Blaze

by Christa Tomlinson

  BLAZE

  By

  Christa Tomlinson

  Torlina Press

  BLAZE

  Copyright © October 2019 Christa Tomlinson

  All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book only. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the prior permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

  Cover Design: Christa Tomlinson

  Published by

  Torlina Publishing

  PO Box 690832

  Houston, TX 77269

  This book is a work of fiction. References might be made to existing events or locations, but all names, characters and events are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is coincidental. All trademarked names are the property of their respective owners and no ownership claims are intended by the author.

  Warning

  This book contains sexually explicit scenes and graphic language that may be offensive to some readers. It is intended for adults as defined by the laws in your country. Please take care to store this story away from under-age readers.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  Chapter One

  D

  anny tapped a nervous beat onto the steering wheel with his thumbs as he turned into a small parking lot. The yellow glow of street lamps lit the night, moths drawn by the light flitting beneath them. This lot was unattended and several blocks down from where he planned to go. But cars weren’t allowed to park on the old cobblestone streets in this section of downtown St. Louis, and the lots closer to the club where he was headed were outrageously expensive.

  Since his used Altima wasn’t worth stealing, and he didn’t mind the walk, he should be okay parking this far away. Danny pulled into a spot near the front, and stepped out onto the cracked asphalt. After locking the car, he tucked the keys into his shimmery, iridescent blue fanny pack, zipped it up, and set off.

  Butterflies swooped and fluttered in Danny’s stomach as he walked. Tonight would hopefully be the start of a new and long-desired chapter in his life. He was about to check out one of the local BDSM clubs for the first time. After a year of researching and role-playing as a submissive online, he was ready to see the lifestyle up close and personal.

  He hoped he looked okay. He’d gone for what he’d jokingly labeled a soft BDSM look when choosing his outfit earlier that evening. A sheer white tank top with gold ribbons sewn on in a pattern that mimicked a chest harness, tight black booty shorts, and glittery-blue, ankle-low combat boots. His artists’ soul enjoyed color too much to go with the all black style he often saw in fetish pictures online. There was a cute little choker he’d wanted to add to his outfit, but worried that it might give off the impression he was already in a relationship, he’d chosen a short gold chain with a handcuff pendant instead.

  As Danny passed low brick buildings with their windows dark and doors locked for the night, he reassured himself that he would be fine. The D/s community was welcoming. No one would laugh at him for being a newbie. He hoped. It might have been helpful to bring a friend along but this was something he preferred to do on his own. He wanted to walk into The Stocks without worrying about making sure his friend was comfortable. Or worse, being judged by them. That would be too much stress for his first public foray into kink life.

  His head down, Danny focused on his footsteps, one foot in front of the other, determinedly taking him to the place where he’d finally connect with others who had the same interests as him. The streetlights reflected off the shine of his boots, the twinkling glitter making him smile despite his nerves. When the glitter abruptly dulled in sudden darkness, Danny looked up in surprise. The street light above him was out, and so were the next several, all the way until just before the club.

  Danny slowed his steps, coming to a stop before he went too far past the last functioning light. During the day this was a decent area, mostly commercial, with busy warehouses and small office buildings. But at night it was a little sketchy. The dark alleyways between the old brick buildings could hide any manner of miscreants. Danny looked to the other side of the street where streetlamps glowed, safely lighting the path forward. He considered crossing to the lit side, but felt silly being afraid of a dark street.

  Taking his courage in hand, he took several cautious steps forward into the darkness. Then up ahead, something crashed to the ground, the sound ringing out in the quiet night with a loud metallic bang. Startled at the noise, Danny stopped again. Abruptly deciding being silly and alive was better than stupidly brave and dead, he moved to cross to the other side of the street.

  But before he could step off the sidewalk, two men strolled out of the alleyway directly in front of him. Danny knew from their red vests they were trouble. Only members of the L Street Posse wore those vests. Both men were big, one bald, the other with long, sandy-red dreadlocks. His heart pounding, Danny took a step back. Then another. And another. The two punks stood there watching him with matching evil grins on their scarred and brutish faces, but neither pursued. Danny understood why when he bumped into a wall of solid muscle. He whipped around and came face to chest with a big, blonde woman, her pale hair tied in a top knot so tight, the strands looked like they were about to be ripped from her scalp.

  “Where you going, pretty boy?” she asked with a smug grin.

  Instinctively understanding that showing fear would make this situation worse, Danny tried to keep his voice firm and confident when he answered. “I don’t want any trouble.” He held his palms up and out to show they were empty, while wishing he had his pepper spray in hand. Too bad it was on his keychain, which was inside his fanny pack. He belatedly realized that had been a dumb mistake on his part.

  “And you won’t get any, as long as you hand over your wallet and phone,” she said.

