65. Sage
Sage
The freezing air hit my flushed skin the second I threw the heavy glass doors open and bolted off the back patio.
If Julian wanted to play, we were going to play. And if he seriously thought he was going to pin me down and do all those filthy things to me, he was going to have to work for it.
I sprinted across the lawn, the fluffy white feathers of my angel wings rustling wildly behind me. The huge property blended seamlessly into the wild, untamed wilderness of the mountain, a sprawling expanse of gardens, towering trees, and dense, labyrinth like forestry.
It was the perfect hunting playground.
I reached the edge of the property line where the stream cut through the earth. I didn’t hesitate, I plunged right into the freezing, ankle deep water, it splashed up my bare legs and soaked the bottom of my boots and stockings, causing goosebumps to spread across my skin.
The further I pushed into the tree line, the thicker the canopy became, blocking out the pale silver of the moonlight as the dim glow from the house's glass windows began to fade behind me.
A thrilling chill skittered up my spine as I ran. I was terrified, but my blood was absolutely singing with adrenaline and a dark, heavy excitement from the chase.
My lungs started to burn, the tight lacing of the corset restricting my breathing. I scrambled up the muddy bank on the other side of the stream and immediately ducked behind the thick, rough trunk of a tree.
I pressed my back flat against the bark, clapping both of my hands tightly over my mouth to muffle the loud, ragged sounds of my own uncontrollable panting.
I squeezed my eyes shut, listening to the eerie, dead silence of the estate.
For a long moment, there was nothing but the wind rustling the creaking branches. And then… I heard it.
Splash. Splash.
Heavy combat boots crushing the rocks in the shallow stream.
He was close. I held my breath, pressing myself as flat into the shadows as I possibly could.
Crack... skrrrrt... crunch.
My eyes snapped open in the dark. It was the heavy, scraping drag of an iron chain being hauled over the forest floor, snapping brittle twigs and crushing dry leaves in its wake.
He was playing the role flawlessly, moving through the woods with the slow, terrifying confidence of a predator who knew exactly where his prey was hiding.
I bit my lip to keep from laughing, the thrill of the game making my knees weak.
Suddenly, the crunch of leaves moved directly to my left.
Before I could even turn my head, a massive, gloved black hand shot out of the darkness, swiping blindly through the empty air and clawing at where my shoulder had just been.
A startled, breathless squeal ripped out of throat.
“Missed me!” I teased, ducking under his massive arm and shoving off the trunk of the tree.
I didn’t look back as I ran, laughing hysterically into the freezing night air as I tore blindly through the underbrush, the adrenaline overriding my exhausted muscles.
I dodged low hanging branches and scrambled over exposed roots, the thrill of the cat-and-mouse dynamic pushing me deeper and deeper into the unknown.
“You’re going to have to be faster than that, soldier!” I yelled over my shoulder, my voice swallowed instantly by the vastness of my surroundings.
I kept sprinting until the stitch in my side became a stabbing ache I could no longer ignore. I slowed to a jog, and then a stop, bending over to rest my hands on my knees as I dragged in desperate gasps of air.
“Okay, okay,” I panted, holding one hand up to the empty shadows. “Truce. Give me a minute.”
I stood up straight, wiping a stray, sweaty curl from my forehead, and turned around to look for the imposing silhouette of Julian’s costume.
But as I spun around, the playful thrill evaporated from my body, replaced by a sudden, dropping sensation in the pit of my stomach.
In the pitch black, I lost all sense of direction. The last of my light was gone—even the moon had deserted me, as if it were hiding from something, or someone, too."
I scanned the horizon, desperate for the warm glow of the estate’s windows. I looked left. I looked right.
Nothing.
I had run blindly, laughing and twisting through the trees, losing my sense of direction.
I had wandered off way too far. The house was gone, swallowed by the dense, towering pines, leaving me utterly exposed and alone in the freezing, isolated dark of the estate.
The more I tried to focus my eyes into the dark, the more turned around and disoriented I became.
I couldn’t have gone that far, I thought, a genuine spike of panic finally piercing through the adrenaline. It was only a few minutes.
“Julian?” I called out, my voice sounding thin and weak as the dense trees swallowed the sound.
Silence.
“Okay, you win!” I yelled, wrapping my arms around myself as the crisp air bit into my bare skin. “I’m lost! Come get me!”
