Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dean Anderson
A t first, her whole, deer-in-the-headlights-uber-innocent gaze made me melt just a little bit. Now, all I can feel is a tendril of anger wrapped around a cord of fear. To her, these are just horny men. They mean nothing and will do nothing. She doesn’t understand that they’re dangerous, that many are ruthless.
To her, she probably sees Grigori as some suave, polished Russian with a kinky streak. She has no idea he’s an actual Bratva enforcer. Hell, she doesn’t even seem scared of Sergei, who I know has numerous kills under this belt. And if she knew the truth about Luke and his presence here.
If she had even an inkling that her friend is probably down in Florida being a fucktoy for The Order of Ravens and Wolves... I’m sure she’d be just a bit more scared than she is now. Unfortunately, I can’t bring her in like this. I can’t give her the information she really desires.
At the end of the day, her sexual urges may have put her at my feet, but it was her rampant curiosity and insatiable need to uncover every secret that put her at this den of iniquity. There’s no way I can let her leave without her truly understanding the ramifications of her actions.
Silence stretches out between us, only filled with the rushing water from the fountain. A cool spray drifts into the air, tickling my face and hands. In front of me, Ashleigh trembles, but I’m sure it’s more the cold than anything else.
Soon, another set of footsteps intrudes, putting me on edge. I’m not like Sergei or Grigori, who can tell a person by the sound of their walk. I’m not observant like Doctor Andrew and able to tell hidden secrets by the shuffle, gate, and breath. Instead, like some common mortal, I’m forced to watch the entrance like a hawk as I ball my fist next to me as I prepare for battle.
The instant the psychiatrist clears the last barrier, I let out a slow breath and relax. Ever curious, Ashleigh cranes her neck as he deposits a duffle bag at my feet and stands up. Inclining his head over to her, he smirks. “I also have my rope if you need assistance.”
Following his gaze, I take in her blank stare and shake my head. Something’s got to get through to her. Maybe if she won’t be afraid of me right away, she’ll be afraid of him. As much as I don’t want others to do my dirty work, it might be a good idea to give her a small taste of what these other men are like.
“Nothing else seems to be working,” I eventually murmur.
“I was afraid of that.”
Ashleigh crosses her arms as she pulls the robe in tighter around her. “Are you just going to talk about me like I’m not even here? Hello. Me, naked in a hedge maze?”
“You’re not nearly naked enough,” I growl, stalking toward her. “Andrew, your knife. I know you keep one on you at all times.”
Is that a shiver of fear I see racking her body? Is it a quiver of unease? Desire?
The schnick of him unsheathing the knife slices through the air, nearly smothered in the sound of her gasp. If possible, her already enormous eyes grow even larger. “Why do you carry a knife? Are you expecting dangerous patients? Are there volatile students on campus?” she babbles as she worries the edge of her cape.
Maybe that’s her tell. If anything, it might possibly show me when she’s actually becoming afraid. All this time, I thought she was just being a bit bratty and inquisitive. Andrew would probably know.
I don’t allow him to answer her. Instead, I redirect my attention to something more important. “Who’s on your post? Can you stand to be away for a bit?”
“Bradley finally showed up. Though he missed the ceremony, he seems fine playing babysitter to your escapades. Not that he has all that much to do.”
“One of these days, the man’s going to deck you one.”
“Yeah. And I’ll go to an even better doctor to patch me up.”
A soft laugh vibrates in my chest as I grab the knife from him and turn toward Ashleigh. “What do you think?” I ask him from over my shoulder. “Nervous?”
“Oh,” he agrees. “Most definitely a tick. Did you notice the way her nose flared a bit with each question? If you look closer at her neck, you can even see the flicker of her pulse.”
With a long stride, he walks over to her and grabs her wrist, yanking her arm free of the robe. At her shocked cry, it takes every bit of willpower not to pummel the bastard. He knows she’s mine, and he’s already taken. He won’t do anything all that untoward.
“Just as I thought,” he continues. “Touch her palm.”
Reaching out, I slide my finger across her slightly damp skin. “Interesting. Very interesting.”
As if the odd man can read my mind, he steps back out of the way and starts to fiddle with the bench near the fountain. Some days, I swear the man is nearly clairvoyant. I was just about to ask him to get things set up for me.
Turning back to my prize, I grip the front of her robe and haul her closer to me. The instant she gets near, she sags forward. Part of me feels grateful that I can be this safe place for her, but I’m nowhere near allowing her to feel this yet. She hasn’t earned it, hasn’t repented.
Just the thought of fucking her mouth again makes everything squeeze so painfully hard that spots dance before my eyes. Better yet, maybe I should take a page out of Grigori’s playbook and punish that naughty little asshole with my cock. If she’s so untrained as to not be skilled with her mouth, I highly doubt that puckered back entrance has seen any action.
Probably better to be like Richards and train her first, then take it. Besides, I’m not that bad of an ogre. I would rather her enjoy my cock no matter what hole I shove it in.
With a wicked grin, I trail the back of the knife down her throat, only allowing the very tip to graze her at random moments. Though the knife is not normally a tool I wield, I’m familiar enough not to actually harm her with it. She doesn’t know that.
