"Beautiful," he said simply, smiling at her. "You'll do quite nicely."
He took Lindsey's bag and slung it over his shoulder. He offered his other hand to her and she took it, grateful to be able to touch him at last. She still hadn't spoken to him. He knew who she was, why she was here. She didn’t have to say anything to him and in fact, it was probably best that she remain silent until they were at his home.
Dragon Isle wasn't exactly a place you could just visit for leisure. The dragon shifters were very private about their world and their island. You could come if you had family here, of course, but not for many other reasons.
Kade had acquired special permission from the head of the clan to bring her here, given the circumstances. He lived outside of town: that much Lindsey knew. He had told her that when they had spoken. While Victoria lived in the northern part of the island, closest to the mainland, Kade lived on the opposite side. His space was mostly untamed, but it was his own. Few dragon shifters lived outside of the protection of the town. Kade was one of the few.
He guided her away from the water and close to the village.
"Are we going to see Victoria?" She asked suddenly, almost hopefully, unable to stay quiet any longer. It would be lovely to visit her friend before she got settled. She missed Victoria, but before she got too excited, Kade shook his head.
"There will be time for that later," he told her. When? She wanted to know, but stayed silent. Then Kade said, "I'm going to shift and carry you home. It’ll be faster that way. Give me your hands.”
She held out her hands, wondering what was going to happen. She was a little surprised when Kade produced a length of rope and bound her wrists together. Was that really necessary? It didn’t seem quite fair. She hadn’t even signed the contract yet. Was he really starting the slave stuff so soon? She didn’t get some sort of adjustment period?
As if reading her mind, he spoke.
“It’s to keep you safe, pet,” he told her quietly. “Being in the air can be scary. This will make sure you don’t try to jump.” She said nothing as he led her to a large basket. It looked like the kind you’d use to pick apples, only bigger. Kade lifted her effortlessly and placed her inside the basket. Then he put her duffel bag in, too. Once everything was inside, Kade attached a hook from inside the basket to her wrists. She was stuck here for sure.
“It’ll be okay, pet,” he whispered, patting her hair, and Lindsey suddenly felt safe. It didn’t make any sense. She was being taken captive – of her own free will, of course – for an entire year. Kade didn’t have to be kind to her, yet he was trying to ease her anxiety.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and he nodded curtly.
“I’m going to shift now,” he said to her. “Try not to be frightened, sweetheart. The ride won’t be long.” Lindsey tried to watch as much as possible from her position in the bottom of the basket, but the sides were tall and it was difficult to see out from her sitting position. She heard him stripping free of his clothes, then he tossed them in with her. Lindsey tried not to think about his hard, nude body just outside of where she was sitting, but she couldn’t help it.
How long would he wait before taking her? How long would he hesitate before stripping her down and sliding into her? Would he expect her to touch him while he was in dragon form? Would all of their shared experiences be while he looked human?
Lindsey should have asked more questions before accepting her position on the island. How could she have known, though? What questions do you ask before accepting a position of indentured servitude to a beast?
Victoria said Kade was decent. That was the word she had used: “decent.” Not “nice” or “kind.” Just “decent.”
What did that even mean?
She didn’t have to think for long because she heard a few strange sounds and then the whoosh of wings. Then the basket was being lifted. She stared up at the bottom of the dragon’s belly. She couldn’t quite bring herself to think of it as Kade. It was still a little too much to wrap her head around. Being a slave was bad enough, but slave to a dragon?
Slave to a dragon who could change into a man at will?
What kind of nightmare fairy tale had she woken up in?
And why was she a little bit excited about it?
Lindsey’s head threatened to explode as a headache began to form, so she just closed her eyes and rested against the side of the basket, wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into.
She woke with a thump as the basket hit the ground, and then Kade was a man again and peering inside.
“Are you okay, pet?” He asked her. He kept calling her that: pet. She liked it a little. It made her feel special, cared for. It made her feel a little bit pampered. Perhaps Kade didn’t mean it as a term of endearment. Maybe he called all the girls “pet.” Still, she could get used to it.
“Are you okay?” He asked again. This time, she nodded. “I think you fell asleep on the journey,” he said as he unhooked her wrists from the basket. Before Lindsey could speak further or ask about the trip, Kade reached in and grabbed his clothing. Once dressed, he removed the rope from her wrists and took her hand, then Kade led Lindsey into the enormous mansion stretching before them. It was more of a castle, really, but wasn’t that a bit cliché? Like, of course the dragon would live in his own little castle.
Of course.
Lindsey had not come from money. Oh, sure, her mom and stepdad liked to pretend they had plenty of it. They squandered their paychecks on luxury vacations and cars they couldn’t afford, but they lived in a dilapidated trailer on the edge of town. Sometimes they had electricity and running water. Sometimes they didn’t.
Lindsey had quickly learned not to expect anything from figures of authority.
She would only be disappointed if she did.
Once they were inside the house, Lindsey just stood in the entryway and tried to take it all in. The main hall was open and magnificent. She felt like she had just stepped into a movie. The wide space had several rooms off the side of it, but in the center of the hall was a giant staircase leading up to a balcony. She wondered what was on the second floor, but she didn’t get to think for long.
