Descent (Inferno Book 1)

by Ashton Blackthorne

  I nodded. I was too tired to argue with him over something that I’d never win. He walked me to my car and before I got in, he hugged me.

  “Onwards and upwards now, Leda.”

  I leaned into him with all my weight. I wanted to stay in his arms. He was so warm. He kissed my forehead and guided me into my car. He closed the car and hurried back to his car.

  Colt’s Ferrari followed me out of the parking garage and trailed behind me all the way home. I kept looking in the rearview mirror every so often to make sure he was still back there. Even though I wasn’t beside him, I still felt like he was still with me in a sense.

  I pulled into Chastity and Wade’s driveway and slowly got out. Damn, I ached. My muscles were still so tense and I felt a deep bone-chilling cold.

  Colt’s car slowed and came to a stop in front of the house. I stalled a bit in the driveway in case he was going to get out. When it appeared that he had no intention of getting out, I waved and hurried to the front door. His car roared to life and before I shut the door, he was gone.

  “Leda!” Chastity exclaimed and raced over to me.

  Chastity wrapped me up in an embrace and held onto to me tight. It actually felt wonderful. I took a deep breath and hugged her back.

  When I pulled out of her embrace, she tugged on my clothes and raised an eyebrow.

  “Come on, let’s get you out of these clothes and into something warm. I hope you and Colt didn’t get caught out in the rain, wherever you guys went.”

  “Yeah, we saw a little rain tonight. Nothing major though,” I said as I recalled the rain and being on the ground in the woods.

  Wade was standing behind Chastity, wearing that familiar face of concern. Each time I’ve been out with Colt or even mention his name, Wade either gets angry or concerned. Tonight, was no different. He followed Chastity and me down the hall to my room and she flipped the light on. The clock on my nightstand read 12:10 in the morning.

  “Why…why are you guys still up?” I asked.

  They looked at one another and then Chastity plastered a smile on. She explained that Colt sent Wade a text this morning saying that he was going to surprise me and pick me up after work for a dinner and a night out.

  That was thoughtful of him. The fact that he did that, knowing that he and Wade don’t seem to get along well, told me that he was mindful of my well-being after our “dinner and night out.”

  Chastity pulled out my pajamas and helped me change when Wade’s voice broke through the quietness I was enjoying. I thought Wade had gone to their room, but he was lingering in the doorway.

  “Fuck, Leda!”

  Chastity and I both turned to see him angrily stalking toward us.

  “Wade, settle down. What is it?” Chastity asked.

  “What?” I asked and looked at Chastity. “What’s wrong?”

  Wade took me by the arm and ushered me into the bathroom as I covered up my breasts while Chastity begged him to calm down. He stood me in front of my full-length mirror, turned me to face him and told me to look at my back.

  I stared at deep red marks. I quickly thought. They were most likely his fingernail marks…or the rocks and sharp twigs from the ground.

  “Leda,” Wade started.

  I knew what he was about to tell me, but I didn’t want to hear him.

  Wade tilted me to show me the red marks on my side from being grabbed and pinched.

  “Some fucking night out. Where did you guys have dinner?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  “We didn’t.”

  “Obviously, he had other plans in mind. So, where was the night out at?”

  “Wade!” Chastity yelled.

  “Seven,” I said.

  “You’re pretty banged up, Leda. Even for a typical scene with Colt. What room did you play in?” I just shook my head. I couldn’t listen to him anymore, but he just wouldn’t stop pushing. “Main room? The cell room? His precious Throne Room?”

  “Stop it! We played outside!” I yelled.

  Wade and Chastity stared blankly at me as if I just hadn’t really said that we played outside.

  “What? Honey, are you sure?” Chastity asked me.

  I just looked at her, hoping she’d replay in her head how dumb that sounded.

  “Yeah, I was there. I was able to tell inside from outside,” I said, unable to hide the sarcasm in my tone.

  “The grounds are in the woods, Leda,” Wade said calmly.

  “Yep, I know.”

  “Did you know you were going into the woods? Did you agree to go into the woods?” he asked.