Her nose flares as her eyes go wide. Nervous, maybe even scared. Just where I fucking want her.
Bringing the tip down, I slice through the front tie holding the robe together, ridding her of it with one efficient stroke. As it flutters to the ground, she brings up her hands to cover her chest, sending a maniacal chuckle through my lips.
“You’re going to be far more naked by the time I’m through with you.”
“But- But. He... D- Doctor...”
“Yes,” the psychiatrist calls out as he finishes pulling up the edges to make a crude Saint Andrew’s cross. “That would be Doctor Andrew.”
“He’ll see me,” she wheezes, taking another step backward.
I don’t allow her to escape. For each inch back she goes, I gain another forward. “You didn’t seem to care at all about that when you snuck in. You had no idea what you were getting yourself into, and yet, there you were, right in the middle. Kneeling with the other submissives as if you belonged.”
“Well,” she counters as she fumbles over her words. “How in the hell would I know what kinky shenanigans would be going on here at Loftry? You aren’t supposed to be doing any of that with any of the students. Besides, you had no idea it was me.” For a moment, her lips turn down into a small pout. “I’m sure you just thought I was one of the many.”
For a moment, words fail me. My breath exhales in a low growl as I pinch her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Though it will probably hurt your feelings to know, you stuck out like a sore thumb. You didn’t belong there. You don’t belong there.”
“But I was good enough for you to face fuck.”
My lips quirk up into a soft smirk. “That’s not fair. I’ve been wanting my cock inside you somehow, someway. You just gave me the perfect opportunity to do it.” In an instant, however, I sober. “But what if it hadn’t been me? What if it had been one of the others who forced his cock down your throat? What then?”
“I’d fight him.”
Even Doctor Andrew stills at her stupidity.
“That’s not how this works. Once The Society owns you, we own every bit of you. You lose the right to say no. You lose all autonomy. Every inch, every pore, every hole is ours to do what we want with. You’re lucky you snagged my attention first. Others might not have been so gentle. If you would have fought, you would have been punished. They would have seen it as a challenge to break you. Or worse, you would have been found out as a fraud and revealed to everyone.”
“And that would have been bad?”
This time I barely hear her. If I hadn’t been watching her lips so closely, I would have lost her words completely.
“These are not nice men. Don’t let their easy smiles fool you. They all have something to gain by being here and everything to lose as well.”
“But-“
“There are no buts about this, Ashleigh. I don’t know why I can’t seem to make you understand how much danger you put yourself into tonight. But don’t worry. You’ll learn soon enough. Men like these, powerful men, they have a way of making things disappear. If anything were to happen to you too...” Straightening, I clear my throat. “Nothing will happen to you, because I will make sure it doesn’t.”
I lower myself a touch and plant my shoulder into Ashleigh’s midsection so I can flop her up and onto my shoulder. Though she squeals and kicks, I ignore the soft blows as I lead her over to the cross. As much as I hate the idea of anyone touching her besides me, perhaps Doctor Andrew can help me get through to her.
If the wrong person had seen her.
If the wrong person finds out.
God help me, but I’d murder the lot to keep my submissive safe.
The very need to keep her protected makes me desperate. And desperate is a very fucking dangerous place to be.
As I reach the cross, I drop her back down. The instant her feet touch the ground, she goes to the side as if she’s going to take off again. Slippery little minx. Scared or not, she will not leave her until I say she can go.
Doctor Andrew takes one arm, and I take the other. As she struggles and thrashes, she remains silent. Only her harsh grunts as she does her best to tug out of our grips fill the space. What is she playing at? I’m sure if this was a fear response, she’d be trying to scream or holler.
Next to me, Doctor Andrew rolls his eyes and holds out his hand. “Knife, if you please.”
“Andrew.” The name comes out as a warning growl, but the man ignores it.
A heavy sigh slips through my lips as I hand him the knife. Without any preamble, he holds the sharp end against Ashleigh’s neck, effectively quelling her movements.
“You’re a smart girl,” he murmurs, digging the tip into her delicate flesh. It’s not hard enough to cut her, but enough to make her go ramrod. “You understand if you keep fighting, you’ll hurt yourself. Yes?”
“I don’t-“
He cranks up the angle even more, effectively cutting her off. “A simple yes, Sir or no, Sir will suffice. There is no longer a need for all these dramatics.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Very good. I know you’re not scared. You’re not fooling anyone. This is for your conscience only. This way, you can tell yourself you tried. You truly, truly tried. You’re still a good girl. The bad, naughty, wicked man is the one making you stand before me naked. Not you. Am I close?”
“How...” She turns to look at me, her gaze both uneasy and in awe at the same time.
“It’s a gift. Now then. Won’t you please do us the honor of stopping all this nonsense?”
And in that moment, I find myself envious of this man. The only thing keeping me from ripping the knife from his hand is knowing that he doesn’t want her in any way. I don’t even have to look down at his crotch to see the lack of erection. All he wants is his Chastity.
Just like all I want is my Ashleigh.
“Agreed. Enough playing around. Ashleigh, you will submit to me willingly and take your punishment, or I won’t fuck you tonight.”
As much as the idea of not draining my balls into her pains me, making sure she is safe will always win out.
Always.
“Well? What is your answer?”