“Here you are. You do look lovely tonight, pet.” He spotted her bracelet, and his look of approval warmed her. “I fear you’re missing an essential item of clothing, though.”
“I am?”
With a tender smile, he reached into his suit coat and pulled out his collar. ETHAN’S glinted at her. He lifted an eyebrow.
“Oh, yes. Please, Sir.” She bowed her head and pulled her hair out of the way so he could put it on. The feeling of his fingers, the fleece lining, the fit around her throat was like having his body against hers, his strength part of her.
“There you go. Mine.” The satisfaction in his voice matched the feelings running through her.
When he hugged her, she wrapped her arms around him, breathing him in, feeling the rock-solid muscular frame against her. The world grew firmer under her feet. Tipping her head back, she looked up into his unwavering, watchful eyes. “I love you, so, so much.”
An eyebrow rose, and a smile lightened his stern expression. Cupping the back of her head, he leaned down to kiss her. Slowly, gently, letting her know that she was his.
And loved.
By the time he lifted his head, he’d had to tighten the arm around her waist to keep her from sinking into a puddle on the floor.
Laughter came from behind her, and he looked over her head. “Ladies. It’s good to see you.”
Her crew hadn’t left to find their Doms. They were sticking with her.
Because Serna was here. She felt her stomach turn over. Could she do this? Face the man who’d reduced her to nothing?
“This is your decision, your choice, Piper. No one will force you into anything you don’t want to do,” Sir Ethan murmured.
“Where is he?” Her lips were having trouble forming words.
“He’s in a group of men by the bar.” Sir Ethan’s voice was loud enough the others heard, and everyone turned to look.
Serna was barely visible inside a circle of four men—none whom Piper had met. Whatever he was saying received appreciative nods. He was probably talking about ownership and property. The scumbag. Slavegem was kneeling at his feet, posture perfect, but—as Piper used to do, she was sneaking looks around.
Her gaze met Piper’s, and she looked down.
Piper felt bitter amusement along with pity. Serna would probably like to know Piper was here, but slavegem wouldn’t tell him…because he’d be likely to punish the girl for looking around. Stupid so-called Master. Abuse ensured a slave would worry more about self-preservation than her Master’s desires.
Eventually, Piper’s crew caught the Defiler’s notice. When he spotted her, a smug expression crossed his face. He strode confidently across the room, followed by the other Doms.
Piper took a step back. Oh, God.
“Courage, poppet,” Sir Ethan murmured. His hand on her back reminded her he was right beside her.
Dixon took her hand. When Piper turned to give him a grateful look, she saw Stan had closed in, as had Xavier, Simon, and deVries.
“Worthless, I expected you to be here tonight.” Serna exchanged a meaningful look with his followers. “A true slave wants nothing more than to be owned. Even if she can’t say the words, she’ll keep showing up, hoping to be taken back.”
He looked down at slavegem who’d taken up her spot at his feet. “Wanting to be in her destined place at her Master’s feet.”
Through the buzzing in her ears, Piper heard Rona snort in disgust.
“Dear sweet Jesus,” Lindsey muttered. “That dude is all hat and no cattle.”
“Does anyone have a cane? I want to hit him,” Abby whispered and got a rumbling negative from Xavier.
In the silence that fell, Piper couldn’t speak. It was taking everything she had not to run.
“So, Worthington, you fucking thief,” Serna said. “She’s here, proving my point. Wanting to return to me.”
“I doubt that.” Sir Ethan’s voice was easy. He didn’t say more because…he was waiting for her.
Serna’s gaze turned to her. His smile turned cruel in a way she recognized, a way that made her body start to tremble. Her mind might tell her she was safe, but her body recognized the signs. He’d hurt her. Horribly. “Get over here, worthless.”
When she didn’t move—couldn’t move—he took a step toward her and tripped on slavegem.
Paralysis broken, Piper jerked out of reach.
Furious, Serna kicked slavegem in the chest. “Stupid cunt.”
Whimpering, the girl curled into a ball as he drew his foot back for another kick.
