by Delta James
He spanked her to punctuate each word. Flynn couldn’t believe this was happening to her. Her ass hurt... a lot. The beast continued and seemed in no hurry to stop. Repeatedly he struck her bottom; she wailed in response, twisting and turning, but failing to free herself. He held her in place bent over his hip and spanked her with the only sound being that of his hand walloping her behind.
The worst part was as much as it hurt, she could feel her nipples forming stiff peaks and was quite certain if he didn’t stop, her pussy was going to start dripping all over him. She was dismayed at her wildly out of control response to him. This was the second time he had spanked her as well as the second time he had fucked her without any attempt to seduce her or ask her permission. Flynn had the distinct impression that in both instances, he felt his actions were justified and realized, at least on some level, that she had never been more aroused. The feelings of discomfort and desire continued to increase and warred within her.
The wicked blows all along her backside compounded to increase the level of heat and pain she was suffering. She tried telling herself that whatever it was that had driven him to claim her sexually and spank her, and her acceptance of both, was beyond either of their abilities to stop it from happening. Perhaps that was true for her, but he seemed completely in control of himself. Biting her lip, Flynn tried to keep from crying out and begging him to stop. Recognizing that she was unable to free herself or force him to cease, she admitted to herself she could endure no more.
The silent tears quickly developed into crying and pleading which devolved into great, heaving sobs.
“Stop, please, stop! I’ll go with you. I’ll do what you want. Just don’t...”
His hand seemed to stop mid-swing as he brought it down gently to rest on her agonizingly sore posterior. She tried stifling her tears but found it difficult to do so. He set her on her feet and handed her the sweater that he had stripped her of. He ripped what was left of her jeans into strips, braiding them into two strands, one much shorter than the other. The shorter length, he used to bind her hands together. The second he looped through the bindings around her hands and then wound the end around his fist. Leaning down, he picked up her boots, tied the laces together and slung them over his shoulder. He headed out of the cave and gave what was effectively her leash a little tug.
“At some point you’re going to have to answer my questions.”
“But that time is not now. Keep up or I’ll cut a switch to use on the backs of your thighs to ensure you do.”
“Ok, but can you at least tell me your name? I mean, you know mine; it would help if I knew what to call you.”
He stopped for a moment, turned, and seemed to consider her request. “Kingston, Alex Kingston. Most of my friends call me King.”
“As we aren’t friends, I’ll call you Alex.”
He smiled. “At some point, my very beautiful mate, your bottom will thank you to consider what tone you take with me.”
“I am not your mate,” she said belligerently.
He tugged on her leash as he turned and resumed in the direction he’d been going. They walked for several hours in complete silence. Alex seemed to be mindful of the fact that neither of them had on shoes. He stopped once at the crest of a hill to look back down, his gaze sweeping across the landscape below.
“Can I ask where we’re going?”
“Home,” he said.
“Won’t David Koto think to look for you there?”
“Doubtful. My cabin’s location is not well-known nor is it easy to find unless you’re a park ranger, but even if he could find it, we won’t be there.”
Flynn stopped, digging in her heels. “I demand you tell me where you’re taking me.”
Alex did not respond except to push aside several twigs of foliage before breaking one off and stripping it of its leaves. He jerked the cord he’d created with her torn jeans until she was pulled up next to him. He switched the backs of her legs, two on each thigh. Flynn yowled.
“Come,” he said before taking up the lead and hauling her along behind him.
They continued up the hill. When they reached a cliff-like area, she balked as he started up the rise covered with shards of shale. He turned to look at her, anger beginning to cloud his eyes.
“My feet aren’t as tough as yours. Can you slow down so I can sort of pick my way along?”
Without a word, he approached her and slung her over his shoulder.
“For Christ’s sake, I don’t need you to carry me. I just need you to slow down a little bit. Put me down!”
His only response was to swat her bottom, which had been bared and upturned when he’d tossed her over his shoulder. Flynn yelped as Alex continued up the side of the mountain. She closed her eyes as she realized he was tromping along a barely discernible trail, where one misstep would send them hurtling down the cliffside.
Setting her down on smooth rock, he fisted her leash and led her into a small cave. She had to bend over to get in and was relieved when after a half mile, there was a sharp turn as the spacious cavern opened up into a converted kind of open-concept living area, containing a large and ornate iron bed, a sofa and two chairs around a hand-crafted stone fireplace that had a cooking pot hanging inside it, a cookstove, and what she assumed was some sort of bath.
Propelling her into the room, he rolled an enormous, thick wood door into place and pushed it back into the opening like a cork in a wine bottle.
“Won’t someone see that and figure out there’s something hidden away back here?”
“Not unless they get close enough to see and feel that it isn’t merely the back of the tunnel.”
“I would think the wood is a dead giveaway.”
“The other side is covered in stone,” he said, lighting the fire in fireplace.
“The smoke?”
“You are safe. You are my mate and I will lay down my life to protect yours. But if you are truly concerned about the smoke being seen, it goes through a series of filters and is dissipated long before it even gets to ground level.”