Snap.
I whipped my head around. The sharp, distinct sound of a heavy branch breaking echoed from the shadows directly behind me, but by the time I registered the noise, it was already too late.
A sudden, metallic clink hissed through the quiet, followed by the whistle of moving air. Before I could even take a step, something heavy and freezing cold lashed around my ankle. The thick links of the chain bit into my skin with an uncompromising grip.
With a powerful, painful yank, the chain was hauled backwards. My legs were ripped out from under me with such force that the world tilted in a dizzying blur. I went crashing down hard, the breath punching out of my lungs as I slammed against the forest floor.
I gasped, my head spinning, but I didn’t have time to recover before the chain went taut again.
I felt the brutal, steady tug against my body.
He was reeling me in. My body dragging across the damp leaves and dirt, my fingernails clawing uselessly at the earth as I was pulled into the darkness.
The metallic shhh-shhh-shhh of the links sliding through his gloved hand was the only sound I could hear.
I instinctively rolled onto my back as I was hauled closer, my heart hammering a frantic beat against my ribs. “Ow…” I hissed, my hands flying up to cradle my head. “Jesus, Julian! That actually hurt.”
I blinked through the dizzying spots dancing in my vision. Towering over me blocking out the sparse canopy of the trees, was his giant, terrifying black silhouette. My ankle was still ensnared, the chain leading directly up into his massive, clenched fist.
He just stood there, staring down at me through the mask, the chain still tight—reminding me exactly who I belonged to, even in the dark.
I pulled instinctively, but it was pointless. Before I could even beg for a reprieve, the chain went taut once again with a bone-jarring pull.
He started to reel me in like a fish, he turned and began to march towards a towering, thick tree, dragging me behind him like a prize catch. My back was scraping over the damp earth and uneven roots, my hands clawing at the dirt as the world blurred into a nightmarish kaleidoscope.
When we reached the trunk, he hauled the chain up, forcing me to scramble onto my knees until I was pinned against the rough, biting bark of the tree.
With a series of rapid, metallic clinks, he wound the excess length of the chain around the trunk, binding me to the wood. I was trapped—my arms pinned by my sides, my ankle shackled, and the cold steel biting into my skin every time I tried to shift.
He stepped into my space, his massive frame blocking out the moon, and gripped the thick, structured fabric of my corset. With a single, brutal jerk, he ripped it clean in half.
The fabric tore open with a loud, savage shred, popping the heavy laces instantly.
I gasped, my bare chest suddenly exposed to the freezing night air. My nipples instantly turning into hard aching peaks as the wind bit at my skin. The terrifying display of brute strength—the way he had dragged and bound me as if I were nothing but a possession—was doing dangerous things to me.
Knowing he was so wildly capable, knowing he could crush me against this bark if he wanted to, made me feel intoxicated. I felt like a bug pinned to a board, and yet, the reminder of his strength made me feel impossibly safe. This was the Executioner’s mercy.
He didn’t say a single word. He just stayed perched in front of me, staring down at my exposed chest through the eyes of the mask. The dead silence was intense, the only sound the rattling of the chain against the tree as I trembled.
He reached out, his leather-clad fingers catching my hardened nipples and twisted them, pinching and massaging the sensitive flesh with a rough grip that sent a jolt of mixed emotions crashing through me.
I gasped, my head snapping back against the rough bark. I tried to arch away, but the chain held firm, keeping me exactly where he wanted me—exposed, bound, and entirely his.
It hurt, but it felt so good at the same time. It was a mind-melting mix of pleasure and pain that was currently re-wiring my brain, driving me utterly wild. The aching pool between my legs was growing unbearable, the desperate tension of the entire afternoon demanding release.
I needed him now.
I tried to push my hips up, but the chain bit into my ankle, jerking my leg back and anchoring me against the rough bark once more.
I let out a frustrated whimper, my body straining against the steel as I tried to crush my pelvis into his.
The thick, unyielding steel of his massive, hardened cock pressed directly into my stomach right through his pants, a promise of the destruction I was craving.
I was practically drooling as his hand abandoned my chest and clamped ruthlessly around my jaw. He tilted my head back, forcing my neck to arch until the cold links of the chain caught the back of my skull, trapping my throat for the night air.
“Beg,” he commanded.