She shook her head, her gaze still fixed on something outside. “I want to know—” A sharp rap on the door stopped her. She shoved Hayden back onto the bed then pulled the door open a few inches.
A voice came through the narrow opening. “It’s time.”
She braced one hand on the wall and leaned into the opening. “I told him we were coming.”
“Just doing what I’m told, Mattie.”
“We’re coming, Oscar. Tell him that.” She pushed the door closed. “Matthew wants to meet you.”
“I want to see Rachelle.”
“You will.” She went to the closet, pulled out a fur cloak, threw it at him. “Put that on.” She ran looked him over. “Unless you’d rather go naked. Which I’m totally okay with.”
Hayden threw the cloak over his shoulders, then lifted the chain over it. The softened hide caressed his skin as he covered his body. She wrapped a cloak around herself.
“Why bother?” he asked.
“Ice is bad for the skin after a while.”
“No kidding?” he asked, sneering.
She stood by the open door. “Give me the end of the chain.”
He held on to it. “You’re not serious?”
“You want the others to know you’re mine.” She held out her hand. He handed her the last few links. His boots were by the door. She waited while he lifted the tethers and put them on.
They moved out into the night.
The snow wasn’t as deep as it had been in the city, and the straps were long enough to allow him to walk in the footsteps she left behind. Running, though, would be a whole other matter. The cold too, would be a problem.
Tall pines sheltered the area, circling a clearing. Hayden spotted five more cabins. Two of them smaller, the other three about the same size at Mattie’s. Hazy light came from each of the windows. A thin line of smoke came up from each chimney.
Tracks in the snow lead from one cabin to the next but other than that the snow was fresh. “You been here long?”
She cast him an indiscernible look over her shoulder.
“How many are here?” he asked, feeling the chill of snow clinging to the hair on his bare legs, creeping up his thighs.
“Count for yourself.”
Cold crept up his calves, wrapped around his thighs. Was he counting those of the tribe or others like himself.
“Don’t worry.” She swung the chain. “They see you’re mine, so they’ll stay inside like good boys and girls.”
“What about Rachelle?”
“What about her?” She took a long step forward, snapping the chain and jerking him along.
They left that clearing, stomped through a cluster of trees, came into a tighter cluster of tiny cabins. No candlelight in the windows. No gentle lines of smoke rising from chimneys.
“They’re out. Getting what they need.” The row of tall pines ran behind all the cottages. The entire camp seemed to be circled by the enormous trees. The long branches heavy with snow, rays of the moonlight soaring through them. The setting was beautiful and the place appeared to be well cared for. It couldn’t exist without anyone knowing. A scout camp? A retreat for businesses?
Might someone check on the cabins?
Not likely, considering the fierce weather.
The tethers occasionally caught in the snow, the chain swung, a weight on his neck, a constant threat to behave. They came to an opening between some bushes, a spot where someone had shoveled a wide, clear path. “One last thing,” she said, pausing beneath the low branches. “I do all the talking. Matthew isn’t nice, like me. Give him a reason, he’ll make you sorry.”
Hayden grabbed the chain, lifted it enough to relive the tug on his neck.
“Got it?” His actual agreement wasn’t necessary. She turned back and ducked through the opening. He released the chain and followed. On the other side was a single cabin, long and, like the others, sheltered by snow-heaped the pines. This one was bigger, with two chimneys. Two rails of smoke rose, one from each chimney, pale-yellow light glowed from the windows. The snow surrounding the building was trampled in all directions. Two men stood at the door. A third sat on a grey pony, his legs swinging as his guided the animal toward them.
As they approached, the guards came forward. The one on the pony cast them a glance but swerved to move in the opposite direction. Mattie straight-armed Hayden. “Remember. Keep your mouth shut.”
He grunted his agreement and she moved forward, offering a curt nod to the guards. They looked at the chain and Hayden did his best to tamp down the chill that ran down his back.
One of the two men on foot had a shaved head. He pointed to Hayden. “I want to see.”
Mattie lifted the chain so it hung above Hayden’s shoulder. “Open you cloak.”