  “Stop, Wade! I trusted him!”

  “Do you trust him, Leeds? Look what he did to your fucking back while you were out in the deep woods.”

  I couldn’t hear him anymore while I was trying to recall everything from tonight. Chastity and Wade began yelling, and I tuned them out and sat down on the edge of the tub. The cool porcelain felt soothing on the backs of my legs and ass.

  “Can you guys go somewhere else and yell?”

  I begged them to stop yelling and leave me alone for a while. The tears started to fall and Chastity wrapped me up in her arms and began apologizing.

  “Sweetie, we’re sorry. We’re not going to yell,” she said softly. “I wanted to talk to you about your night.”

  “I don’t want to talk. I’m just tired. I don’t feel like any company.”

  Chastity was quiet, and at first I didn’t think they’d ever leave me alone, but she finally relented.

  “Ok, sweetie. Our door will be open tonight. Come and get me if you need anything or want to talk.”

  I nodded and then Wade wrapped his arm around my neck and kissed my head.

  “I’m sorry, Leeds.”

  I nodded at him too, and as they left, I pulled my pajamas on, took some Advil and stiffly walked to my bed.

  I could hear Chastity and Wade on the other side of my wall. Wade was fuming still.

  “He knew everything and how to use it against her. I fucking knew he was going to break her! He got her to trust him so he could get in her head and find out how to break her. Colt has to play his fucking game of breaking people. Fucking sadist!”

  I shut my eyes as more tears fell. Wrapping my arms around myself, I pulled my legs up, still trying to get warm. As I replayed things from tonight, I also thought about my grandfather. He had control over me for so many years. Even after it stopped. Colt gave me a deep breath of air that I’ve been in need of for so long.

  It was 2:10 in the morning and I was still wide awake. How can I be wide awake, yet so exhausted? One thing that hadn’t improved over the past few hours was the fact that I was still cold. In fact, I had grown colder over the past few hours and was shaking now.

  For the past few hours, I’ve replayed my evening with Colt, trying to see what Wade was seeing. Maybe I was blind, but I didn’t see Colt as the devil. I spent so many years under the filthy hands of my grandfather, and I’m pretty sure I know what the devil looks like.

  Colt wasn’t him.

  My body shook as I lay curled up in my bed. This was stupid. If I just went and stood in the warm shower for a bit, I could get warm and come back to bed and hopefully get a few hours of sleep.

  As I stood under the warm water, emotions came from all directions in full force, and I just started crying. It wasn't simple, quietly falling tears either. This was an attack of more stored up shit, and the guilt of coming with Colt was setting in.

  I lowered myself to the floor of the tub, wrapped my arms around my legs and dropped my head to my knees. The water felt warm, but I was still shaking so badly. Reaching up, I turned the faucet over toward the “hot” marker. Why wasn't it working?

  Why hadn't I told my grandmother or parents what had been going on? Why hadn't they seen it? Why did I just accept it? Why hadn't I fought back?

  All of those questions and none of them had answers. A wave of anger at myself swept over me, and while under the comforts of the water,
I scratched the top of my thighs. I watched the angry red lines form and glow a fuming red.

  But I felt no relief.

  Frowning, I tried again on the inside of my arm. In a rapid back and forth motion, I scratched until I counted to twenty in my head.

  There.

  I marveled in the impressive red, scratched forearm that I created and waited. And waited. Why wasn't this working?

  I desperation, I scratched with all my strength at a spot that was healing on the inside of my thighs.

  Ow! Fuck, damn!

  I looked down at the spot emitting sharp bites of pain. I was bleeding. For a brief moment, I felt warm and like I could breathe again. It reminded me of being surround by Colt’s arms. He was so warm.

  Tears continued at an uncontrollable rate and before I knew it, Chastity had reached in and shut the water off.

  “Leeds, oh, Leeds, sweetie.” She turned her head away from me and yelled Wade’s name.

  No, I didn't want to see him. He was just going to say something that would make me angry.

