by Cyna Kade
Marissa lost track of time. She lost track of herself. She knew she begged, she demanded, she pleaded, she asked but nothing seemed to move Kytar as he brought her up so close to release again and again only to stop and leave her frustrated. Every muscle tight, her body humming with mindless desires, he continued to deny her. Until finally, he said, “That’s enough for today.”
“No!” Marissa screamed as he turned to leave. “Don’t leave me like this.”
Kytar turned back. “I decide when you can come and I don’t want you coming today. You don’t deserve that kind of reward. You aren’t obedient enough, but you will be.” He smiled and left her in darkness.
Chapter Nine
Marissa woke to find herself once more in the bedroom with Kytar at the foot of the bed, leaning against a post, watching her.
“Welcome back. How do you feel?”
Marissa started to reach for the glass of water near the bed but gasped and quickly stopped the motion when her breasts reminded her of their recent abuse.
“Let me,” Kytar said.
He picked up the glass then moved her shoulders so he could slide behind her. Marissa’s head rested on his chest as he brought the glass to her lips. Then he placed it back on the table. Marissa wasn’t prepared when his arms circled her, his hands firmly on her breasts. His fingers moved, recreating his earlier torture.
“No please, they hurt.”
“Breathe through the pain,” he said.
She rocked her head against his chest and tried to move away.
“Breathe through the pain,” he said again.
She tried, but when his fingers tightened on her nipples at the exact point where he’d earlier placed the clamps, she arched back into him, trying to get away. But he didn’t let go and her movement simple caused her nipples to pull even more.
“Breathe through the pain.”
“No! No! No!” Hysteria and fear overwhelmed her.
Kytar raised his hands off her breasts, holding them out where she could see them. “Calm down,” he ordered her. He placed a hand on her forehead and whispered in her ear, “Calm down.”
Marissa’s fear and hysteria drained away and she regained control of her breathing. “Damn you!”
“Damn yourself. This is a part of your training and we’ve barely begun. There is so much more.” His chest expanded with a deep breath, heating her chilled back. “Can you really tell me you didn’t enjoy your earlier arousal?”
“I would have enjoyed it more if you’d let me come,” she spit back.
A chuckle rumbled in his chest. “But then you wouldn’t have learned anything. Tell me,” he bent his head and whispered in her ear, “what did you learn?”
Marissa’s face flamed and she grew very still as she remembered how easily he’d controlled her responses. She’d never been so aroused. She wanted to rage at him, to claw out his eyes, to deny that he had any power at all over her.
“What did you learn, little one? And be warned, if you tell me you learned nothing then I’ll just have to do it again until you can tell me.”
She swallowed hard, feeling his collar tight around her throat. “Why…why was it like that?”
“First, tell me what you learned.”
“Pain hurts,” she bit out.
His chest rumbled with laughter. “You already knew that. What else did you learn?”
Marissa clenched her jaw. It was bad enough that he’d controlled her responses without admitting it aloud.
He used his fingertips to circle her nipples. “Say it!”
Marissa shivered as he made his intentions clear. She swallowed but couldn’t clear the lump in her throat and her voice came out tight and small. “You…you controlled…my body. But not my mind,” she had to add.
“What mind? You weren’t doing much thinking.” He pressed his lips against her temple. “A little pain turns off your mind. It’s relatively easy to mix pain and pleasure, to confuse your senses until they blend and you can’t tell the difference.”
Marissa’s breathing hitched at his words. He was serious. He really was going to hurt her. Somehow, she’d never really believed it. She shook her head, stiffening her resolve. Two weeks, that’s all she had to survive was two weeks.
“Your nipples are sensitized. They’re bruised and tender, but aching for my touch, aren’t they? Do you want an orgasm? Do you feel the need? Are you wet?” His hands moved to the sides of her breasts, stroking them as his words stoked a fire in her mind. She held her breath in anticipation of the pain he could cause. Two fingertips reached out gently touching her peaks. “Relax,” he commanded.