Hayden opened his mouth, ready to protest but Mattie cut him off. “Shut the fuck up and open your cloak.”
The other man on foot had come forward and was also staring. “Price of admission pet.”
Hayden complied, holding the sides of the fur wide enough for the men while he glared at them both. The bald one grunted. The other just leered. Mattie stood beside his shoulder, her shoulder turned away. The wind chilled his bare skin but it didn’t come close to distracting him from the humiliation of having the men stare at his dick. Eventually, Mattie moved between him and the guards. “That’s enough.”
Hayden dropped the cloak.
She turned around, said, “Fuck you both,” then lowered the chain and tugged.
Hayden tightened the belt as he followed Mattie across the threshold.
Square lanterns sitting atop low tables lit the interior. A row of five wooden chairs hung from hooks on the wall, and a stack of crates stood in the corner.
“This way.” Mattie tugged on the chain.
They crossed the room and moved into a hallway. Mattie waited for him to catch up, then together they sliced through a set of hanging black beads. Side by side they walked down the hall until they reached a heavy canvas tarp. Mattie held the tarp aside and, still holding the chain, placed her hand on the small of Hayden’s back and shoved him forward.
The room was large, big enough to accommodate a solid-looking bed piled high with pillows and blankets and a sitting area. The stove in the corner was larger than Mattie’s, the heat more intense. A cabinet hung on the wall near a gold velvet wing-backed chair where a man sat, his legs splayed, his erect cock in his hands. A low table covered with an array of tin mugs and jars of herbs was beside the chair. Lanterns hung from the high ceiling, one on each side of him, casting shadows.
The man was lean and pale, with a shaved head and a row of earrings outlining one ear. An outline of stubble shadowed his jaw and cheeks. His chest was bare, light-brown leather pants shoved halfway down his thighs. Leather ties dangled below his balls. The man continued stroking his dick, his inked biceps and lean forearms flexing as he glided his fingers up and down. He was staring into a large wooden cage, across from him.
Locked inside, beyond the wooden slats, lay Rachelle.
Hayden moved as far forward as the chain would allow, then strained against it, feeling the metal cut into his neck. He kept pulling.
“She’s a fine piece of ass.”
Hayden twisted to look at the man, wincing when the neck ring cut into his flesh.
“Mattie made me promise to wait, and I have, but as you can see…” The man nodded down, “The wait is getting difficult.” He palmed his tip, squeezed, dropped his head back, closed his eyes and moaned.
“Like you don’t have enough to satisfy you?” Mattie gestured to the window, looked out into the black night. “You could have had Oscar bring you someone else. Anyone else. Why her?”
The man opened his dark eyes, rolled his head to the side and looked at Mattie through half-closed lids. “Have you dealt with the problem?”
“I will. After.” She looked down, took a step back.
Wind howled. A branch cracked and hit the roof. Hayden felt the thump of his heart and
the rustle of the hide against his skin. He tensed, watching the man.
“Hayden, this place is awesome. Check it out.” Rachelle got up and paced along the rails, running her fingertips across them as she moved. She paused in the corner near him. Wearing a fur cloak like the one Mattie had given him, she pulled on the wooden slats, twisting and jerking. The cloak fell open, exposing her bare breasts until she hugged herself, pulling the cloak around her.
“I’m Matthew’s captive,” she said, her voice husky, playful. She turned, focusing her attention on Hayden. “I’ve been naughty. Matthew put me in here so I can be punished.”
Mattie let go of the chain. It fell to the wooden floor with a soft thud. She moved further away from Matthew, her movements stiff.
Rachelle raised her hands and turned around. The cloak was split up the back to reveal most of her ass. She arched her back and grabbed the waistband of her blue thong as she wiggled her hips. “I’m a bad, bad girl, Hayden.” She tugged the waistband down, using the panties to frame the bottom of cheeks. “What are you going to do about it?” Laughing, she pulled the underwear back into place, then spun, her mouth a circle of wickedness.
“I think she likes it here, Hayden. I hope you don’t plan on ruining her fun.” Matthew started rubbing his dick again. “I sure as hell hope you aren’t planning on ruining mine.”