“Are you hungry?” Kade asked, and Lindsey’s stomach growled.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured quickly. “It was a long trip and I was nervous.” She didn’t say that she was basically down to her last ten dollars and didn’t want to spend money on airport food. She couldn’t bring herself to admit it: especially not to him, especially not now.
“You’re safe now,” Kade told her, wrapping his arms around her. He held her close and she breathed him in, trying not to become aroused at his touch. She knew that they would be having sex soon, but somehow, she thought it felt wrong to enjoy it. She was doing this for money. She wasn’t supposed to get pleasure out of it. She had never enjoyed sex much before. Why would she enjoy it now?
But oh, did he smell good enough to eat.
Or lick.
Or do any other number of naughty things to.
Kade’s body felt warm and strong next to hers. Lindsey had never felt petite or small, but somehow she felt positively tiny as Kade stood close to her. He smelled masculine, like musk and cedar wood. She wondered if he would always smell like this, if it was his natural scent or if he wore some type of cologne. Did dragons wear cologne?
“Come,” Kade released her after a moment and led her into the kitchen. “Let’s get you settled in.”
She took a step forward, then another. She had left her old life at the docks. There would be no more starving, no more stress. There would be no more anxiety about bills or money or grocery bills.
Lindsey was starting a new life.
All she had to do was keep walking.
3
Lindsey sat at the counter while Kade rustled around the large kitchen. He came to her a few minutes later and handed her a plate of cheese and fruit. She hungrily devoured the entire thing, and he smiled as he watched her eat.
Though she was happy to have the food, her mind wouldn’t calm down. Question after question raced through her thoughts.
Was this his first time taking a long-term sexual submissive?
Was this his first time with a slave?
What kind of man – er, dragon – would want one?
Wasn’t slavery wrong?
Here she was, willingly entering into such an arrangement. What did that say about her? Suddenly, Lindsey wasn’t so hungry anymore.
“When you’re finished, we’ll go sign the contract so that we can get started.” Kade’s words were gentle, but they sent a wave of nervousness through Lindsey. This was it. There was no backing out now. She’d be here for an entire year with no one to save her, no one to rescue her.
Kade rubbed her back as she ate and though they didn’t speak anymore, she felt grateful for his reassuring touch. It made her feel a little less afraid, as if he could be kind. She knew that his kindness likely wouldn’t last all year, but for now, she would take what she could get.
She didn’t want to think about Heath and his not-so-gentle touch. Not now. The other secret she was running away from, the one even Victoria didn’t know about, was really the one that had sealed her decision.
She couldn’t let Heath see her fail. She couldn’t stay in a place where he was lording his achievements and successes over her. She couldn’t. He hadn’t wanted her anymore. He had thrown her away.
And now she was here: slave to the dragon.
She finished her food and Kade led her back into the hallway and up the giant staircase. At the top, they stood at the balcony for a moment and looked down to the floor.
“You are free to explore the house at your leisure,” Kade told her, “but you may not enter my study or the dungeon without permission. Once you’ve been here for awhile, we’ll talk about you spending time outdoors on your own. For now, if you want to go outside, let me or Melissa, my housecleaner, know.”
At the words, Lindsey shivered, but Kade just petted her hair. Could he tell how inexperienced she was? She wasn’t a virgin, not by a long shot. She just hadn’t had a lot of variety in her sexual experiences.
Drunken one night stands?
Check.
Long-term exploration of her sexuality and desires?
Not so much.
Before flying her out, Kade had wanted to make sure that she understood what would be required of her: total obedience. She didn’t have to be comfortable with the things he would do to her. She didn’t even have to like them. She just had to obey. He had never said exactly what these things might entail. Was he afraid telling her might ruin the surprise? Or did Kade think that giving Lindsey a heads-up on what she would be doing might make her question her decision to join him on the island?
Kade grasped Lindsey’s elbow and guided her, bringing her thoughts back to the present. The contract, she remembered. They were going to sign the contract. Though Kade could easily ignore anything he put into the contract itself, they had both agreed it would be a good idea to have legal stipulations in place for this little arrangement.
Once they had each signed the contract, a copy would go to Kade’s attorneys and a copy would go to Victoria for safekeeping. If nothing else, it made Lindsey feel a bit more comfortable knowing that if this situation went horribly awry, someone would be able to determine exactly what she agreed to.
The balcony curved into two hallways, and Kade led her down the one to the right. There he passed several doors before reaching the last one. He pushed the door open and Lindsey tried not to gasp when she saw Kade’s study. She wondered – not for the first time – what he did for a living that enabled him to be so independently wealthy. The study was lined floor-to-ceiling with books and several comfortable chairs were placed throughout the room. At the back of the room was a large, mahogany desk. Kade led her there.
He sat behind the desk and she sat in front of it. He pushed a stack of papers to her.
“Take your time reading them over,” he said, “but this is the same contract I sent you over email.” She nodded.