“So how long do you plan to hold me captive?”
“You are not my captive; you are my mate, and you have known that since Seattle.”
Flynn sighed. “You say potato... you want to try and explain what the hell is going on? What the hell you are? Where the lizard came from? Why you seem to think you can beat and fuck me any time you choose?”
“Let me answer your easiest questions first. I will spank and mate with you whenever I see fit. During the rut, I will expect you to alleviate my need. And I will see to yours as well. I suspect the lizard,” he chuckled,” as you so charmingly named him, was one of the Koto brothers. Given his size and strength, that was no lizard, that was a Komodo dragon.”
“How?”
“In the same way I am Kodiak. We are not wholly human...”
“Like a werewolf or vampire?”
Alex smiled. “Not exactly. As you’ve seen, we can shift at will and aren’t some hideous mutants, we are either wholly human or wholly our other being. Shifters have existed as long or longer than those of you who are wholly human. When the world was far less civilized, our ability to shift from one form to another as needed was natural selection at its finest. It allowed us to thrive in environments that would have killed those who could not.”
“Like the frigid cold up here in Alaska. And the rapid healing?”
He nodded. “Our enhanced genetic immunity lends itself to being able to recover more quickly and live longer.”
“Do you think Henry and David know Kevin was a shifter... is that what you call it? Does your brother know?”
“My brother is my twin. And shifters are not some kind of anomaly in my family. Josh is also Kodiak...”
“Meaning, Henry and David are both Komodo dragons?”
“Yes.”
“Then wouldn’t the cold bother David?”
“My guess is they have to take precautions against our frigid weather.”
“Maybe he’ll just go home,” Flynn said hopefully.
“Not likely. Komodo dragon clutches are close-knit. You run afoul of one and they won’t stop until you’re all dead. At some point I’ll have to kill the last one.”
“How can you talk so casually about murder?”
“I don’t see it as murder; I see it as keeping you safe. The remaining brother blames us for the deaths of his brothers. It’s a choice between whether I kill him or he kills us.”
“What about your brother?”
“I need to get word to him as soon as I get you settled in here. He needs to know they were Komodo and at least one of them is still living. He’ll need to ensure his family’s safety.”
“There will be no settling me. I have a life and I mean to get back to it. It’s not that I’m ungrateful...”
Alex growled and yanked her into his embrace, his mouth capturing hers as his tongue swept through her mouth, enticing her tongue to duel with his as arousal flared throughout her system.
“It is not your gratitude that I require, Mate. And your life is now here with me.”
His hands ran down her body, fondling her backside and making her wince. He released her and produced a hunting knife, freed her wrists, and rubbed them to restore all of the blood flow and feeling. He turned away from her and entered the bedroom area, opening an antique armoire and withdrawing a pair of padded handcuffs that were linked together by a piece of chain. Flynn ran back to the door trying to dislodge it.
“You are not strong enough to open the door. I will deal harshly with any foolish escape attempts on your part.”
“No,” she wailed as he locked her wrists in the restraints and the other end around one of the posts of the iron bed.
“I need to get word to Josh and want to reconnoiter the area. You have enough length to get to the bathroom and I will leave food and water next to the bed. You will be safe and remain here until I return.”
“You can’t just kidnap me and hold me against my will.”
He chuckled. “I believe, my mate, I have already done that. Your place is at my side, on your back or belly beneath me or kneeling in front of me. While I am gone, you might try to settle yourself with the idea that you will submit to me. Keep in mind that normally at this time of year we’d be in full rut, so I am having to check that instinct in order to deal with this mess you created.”
“Mess I created? If anyone is innocent in this whole mess, it’s me.”
“You brought a trophy hunter to Shuyak during the rut?”
“I was told it was for a photograph and Koto brought me here on his private plane. It was supposed to be Kodiak Island. Then you kill him, making me a target, and I end up having to try and keep his brothers from killing me, get chased by a giant lizard and get kidnapped by some kind of mutant who thinks it’s his God-given right to beat and fuck me whenever he wants.”
Alex nodded. “I think you covered all the essential facts except one.”
“What did I miss?” she challenged.
“You are my mate and you initiated all of this when you ran from me two years ago. Had you remained at the pub, all of this could have been avoided. As I said, I will clean up the mess you created.”
He turned to leave her, effectively chained to his bed.
“Aren’t you going to get dressed?”
“No, once I have sealed you in, I will shift back to my Kodiak form. I can do what I need to do more effectively that way. I’ll shift back to make the actual call. You will be safe and comfortable while I’m gone. When I return, we’ll mate, and I’ll feed you.”
“We’ll mate? You’ll feed me? Really? Don’t count on it! You don’t just announce that you’re going out and when you return you plan to fuck me again.”
Flynn cried out as his hand snaked out and swatted her backside before crushing her against his body, his quickly hardening cock throbbing between them as he bent her back, exposing her breasts to his rough handling. He nuzzled her neck as he pinched her nipple...hard.
