36. Domspace
Chapter thirty-six
Domspace
Nyomi
My heart hammered in my chest as I rushed away.
Oh my God. We did it, and everything worked out.
Fast, I left the bathroom, crossed the bedroom, and hit the hallway. I didn’t want to leave Kenji alone for too long, but I had to make sure we were still on the right path. Plus. . .I was getting super lightheaded and I had no good reason why.
Cool air slapped my wet skin.
As soon as I stepped into the hallway, Hiroko blinked her eyes and quickly stood from her chair. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It all went well.” By now, I was panting.
“Is he still in the tub?”
“Yes.”
She shrieked. “Fully bound?!”
“No. Just his wrists. His ankles are free. I followed your rules.”
She exhaled. “Good. Last thing we need is you accidentally killing the Dragon.”
Two nurses sat along the wall with headphones on. Their gazes remained lowered. Beside them, two of Kenji’s men waited, also in headphones.
This might have been the oddest assignment they’d probably ever had.
None of them had been given any clear instruction from Hiroko or me.
They’d just been told to be on call and listen to some music.
Even crazier, I hadn’t even asked Reo if I could do this, but.
. .now that everyone knew I was the Dragon’s Heart. . .people just listened to me.
That worked great for this surprise.
Hiroko studied me. “Did you wash his stress away?”
“I believe so.”
“How do you feel?”
A shaky laugh left me. “High. Powerful. Horny. And. . .jittery. Is that normal? My hands are—” I held them up and showed the slight tremor. “They’re shaking. Am I okay?”
“You are. You’re just in domspace.” She smirked. “People never truly talk about it. Most focus on subspace, but domspace is just as real and potent. Almost as encompassing as subspace. And there’s nothing like it. You’re lucky.”
“Why?”
“It can take several scenes before a true dom can even reach that euphoric feeling that you are experiencing.”
“Okay. . .now I get it.”
“Did he reach subspace?”
“Oh yes. He said he is high too.”
“Good. The point was to have him hit subspace.”
I bobbed my head. “Kenji said he is on Mars.”
“Well.” Hiroko blinked and then chuckled. “Mission accomplished.”
Cold sweat prickled at the nape of my wet neck. Blood rushed in my ears. A thrill of fear and power coursed through me, and like Hiroko had said it was a very potent cocktail that made my palms sweaty, my heart race.
I flexed my fingers, watching the tremor some more. "This feels sooooo good. But it's also. . .terrifying."
"That's the point. It's that dance between pleasure and terror, control and surrender. It's what makes this all so. . .addictive."
Addictive.
The word echoed in my head. The euphoria was still lingering. A soft hum buzzed under my skin, drenched in adrenaline and arousal.
Hiroko pressed a cup of water into my hand and I didn’t even remember her getting it.
“Go ahead, Nyomi. Sip. Then answer me.”
I nodded and drank. The cool liquid slid down my throat. A little bit of clarity followed.
She gave me a warm smile. “Did he remember the safe word?”
“Yes.”
“Did you check his pulse and color each time you lifted him out of the water?”
“Yes.” I could still feel his pulse in my palm—his heartbeat an answer to my very soul. “It was always either steady or responsive.”
“Did you have your hand by his for the squeeze code?”
“Yes.”
“Oxygen staged?”
“In the cabinet by the door.”
“Towels and robe within reach of a non-slip path that was clear?”
“Yes.”
“Any sign of panic coming from him beyond agreed play?”
I shook my head. “No panic. It was all edge. Lots of willing edge. There was only one thing.”
“What?”
“He would never squeeze my wrist to let him up. Or tap the edge of the tub. It would freak me out. I always had to make sure he didn’t drown. I felt like he was just going to stay under the water until I decided to let him breathe.”
“Okay.” She nodded and lowered her voice. “That means that he has truly surrendered to you. Which means that from now on. . .when you two play. . .you cannot trust him to be safe for himself.”
I blinked. “What?”
Hiroko’s gaze stayed locked on mine. “When a submissive is deep in subspace—especially someone like him—they lose the instinct to self-preserve in the scene. Their body might be screaming for air, but their mind says, ‘Stay. This is my Queen. I will die for her.’”
My body stiffened.
“That’s why you never let your ego get in the way. You must be the one watching every variable, because the Dragon will not tap out. Not when you’ve taken him there.”
The hum in my veins deepened. “That’s. . .a lot of responsibility.”
“That’s why not everyone can top safely. The power isn’t the cuffs or the commands. It’s knowing you’re holding their life in your hands and choosing to protect it while you play with it.”
Protect and play.
The words vibrated in my bones.
