I was no longer protected by tigers but forced to become one.
I’m Needle, and I will survive.
CONTROL.
I loved it.
I wielded it.
I owned it.
But that little Weaver whore broke my control, turning me into nothing more than a sex-driven idiot. She’d made me throw my decorum, calmness, and carefully laid plans out the goddamn window.
Her timid fingers. Her fluttering breaths. They’d been more of a turn on than the most experienced of lovers. She was so fucking pure she choked on a halo.
And to fucking ask me to teach her? Granting me power by evolving this virginal creature into anything I damn well wanted?
It was temptation.
It was not fucking permitted.
She was mine to take from. Mine to share.
I refused to train her, because in the end I would be the one delivering the killing blow. She wouldn’t succeed in dragging me into whatever game she played.
I breathed hard, even now struggling to find my beloved coldness. I needed an icy shower. I need to teach her a fucking lesson—that’s what I need.
A knock snapped my head up. I spun in place, trading the view of the front gardens to glare at my father. The man who’d taught me how to be the master of my emotions. How to rein in the uncouth part of ourselves and be ruthless with silence. He’d taught me the most—beaten me the most—and I was his favourite.
Thank God there were no cameras by the stables—if he saw how far I fell, his disappointment would bring repercussions. Big repercussions.
My father popped his head into the ‘Buzzard Room’ named for the hand-stencilled wallpaper of hunting buzzards and the mounted carcasses of ducks, swans, and small birds.
It was also the room I’d picked for Nila. This would be her quarters—a room stinking of death and decay.
She’d somehow won the lesson I wanted to teach her at the kennels. She’d managed to make me trade control for the promise of sex. It had worked.
It. Would. Not. Work. Again.
I pitied her really. She’d shown me so much in that brief moment. She was hungry. She was hidden. And she was so damn vulnerable it made me smile to think of her illusions. She thought she could outsmart us.
Us?
Diamond merchants, biker royalty, and proven masters of the Weaver’s fate.
Stupid, stupid girl.
I nodded at my father. "Cut."
His grey goatee bristled. "Bring her into the dining room when she’s ready. Everyone’s gathered." He puffed on a giant cigar, wearing a tweed waistcoat and trousers complete with a leather jacket from the Black Diamonds. He looked an enigma of motorcycle world and English aristocracy.
I nodded again.
He left without a goodbye, and I moved to sit on the seventeenth century hand-carved brooding chair. A chair made for men and only men. Complete with ashtray, newspaper stand, and heavy, dark brocade designed with our family crest.
Ten minutes later, the door to the ensuite bathroom opened, revealing a freshly showered Nila. Her long black hair draped like ink staining her naked shoulders. She looked younger, innocent without the heavy makeup smeared from last night. Her eyes were bigger, like black unhappy pools whilst her skin glowed a natural dusky tan.
I’d seen her in magazines. I’d run a fingertip over her snapshot in the fashion columns, but never found her attractive. She didn’t have breasts. She always stood like a fading shadow next to her brother and looked too prim and stuck up.
She was nothing to me.
Then why did I almost come while fingering her?
My mouth watered, remembering the wildness lurking beneath that up-tight-virgin bluff.
I swallowed, battling the blood rushing to my dick. The way she rode my hand—fuck.
Then I laughed. Out loud.
Waving at her tiny hands clutching the towel, I said, "I see your fingers are capable of holding something." My head cocked. "Do I need to remind you what a disappointment earlier was?"
She was nothing to me before, and she would remain nothing to me. And after this afternoon, there would be no way in hell she’d ever let me touch her again.
Which was perfect, because the next time wouldn’t be for pleasure. It would be for pain. And permission would take the fun away.
She froze, locking her knees. The heavy cloud when she suffered a stupid balance attack swirled in their brown depths. Sucking in a breath, she said quietly, "No, you don’t. You’ve told me countless of times. You’ve made me very aware of what you think of me, and I’m sick of hearing it."
Pushing away the newspaper stand, I took my time glancing down her body.