“No!” Lunging forward, Piper shoved him away from slavegem. “Leave her alone, asshole.”
“You dare.” Face dark, Serna swung his fist.
Sidestep and block. Years of self-defense. Gut tight, form perfect, Piper punched him in the cheek. Even as pain flared in her right hand, she shot her left fist out to nail him in the jaw.
His head jerked sideways. Blocking his wild swing, she stepped forward, drew power from her toes all the way to her right fist—and punched him right in the mouth.
He staggered back. Lost his balance and landed on his ass in the center of his followers.
Arms grabbed her from behind. Piper tried to fight, but Ethan drew her back against his chest. “Easy, poppet. You got your blows in. Now it’s time to talk.”
“Huh. Good job, Pips.” Dixon’s voice rose. “But the dimwit dildo-dick is still conscious.”
“I appreciate her restraint.” Xavier gave her a slight smile. “I need him able to talk so we can finish this tonight.”
Xavier wasn’t angry. She’d punched a Master, and he wasn’t angry?
Was Sir Ethan? She looked up at him. “Are you upset I hit him?”
“I’d rather have done it myself,” he said gently. “But I think it was good for you.”
She let out a breath.
“Good form, too, although you might stand more sideways to decrease the target area.”
“Excuse me?” She was ready to panic, and he was critiquing her fighting style?
The men around Serna helped him to his feet.
A couple of women were trying to help slavegem, but the girl waved them away. Too frightened to even allow someone to care for her. God.
“You’re bleeding, Piper.” Rona lifted Piper’s hand.
Looking down, Piper realized her knuckles were scraped and bloody…and really hurt. Ow.
Rona wrapped a ripped-up, cold, wet towel around her fingers. “Simon tells me I should hit the soft parts, never the mouth.”
“Excellent advice. However, this time?” Sir Ethan winked at Piper. “You did well, poppet. Serna won’t be able to hide his punishment under his clothing.”
Piper’s mouth dropped open.
Shaking free of his followers, Serna confronted Xavier. “I demand the right to punish that cunt.”
Ice ran through Piper as he continued. “She’s my property as is this one.” He pointed to slavegem. “I hold irrevocable slave contracts giving me the right to punish them in any way I see fit. That’s what nonconsensual consent means.”
The sound of slavegem’s sobbing brought back too many memories. How fear would overwhelm her. How her whimpering would escape no matter how hard she’d tried to clamp her jaws shut.
No. No, he didn’t have the right to punish slavegem. Or her. No.
Anger burned a bit of her fear away. “Your contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” She froze, not believing she’d said that. But she had.
“Yes!” came a voice from behind her. Lindsey.
Serna’s color rose. “Did anyone give you permission to spea—”
“Oh, honestly, try to follow the conversation,” Piper said, heard Sir Ethan’s low chuckle, and took strength from it. “Or do I need to use smaller words?”
“Piper, we’ve heard Serna’s argument.” Xavier’s hands were clasped behind his back; his face was grave. “Dark Haven’s members would appreciate hearing yours.”
To her su
rprise, the people in the room, most of whom she didn’t know, echoed Xavier’s invitation.
When the Defiler went livid with rage, Piper shuddered. The words she’d planned to say disappeared. Under his cruel gaze, her gaze faltered, dropped…and landed on slavegem.
Bruised, emaciated, the slave was rocking back and forth. She was so very lost. How could Piper leave her to the monster? She had to have a chance.
“Go, girl. Go, go, go.” Dix was chanting behind her.
“You can do this,” Abby whispered. “Stand up for yourself.”
A wave of love for her friends washed through her. Leaning into Sir Ethan, Piper blinked away tears as she looked up and mouthed, I love you.
His steady eyes held hers for a moment, and courage flowed into her.
Pulling in a breath, she laid out her hard-won truths for all to hear. “There are several things I’d like to point out. The first is the most basic. The 13th Amendment makes slavery in any form illegal. A contract to commit an illegal act isn’t enforceable. Your so-called contract is illegal and unenforceable. Which means if you move someone anywhere without their consent, that’s kidnapping. Hitting someone who has retracted her consent is assault and battery. That’s the law. Period.”