  Swallowing hard past the thick knot of fear in his throat, Danny nodded. He reached down to open the fanny pack, but struggled with the zipper thanks to his shaking hands and refusal to take his eyes off the big blonde so that he could see what he was doing.

  “Let me help you with that.”

  Danny spun back around when one of the punks behind him spoke, shrinking away when the man pulled out a switch blade and flicked it open with a menacing snick. Danny stood there, his fight or flight reflex stuttering over what to do, leaving him frozen as a result. The dread-lock punk came closer, getting right up in Danny’s face to grab the fanny pack with his free hand. His bloodshot eyes stared into Danny’s as he sliced up with the knife, cutting the strap so that it fell away from Danny’s waist. The guy kept the blade open and tossed the fanny pack
to his buddy behind him.

  “See what he’s got in there.”

  Danny could have told him he didn’t have much. Phone, about thirty dollars in cash, his driver’s license, and his keys. The small bag wouldn’t hold much more than that.

  “Take whatever you want.”

  Knife Guy had broken their uncomfortable eye contact to watch his friend rummage through the fanny pack. Now he looked back at Danny with an appraising glance, running those bloodshot eyes from Danny’s face, over his chest, and down to his bare thighs. Disgust coated the back of Danny’s throat at the leering perusal, and he was suddenly very aware that his nipples were visible through the sheer tank.

  “Whatever we want?” Knife Guy asked in a voice as smooth and slimy as an oil slick.

  Danny should have kept his mouth shut. The ugly intent behind that tone was clear. He was now in more danger than only getting mugged. Thankfully, his fight or flight reflex finally made a decision, kicking his adrenaline into high gear. Danny turned, leaping off the curb into the street to take off running. His goal was the small diner a few buildings up on the other side of the street that looked to be open. His car was closer but since they had the keys, there was no point in trying to get to it.

  The Red Vests hooted and laughed as they gave chase. Their glee increased Danny’s terror, spurring him on to run faster, until his foot slipped on one of the unevenly rounded cobblestones. He lost his balance, flinging his hands out to brace his fall as the ground came rushing up to his face. One knee hit the cobblestone with a loud crack, and a bolt of pain exploded out from the point of impact. Ignoring the pain in his knee and palms, Danny shot back to his feet, ready to keep running. But the Red Vests had already surrounded him, continuously moving, circling him like sharks before the feeding frenzy.

  “Where you going, huh?” the bald one asked in a mockingly cheerful tone.

  “Yeah. You said we could have whatever we wanted.” The blonde behemoth put on a playful pout but the expression quickly changed, her mouth twisting into a cruel snarl. “And we want to play with you, pretty boy.”

  “Leave me alone!” Danny shouted. Terror and anger gave strength to his usually quiet voice, sending it booming throughout the night. He didn’t know how he was going to defend himself against three assailants, all bigger than him and armed with at least one knife, but he was damned sure going to try. Raising his fists, Danny got ready to swing at the first person who took a step toward him.

  Before anyone could make a move however, electricity hummed in the air around them. The hair on Danny’s arms rose just as a rush of air whooshed behind him. He turned, expecting to see the blonde woman coming at him. But she’d disappeared, her place in the circle empty. Danny whipped back around to the other two. They looked scared; their eyes wide.

  “It’s him,” Knife Guy whispered.

  “Fuck, man! We need to get out of here!” Baldie tugged at Knife Guy’s arm, clearly ready to make a run for it.

  “Calm down,” Knife Guy said as he shook off his friend. He scanned the darkness with narrowed eyes, looking for the new player on the scene. “There’s two of us.” He tossed that wicked-long blade back and forth between his gloved hands. “We can take him.”

  If Danny hadn’t still been scared out of his mind, he would have grinned at the punk’s mistaken belief. If it was who he thought it was, they absolutely could not take him. The three of them stood locked in their positions, the air tense and sharp as they waited. There was another rustle of air, then a ground shaking boom as a man dressed all in black landed in a crouch between Danny and the punks.

  Danny’s lips parted as he gasped in awe. It was him. The superhero. Blaze.

  He rose slowly, straightening to his full height, which had to be at least six foot three. A skin-tight suit clung to his muscular frame, the material stretched over wide shoulders and powerful thighs. There was enough light for Danny to make out the midnight blue logo on his chest, a B cut through by a jagged shard of lightning. His head, neck, and most of his face were covered by a cowled mask, leaving only the space from just beneath his nose down to his chin visible. Bright blue bolts of electricity started to crackle over his fists, dancing up and down his arms. He turned to face the two punks and raised a hand, beckoning them forward.

  “Let’s go.” He growled the arrogant taunt in a deep voice.

  Baldie dropped the fanny pack and charged at Blaze. Danny’s belongings spilled out into the street but he was too busy watching the ensuing fight to pick any of it up. Blaze moved fast as lightning, avoiding the flashing switch blade and shrugging off the few blows the two managed to land. His own fists struck with deadly precision. Body shot after body shot. An elbow to Knife Guy’s jaw. A booted kick to Baldie’s sternum. Baldie crumpled to the street, gasping and wheezing as the air punched out of his lungs from the explosive impact. He stayed down, whether it was because he knew he was beaten or he simply couldn’t move Danny didn’t know.