Chapter Six
“But remember, I warned you.”
“Matthew said he might lock you in here with me.” Rachelle spread the cloak, letting it fall below her breasts. Her round curves were framed by the light brown fur, reminding him of the night before. But there was no expensive black lace lingerie. Not hint of intimacy. There sure as hell was no romance. “Maybe you can teach me not to be a bad girl.” A shrill giggle came from her throat as she pulled the cloak back over her shoulders whirled, exposing her ass cheeks.
Hayden’s nostrils filled with the smoke of burning wood and he felt the now familiar tingle in the back of his mouth as the iron-like scent settled into his mouth. He tried to swallow it away but it clung like moss then he scanned the room, searching as though the answer to what any of this meant might appear. Mattie’s face stayed dull, her gaze not meeting his.
Matthew stuffed his dick in his pants, rose from the chair and then stretched his arms overhead. Skulls and barbed wire encircled the tree inked into one of his arms. The other was covered with tattoos too. The man groaned, put his hands on his hips, then, tipping his head at Rachelle, offered Hayden a slow feral smile. “Like what you see?”
His stomach rolled from lust, fear and disgust. He clung to the idea that Rachelle was playing some sort of game, biding time until they could find a way out of there. But that hope faltered when Rachelle crawled across the straw, laughing and wiggling as the cloak slid off. “Do you, Hayden? See something you like?”
Mattie moved over to lift one side of Hayden’s cloak, exposing his hard cock. She came around behind him, untied the belt and let the cloak drop to the floor where it pooled at his feet. He stepped out of the heap of skin and fur, going toward the cage. The end of the chain rattled across the floor, then settled in a cold line down his spine when he stopped and put his palms on the slats. The expectation that he go into the cage hung in the air, and he breathed it in, savoring the sexual pull of what awaited him. Hayden considered fighting his own desire, but dark lust had seeped in, filling his lungs and blood.
Matthew unlocked the cage. Lantern light flickered across a long tattoo that ran down the center of his back, snaking from the base of his skull all the way to his ass. Before Hayden could make out the pattern, Matthew spun, pulling the door open as he stepped back. Hayden went in, the chain trailing. The lock clicked behind him.
Rachelle’s skin looked warm and soft. Alive. She wiggled her hips and looked at him over his shoulder. But her gaze was cloudy.
Hayden eyed Matthew, who was again sitting in the wide, velvet chair.
“Yes, it’s the same tea Mattie made for you. Just stronger. With an extra little something.” Matthew looked at Mattie, still standing a few feet from the cage door, then to Rachelle. “She likes it, don’t you, baby?”
“Oh yeah, mmmmm, but it’s making me be a bad girl, Hayden.” She dropped to the floor, writhing on her hands and knees, her muscular body a canvas of shadows. “You need to teach me a lesson.”
He reeled back as his stomach quivered.
“What’s the matter, Hayden?” Matthew taunted. “You losing your hard-on? You need me to come in there and help you?”
Rachelle crawled to the edge off the straw lining the floor and pushed herself back up to her feet. She tiptoed to Hayden, then took his cock in her hands, turning her head to the side. “I’ll take care of him, Matthew.”
But the other man was already on his feet, coming toward the cage. He wrapped his fingers around the slats and leaned closer. The scent of his body pressed in, a mixture of leather, cold earth and even colder sex.
Hayden spoke over the bile in his throat. “Did you already fuck her?”
“Actually, no. I was asked not to.” He tipped his head toward Mattie. “You owe her for that.”
“Common decency isn’t enough of a reason not to?”
Matthew threw his head back and howled. His shoulders shook, his mouth open wide from the sound until he snapped it shut tipped his head toward Mattie. “We left that behind years ago. Best decision we ever made.”
Hayden caught the wince Mattie tried to hide.
Matthew spotted it anyway and scowled. “Not now, Mattie. Not when we have this… entertainment.”
Mattie crossed to the wing-backed chair, dropped into it, and stared straight ahead.
