The sound of the door opening infiltrates my subconscious. The overhead light switches on. I blink, squeeze my eyes shut. Footsteps approach, I hear a thump…followed by the unmistakable sound of something being dragged… A body?
I crack open my eyelids. A man’s profile fills my line of sight. His dark eyes glower, his hair shorn close to this scalp. His high cheekbones… His profile is familiar. Too familiar. The world tilts. No, no, no. I am not going to pass out, not now. I shake my head and the image clears.
The man bends at his knees, flings out his arm and shoves something… No, someone.
The faint scent of roses envelopes me and is quickly overpowered by the acidic tinge of copper. Blood. No, no, no. I glance down to find her sprawled out at my feet, her dyed black hair entangled about her face.
"Motherfucker." I strain at my bindings and the chains shudder.
"Mind your tongue."
"How dare you touch her? You hurt her, you bastard… If she’s dead I’ll—?" He raises his hand, the tips glow, then fire encircles my neck. The scent of burning flesh assails the air, and on its heels, white hot pain zips down my spine.
My head spins and my body lurches. Fucker collared me.
Of course, he did. It’s how he can control me. My heart begins to thud. Charley. Asshole got to her.
I growl, blink the sweat from my eyes. I have to get to her. I coil the muscles of my arms, my legs, then throw my weight again the bonds. Sparks encircle the collar around my neck; my nerve endings scream in protest. I huff. I need to save my Char. Adrenaline spikes my blood and I lunge forward again and again.
The columns that I am bound to groan, the ceiling creaks, bits of dirt rain down, and a crack splits the walls on either side.
"Impressive." He surveys me up and down. "I can’t think of anyone else who’s sustained two rounds of shocks from the collar and survived." He strokes his chin, "Perhaps I misjudged you? Maybe I need to make better use of your talents?"
I lower my head, take in the prone figure on the floor. Get up, Charley. Open your eyes. She’s so still. So silent. Why isn’t her chest moving? "Let me go to her."
"No."
I yank against my restraints. My collar flares again and the scent of burning flesh deepens. My vision wavers. I will not look away. Will not. "Charley!"
A moan fills the air. Was that her?
"Charley, look at me."
"Hawke?" She turns her head toward me. Her hair falls from her face, exposing the paleness of her cheek. Her eyelids flutter.
Something hot stabs at my chest. My Charley’s alive. The tension drains from my muscles. My head spins from the relief. I turn on the man responsible for hurting her.
"Why?" I huff out the word. "Why have you done this to her?"
He tilts his head. "An interesting question." He juts out a hip, props his finger on it. "It is time."
"Time?"
He nods. "You Fae Corps soldiers have hurt my expansion. What’s a man got to do to be left to run his business in peace?"
"Business?" I flex my muscles, pull against the chains. "You mean auctioning off innocent girls to fulfill the perverse needs of sick men?"
"Oh, and you are above them?"
I growl, "The fuck you talking about, bastard? I’d never hurt one of them—'"
"And her?" He jerks his chin at her.
"What about her?" I lower my eyebrows. If the fucker dares look at her again, if he dares say anything… I’ll throw him down, kill him… I’ll… I flex my biceps and the spiked chains dig into my flesh.
"You’re the one who put at her at risk. If you hadn’t been stalking her—"
"I was trying to keep her safe."
"And how did that turn out for you?"
Anger coils in my gut. The blood thrums at my temples. The fuck is he implying? I didn’t put her at risk. No way, I’d only wanted to… Keep her in sight. Couldn't let her go, huh? She ran away from you and you followed her. You wanted her for yourself. And if I can't have her, I don’t want anyone else to either. Charley was right. I clench my jaw.
"Exactly." He strokes his chin. "So you see, you shouldn’t blame me, old sport. Besides, you should talk. You are what, eighteen years older than her?"
"Fifteen."
"Potato…. Po-tah-to." He spreads his arms.
"The fuck do you want? Why don’t you get to the point? Surely you didn’t bring me here to point out of the lack of morality in my ways…"
He slaps his thigh. "There you have it."