She didn’t fidget or blush, which pissed me off. I wanted her nervous. I wanted her terrified of what was to come.
I stood up slowly, clicking my tongue. "Ah, ah, ah, Ms. Weaver. Don’t take that tone with me. You’re the failure. You’re the prisoner. You take what I give you. You do not assume to have any say or authority. That includes listening to everything I deem important to tell you." Ghosting to a stop in front of her, I murmured, "Is that quite understood?"
I flexed my muscles, welcoming back the soothing chillness of control. I hadn’t liked stepping outside my confines of civility. Things got messy when silence was disrupted. Things got rushed when tempers rose and curses flowed.
And I didn’t want to rush her undoing. I wanted to savour it. Devour it.
Running a fingertip along her damp shoulder, I smiled at her flinch. "Did you do as I asked and wash your filth away?"
Her lips pursed, anger glowing in her eyes. But she swallowed it down, muting the light. "Yes."
"Did you leave your pussy alone? No trying to finish what I started?"
Her head hung a little lower. "Yes."
My finger followed the contour of her shoulder, tracing down her arm. She stood silently, hiding the wild creature from before, depicting quiet sexuality and vulnerability. My mouth watered again, but it wasn’t with need to shove her against the wall and drive my dick inside that tight, tight cunt. No, it was because I’d never made someone with her skin colour bleed. Would her blood be darker? Would it be a rich chocolate like her eyes?
I knew her family tree. I’d studied it in preparation. Her bloodlines weren’t pure—there was mixed race in her past. A blend of Spanish and English. Another reason why Hawks were better. We were one hundred percent English stock. Unsullied.
Nila looked into my eyes. Her skin broke out in goosebumps. "Stop whatever you’re doing and let me get dressed. Where are my clothes?" She clutched the silver towel harder, hiding everything but her longer than average legs and tiny feet. "I need to charge my phone. I want my suitcase."
I didn’t bother caring who’d she’d texted last night to drain her battery. There would be no cavalry coming to her rescue—of that I was completely sure. "You’ll receive your belongings if you please us."
"Us?"
Stepping back, I smoothed my shirt, taking my time in delivering the truth. I hoped she’d move away—run even—after all, I was a hunter at heart. But she locked her knees again, standing firm on the thick mahogany carpet.
"Yes. Us." Holding out my palm, I waited. "Take my hand."
She hesitated, hoisting her towel higher, her tiny fist jammed against her small breasts.
I looked forward to making her obey, but then the aloofness I’d briefly witnessed in the kennels came over her features—blotting out the fire, turning her into an obedient robot.
Slowly she did as I requested, placing her slightly damp hand in mine.
The moment I had her, I marched across the bedroom floor. She gasped, jerked into motion, her legs darting to keep up. Silently, I wrenched open the door and stalked down the huge corridor, past shields and lances and crossbows, to the end of the bachelor wing where the Black Diamond brotherhood met once a week in a club meeting called the Gemstone.
This afternoon, it wasn’t business being discussed. It was Ni
la.
This was her welcome luncheon.
A tradition unbroken for hundreds of years. An esteemed event that all our brethren knew and immensely enjoyed.
The day they all sample a Weaver.
Slamming my palm against the double doors, I jerked Nila into the room. She wheeled to a stop, her face losing its colour in favour of snowy white. I searched her features for fear. I hunted for terror, but I only witnessed blank resignation.
Turning away from her, I focused on what she couldn’t look away from.
Men.
Twenty-seven to be exact. Some smooth faced and young, others bearded and old. Some rich and well-spoken, others destitute and filthy. But they all had something in common. They belonged to the Diamonds and were our most trusted employees. Flaw, Fracture, and Cushion weren’t present, nor were they fully fledged members—their task was to watch Vaughn and Archibald Weaver from doing anything…reckless.
Nila struggled, trying to take her hand back. I clamped my fingers around her, not giving an inch. "Don’t be rude, Ms. Weaver. Say hello and be courteous. This is, after all, your welcome lunch."