  “N-no, p-please don’t get W-Wade,” I stammered through chattering teeth.

  “Leeds, you can't sit in that water. It's not good for you, it was way too hot—”

  I interrupted her, I didn't want her to think I was trying to burn myself.

  “No, I was t-trying to g-get w-warm.” My mouth was bone dry and I tried swallowing, hoping it would help. “I w-wasn't t-trying to b-burn my-myself.”

  I don't think she believes me. She stared at me with eyes of pity and sympathy and then took hold of my arm. She pulled it toward her and looked at the spots where I had scratched myself.

  Wade appeared in the bathroom and I moved to shield myself from his judgmental eyes.

  “Leda was still cold.”

  I lowered my head back to my knees as they quietly conversed. I heard the word “drop” being mumbled between them, but I didn't dare look up. Wade sat down on the side of the tub and stroked my head. Even though I knew he’d be angry and spitting fire, I still looked up at him. I was surprised that I hadn't seen flames dancing in his eyes. He was calm and wasn't ranting.

  “Leeds, I'm going to call Colt. I think you need to be near him right now.”

  He stood, but I grabbed his pant leg.

  “No! You c-can't! It's his rule. I'm n-not to c-contact him unless it’s an extreme emergency.”

  “I think this would be a valid phone call.”

  “No! P-please don’t! You'll ruin any chance I have. I f-finally found a D-dom that can give me w-what I've been needing. This isn't an extreme emergency.”

  “Leeds, should I wait until you scratch all of the skin off your body and burn yourself? Or should I wait until you starting cutting again? Should Chastity and I wait until we find you bleeding in the tub?” Wade leaned over and kissed my head. “I'm calling Colt.”

  Wade left the room and I could feel my heart begin to pound harder. Oh, God. Chastity helped me out of the tub and dried me off. I put some clothes on and crawled back into bed.

  25

  Colt

  I could barely drive myself home I was shaking so badly. This was exactly what I wanted and yet I was so shaken by it.

  Seeing Leda lying beneath me, her eyes wide with fright, the way she’d clung to me when she came, it was surreal.

  As I pulled my car up into the garage, I felt a strange coldness grip me. I couldn’t explain it. I should be elated after what happened with Leda, but something was nagging inside me. I couldn’t place it. I threw the car into park and sat there staring down at the steering wheel. I found myself drifting back as I continued to sit in the car hearing the rain lightly pelting the roof overhead.

  Pushing open the door, my eyes filled with horror. He was lying there with a hole in his leg blood trickling onto the carpet staining it dark red. As I approached him, I hoped he was dead.

  Suddenly, my mother appeared behind me.

  “He’s not dead, he’s not dead.” She kept repeating.

  Indeed, he wasn’t. His chest was rising and falling steadily. He’d merely passed out after another drunken binge.

  “Mom, did you…did you shoot him?” My words echoed throughout the room.

  She nodded.

  “It was an accident,” she whispered.

  A new wave of dread washed over me. What would happen now? Would Robert wake up find that his beloved wife had shot him? Would we finally get to go live with our dad again?

  Or would Robert be even more evil?

  As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long to find out. Several hours later, Robert awoke to find he had been shot. Needless to say, the aftermath wasn’t good for my mother or my sister and me. I endured many more years of his violence until my father finally rescued us.

  Rescued me.

  My mother remained with Robert, but my sister and I went to live with him when I was 14.

  The year I turned 18, a great many things changed. My father took me to Seven telling me how I was to become the Master Dom someday.

  The day I finally took a woman through my own seven circles.

  Tears blurred my vision as I recalled how proud my father had been of his legacy. He’d handed me the keys to the Throne Room and told me it would be all mine someday.

  I was 38 years old and had never brought a woman through all seven of my circles. The only reason I was the Master Dom now was because of my father’s sudden death. He never lived long enough to see me earn the keys for myself.

  Failure clung to me reminding me of how disappointed my father must’ve been of me.

  But Leda, she stood to change it all for me. She was going to be the one to complete all seven of my circles. I was certain of it.