I scowl, angle my torso, tug at the bonds.
"You won’t be getting out of them, by the way." He nods toward my shoulder. I glance down to find blood trailing down my naked chest. "I’ve had a lot of practice devising restraints that my slaves can’t escape from. The more you resist, the tighter the bonds close in on you.”
The fuck is he talking about?
I surge forward. The restraints bite into my skin. I draw in a breath; my throat burns. Darkness threatens at the corners of my mind again. No… No. I cannot lose consciousness. I bite down on the inside of my cheek. Blood fills my mouth, pain slashes through the noise in my head. I crack my eyelids open.
"Don’t." I force out the words. "Don’t hurt her further. I'll do anything you want, just let her go."
9
Charley
A groan bleeds from the alpha Fae. I’ve never heard Hawke in pain or pleading to anyone. I’ve never seen him tied up either.
I take in his broad heaving chest, the coiled layers of muscle that stack his chest, over his concave belly to… I swallow. Look away.
Not fair that you ogle him, now of all the occasions, when he is chained, and you were unconscious until a few seconds ago, and the villain who had threatened the future of the Fae, who’d likely kill both of us, or worse, is watching us closely…but… I’ve never seen Hawke naked before. Oh, I’ve imagined it, plenty of times. All those nights when I had been running from him, hoping he’d chase me, that he’d find me, and kiss me, and fuck me and… I swallow. How would it be to have him bury that massive cock of his balls-deep in my core?
My pussy clenches and my thigh muscles spasm.
My head spins and I am positive that, this time, it isn’t from the beating I had taken earlier. It’s him… Hawke. His nearness, his large presence that drowns out everything else in this room. More precisely, it’s his massive dick that hangs between his legs. Get ahold of yourself!
He’s not aroused… He can’t be, with the blood flowing down his chest, streaking his thigh, dripping to pool under him. But the size of his shaft... I gulp; my throat closes. This prime specimen of a male is the epitome of every wet dream I’ve had.
His muscles bunch, another growl rips from him, and he strains at the chains which dig into his flesh.
"You are making this worse on yourself."
I whip my head around. What the—? Who's that? How could my attention have been diverted from the danger we are in? Oh, right, because… Hawke. Still, it is inexcusable that I’d allow myself to get so distracted by the sight of the virile alpha Fae.
I scowl, "Let him go."
The stranger snickers. "You’re awake, how timely."
He leans forward and I scoot back. My thighs protest; my head throbs…. Every muscle in my body tenses.
"Don’t fucking talk to her."
Hawke’s voice slices through the space. Waves of tension roll off of him. His body tenses, every muscle in him rigid, stretched to the breaking point.
"You’re not in any position to issue orders, son."
Son? I blink. The hell is he talking about?
Hawke growls; his biceps bulge. "Fuck you, Dimitri."
"Interesting proposition," Dimitri glances at his nails, "but I'll pass. If I'd wanted to bugger you, I'd never have given you away in the first place."
Hawke stiffens.
I frown, "What the hell do you mean by that?" I burst out.
Dimitri jerks his head toward me.
Oh, hell, why d
id I have to go and open my stupid mouth?
He takes a step toward me, the hair on my forearms rises. Ugh! This is not good. I skitter away, closer to Hawke… Closing the distance until the heat from his body is a living furnace that envelops me. I hunch into myself, trying to makes myself smaller.
Dimitri taps his feet on the ground, "Good, you’re halfway there already, my girl."
I frown. "What?"
He jerks his chin towards the big alpha Fae. "Take him in your mouth."
"Excuse me?"
"Why do you think he’s naked? Unless you prefer...” He reaches for his belt.
I jerk up straight.
"Don’t touch her. " Hawke growls, his voice harsh. I don’t turn around, don’t look at him. If I do, I’ll throw myself at the alpha Fae, ask him to protect me, and right now, he can’t. I’ll make him weak.
I thrust out my chin, "Fine."
"No." Hawke’s command splits the air. "Don’t do it, Charley."
I curl my fingers into fists. Doesn’t he want my mouth on him? Is that what it is? I swallow, take in a breath.