“Why are you just standing there?” Matthew asked Hayden. He lifted one dark eyebrow. “Take your boots off. Entertain me.” He waved to Mattie. “Us. Entertain us.”
Again, Hayden searched the room, looked at the doorway. If he simply ran out? What then?
Rachelle purred. “This is what I’ve been wanting. Something wild.”
Hayden shoved her back onto the bed of straw. She fell willingly, spreading her legs as she tumbled. Hayden spun, tilted his head and offered Matthew a slanted smile of his own. “Let me guess. If you don’t like what you see, you’re going to come in here and show me up. Right?”
“Mattie told me you were different. Now I see what she meant.” Matthew nodded, looking Hayden up and down. “I like fast learners, Hayden, but I don’t think that’s the only reason Mattie has a thing for you.” His gaze darkened. “I intend to figure out what it is that has her so worked up.”
“It’s just the sex, Matthew,” Mattie cut in, leaning forward but not standing. “Wait until you see him fuck her, then you’ll understand.”
“You sure it’s just that?” he asked, still eyeing Hayden. “There isn’t any more?”
“Look at him,” she replied. “A tabloid writer. What else could there be?”
Matthew took his time, looking Hayden up and down. The other man’s gaze was thorough, lingering, caressing. “You switched back to the metal neck ring,” he said. A slow smile opened his teeth. He spoke again, this time to Hayden. “Did she tell you why she put the ring on you?”
Hayden shrugged. “Maybe I don’t care.”
Matthew ran his palms down the wood slats. “You care.”
Rachelle was beginning to whine and paw at his ankles and calf, but Hayden lifted his leg and shook her off. “If I care so much why don’t you go ahead and tell me.”
Matthew reached between the wood slats, grabbed the ring, and yanked Hayden forward. “She used to tie hers down with rope because she thought it was nicer, but the last one grabbed a log from the fire and set the bed on fire. We figured he was trying to burn the rope. To get away.” The edge of the ring cut into Hayden’s neck as Matthew lifted. “But maybe he was actually trying to kill himself because he hated Mattie so much.”
Mattie had moved over to stand beside Matthew. “It wasn’t the last one who set the fire. It
was the one before him.”
“Oh. That’s right,” Matthew replied, still holding Hayden, staring at him with harsh curiosity. “Right. Andre is still with us. Sort of.”
Hayden inched closer to the bars to release some of the tension of Matthew’s grip. “I could still burn the bed.”
“Yes. But the metal ring she locks the chain to is bolted to a pipe that runs through the headboard and into the ground. So, yes, you could burn the bed, but it wouldn’t give you a chance of getting away.”
Rachelle got up and rubbed herself against Hayden. She’d taken the cloak off, and it was spread across the floor. “What are you guys talking about? You’re boring me.” She wrapped her arms around Hayden and tugged.
Matthew tightened his grip on the collar and pulled upward, making it cut into Hayden’s skin again. The bleakness of the other’s man eyes was deep and unmoving. The only emotion churning inside him was ugly resentment, so strong it radiated off his pallid skin. Not even the man’s own unique icy scent was more desolate. “Make all the little comments you want, Hayden.” He jerked the ring and pulled him close enough for Hayden to feel the chill of his breath when he spoke. “Mattie has some special interest in you. That means I have a special interest in you.” He let out a growl, then suddenly released the ring. Hayden went back, tumbling across Rachelle as they both fell. “Now be a good boy and fuck your girlfriend for me.” He scoffed as he glanced sideways. “I mean us.”
Rachelle writhed beneath him, her body liquid, arms and legs sliding. The musky scent of her aroused body drifted up, mingling with the straw and smoky air. He rolled over, wrapped his arms around her and hauled her up into a sitting position. Kneeling in front of her, he brushed tangled hair from her face.
Matthew had settled into the velvet chair, his legs splayed, his erect cock once again in his hands, a fine gleam with an undeniable edge in his eyes.
Hayden caressed Rachelle’s stomach, moving his hands upward. He felt the fullness of her breasts and the slow seduction of her breathing. The warmth of her body. Knowing what was expected of him made it easier to justify his arousal.
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