  The sharp ring of my phone woke me up. I struggled to sit up in bed grabbing my phone.

  It was Wade.

  Why the hell would he be calling me at 3 AM?

  Leda!

  “Colt, man, you need to get over here.”

  “It’s Leda? What’s wrong?”

  “She’s…she’s in a bad way. I’ve never seen her like this before. I’m sorry to talk out of turn, but you’ve got to help her, Colt.”

  I sighed.

  “Of course, I’ll be right over.”

  I tossed a t-shirt over my head and pulled on a pair of jeans.

  In less than a half hour, I was at Leda’s door. A sleepy looking Chastity opened the door where Wade stood behind her. He glared at me as they showed me to Leda’s room.

  “Leda? It’s Colt.” I gently rapped on the door before opening it.

  She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes.

  “Colt? What are you doing here?”

  I sat on the bed next to her the springs of the bed squeaking in protest.

  “Wade called me. He said you’re not doing so well.” I stared at her. She looked as beautiful as she had a few hours ago. She’d apparently been sleeping, so I was lost as to why Wade had called.

  Until she reached her hand out to me. Her wrist was bandaged with white gauze.

  She’d been cutting.

  “Leda, what did you do?”

  “I couldn’t help it. I tried not to, Colt.”

  “I thought we had a good time earlier?”

  “We did. It was just…I felt so good I felt ashamed of it. I had to punish myself.” She looked down trying to slip her wrist from my grip, but I held her firmly.

  Tenderly, I brought her wrist to my lips.

  “Leda, I will be the one to punish you. Never are you to cut yourself again. Do you understand me?” I narrowed my eyes. I wanted her to know I meant business.

  She nodded slowly.

  “Colt, can you stay here with me? Just for tonight?”

  Glancing around her small room, I couldn’t picture myself sleeping in the tiny, cramped quarters. Wade and Chastity were just outside the room.

  It wasn’t right.

  “Leda, throw a few things into a bag. I’m taking you to my place tonight.”

&
nbsp; Eagerly, she jumped up and soon we were off to my place.

  As soon as we hit the door, we were in each other’s arms. My lips met hers passionately as I devoured her. She was so sweet like melting honey. My hands roamed her body feeling all her scars and loving her even more because of them.

  Leda’s breath came hot and fast as she wrapped her arms about me. I hit the dimmer switch dimming the lights in the room to a soft glow. Her body was glorious as I stripped her pink dress off of her tossing it to the side. Her red lacy panties were soaked as I hooked my thumbs in them yanking them off.

  Kissing my way down her body, I knelt in front of her. My hands gripped her ass firmly pressing her to my face. Inhaling her sweet scent, I gazed up at her blue eyes feeling her pain dying to come to the surface.

  She needed me to punish her. She couldn’t wait any longer.

  My cock lurched as I stood up to go to my closet. I reached my hand in to draw out a black leather flogger.

  Immediately, Leda bent over the bed anxious to feel the flogger touch her flesh.

  “Colt, should we? I thought we weren’t supposed to do this outside Seven.”

  I shook my head pulling my belt off.

  “I don’t really give a fuck right now.” I growled.

  She was on the bed on her hands and knees as I drew my hand back to lash her with the flogger.

  As the leather made contact with her flesh, she jumped throwing her head back in ecstasy.

  Over and over again, I lashed her with my flogger. I adored feeling her flesh twitch as I spanked her. I could feel myself falling into her, relishing her sweet pain.

  As I continued lashing her, I felt myself leave my body. I was overhead observing us both seeing how her pain soothed my own, how hurting her healed me. It both frightened and excited me.

  Suddenly, I realized how I looked. A tall, well muscled man beating a frail, sexy woman.

  Was I sick?

  Was I, in fact, a sadist?

  Perhaps.

  My arm ached as my cock pulsed still delivering blows to her ass. Her flesh was turning bright red and blood began to ooze from her wounds making my cock even harder.

  She moaned loudly, but still never uttered her safe word. There was a loud crash of thunder breaking me out of my reverie.