She jolted, shying backward, testing my hold.
My father sat at the end of the extremely long table. The room was huge. Decorated with gold-spun drapery and massive oil paintings of my ancestors, it glittered with crystal chandeliers and silverware.
The paintings were of male Hawks only. The women of my family tree were designated to another room. Still celebrated, but not nearly as important.
Each artwork showed a man of distinguished wealth and intolerable power. I’d studied them in great length this past month, preparing for Nila’s arrival. My favourite was Samuel Hawk. The third man to extract a debt.
I looked just like him.
Snapping his fingers, my father called the small murmurs of masculine voices to attention. Pointing at Nila trembling beside me, he said, "Brothers, this woman will be our guest for the foreseeable future, and in honour of her company, we have something special planned."
The men grinned, reclining in their chairs, ready for the show to begin. The hiss and crackle of the log fire added a cheery background noise as well as welcome heat to the cavernous room.
Nodding at me, he said, "Jet, if you would be so kind as to make sure our guest is appropriately attired."
Pleasure.
This might be tradition, but it was also payback for what she’d made me become earlier today. This was sweet retribution.
Dropping Nila's hand, I moved toward the large side table that held crockery, wine glasses, and decanters. The food that’d been prepared by the full kitchen in the other wing of the house waited on the matching sideboard across the room. There were countless dishes, at least seven courses, but no wait staff to present it.
I smiled.
That was where Ms. Weaver came in. Along with…other duties.
Gathering the items that were meant for Nila, I returned to her side. She hadn’t moved, but not from obedience. Two large men in leather cuts blocked her way out. The moment I came back, she looked pleadingly into my eyes.
"I can’t—Jethro, don’t make me." She swallowed. "Not so many. I can’t do—"
Snatching her arm, I spun her to the corner of the room, away from hungry onlookers. "You dare say no? Do you want this to be over?"
She nodded rapidly. "Yes. More than anything yes."
"Fine. It’s over. But you’re sentenced to watch your father and brother be slaughtered, along with the decimation of your family’s business and assets. It will be obliterated. Gone. Is that what you’re willing to pay?"
She squeezed her eyes in horror.
Didn’t fucking think so.
I never wanted to be that weak. That driven by compassion. I obeyed my family. I accepted my position. But I would never let love dictate my actions.
That wasn’t what a Hawk did.
We were untouchable.
Taking the liberty of her lack of vision, I placed the first item on her head. A sexy, frilly maid’s cap. It perched on her head, gracing her damp black hair like a sad crown.
Her head dipped, shielding her eyes. Her body convulsed, trying hard to maintain the blankness she thought would be her salvation.
Tugging her hands, I muttered, "Let go of the towel."
She cowered away.
Growling under my breath, I wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her firm. "Don’t make me ask again. You’re not new to this game. Let go of the towel."
Her eyes flew wide, fighting my hold. "No!"
Goddammit, she tested me. A headache brewed behind my eyes. I sighed. "Make me ask you one more time. Go on…"
She froze, breathing hard. A battle broke out between us. I should never have let her get away with what she pulled at the stables. She thought I’d softened. She thought I’d be lenient. If anything, she’d proven my errors and I’d go above and beyond to ensure I didn’t falter again.
Ever.
She had to learn that the day granted hope and happiness, but I stole it. She had to face that the night hid evil and darkness, but my soul was blacker.
There would be no winning. None.
We didn’t speak, but our eyes shouted, wrapping us tight with unsaid tension.
Finally, she lowered her chin in defeat. Her death grip on the fluffy material loosened, allowing it to flutter to the floor.
Ordinarily, I would’ve rewarded her. A kind word. A gentle gesture. But that was before I learned I couldn’t give her any softness. She needed a firm, masterful hand. Otherwise, she’d make my life a living hell until I stole hers.
My eyes latched onto her naked body.
I paused.
Fuck.
