily kept me trapped. Incrementally, he tightened his fingers, watching my eyes flutter. He deliberately ground the delicate bones together, enough to make me moan and squirm some more. My shoulders ached from trying to get free. I wasn’t used to so much exercise, or so much sex, so much punishment. In moments, I was completely exhausted. Panting, I drooped in his grasp, but I couldn’t still the little twitches and clenches of my muscles. Not with that magnificent cock rock-hard inside me.
Miserable and frustrated, I opened my eyes to glare at him. “This is not getting what I want.”
The smug bastard only grinned. “Sometimes the master knows better. I promise what I give you will more than make up for your initial disappointment.”
When he turned and laid me flat on my back on the sectional, I definitely didn’t argue. I loved his weight, his force, his strength. He didn’t pound furiously into me as I’d intended, but started a slow, gentle rocking stroke of his body against mine that was so beautiful, I wanted to cry. I did cry. While he dripped blood on me.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tucked into bed against Sheba, I fought to stay awake. The snow had stopped. They’d be clearing the roads. Charlie would leave on another “business” trip that was more dangerous than I’d ever guessed. Every instinct in my body shrilled that I was on borrowed time. Soon, he’d be gone. I will see him again. He promised.
As if the same silent warning urged him to action, he whispered in my ear. “Trust your instincts. Always. If they tell you something’s not right, it’s not, even if it doesn’t make sense. Always trust Sheba’s instincts too. If she doesn’t like someone, it’s for a damned good reason. She’s smarter than most people and she understands a lot of words. She might surprise you at some of the commands she knows.”
“How did you find her?” My eyes were so heavy, I could hardly mumble.
“I found your profile online first and then imagined the perfect guard dog for you. When you started working for Dr. Wentworth, you gave me the perfect opportunity to make sure you and Sheba got to know each other long before you knew me.”
Me? He’d found me first? But that would mean...
“She was always intended to be yours, Ranay.” He rubbed his cheek against mine, tightening his arms around me. “Thank you.”
My heart sang with emotion: joy, worry, hope, dread, and above all, love. He’d given me everything I’d been searching for my whole life. I should be the one thanking him. He brought me back to life and made it possible for me to feel again. I wasn’t closed off and alone any longer. Scared of my own secrets, the dark need gnawing away at me night after night after night.
I rolled toward him and wiggled into his embrace until I found the steel stud in his nipple. Pressing my lips to it, I drifted to sleep, safe in his arms.
* * *
When I woke up, I thought it was still dark outside. But my watch said it was ten. It’d been after ten when we went to bed last night. Groggy, I swung out of bed and twisted the blinds. It was definitely daylight, though the sky was overcast and gloomy gray. I’d have to check the forecast and see if they were calling for more snow.
“Charlie?”
He didn’t answer and wasn’t in the bathroom. In the kitchen, I found a note by the coffee pot.
Good morning, sleepyhead. I ran to Lowe’s to get a new door. Be back in a bit.
I blew out a sigh. It was silly to regret he hadn’t told me he loved me, or signed with hearts or something. Charlie wasn’t sentimental that way. Besides, I knew the master loved me. His actions told me so, whether he ever gave me the words or not. He’d peeled away all my careful shields and walls and peered inside the twisted, shattered remains in the darkest part of me. And he still wanted me.
The coffee pot had kicked off, so he’d made coffee at least two hours ago. It was still warm, but I dumped it out to make a fresh pot. I couldn’t stand bitter coffee that had cooked on the burner so long.
While I waited for the fresh pot to brew, I checked my email. I had a private message from the BDSM forum, but I didn’t recognize the user name, MasterOfAll. I snorted. He must think a hell of a lot of himself.
The note was short.
Nice bites. Wanna play?
“Rude, much?” I deleted the message. The first thing I’d done after I’d spent that first night with Charlie was update my profile to show that I was in a relationship. I’d have to let Daddybear know someone was breaking the rules. If people were openly off the market, that kind of come-on was frowned upon in our group.
Sheba ran to the front door and barked to get my attention. I peeked through the window.
Cop cars. Two of them.
Hands shaking, I dropped the curtains and grabbed my phone. I texted Charlie, Cops are here, then muted it in case he replied. I didn’t wait for them to ring the doorbell, although it was frigid outside.