She yowled again but more from frustration than pain. Flynn was mortified as she felt her other nipple quickly tightening and beading up in erotic response to what she assumed passed as fondling for him. His eyes never left hers and he smiled, letting her know that he too had noticed her response. Gaze locked on her, he leaned down and grasped her taut peak between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed it with the force of a vise clamp. Arousal surged through her body, racing through her system as a pool of desire swirled in her lower belly and spread downward, engulfing her nether regions. Flynn’s fear was that her sheath would begin dripping onto his staff while at the same time, the nub at the apex of her legs pulsed, trying to entreat his touch.
The smug grin that spread slowly across his face told her it was too late; he already knew of her shame—despite his rough handling, she was more turned on than she had ever been in her life. He reached down and tugged hard on her clit, making her catch her breath and bite her lip to keep from climaxing. He repeated his corrupted form of foreplay, using her nipples and clit as tools to master her body. Then abruptly he stopped, lifted her in his arms and tossed her onto the bed.
“I think, my mate, you will be more than ready for me to mount and rut upon my return. You are not to alleviate your own need.”
“How would you know?” Flynn challenged.
He looked at her levelly and growled quietly, “I will know and will make you regret a wrong choice.”
Picking up the knife, he opened the entrance to the cavern and disappeared through the opening. Flynn watched as the door to her prison slid back into place, sealing her fate.
I got news for you, buddy. I’ll be long gone by the time you get back, she thought.
And why the hell had he left naked—why leave her with that visual? Why had her eyes taken in every bulging muscle, each sculpted plane of his body and his rigid cock? And why, oh why, did the memories of having that cock thrusting inside her have the power to make her shiver with renewed desire?
Flynn tugged against her restraints. She had not expected to be able to easily free herself and she was not disappointed. If she was going to get away, escaping from the handcuffs was her first priority. She had nothing with which to pick the lock so looked for a way she could dismantle the bed itself to at least untether herself.
Chapter Seven
Reassuring himself that the entrance to his real home was secure and that Flynn would be safe, he put down his favorite hunting knife and called forth the great Kodiak that resided within him. He shook his head trying to erase the images and memories of Flynn. He needed a clear head and his mate was a distraction. He picked up the knife to carry in his mouth. He made his way carefully down the cliffside, ensuring that no sign of his passing was left behind.
Once on the relatively easy terrain at the base of the cliff, he galloped back towards his cabin. There were things there he needed to do. The first thing he did was backtrail to where he had found Flynn. He found the spot the remaining Komodo had realized his tolerance for the cold was fading and that he had lost his quarry. Alex knew that didn’t ensure their safety. Komodos were known for their relentless pursuit of revenge and the deaths of two of his brothers meant the last of the three, David, would not stop until he had slaughtered Flynn, her brother, his brother and family, and lastly himself. David Koto was about to find that while not as vengeful as Komodos, Kodiaks were inordinately protective of their families and Alex would ensure that both his family and Flynn’s were safe.
Alex turned towards home and picked up his pace. He was able to make good time and arrived before what in the lower forty-eight would have been sunset. At this time, in this part of the world, the sun still shone brightly. That would be one more thing that Flynn would need to get used to—the extremes of the seasons. In the summer, it was almost continually daylight and in the winter twenty out of the twenty-four-hours were night.
Finally, he arrived home, unlocked the small box under his bed th
at contained his satellite phone and made two calls. The first was to a long-time family friend and fellow clan member, Yutu, who would keep Josh and his family safe. The other was to his brother at the hospital in Kodiak.
“Hello?” Josh’s voice sounded surprisingly strong.
“Josh, it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Alex, where are you? What happened? Allie said you seemed to depart pretty abruptly.”
“In a nutshell, Henry Koto brought Flynn...” started Alex.
“Your Flynn?”
“One and the same.”
“How’d she get involved with Koto? And what’s any of it got to do with my being shot?” asked Josh.
“Koto got Flynn up here under false pretenses. He told her he was looking to shoot a photograph; what he really wanted was to shoot a trophy. He’s the one who shot you. When I saw you crumpled in the river, I attacked and killed him. Flynn heard the shot and saw me shift.”
“You were going to have to tell her sometime,” said Josh wryly.
“Yes, but I’d planned something a little more subtle than having her see me damn near rip a guy’s head off. Once I knew you were mostly out of the woods, I had to get back to her.”
“Back to her?”
“I didn’t have time to explain anything, so I left her bound and gagged in the root cellar.”
Josh chuckled, “Oh, this just gets better and better...”
“Not as funny as you might think. I got back to find she had escaped. By the time I caught up to her, the two remaining Koto brothers had tracked her down and the younger one was within striking distance to kill her.”
“Why? I mean I’d understand coming after you, but why Flynn?”
“They hold her partly responsible. Besides, Komodos aren’t known for being overly forgiving,” Alex let that sink in.
“Komodos? The Kotos?”
“Yes. We need to get you, Allie, and the girls to safety.”
“Where’s Flynn now?”