Serna sniffed and looked around at his friends. “Owners and property operate outside the law.”
“Whoa, seriously?” Dixon said in a mock-whisper. “Someone’s thinking with his little head.”
Snickering ran through the assembled crowd.
Don’t laugh. If she started, she’d end up in hysterics.
Raising her head, slavegem stared at Piper.
I can do this. I must. For her. For other slaves. “Second. Even if a Master wants to write an illegal contract—for clarity, say—ethical Dominants will write it so there is a way out—for both parties. Because no matter how willingly a person gives a vow, things change.”
Serna scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. “Not for good people.”
The few men around him nodded.
“From this day forward until death should us part. That’s a common vow. I take it no one in this room is divorced?” The silence that fell was gratifying. A corner of her mouth tipped up. “I know Serna has been. Twice. His wives probably fled for the same reason I did. Now my third point is this…”
Wait for it, wait for it.
“Whoa, girlfriend, don’t leave us hanging.” Lindsey was the perfect straight man. “Give us the meat.”
The rough rasp of deVries’s chuckle sounded—because he loved his Texan’s irrepressible spirit.
Piper peeked up at Sir Ethan and caught his tender smile. The one that said he was proud of her and loved her…just as she was.
She could do this.
“Third, right. If I ordered and paid for a fancy Rolls Royce, but the dealer delivered a Toyota, well, the sale contract wouldn’t be valid, would it? Because I didn’t get what I ordered.”
She gave Serna a scathing glance, then spoke directly to slavegem. “When I met Serna, he acted like a caring, wonderful Master. Firm, but gentle. Never going past my limits. Telling me he loved me, treasured me. That he wanted to help me grow and become the best person I could be. I slept in his bed and ate healthy meals. He built me up and made me feel special.”
She paused, her voice dropping. “He promised he’d care for me tenderly.”
The room had gone dead silent. Scary silent.
“I signed the contract in a haze of adoration. I wanted to give this wonderful Master…everything. My heart, my body, my soul.” A shiver ran through her. She had to tell them of the hell her life had become. The false promises, but this…this was the part she couldn’t face. Had never been able to talk about.
Thickness closed her throat, imprisoning her words.
When Piper didn’t speak, slavegem’s head bowed. Her hands were clasped so tightly the tendons stood out. Piper could see how her skin was stretched over the bony prominences. She had no spare flesh. Just a wealth of bruises and cuts.
Piper swallowed. I’m free. No matter what happens now, I’m free. She’s not. This is my task to do.
Forcing past the strangling memories, Piper continued. “My wonderful Master had lied about who he was—and everything changed. I slept on a blanket on the wood floor. I cooked him healthy food, but I had to eat canned stew. Once a day.” She looked down at herself. “I was under a hundred pounds when I escaped. And I admit, sometimes I was so hungry I stole the dog’s food.”
Shame filled her, the feeling of being less than a human, less than an animal.
She saw slavegem’s tiny nod.
“That fucking asshole,” someone said.
A murmur of distress ran around the room and let her keep speaking. “If he had trouble at work or was bored or irritated or depressed—whatever—he beat me. Or humiliated me. He’d lock me in a tiny coat closet or chain me in the backyard, naked, without water and without shelter. I spent a month chained to a pipe in the basement.” She glanced down at the lumpy scars on her wrists.
“It wasn’t like that,” Serna tried to say, but Xavier motioned for him to be silent.
She pulled in a breath. “This was the Master who said he’d treasure me, would help me grow. Nevertheless, he took even my name away. The only thing he’d call me was worthless.”
When no one spoke, a shiver started in her center.
But she could feel Sir Ethan’s warmth against her side. His arm around her waist anchored her, holding the memories far enough away that she could think.
Finish. Time to finish. Every meeting should conclude with a summary.
