Chapter 23 Danni
Danni
I step out onto the stage and my breath hitches as one of my darkest desires comes to life.
Yes. This indeed is a circus of dreams.
A metal circle is positioned in the center of the stage, with leather cuffs attached to a golden chain dangling into the empty space of the halo.
I’ve seen similar contraptions before in film clips buried deep within certain internet forums, but never once did I see myself using one.
Fear rises up in my throat, bitter and acidic like bile.
A thousand eyes gleam back at me from beyond the single spotlight that illuminates my next training exercise.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting this. I didn’t pin you down as an exhibitionist, but I have to say… I’m delighted to fulfill your desires.” Knox’s voice caresses softly down my spine.
I turn and find his hand outstretched towards me. The sleeves of his signature tailored black button-down shirt are neatly rolled up to his elbows, and his charcoal grey slacks cling to his thighs like second skin. His eyes are alight with a hunger I’ve never seen before.
“I won’t hurt you,” he reassures, his eyes never leaving mine.
I swallow. Hard.
Can I do this? In front of everyone here? Do I have a choice?
No, I don’t.
I have to make it through this. I have a goal to achieve. I told myself before coming down here that I would do whatever it took to avenge my mom’s death.
Against my better judgment, I take his hand. Flashes of heat dance as our skin connects, a different feeling taking root deep in my lower stomach, replacing my fear with something far more treacherous.
Knox guides me to the circle, never taking his eyes away from me. My heart pounds as the blood rushes to my ears. I take my place in the center of the circle. There’s no going back now.
Knox runs his fingers down my bare arm, the intimacy of it catching me off guard. The growing bond inside of me vibrates in satisfaction as he brings my hand above my head and secures my wrist in the leather cuff.
He does the same with the other wrist and I take the opportunity to admire just how beautiful he is. His sharp angular face, his dark, swept-back hair.
Once my second wrist is secure, the leather biting into my skin, he stands in front of me. I’m met with a deep shade of crimson that makes the rest of the world fall away.
God, I’m a woman doomed.
“The metal frame is enchanted to shock you if you try to move. Pick a safeword.” His commanding tone sends thrills shooting straight to my core.
I’ve never done anything like this before. Wanted to, but never found the right person to experience it with. I’ve never trusted one night stands to not get carried away. And now I’m about to be dominated by a vampire prince in front of thousands of people.
Despite everything, I trust Knox.
He needs me alive after all, right?
My chest heaves as he reaches out and grazes my lips with his thumb.
I don’t know if it’s because I have to put on a show or if it’s because I want to, but I open my mouth and lick the tip of it.
He raises a smug eyebrow at me in approval, his pupils blown wide, making the color of them darken to a shade of red so deep that it could be black.
“Safeword,” he mutters, again, never taking his eyes away from my lips.
“Pineapple,” I say confidently.
The circle around me glows light blue.
“Say the word and the cuffs will release you. Have you ever done anything like this before?” Knox asks.
I shake my head truthfully. Will he be disappointed?
“Good.”
A jolt of power surges through me as I drop my gaze to his pants and see just how much of an affect my admission has on him. My mouth waters, my tongue passing over my bottom lip.
“Have you?” I ask breathlessly as I meet his mischievous eyes again.
“I’ve dabbled. You’re in safe hands. Now, I don’t want you to speak unless I ask you to, do you understand?”
Wet. So fucking wet.
“Yes.” I turn my head toward the audience, realizing no one has made a single sound. I bet they can hear the thunder of my heart in the heavy silence.
“Good.” His hand clamps itself around my jaw and twists my face back to him. “My only rule is that you look at me when you come.”
Oh, fuck.
The warmth of a blush creeps up my neck from his demand, earning me a low chuckle from deep within his chest.
Knox lowers himself to his knees in front of me, his hands roughly clasping my ankles and moving them apart slightly.
I forget how to breathe as the bond tugs with painful pleasure between us.
The feel of his skin on my bare legs is like electricity that shoots straight into my clit.
It’s hard not to moan. His hands travel higher, taking the dress hem up with them, fully exposing my lower half to the audience.
“No need for these,” he says as his fingers hook around white lace and he drags my underwear down my legs.
This is torture. But then again, I guess that is the point…
To build up these unwitting fuckers in front of me so they’ll taste good for the vampires. Beyond fucked up.
“Look at me,” he commands.
I helplessly obey, watching him intensely as he spreads my legs wider so my feet meet opposite sides of the wide circle.
My inner thigh muscles protest at the stretch.
He fastens more soft leather around my ankles, leaving a blazing trail of heat in the wake of his touch.
Once I’m safely secured and can’t move even if I want to, Knox kneels back in front of me.
A heartbeat passes as we gaze at each other, lost in our own private world.
Just as I wonder what might come next, he leans forward and clamps his mouth around my clit.
His tongue gently laps and swirls around in painfully slow motions, tasting me, teasing me.
I grip the chains holding me up and let out a loud moan.
His hands roam everywhere, from the backs of my calves to the curves of my ass, leaving a blazing trail with each of his impatient touches.
My stomach clenches and my body tightens. I’m so close. So ready to break apart.
Then, the pleasure’s gone.
Breathless, I snap my eyes open to see him standing up in front of me, a wicked grin etched onto his face.
I glare. “You dick,” I grit through my teeth.
“Ah, ah, ah. You broke my rule.” His smile turns feral as he slides around the circle to stand behind me.
Oh shit. What’s happening now?
I hear a metallic click, then the top half of the circle begins to fold forward on hidden hinges, forcing me to bend with it. I try not to panic, but I can’t help the pitiful whimper that escapes me.
“I told you not to speak unless I allow it.”
The circle jolts to a halt, suspending me in midair as my hair cascades down in front of my face.