When Kade sent her the contract, she had poured over the wording again and again, wrestling with her decision. She knew that she would receive half of the money today and the other half when her year was up.
Things were different on Dragon Isle than they were in the real world, and Lindsey was literally signing away a year of her life to Kade. He could do with her what he wanted. She only hoped it would not be horrific all of the time.
It couldn’t be.
She reread the contract while he sat and watched her, then she signed her name at the bottom. There was no going back now. She signed the duplicates and pushed the papers back to Kade’s side of the desk.
Kade pulled up his phone and showed her the wire transfer. $250,000 to her bank account. Now she had $250,010 to her name. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that even if Kade grew tired of her and released her from her contract early, she could pay off her student loans. She could pay back her debt. That itself was enough to let her breathe a sigh of relief.
Kade took the paperwork and placed it in his safe, then came back to Lindsey.
“You may use the computer once a month to pay your bills and stay on top of your affairs,” he said. “Thank me for this kindness.”
“Thank you,” Lindsey whispered. Though it seemed strange to be thanking him for something most women took for granted, she knew that truly, it was something she should be grateful for. Many men wouldn’t think twice about holding a woman in captivity without access to the outside world. Once a month wasn’t frequent, but it would be enough to pay her bills online.
“You are welcome, my sweet human.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. The touch was tender and made her feel warm and relaxed. Heath had never touched her like that. Never. He hadn’t been awful, not always, but he certainly hadn’t been tender. Not like this. Not like Kade.
“I won’t be too hard on you at first,” he told her. Kade grasped her hands, and held them tightly. His eyes found hers as he continued. “It will take you awhile to adjust to your new life here, but know this: do not mistake any mercy for weakness.”
Mercy?
Maybe this would be harder than she thought.
“Okay,” she nodded quietly.
“Okay, Master,” he corrected her. She looked up into his eyes, which had gone even darker than they usually were, and she knew that he was serious.
“Okay, Master,” she said. He pulled her from the chair and wrapped his arms around her, then he kissed her on the mouth. Lindsey tried not to be surprised, but she was, and not just because he had kissed her. She was surprised to find that she loved the way he kissed her. It was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced before, and before she could fully enjoy it, Kade pushed her away.
“Are you a virgin?” He asked suddenly, and Lindsey blushed. She realized that she had said “I’m inexperienced,” but had never actually told him just how much she’d explored her sexuality. Apparently being a slave meant having some very open, very blunt conversations.
“No, Master,” she whispered. He stroked her cheek and she knew he was pleased she had remembered the correct form of address with him.
“How many men have you fucked, pet?” The blush extended from her cheeks down to her toes. Was this really happening? “And don’t even think about lying,” Kade added. She wondered what he would think about the truth. For a moment, she hesitated, thinking about twisting the truth. Would he be upset if she did? He couldn’t really know, could he?
“Seven,” Lindsey looked down, finally choosing to be honest. She couldn’t bear to see his eyes. She wasn’t sure if seven was a lot or a little to a dragon, but to Heath it had been a number so massive he couldn’t help calling her a whore.
Anytime he was mad or upset, that had been his response: “You’re a whore, Lindsey. How can we ever have a future if you couldn’t behave in your past?” She tried not to think about Heath.
Not now. He couldn’t bother her anymore. Not here.
She was safe.
Lindsey took a deep breath, trying to convince herself of the fact. She knew, logically, that she would be okay here. Her fluttering heart wasn’t so certain.
Kade spoke again, his deep voice rumbling throughout the room.
“And you’ve never been kissed like this before,” Kade said it as a statement, as if he could tell. He wasn’t asking her, but Lindsey shook her head, anyway.
“No, Master,” she said. The words had barely left her mouth when he kissed her again, wrapping one hand around her waist and fisting the other in her hair. She tried not to moan as he did, but it was hard. By the time he had finished kissing her, her panties were soaked. And that was just from a kiss.
“Little human, you told me you were an innocent,” Kade said. It wasn’t a question, yet she felt forced to explain.
“I never…there was only…” she fumbled for the words, not sure how to explain. “With most of the men, it was only once,” she said. “With the last one, it was several times over the course of a year.”
“Your only relationship?” He asked.
Lindsey nodded. If you could call what she and Heath had shared “a relationship.” She would prefer to call it, “having sex with some guy who hates me,” but who was keeping track?
“You dated for a year?”
“Yes, Master.”
“And that relationship is over?” He didn’t ask who had ended things.
“Yes, Master.”
“Good.”
Seemingly satisfied, Kade took her hand and led her from the study. He closed the door behind them, then led her back down the hallway, across the balcony, and to the opposite hallway. Again, they went to the last door and he pushed it open.
“This is my room,” he said. There was a large, four-poster bed in the center of the room, along with a chest of drawers, two nightstands, and a vanity. He placed Lindsey’s duffel bag next to the vanity, then brought her to the attached bathroom.
Dragon Isle Book Bundle 1-3: My Lord and Dragon, The Dragon Fighter, and A Dragon's Bite Page 2