“The contracts Serna has been screeching about are illegal. Even if I was property—and I’m not—we have laws about the abuse of animals, and if an owner isn’t capable of caring responsibly for an animal, he’s taken to court. Shouldn’t the slaves in our community have the same protection?”
She saw people nodding. Heartened, she added, “Ethically speaking, the slave contract should have a termination clause where the entire relationship can be dissolved.”
“Finally, that person there”—she pointed to him—“that so-called Master put on a show and lied through his teeth to get me and slavegem to sign his bogus contract. Is he really the kind of person you want in Dark Haven?”
As she pointed, she realized deVries was behind Serna with his hand over the monster’s mouth and had forced Serna’s arm up behind his back. No wonder she’d been able to finish without interruption.
Giving her a quick smile, deVries let go and stepped back.
“She’s lying.” Serna was so angry that spittle flew from his mouth. “Lying to you all. Don’t be fooled by her. She was always lying to me and—”
“She’s telling the truth.” Slavegem—no, Gemma—pushed to her feet, cowering away from Serna. “You lied to me. You said you’d take care of me, that you loved me. You told me she was bad, and that was why you treated her so mean, but when she left, I didn’t change, but you beat me like you did her. You lied and lied.”
Serna’s face went blank with shock.
Gemma’s voice rose. “I don’t want to be a slave. I want to go home to my mom and dad. You won’t even let me call them. I want to go home.”
Stepping forward, Piper pulled the sobbing girl into her arms.
Rona joined them, taking Gemma from her and squeezing Piper’s shoulder. “I’ve got her. Go see this through.”
Piper slipped back to Sir Ethan—my place—and realized deVries stood beside Serna with Simon on the other side, bracketing the man with intimidation.
Serna’s mouth was bleeding. His jaw and cheek were swollen, beginning to show the bruising.
Totally worth her scraped knuckles.
Xavier strolled into the empty center of the circle of members. “Since Serna’s arrival, we’ve all been discussing the Master/slave, Owner/property issues. These types of relationships are important to us. However, the basis of our lifestyle is also consent. I feel that Dark Hav
en’s position should be that contracts must contain a revocation clause, a way for either member to terminate the relationship. Does the membership agree?”
A chorus of agreement sounded.
Only two young men looked pissed off. From the way Stan and Sir Ethan studied the two before exchanging glances, Piper almost felt sorry for the idiots. They’d be getting additional scrutiny from the person supervising the club’s Doms as well as from a Homeland Security special agent.
“Very good.” Xavier smiled slightly. “It’s my decision that a Master’s pursuit of a slave after the slave terminates the relationship will result in a canceled membership along with dispersing information of that unacceptable behavior to every club and group we can reach. I intend to begin with the so-called Master here.” Frowning at Serna, he crossed his arms over his chest.
Talk about intimidating.
Abby put an arm around Piper. “My Liege is in a mood to rip someone a new cūlus.”
Piper choked. Wasn’t that Latin for asshole? “You’re such a professor.”
“Serna, good luck to you if Piper and Gemma decide to prosecute. Our membership would be pleased to testify about your attempted kidnapping.” Xavier’s mouth went flat. “Get out of here. I suggest you get some counseling; you need it.”
“Don’t let me ever see you again, fuckface,” deVries growled.
Serna’s face had gone white, making the blood and bruises stand out garishly. He stared around him, his shock and disbelief obvious.
Near him, Gemma was surrounded by women offering their support.
When Serna took a step in that direction, a line of Masters and Mistresses formed to block him.
Serna turned toward Piper, and another line formed in front of her. Her crew’s Masters…and others, as well.
Not moving, Serna stared at her.
She sucked in a breath and held her ground, chin up.
Serna took a step back.
Sir Ethan set Piper to one side. “I’ll escort you out, Serna.” Although Serna was already heading toward the exit, Ethan followed.
Piper took a step after them, but was stopped by Lindsey. “You rock, girl. Way to go.” Fists up, she re-enacted the fight, right, left, right, adding her own sounds.
I Will Not Beg Page 31