Sierra Cartwright - Doms of Dark Haven

When she saw their destination, her eyes grew large. A huge bed was suspended from the ceiling. It was curtained with hanging chains. Damn thing was big enough for a dozen! A woman lay in the center of the bed, lazily stroking the erect cocks of two very happy men.

“Climb up.” Brian bodily lifted her onto the bed, ignoring her struggles.

Without another word, he stalked away. Kevin followed her onto the bed and sat cross-legged, then pulled her into his arms. “We're mixing your scent with a lot of other people's. Just settle in and enjoy the show.”

Eva couldn't help but notice that Kevin was certainly enjoying the show. After a few minutes, he grinned, leaned back, and located the woman's breasts. He licked at her nipples and then, coming back, took a quick swipe at one of the men's cocks.

He gave her a naughty grin.

“I'd like to do that to you too, but Harte would kick my ass all the way back to Calistoga.”

Eva flushed, imagining Harte in a possessive rage. For just a second, she was unable to breathe.

“That's where you're from? Calistoga?” Anxiety settled in her belly. That was too close for comfort. Yet Eva couldn't avoid the flutter of pleasure at knowing that Harte's territory was nearby.

“Yup. We can escape up into the hills for runs now and then, and most of us work there. Harte owns several businesses. Spas mostly.”

“Spas? Like the Calistoga mud-bath kind of spa?”

“Exactly. You can come and soak in mineral water, sit in a pool of mud, or get a facial or massage.”

“And what do you do?”

He grinned. “I give the massages.”

“I'll bet you do.”

He chuckled and directed her attention to a station just outside their hideout.

“That couple met here at Dark Haven. He bid on her at an auction, and they've been together ever since. They even got married here.”

“No way!” She watched as the young husband finished the last touches on an elaborate webbing of rope that held his wife immobile. The woman was passive, allowing him to position her as he pleased. Once he was satisfied with his work, he opened his bag and removed a scrap of fur. He then set several canes and whips out in neat order. After stepping up behind her, he ran a long cane up the inside of her thigh.

“He'll warm her up slowly with lots of touch. Some can take pain right off the bat; others have to move up slowly.”

“I don't understand any of this. I don't understand the need to submit.”

“You probably aren't a sub like me. Truthfully, subs can be hard to come by.

You faced down Patrice pretty easily and stood up to Brian, but you bow to Harte.”

“I don't know why,” she grumbled.

“He's alpha. And there's something between you two. How'd he get you undressed, anyway?”

She clenched her jaw and didn't answer. She was still stinging from the bargain she'd made with him. She too was wondering how he'd gotten her out of her clothing so easily.

“Are you going to sub for him tonight, Eva?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

His arms were wrapped around her waist, and she leaned back against him.

He was sexy, but more than that, the omega was comforting in the most sensual fashion.

“Lucky,” he whispered in her ear. “Very, very lucky girl.”

Harte approached, looking every bit the wolf that he was.

He was no longer wearing his jacket, and his white shirt was loose and unbuttoned. He had a large sports bag slung over his shoulder. His powerful body gleamed under the dim lights. He was heading straight for her. Kevin chuckled but still dropped his arms from her body at Harte's warning look. Seems the big guy didn't share well.

Behind them, one of the men grunted. She heard the slapping of flesh, knew there was a lot of sex going on, but still, she couldn't take her gaze off Harte.

Someone climaxed, flooding the small space with the scent of semen. Kevin slid off the bed and held out a hand to assist her down. She landed on shaky legs and then watched as the men talked quietly. Kevin flashed a wink and left, winding his way through the stations. A moment later, he vanished up the stairs.

“He's keeping watch at the head of the stairs.” Harte's voice was low and intense. “Patrice and Brian are in the crowd, keeping an eye on the men. If they come down here, don't panic. Don't even look at them. Your entire focus is on me.”

“Can't we just leave?” Anxiety settled hard in her gut.

“There are three inside. One or more, plus the tracker, outside. Besides, this is an excellent training opportunity.”

“Training?”

He stared hard at her. She swallowed, feeling a flutter of fear laced with perverse arousal in her gut. Where was the anger? The indignation that had kept her together until now?

“I allowed you to speak out of turn, but from this moment, you are on notice.

You will ask permission to speak. You will address me as 'Sir.'” He took her by the elbow and guided her to an empty station. “Step up to the St. Andrew's cross, Eva.

Face the wall.”

Her anger returned in a rush. Eva jerked her arm from his hand. She stepped away, ready to leave him there, high and dry.

“Eva. Now.” A wave of energy came off him, dangerous and threatening.

“No.” Her throat was tight and dry. So what if she'd made a deal with him? It had been under duress. She glanced around the room, looking for an exit other than the stairway. There was a fire escape at the far end of the room.

“Planning to run outside wearing nothing but a corset?” He lifted a brow, and the wild energy receded. “I'm sure the hunters will enjoy that.”

She froze.

“Come here, Eva.”

Her feet were heavy, almost as though they were anchored to the floor. Step-by-step, she moved closer to Harte and to the wooden frame. Faster than the human eye could follow, he moved in and nipped her on the jaw. He shook her slightly and then released her.

Humiliated, Eva rubbed her stinging skin and dropped her gaze to the floor. It was the same punishment a wolf gave to a puppy. To add insult to injury, his big hands encircled her neck. With a hand braced under her jaw, Harte lifted her from the floor. She didn't choke, but the feeling of absolute helplessness overwhelmed her. She remained perfectly still until he lowered her to the floor.