"Either you do it…" Dimitri widens his stance, "...or she will."
"Who?" I scowl.
The door slides open and a girl walks in. She must be my age—or younger? Her blonde hair is tangled, her face ashen, features composed. She wears a once-white sheath draped to below her knees. Her figure is so slight that her breasts barely dent the cloth. She keeps her head bowed, walks across the floor. She brushes past Dimitri. He grabs her hair, yanks it, and she falls to her knees, head bowed.
I gasp. "Who's she?"
"My slave." Dimitri tugs on her hair.
She flinches.
"See how well trained she is?" He lets go of the girl's hair, only to haul her up by her neck. "You stood there outside, waiting for exactly the right time to make an appearance, didn't you?" His knuckles whiten and her body twitches. "Did you think I'd reward you by allowing you to live?" Her mouth opens and closes; her limbs flail.
A scream boils up. Don't, that won't help. I bite down on my cheek, swallow down my fear. Let her go, let her go.
He releases her and she collapses, moaning.
I draw in a sharp breath.
Hawke growls; his chains rattle. Sparks flash in the air; the scent of burning flesh deepens.
At this rate he will end up dead. My pulse begins to race. Adrenaline laces my blood. He's going to bloody-well live. And so, will I.
I have to.
I push myself up onto my hands and knees, then crawl over to him.
"Charley, don’t." Hawke’s tone is anguished. My heart stutters; my belly twists.
"Please." His voice cracks.
I pause. Drop my head down; my hair flows down my chest. He’s begging me. Until now, he's only been angry with me. Hardheaded, ignoring me, scolding me, bullying me… All a front. Inside, he doesn't want me. Oh, there's a connection between us, which I hadn’t tried to resist, but Hawke…? He is hung up on that entire age gap thing. Whatever. The years don’t matter.
Age is just a number.
It is the depth of living that you have endured in your lifetime that matters, and for me… Well, let's say I was born an old soul.
Dimitri clicks his tongue and the girl lurches to her feet. I glance across to find her shuffling toward Hawke.
I turn to Dimitri, "I’ll do it."
10
Hawke
"No." My heart twists and a stabbing feeling digs into my rib cage. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I’ve wanted her, of course, from the moment I’d seen her. She hadn’t yet been eighteen and had come to the Fae Corps complex with her sister Jess and their little sister Sweta, after Jess’s mate Tristan had helped rescue them.
I’d told myself to stay back, restrain myself. She was too young, too innocent…too inexperienced for what it means to be with an alpha Fae. She deserves better.
Someone her own age, with whom she can grow old… Me? I was old before my time. I’d seen too much in the orphanage, even before that, and later, with the Fae Corps. There is not a shred of innocence left in me. Which is what had attracted me to her, of course. I know that.
She is fresh, beautiful, the exact opposite of everything I am. Oh, how she gets on my nerves though. With that acerbic tongue of hers, she can drive me up the wall, push me to spank her when she is bratty… and no… That is part of the appeal, all right, but no way, am I going to give in to it. Not now… No way, will I allow her to demean herself in front of that bastard. It would mean I’d finally have her hands on me—the bastard knows how intimate that would be, of course. How it would weaken my defenses further, and ensure my emotions bubble up to the surface. It would force me to lose control, to make mistakes. Something… I can’t afford. Not now, not when she is in danger.
I have to stay calm.
"I don't want you."
"Hawke, you don't mean that." Charley rears up to her knees. She’s on the floor at my feet, a position I’d wanted her to be in… No, the fuck, am I thinking? I keep my gaze trained on Dimitri.
"Well then." He glances at the slave girl. "Go on, what are you waiting for, girl?" He clicks his tongue and she shuffles forward.
Charley staggers to her feet, plants herself between us.
"Don’t you dare."
She throws up her fists. A chuckle rips up my throat. So feisty she is, huh? But, right now, that’s not helping.
Dimitri’s gaze narrows on her. She’s calling attention to herself, and that is not going to help.
"I don’t want you, Charley; can’t you understand that?"