She gasped as the fingertips started a small circling motion directly on her nipples, lightly, pleasurable arrows shot straight to her pussy. She felt it respond with moisture and need. She leaned her head into his neck as he engulfed her senses in pleasure. Her nipples demanded more pressure, but he didn’t intensify the circling motion. Her hips squirmed. More, she had to have more or this peak of need would drive her crazy.
“Say it,” he commanded. “Tell me what you need.” His words circled in her mind as his fingers circled on her body.
She tried to fight the need, but the lure of the pleasure was too great, “More,” she whispered, “touch me harder. I need more.”
At first, she thought he hadn’t heard her or understood her or that he’d decided to frustrate her yet again. He simply kept circling for a few more moments. Then with a quick motion, when she’d given up hope of satisfaction, he pinched her nipples between his fingers. Whispering, “Come,” he twisted her nipples. Waves of pain crashed through all her defenses but it was the resulting orgasm and blessed relief that caused her to arch off the bed. Only his arms kept her safe.
* * * * *
Kytar sipped his drink and wondered whether he’d survive Marissa’s training. He couldn’t get her out of his head as he remembered yesterday’s responses. He ached to ram his cock deep within her. She’d already begged him to do it. Her responses inflamed him to the point where control was difficult, if not impossible. He prided himself on his control, but Marissa was proving just how false that pride was. The challenge ritual was aptly named, he thought with a grimace. But he couldn’t afford to lose control. If his control went, he’d lose her.
He looked up as Talcor entered the study.
“Thanks for coming,” Kytar said.
“What’s the problem? I didn’t expect a call so soon.”
Kytar tossed back his drink and moved to pour another. “Drink?”
Talcor shook his head.
Kytar sank into a chair. “I used nipple clamps on her yesterday and nearly lost control.” He stated in a flat voice, ignoring Talcor’s start of surprise. “She’s incredibly responsive. She passed out after repeated arousals and climaxed from a simple touch. I’m afraid of what’s going to happen when I teach her the lash or breach her ass.”
Talcor stared at Kytar for a moment, stunned by his admission. No man on Darinth willingly admitted that a woman made him lose control. He’d never known Kytar to lose control. Shaking off his amazement, he took a deep breath and straightened up. “How can my family help?” Talcor spoke the ritualized phrase.
“I need a guard. Will you watch so I don’t go too far?”
Talcor hesitated. To be a guard during the woman’s training meant that he would watch Kytar instruct Marissa. Kytar would be free to extend his actions because Talcor would make sure the training did not break the woman. And that Kytar didn’t penetrate her. If Kytar lost control, he might die when the bonds broke. Although Darinthian women believed the challenge was a test of the binding, it really tested a male’s control.
Talcor’s job included stopping Kytar from going too far. Marissa had to enter the ritual unbreached between collaring and the end of the ritual. Talcor had seen vids of training from long ago. There weren’t any other living guards. It had been too long since the last unbinding ritual. The women of Darinth willingly submitted before a male
got too carried away. This off-worlder wouldn’t know enough to submit. She’d keep fighting while Kytar kept escalating.
Talcor could easily see how Kytar might go too far. But if Talcor agreed to guard them, he’d have to maintain his control. Not an easy task given Marissa’s beauty and the fact that training called to Talcor’s natural inclinations. He didn’t have Kytar’s aversion to causing a little pain. He liked dominance and control. He liked taming defiant women. The big question was whether or not he could respect the bond between Marissa and Kytar enough to act as guard? The situation would test his control every bit as much as it tested theirs.
Talcor thought about Pella, his current companion. Luckily, she shared his proclivities. But acting as guard would give him a dangerous edge, one she’d never seen before. In the past, she’d always risen to any challenge and even demanded more. He was the one who had pulled back. It had been a long time since he’d pushed her and consequently, their relationship had stagnated. Both knew he’d never offer her a collar. Still, she liked being with him and she definitely liked new games, especially games with an edge. He knew she’d be anxious to help him vent his arousals after his sessions with Kytar and Marissa. Talcor felt confident that Pella could and would take anything he demanded, that she’d keep his frustration within a manageable range and part of him eagerly anticipated the things he’d do to her and for her. He knew she could reach a new level, he just hadn’t been motivated enough to push her before. Now, he had incentive. Grinning in anticipation, he looked up at Kytar and said, “I’m honored you would ask. Of course I will act as guard.”