“Domspace feels good,” Hiroko went on, “but don’t get drunk on it.
That rush you’re feeling—the high, the heat, the tremor—that’s not just sexual.
That’s chemical. Your brain is lit up on adrenaline, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.
And the higher you are, the sharper you need to think. You must push through the euphoria.”
I swallowed hard. “So I can’t just. . .float with it?”
“You can enjoy it, you should . But you have to ride and steer it at the same time. Because when you’re this deep into someone’s psyche, you’re also deep into their safety. One wrong call? Scene over. . .or worse.”
A shiver slid down my spine, half fear, half desire. “And he’s really. . .safe?”
Her mouth curved. “You tell me. Color?”
“Good.”
“Breathing?”
“Steady between dunks. Spiked when I tease him.”
“Consciousness?”
“Very.”
“Was he able to speak full sentences?”
“He threatened me with his cock when I was leaving just now.”
Hiroko looked like she was trying not to laugh and did so anyway. “Well. . .it sounds like he’s conscious and you may be in danger of. . .quite a good time when you return.”
“I know.” The heat in my chest swelled into pride. “I want him so bad right now.”
Hiroko’s expression sharpened. “Good. But remember. . .this scene isn’t about you. It is about him. And about his winning the war.”
I straightened instinctively, like she’d pulled a leash on my spine. “True.”
She studied me. “Again, do you think you’ve relieved him of stress?”
“Yes.”
“Mind clear?”
“I think so.”
“Do you think that after some good sleep he will return to the war room tomorrow sharper than ever before?”
“Yes. Sharper. Calmer. More lethal.”
“Good.” Her smile cut wider, pleased. “Now remind me, Nyomi. Whose session is this?”
“His.”
“And the objective?”
“Relief. Reset. Control given and returned.”
“And you?”
“It’s taking everything not to run back in there and tear him apart.” I felt so damn drunk. “I’m sorry. What was the question?”
“No. You’re just. . .a bit high right now.” Hiroko’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Again, this scene is about the Dragon learning he can lay down his teeth and still be a god. If he’s clear, you’ve done it.”
“He’s clear,” The ache between my thighs didn’t argue.
She tipped her head toward the door. “Do you believe he deserves the reward of you?”
Heat shot straight to my pussy. “God, yes.”
“Then have fun. Take him out of the cuffs.” She winked. “I’ll dismiss the team.”
“Thank you.”
Hiroko turned to the hallway crew, tapped each shoulder, and gave a hand signal.
Too horny to think anymore, I headed back into the bedroom and closed the door.
The bedroom felt different now. The air was thicker, charged. My pulse was a steady drum in my ears. Somehow my body was light and heavy at the same time.
It must have been the floating high of domspace mixing with the deep pull of wanting his cock inside of me so bad I could barely think.
I moved on instinct.
The faint sound of water spilling over the lip of the tub lured me closer. Each inhale brought the scent of him—warm, male, edged with candle smoke and desire.
Soon, the bathroom door was right in front of me.
I closed my hand over the knob, turned it, and entered.
Finally, I can ride him like I’ve been wanting to all afternoon.
The bathroom door clicked shut behind me.
Steam still curled through the air, clinging to my damp skin. Candlelight flickered across the tiles, soft and golden, casting shadows that shifted with the water’s faint movement.
I stepped forward, expecting to see Kenji where I’d left him—wrists bound, chest rising and falling, that sharp, hungry gaze waiting for me.
Instead. . .
Wait. . .what?
The tub was empty.
The water still swayed, disturbed by motion that had already passed. One leather cuff floated lazily on the surface, the other was gone, swallowed by whatever escape he’d made. If anything, the damned cuff was probably still around his wrist.
How the hell?!
For a beat, my brain refused to understand. My body, still humming from domspace, wanted to believe this was just another scene. . .one where he was waiting to be told what to do.
Oh shit. . .he’s. . .no longer in the water. . .
Fast, all of my earlier high dissolved into part fear, part thrill. My heart raced, pounding against my ribs, breath quickening.
But. . .where is he?!
The steam had thickened the space, shielding parts of the room.
I shivered.
The hairs at the back of my neck rose.
No. No. No.
The bathroom wasn’t empty. It couldn’t be. The space felt occupied in a way that was almost primal, as though the shadows themselves had weight, as though they were leaning toward me, closing in.
I scanned the corners without moving my head, every instinct screaming to stay still.
Somewhere, hidden from my sight, the Dragon was breathing and watching. . .unbound and ready to fuck.
A predator on the move with a hard cock.
And I was his prey with no safe word that could stop him.
Holy shit!