She stiffens. "You going to listen to what he’s saying?" She jerks her chin toward me.
Dimitri drums his fingers on his chest. "You have me there." He glances between the three of us. "I tell you what. How about a compromise?"
He lowers his chin, sets his sights on her. The hair on my forearms prickles. "The hell are you thinking asshole?"
"I think." He tips his chair forward, "If she," he nods toward Charley, "blows you—"
"No." I lunge forward, the chains digging into my flesh.
"I’ll set my slave free."
"If either of you refuse, I’ll fuck her—" He jerks his chin at Charley.
"What about your virgin auction—?"
"—In the ass."
Charley freezes. There’s silence, broken by the drip-drip-drip of water in a corner of the cell. Then, "Fine." She swallows.
"No, Charley." My heart begins to race.
"You don’t have a choice,” he reminds me. "Besides, if the woman is willing…"
"Bastard." I strain at my restraints. Fucking bindings. How the hell did I get myself into this situation? I can’t protect her. I’ll have to watch as she degrades herself, in front of the bastard. I’ll have to take it as she touches me, wraps those sweet lips around my cock... No fucking way. I tighten my muscles, scan the room. There has to something here that I can use to defend her. I curl my fingers into fists, tug at the ropes, and they tighten further. Pain throbs down my sides.
Dimitri stalks to the edge of the room.
The hell?
He grabs a chair, drags it over, turns it around, and straddles it.
"Go on then." He waves his hand and Charley.
She takes the few steps to reach me, then drops to her knees.
"Charley, don’t do this."
"I must."
"I don’t want you."
"Then this will be easy."
"No, please—"
I huff out a breath as she places a hand on my thigh. My entire body tenses further. I dig my bare heels into the ground, brace myself. "You should’ve let her—"
"—put her hands on you, suck you off with her mouth. Is that what you want?"
No.
"Yes."
"You’d rather have a complete stranger touch you, than allow me to—"
Don’t say it. Don't. "I can’t stand the sight of you," I snarl.
She winces.
>
"I’d fuck anyone except you."
Her face pales. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why am I hurting her? Why can’t I find a way to let her down lightly?
She hesitates, then curls her fingers against my skin. Goosebumps pepper my forearms.
"Do it, or else." Dimitri cracks his knuckles.
The slave girl trembles. She glances up at me, then down to her right sleeve.
Huh? I look up at her face and she blinks. She brings her other arm to the edge of her sleeve. She pulls back the cloth and a glint of steel flashes. She tilts her head at me.
Right.
Charley reaches up her other hand and braces it on my thigh. My cock instantly lengthens. Fuck.
"Don’t touch me, Charley…" My voice tapers off.
If I stop her from doing this, I put all of our lives in danger. No way, will I let her degrade herself in front of Dimitri, yet it's best if she continues with this farce. It's the only way to distract Dimitri while I find a way to bring the other woman closer. I need to position her so she can cut me loose… At least, that’s what I hope that glint of steel indicated. If I am wrong… No, don’t go there now.
Charley leans in close, and her hot breath grazes the skin of my inner thigh. Fuck. My belly goes rock hard and my thigh muscles spasm.
"If this is how I get to touch you, so be it." She tips her chin up, and opens her mouth.
"Wait."
She blinks.
"Both," I force the word out.
Dimitri straightens.
"Both of them." I nod toward the other woman. "I need both of them to pleasure me together."
11
Charley
Why is he doing this? Does he hate me that much? Does he think I can’t get him off?
The Hawke I know had avoided me, but he had been attracted to me. It’s why he’d ensured we had very little time alone at the Fae Corps Complex. It’s also the reason why, when I’d left with Rafael, he had pursued me.
That protective instinct of his is overdeveloped—more than usual, when it comes to me. It’s why I know he would never hurt me. Physically. Emotionally? Well, I am a walking talking battlefield of scars where he is concerned. I could have sworn he’d wanted me to touch him too… Maybe I was mistaken, after all?
Kidnapped by the Fae: Paranormal Dark Fae Romance (Fae's Claim Book 5) Page 5