Kytar nodded with a flash of relief.
Talcor’s eyes narrowed as he thought about strategy. “I frightened Marissa, didn’t I? It was an intoxicating thing. I’m not surprised that this woman challenges your control. But having me as guard means we can use her fear, can’t we?”
Kytar grinned at Talcor. “We always did work well together. The first hurdle is that even after a mind-shattering orgasm, she still thinks she doesn’t need to submit to my will.”
Talcor shrugged. “Are you really surprised by that? She’s an off-worlder. She doesn’t understand that the binding only works with companions fated to be together. If she were not your other half, you could not have collared her. She denies the magic, doesn’t she?”
Kytar nodded and drained his drink. “You’re right, she doesn’t believe. Not yet, but she will.”
* * * * *
Marissa awoke alone in the bedroom. She slowly stretched her sore muscles. All of them were stiff, as if she’d suffered a beating. She’d never imagined arousal and release could be so all encompassing. How could any man control her responses so easily? His methods bordered on torture. She should be furious but she couldn’t deny the heavy ache in her pelvis. He aroused her and satisfied her, even if he did wreak havoc with her control or maybe because he did wreak havoc with it. She tried the idea on like a new item of clothing, then discarded it. She was just too confused to sort it out, she thought, walking in the bathroom.
She was in the bathtub, trying to soak out her aches when she heard the bedroom door crash open. Assuming it was Kytar, she screamed when Talcor entered the room.
He laughed as he strode over to her grabbed her arms, easily pulling her up from the tub. She tried to fight but her fists didn’t faze him. He simply grabbed both wrists in a large hand. Pulling the thong that held his hair, setting it free, he quickly bound her hands with it. Then he bent and slung her over his shoulder. She tried to squirm off. He smacked her hard, sending a flare of pain through her rump. “Behave yourself or I’ll teach you to behave.”
She stilled, frightened by his commanding intensity. Where was Kytar? Where was Talcor taking her? She cautiously lifted her head, trying to see they were going. Talcor ignored her small motion. But raising her head pushed her pelvis deeper into his shoulder. Her cunt ached in emptiness. She wanted it filled, but not by this man. Where was Kytar?
Before her anxiety could rise even more, Talcor strode into the room she’d nicknamed the dungeon. A quick motion tumbled her onto the table. He bound her arms before she’d recovered her breath. Moving down the table, he grabbed her ankles and spread her legs, binding them far apart. He trailed a hand up her leg and past her gaping pussy. He paused there a moment, tormenting Marissa with images of him violently entering her but he continued upward, finally harshly rubbing a hand over her nipples that were still bruised from yesterday.
“Beautiful,” he said but she wasn’t sure if he meant her breasts or the bruises that blossomed on them.
He smiled down at her and a chill of fear took the question out of her throat. He trailed a finger down the side of her face, pausing briefly at the corner of her lips. “Patience,” he said, then he turned and plunged the room into darkness as he left.
Marissa’s heart threatened to pound out of her chest. Where was Kytar? Didn’t he say he’d protect her? Where was he? She struggled with the bindings but couldn’t loosen them at all. She lay on the table like a virgin sacrifice with her legs spread, vulnerable and helpless. Her skin chilled as time passed. Where was Kytar? Wasn’t he coming? She hoped so. Talcor frightened her. He didn’t seem to have any thread of kindness in him. At least Kytar had moments of kindness.
She’d just closed her eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the darkness and calm herself, when she heard the door open. Talcor entered the room. He stood shadowed in the doorway for a moment, just watching her. Her heart raced and even in the dim light, she was unable to hide her fear. He smiled at her then stepped aside and flicked on the lights.
Kytar entered the room and Marissa sighed in relief. She believed he’d protect her from Talcor until she saw the blackness of his eyes. No, she screamed silently, frightened by his implacable face. He walked toward her and not one line of his face softened as her eyes pleaded with him.