Without further urging, Eva stepped up to the cross and put her hands into place. To her embarrassment, she wanted to grovel at his feet, wind herself around his legs. She wanted to bury herself in his scent.

Shit.

“What are your limits?”

She shook her head and then watched as he secured her wrists snugly to the frame.

“Don't play dumb, Eva. If you don't tell me, I'll have to find out myself.” She set her jaw, refusing to answer. Truthfully, she'd never pondered limits. She'd never visualized herself on the wrong side of the flogger.

“Earlier you promised that you would turn yourself over to me completely. Do you trust my judgment?”

She pondered the question. Of the three pack members she'd met, she liked only Kevin on an instinctual level. He trusted Harte. Maybe she should too.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then we'll explore. Since you're wolf, your triggers and limits will be different from humans'. For example, humiliation and objectification won't sit well with you, will they?”

“God no! Sir.” He was down at her feet, placing straps around the leather of her booted ankles.

“But you might have a higher tolerance for pain—real pain. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Sir.” There was no getting around the fact that she'd lived a rough-and-tumble life. She was a tough little bitch, if she said so herself. She swallowed hard, steeling herself to ask a question.

“Sir?”

He was kneeling next to the bag he'd been carrying and was rummaging through the contents.

“Do you have a question, Eva?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you plan to have sex with me?”

He stood up, circled the cross, and ended up next to her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Is there a reason I shouldn't? Have you had a past trauma? Are you a virgin?” He was close, so close that she could nearly turn her head to brush his lips with her own.

She shook her head.

“If we get to that point, I will certainly ask. Does that make you feel better?”

She looked up at him, fascinated by the molten gold of his eyes. The wolf was close, but he had exquisite control. “Some. Sir.” She remembered something else.

“What's my safe word?”

“'Red' to stop. 'Yellow' if you just need some breathing space.”

She nodded.

“Eva. I expect you to use your safe word if you need to. Everything will come to a complete halt. That's not a threat. It gives us a chance to reevaluate what we're doing. If you use your safe word, you won't be punished; it isn't a bad thing.”

She took a deep breath and let it out. “Thank you.” She was glad for that last bit of information. She could approach the scene with a little more objectivity.

Stopping if she needed to wasn't a failure.

“Ready?”

Like she had a choice? Eva nodded. Ready or not, this was it. Harte leaned against her; she felt the warmth and weight of his body. Darkness settled as he placed a mask over her eyes. Eva fought down the panic that rose with the blindness. Her world narrowed to the scent of Harte and the hard, smooth surface of the wood against her cheek.

He'd positioned her so that her feet were wide apart and just a few inches farther back than her shoulders. That gave just enough slope to her shoulders and back and brought her little bum out appealingly. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Kevin on the bottom stair. The omega flicked his gaze up to the other room.

So they were coming? That was fine with Harte. It was just what he needed at the moment. He was dangerously close to losing his self-control with Eva. As a dom and an alpha, he was all about control. As a wolf, he was all about losing control, and Eva tapped into his wolf like none ever had before.

He lifted a leather flogger and then set it down; he chose one with wider strips instead. He didn't want to start her with a flogger that would sting. In spite of her tolerance, tonight wasn't about pain; tonight was about teaching her to merge with her wolf. It was also about stripping away those layers of grief and pain that shone from her blue eyes. She couldn't join with her wolf until her emotions were laid bare.

Frankly, Harte didn't know why he was so desperate to have her complete obedience. It wasn't like she was pack. Though if she wanted to join his pack, they'd be facing negotiations of a completely different sort.

Wouldn't that be interesting? As fast as she'd stared Patrice down, he'd have a new alpha female within the week. Yes, she was that strong in character. She just didn't know it yet.

He swung the flogger, getting the feel of it, letting Eva hear it whisper through the air. She went taut in anticipation of the blow, so he let it settle gently on her shoulder. She flinched, expecting pain, but received only weight. He slid the strands of the flogger down her back and over the rigid corset, watching and scenting as she reacted. He repeated the movement on the other side and then back to the start. On the fourth swing, he struck hard across her buttocks, and she gasped.

Damn corset was in the way, but for now he left it, enjoying the way it manipulated the shape of her body. The heels of her boots served the same purpose, giving extra length to her legs and a sway when she walked. He began to bring the flogger up to speed, brushing the leather tips over her shoulders and arms and down to her hips and bottom. Abruptly he stopped, pleased with the light pink tone her skin was taking. There wouldn't be much pain, but the increased blood flow to her skin would heighten its sensitivity.

He made a production of searching in his bag, rattling and shifting items around, while in reality he already had what he needed. He stepped up close enough that he knew she felt him in her space. Instead of a blow, she received a kiss on the neck.

She shuddered, and Harte scented liquid arousal. Reaching around, he then traced his hands over her belly, imagining the corset coming off inch by inch, revealing her ivory skin and rounded breasts. He fought the urge to grind his cock into her ass, to cover her and take her right there. His shaft was hard and heavy; the wolf paced and whined in desperation. Succumbing just a little, he trailed the tip of his tongue up her neck and ended at the shell of her ear. He leaned in, pressing his erection against her bottom. He held a long feather between his fingers and trailed it along her skin.