Nila Weaver was like the needle she used to make her livelihood. Long, sculptured. Muscle tone so defined, her hips defied her supple skin, almost piercing her. Her breasts were small but high with perfect dark nipples.
My gaze dropped between her legs. The part of her I’d intimately explored already. I expected an inexperienced girl to not maintain her pussy, but there was only a strip of black hair, hiding and teasing at the same time.
My heartbeat thickened.
And then I noticed the bruises.
Everywhere. On her ribcage, hips, thighs, and arms.
Prodding an unforgiving finger into a particularly large purple one, I muttered, "Who did this?"
She crossed her knees, clamping a hand over her breasts.
I swallowed hard, hating that my cock twitched.
Her mouth parted, then understanding flared. "Not who. What." Looking down at herself, she whispered, "The perils of vertigo."
I had no reply to that. She already had a condition that hurt her. I should be easy to bear.
"Put your arm down." I slapped it away from her breasts. She stiffened, but left it by her side, standing taller than before.
Holding out the tiny excuse of an apron, I placed it over her head. It was black with white lacy trim, low enough to show the tops of her breasts and nipples, short enough to show the trimmed delight between her legs.
Spinning her around, I tied the strings at her neck and lower spine. When she faced me again, she choked, "Why?"
"Why?" I raised an eyebrow.
She nodded. "Is this all a game to you?"
I smiled. "No game. We’re deadly serious. As you should know by now." Leaving her, I returned to the table and collected the final item. The Weaver heirloom.
Prowling back to her, I held up the collar.
Her eyes popped wide. She gawked at the solid encrusted diamond collar made from our very own imports. Two hundred carats, valued at over three million pounds—it’d been in my family since the first debt had been claimed.
"Do you know what this is?" I whispered, dangling it in front of her face.
She clamped her lips, eyes deathly cold.
I didn’t need a reply. She’d know soon enough.
Unlocking the collar, I held the two ends and bent over her. Wrap
ping it around her throat, I moved from front to back, positioning myself to fasten it. I kept my voice low and soothing, embracing my cold ruthlessness again. "It’s affectionately known as the Weaver Wailer." Using the special clasp—an irreversible clasp—I murmured, "It’s your gift from us. Jewels from the best of our mines. You should be proud to wear such wealth."
Nila shivered as the lock snapped into place.
My shoulders relaxed. It was on. It was done.
Her option to leave had just disappeared.
"You’re ours now. Want to know why?"
She whimpered, shaking her head.
Gathering her thick black hair, I ignored her plea for ignorance. I’d told her ignorance was bliss—which was true. But I meant to torment her. I wanted her to fully embrace her future.
Breathing gently on her neck, I whispered, "Because once the Weaver Wailer is in place…there’s only one way to get it back off."
"ENOUGH PLAYING, JETHRO, bring her here."
The command burned my ears, turning my false belief I could survive into dirty soot. The fire I’d nursed inside was gone. All the stupid pretending that I could block the worst from damaging my soul disappeared. My little claws had fully retracted into nothing once again.
I was cold. Cold as him.
Shut down. Same as him.
Silent. Same as him.
Only one way to get it off.
I swallowed. My head pounded. My hands flew up to tug at the jewelled collar. It was heavy and lifeless and ice. Pure ice. The perfect clarity and flawless sparkle of the diamonds leached into my skin, claiming me, marking me.
Only one way to get it off.
I thought I’d come to terms with my mortality. I thought I’d face the end with my head held high and dry eyes—but that was before they told me the method of my execution. When I thought of death, I pictured…nothing…I had no image of how the end would come.
Now I did.
Only one way to get it off.
I was to be beheaded.
There’d be no sawing off the collar or picking the lock. The way the clasp snapped so resolutely hinted at a one way mechanism. The heavy noose was now mine…an accessory slowly strangling me by diamonds.
It wasn’t breakable. But I was. So fragile really, when a single sharp blade could cast me from life into the nether. Diamonds were nature’s hardest fortress—the quintessential marriage of unbreakable ice and power.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 78