He stood at the head of the table, looking down at her. “Are you ready to submit to me?” he asked.
Something in the way he stood or maybe the fact of Talcor’s presence against the wall caused her to hesitate rather than simply screaming out a no. After Talcor’s treatment, she accepted her father’s claims that Kytar had been kind.
Before she could respond to his question, he said, “You’ll learn not to hesitate.” He looked up at Talcor and nodded.
Talcor turned to the cabinet on the wall. Marissa’s heart nearly stopped as she realized Talcor picked up a crop. Carrying the crop, he walked over to Kytar and handed it to him.
Talcor stood motionless while Kytar said, “I claim you as mine. You are my companion. I own your body. I own your mind. I own your spirit. I claim you as mine. I train you now to show the world our commitment is real. The ritual will prove that you may not challenge our link.”
Talcor walked over to the side of the table. He held up nipple clamps. Dangling them in front of her eyes, a cruel smile broke across his face as he grabbed a breast. Hard fingers massaged her bruised breasts and Marissa arched off the table. And she opened her mouth to scream when he pulled her nipple out and attached a clamp but Talcor quickly grabbed her chin. “If you scream I’ll gag you. Be silent. Get used to subservience. Your companion owns your body and he wants you to accept whatever he demands. He asked me to teach you about pain…are you hurting yet?” He watched her eyes as he reached down and flicked her adorned nipple.
She couldn’t stop her sudden flinch.
“Good.”
The second clamp seemed to hurt even more. She arched off the table, unable to stifle a moan. Kytar placed a hand on her forehead, giving her a moment to regain her breath. Once her breathing evened, he looked up at Talcor and nodded. “Continue.”
Talcor pulled the restraints off her arms and legs. He caught Marissa’s hands as she moved to free her breasts. “No, you do not want to do that,” he said in a calm, reasonable voice that terrified her. Still holding her wrists in a tight, unbreakable grip, he pulled her upright and close. Her breasts pressed agains
t his hard chest and the bones in her wrist threatened to give way.
Gasping from the shock of his ruthless actions, she tried to cope but he gave her no chance to recover. Pulling a rope out of his pocket, he bound her wrists and hung her from a hook far above her.
Marissa pulled her arms, trying to lower them to ease the sharp, stinging pull in her nipples. This new position caused the clamps to bite deep. Her vision dimmed and she was afraid she’d faint. She threw a glance at Kytar, pleading for him to help. His harsh eyes met hers.
“You demanded this, little one. Remember that.”
Talcor grabbed her hair, forcing her head down toward the floor. “Lower your eyes,” he said in a chilling voice.
Marissa did, frightened by the fact Kytar refused to help her.
Talcor cupped her breasts in his large hands, massaging them for a moment before turning his back on her. He walked to the cupboard and pulled out a length of rope. Walking back toward her, his evil smile told her she wouldn’t like his next move. But she was helpless before the strength and determination of these two men.
Talcor circled the rope under her breasts, tight around her ribs until she couldn’t take a deep breath. Still smiling, he started humming as he circled the rope again and again, above and below her nipples until her breasts were bound, pointing straight out, topped by the clamp like a candle on a cake. She moaned, trying to make herself invisible as Talcor bent and licked each nipple. Leaving them wet and glistening, he nodded to Kytar.
“Are you ready to submit to my will?” Kytar’s eyes glittered like obsidian, unreadable and opaque.
“Don’t do this,” she whispered.
“You’ll learn not to fight my will.” Turning to Talcor, he said, “Take her to the wall.”
Talcor started back. Even his cruelty had limits. “Kytar—”
“Now!”
Talcor shrugged and ignoring Marissa’s feeble struggles, he lowered her arms and pulled her over to a wall. Shoving her against the rough stone, her breasts on fire, he grabbed an arm and pulled it high. The other arm quickly received the same treatment. He grabbed an ankle and Marissa tried to kick him, but his large hand held her immobile while he pulled her leg out. He quickly had both legs spread and bound. Marissa, pressed tight against the cold stone, shivered at the harsh touch against her nipples. She tried to lean back but couldn’t move.