One of the cops was the same deputy who’d responded to the alarm, and then an older, heavyset man. “Miss Killian, this is Sheriff Cutler. I’m Deputy Daniels.”
“Yes, I remember you. Please, come in.”
The two men came inside, careful to stomp their boots on the porch so they didn’t track in too much snow. Sheba remained alert and stiff, her ruff spiking a little, but she didn’t growl. “Is it all right for her to sniff you? I think she wants to get to know you a little better.”
“Sure, ma’am,” Sheriff Cutler replied, holding his hand out. Daniels was a little more careful, because he’d seen her handiwork that first night. She gave them both a quick sniff and then settled on her haunches beside me. “Is Mr. MacNiall here?”
“No. He went to Lowe’s to replace the door.”
He nodded. “Do you want to wait for him to get back, or could we sit down and talk?”
“Sure, that’s fine. Do you want some coffee?”
They agreed, so I got them both a cup and set out the half and half and sugar bowl. I sat down and the sheriff took Charlie’s normal chair, while the deputy remained standing. Sheba took up position between us, but she lay down with her head on her paws.
“Miss Killian, we have some troubling news.” Sheriff Cutler was one of those good old boys who talked real slow. I wanted to reach over and shake him. “We found the gold Suburban you reported.”
“Okay.” I took a long, deep breath, deliberately steeling my nerves. “Why is that troubling? What about Tasker?”
“We haven’t found the man yet, but when we searched the vehicle, we found some disturbing evidence.” The sheriff opened up the manila envelope and pushed it toward me. “I don’t think he had very good intentions regarding you. We took these from the vehicle.”
I stared at the top page a moment. It was a picture of me, entering Charlie’s house. I flipped through the pages, picture after picture of me. Outside of work, with detailed notes on my hours and the location of the clinic. My apartment. My car and its license plate.
“Do you know why this man would have so much information on you, Miss Killian?”
I folded my hands in my lap, both to warm my frozen fingertips and to hide how much my hands trembled. Truth. Only truth. “Charlie said they wanted him to come back to work for them, and they might use me to try and get him to agree.”
“What kind of company would use an innocent woman to get an employee back?” Deputy Daniels asked. He crouched down in front of me. “What kind of man leaves bruises like that on his girlfriend?”
“I told you they were consensual.”
“He’s not here now, Miss Killian. Are they still consensual?”
“Yes.” I forced volume and power into my voice, tipping my chin up. As police, they certainly had authority over me, but submission wasn’t part of this. I refused to duck my head.
�
��We can’t find much information on Blake Enterprises, but we’ll keep looking,” Sheriff Cutler said. “The FBI is involved now.”
“What? Why? I thought they only handled serial killers, major interstate crimes, stuff like that.”
“And kidnapping,” Sheriff Cutler replied calmly. “If the man in the gold Suburban was going to kidnap you and use you against Mr. MacNiall, then the FBI is who should be involved. Besides, I have a feeling they should be looking into Blake Enterprises.” And maybe your boyfriend too.
They didn’t say that last out loud, but they were too intent and concerned. They thought Charlie was dirty and I was caught in the crossfire.
“When will Mr. MacNiall be back? We’d like to ask him some more questions.”
My phone buzzed. Charlie. Did I dare look at his text while the police were here? I needed to know what he wanted me to do. “I don’t know. Let me see if he’s texted me.”
I pulled out my phone. I had two unread texts.
I NEVER LIED TO YOU.
This number is no longer in service.
I stared at the screen, trying not to let my face betray me. He never capped text messages like he was shouting at me. And the second one... Out of range? Is that what he meant? Were there places in Springfield that didn’t have cell coverage any longer?
“What is it?” Deputy Daniels asked.
I typed back, What?
The message was immediately returned as undeliverable. No such number.
I stared at the screen, trying not to move. Not to cry. Not to wail that it didn’t make sense. That it wasn’t fair. He’s gone. He’s already gone. He left me.
Deputy Daniels gently reached up and took my phone, looked at the messages, and then passed it silently to Sheriff Cutler. “Do you know where he might have gone, Miss Killian?”
Numbly, I shook my head. “This is his house. His dog. I don’t know where else he would go.”
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