  But Knife Guy wasn’t as smart. He staggered on his feet but raised the knife high in the air. With a guttural yell, he charged at the hero. Blaze simply stood and watched him rush forward, his stillness a stark contrast to the punk’s messy scrambling. When Knife Guy reached him, Blaze effortlessly caught his raised arm and squeezed. A ball of bright blue power transferred from Blaze to Knife Guy, traveling down his arm. Knife Guy screamed, his body dancing against his will from the force of the electricity flowing through him. The knife fell to the ground, followed immediately after by its owner when Blaze released his hold.

  Blaze stared down at his defeated opponents, the blue glow over his fists slowly fading into darkness. He grabbed Knife Guy by the back of his vest, dragging him along as he stalked forward to grab Baldie in a similar manner. One by one, he heaved them up against the front wall of a small warehouse, his muscles flexing with every move. The two sat there with their heads lolling, groaning and coughing. It was extremely gratifying to Danny to see them shrink back in fear when Blaze crouched down in front of them.

  “You get one warning. Leave the L Street Posse. You won’t like what I do to you if I catch you on the streets wearing these vests again.”

  Baldie made his decision without hesitation. “Yeah, you got it.”

  “I’m out too,” Knife Guy said.

  They struggled out of their vests, Knife Guy removing his with one arm. Once they’d taken them off, they tossed them into the street in renouncement of the L Street Posse.

  “Good.” Blaze growled before he knocked their heads together.

  They slumped into each other, unconscious, and essentially leaving Danny alone with Blaze.

  His heart pounded as Blaze rose and approached him, although the reaction was no longer from fear. There were several superheroes in St. Louis. Danny had seen many of them, either on the news or in person if he happened to be in the right place at the right time. But Blaze was elusive, only fighting at night, never showing up when there was a crowd.

  He’d seen a few pictures of him but they were always grainy and blurry, since Blaze didn’t stop to pose. And no one had any idea what he looked like, thanks to the mask that hid so much of his face. Seeing Blaze for the first time up close, huge and powerful, looming over his own meager five foot five made the breath catch in Danny’s throat.

  “Thank you. I would have happily given them my money to get them to go away but things were about to get ugly.”

  Blaze bent down to pick up the fanny pack and its spilled contents. He tucked everything back into the bag and handed it over. “What are you doing out here alone at night?”

  The question was asked in a growl nearly as fierce as when he’d spoken to the L Street punks. It should have cowed Danny. But now that he was no longer in danger, a little of his sass came back. “You’re not about to victim blame me, are you?”

  “No. But safety should be your priority and this area isn’t safe.”

  “I was going to The Stocks. It’s right up the street from where I parked so I thou
ght it’d be all right.”

  “Inside that club isn’t much better than the streets outside. Try Club Decadence. Better parking, lighting, and security.”

  Danny knew of the upscale D/s club but their membership fee wasn’t something he could afford on his income as an emerging freelance artist. “Decadence is out of my price range.” He said the words without shame. Facts were facts.

  “Hmmm.”

  The sound could have meant anything. Danny couldn’t determine Blaze’s expression from what little he could see of his face, and he couldn’t read his eyes in the darkness and the shadow of his cowl. He couldn’t even determine their color.

  “Go home,” Blaze abruptly ordered. “Adrenaline drop is going to hit you soon. You need to be somewhere comfortable and familiar when it happens.”

  A small trill of excitement shivered through Danny at the directive to go home. Delivered in Blaze’s deep, growly voice, it sounded like a command a Dom would give to a submissive. He wanted that so much. To have it from Blaze would be... He bit his lip to hold back the undignified whimper that wanted to slip free at the thought of submitting to Blaze. “Uh…yeah. That makes sense. Thank you again.”

  Blaze nodded, the rest of him silent and still.

  With nothing else to say, Danny started back the way he’d come, staying on the lit side of the street. As he walked, he thought he felt eyes on him, watching his progress down the sidewalk. But that had to be wishful thinking. Blaze undoubtedly had lots of other superhero stuff to do. He wasn’t hanging around to make sure a rando mugging victim made it safely to his car. The man had more than likely already swooped off to stop the next crime. Danny turned and looked back over his shoulder anyway. There was nothing there, the street and sidewalks empty save for the punks slumped against the building, enjoying their Blaze sponsored naps.

  Danny reached his car, pressing the button on the key to unlock it as he had a hundred times before. Once inside, he secured his seat belt and started the ignition. But before he could put it in drive, his hands started shaking. He held them up, splaying them on the steering wheel. His stomach swirled with nauseous upset too.