I can’t see anything but the floor of the stage.
Knox gives me no time to wonder what is coming next as he tears the bottom half of my dress in two.
Scraps of nude glittery fabric flutter to the ground in front of me.
My heart beats faster. I’m bent over and fully exposed to him.
Chained up and unable to kick his ass. I should say the safeword now and run for the hills. But my mouth stays shut.
This is my darkest, dirtiest fantasy. Call me selfish or fickle, but I might not ever get this opportunity again.
So far, I haven’t indulged in anything this realm has to offer.
I’ve sacrificed numerous relationships in my lifetime in order to pursue my mom’s killer, not to mention saying goodbye to several apartments and jobs. I gave so much.
Don’t I deserve to enjoy myself? Just this once, with someone who—no, I can’t think about that right now.
This doesn’t mean anything. We’re just two people who happen to be bonded for eternity by some mysterious sentient thing that lives inside of us. Who are—what are we doing?
Knox’s hand comes down on my left ass cheek. I cry out in shock. The snapping sting quickly is replaced by a soft and delicate rub in the same spot. But that tenderness soon turns into trouble as he groans and digs his fingers deeper into my flesh.
“You liked that, didn’t you?” he murmurs.
“I can see you glistening for me. I can smell your arousal. I have to say, I’ve never had a woman’s scent drive me to the brink of madness before.
” Knox grabs the hair at the top of my head and pulls me up to face the audience head-on. “I asked you a question, pet.”
I shiver at the new nickname. Oh god, just fuck me already!
“Yes… yes! I liked it.” My voice is hoarse, my mouth dry from panting.
“And tell the audience who made you so wet.”
My pussy throbs and the bond tightens at his possessive tone.
“You,” I breathe out.
He holds my head up as he spanks me this time.
The audience swims in and out of focus as the line between pleasure and pain blurs.
I drown in the softness of his touch against my bare skin as Knox gently rubs the rawness away.
His left hand is still buried deep into my scalp and I don’t think I ever want him to let go.
The knot in my stomach grows tighter and the bond reaches for him with more ferocity than before.
It twists and turns inside of me, begging for me to break the shackles and screw him right here on the stage.
I hold onto what little restraint I have left even as my skin begins to burn.
I don’t know how much longer I can take this.
It’s just like the other night when we…
Knox’s hand comes down on me again, harder this time. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I’m grateful for the distraction from the inferno growing inside of me.
The metal circle jolts with a loud clunk as it springs into action and begins to bring me back up to a standing position. My body sags from the relief and my wrists burn. I didn’t realize how tight the chains had become in that position.
No, no! It can’t be over, can it? I need him to… I need him to make me—
“Now be a good pet and show everyone here who you belong to.” He stands in front of me, blocking me from the audience’s view, engulfing me in his scent and his deep red, gleaming eyes.
“I want to watch you fuck yourself on my fingers.”
I lick my lips, and he tracks the movement like the predator he is.
Knox entwines his hand in my hair again, this time at the base of my skull to hold me in place so I can see him and only him as he inserts two fingers inside of me.
I gasp at the suddenness of it all, which earns me another one of his dazzling smiles.
His fingers fill me, pushing in deep, and I can’t help but grind myself against them, silently begging for any kind of friction he could give me.
His thumb pushes down on my clit with just the perfect amount of pressure I like, and I scream from the pleasure.
“Come for me,” he whispers, as he finally begins to move languidly inside of me. Teasing me. Torturing me.
I use the restraints to my advantage as I move against his hand. His thumb rubs my clit faster than I thought possible, almost like a vibrator. My thighs shake uncontrollably. It’s all too much.
The pain from the restraints.
The feel of him finally touching me.
The look of adoration in his eyes.
The bond’s incessant pull.
It’s beyond overstimulation. It’s cataclysmal.
The knot in my stomach tightens into an excruciating hold as we move in tandem together, chasing my release. And then, with a cry that tears from my throat, my world explodes. My body convulses, hips writhing against his hand, my moans the only sound in the entire room.
Knox holds me against his hard chest and all I can think about is ripping off his shirt and running my tongue—
“Well, well, well. What a show you have put on for us, Danni.”
And just like that, I’m dryer than the desert outside as Damon’s voice edges closer.
Knox’s eyes harden as his face transforms into his signature haughty sneer. He withdraws his fingers and turns to face Damon.
“Knox, you should taste your efforts. We couldn’t help ourselves; we indulged while we watched you. Danni is truly a gift to us all.”
My stomach turns as the reality of this hellhole comes rushing back.
My own blood turns cold as the gravity of what I’ve just done slams into me.
I played their game for my own pleasure.
I keep my eyes centered on Knox’s chest, using his hand that still grips the back of my head as a grounding technique.
I’m still chained up and I don’t have my stake, but boy, I’d give anything to wipe the smug smile from Damon’s face.
“I must return my Familiar to her room. Her efforts have a price, and if she is to be used like this, she must rest and regain her strength.”
Used like this? Forced to orgasm over and over again for their entertainment?
My blood boils.
Damon sighs in disinterest. “Fine. But don’t be late for dinner. Your father wishes to see you.”
I hear his footsteps retreat and I finally drag my gaze up to meet Knox’s. His face is stone cold, like carved marble. Unreadable. He brings his fingers up to his mouth and slowly licks each digit clean, his eyes never leaving mine. My heart stutters in my chest.
“Pineapple.” I mutter. The shackles release me and I fall into his arms. Knox wastes no time scooping me up and carrying me out of the ring. I let him, glancing over his shoulder at the audience.
Damon and Egor’s eyes are fixed on me as they feed on the same human.
I cringe and bury my face in the crook of Knox’s neck.
That could be me next…