The world tilted beneath my feet. My Monster had me in the air and he tossed me over his shoulder.
“What the hell has gotten into you?”
I pummeled his back and would have used both hands, but one arm was yanked up, or down, cuffed to him. My hair spilled over my head and got in my mouth. I spit it out and beat at his back as he took the stairs. Men moved around me as My Monster maneuvered down a narrow aisle.
Everything tilted again as he lifted me off his shoulder and deposited me in a seat. I scrambled up, determined to run out the door, but the yank of my arm arrested my flight. And the door to freedom closed with a solid thunk of finality.
“Josh, we need to sedate her.” Chambers’ voice echoed in the small space.
No! I didn’t want to be sedated. I needed to fight.
“Yes, I understand.”
Something sharp pricked my skin. As a fog lowered over my consciousness, I clung to one thought. My Monster had a name.
Josh.
Chapter 31
Any slave coming to Xavier’s private island had to come in blind; his rules, not mine. Either I put a hood over Clara or knock her out an hour before landing. Knowing what I would soon do to her, the idea of hooding her pissed me off.
Something inside of her snapped during the walk out to the plane. She kicked and screamed her head off. Chambers pulled out a syringe meant to drug her, and I gave a nod.
There was little chance of her getting free, but we couldn’t risk a scene on the tarmac. I had the girl literally locked to my wrist, but damn. What came over her? Not that I blamed her. She had no idea what I had planned, but I saw it in her eyes.
The fear.
The distrust.
The sinking terror.
You did that to her, you asshole.
Oh, I knew that. Perhaps I should have given her some kind of reassurance. All she had wanted to know was whether I planned on letting others hurt her. Couldn’t I give her that?
I wish I could have.
You could have, asshole!
I can’t make that promise!
Arguing with myself made no sense. In truth, there was no way in hell anyone would touch her, not if I could prevent it.
After gently lowering her unconscious form into a seat, I released myself from the handcuffs joining us and locked her in, snapping the metal around the chair supports. I settled in beside her and took her fragile hand in mine, checking to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.
“I’m sorry, my sweet Clara.” I kept my voice low, certain the others couldn’t hear. Her head lolled to the side, and I repositioned her so that she leaned against me and my shoulder supported her head. The jet took off, and we headed to an uncertain future.
Once we got to altitude, I unbuckled and joined Chambers and his men at the front of the plane.
“How is Miss Clara?” Chambers twisted in his seat to get a look at her.
“Out.” I propped my arms on the back of the seat rests. “How long will that last?”
“Not long.” Mel, the gruff one of the bunch, picked at his cuticles.
I didn’t appreciate the non-answer and looked to Chambers.
“I take it you do this often?”
Chad, the one with the good-ole-boy look, huffed a laugh. All four men looked to be ex-military, and I had a sense they were former Seals, Delta operatives, Green Berets, or some such shit. Their bodies were all the same, whipcord strong and built to destroy.
I didn’t have their training, but I bet I could take any one of them out. My skills had been honed to perfection inside a Thai jail and exercised against my enemies inside the Georgia State Penitentiary.
“Not that often,” Chad said, “but this ain’t our first rodeo.”
“I’m surprised Xavier uses his private plane for slave transport.”
Mel gave me the eye. “He doesn’t.”
Clara woke a short time later, and I went to her, needing to soothe her fears even if I was the cause of them.
“How are you feeling?” I rubbed her hand and undid the cuffs locking her in place. “Do you need to use the restroom?”
Her bleary eyes blinked slowly and it seemed to take a moment for her to figure out where she was.
“I’m scared.” She wrapped her arms around herself, giving herself the hug I should have given to reassure her, but I was not her protector, at least not in the way she thought.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
She choked back a sob and wiped at her cheeks. “I’m…I’m sorry for reacting like that.” Her attention cut to the four large men sitting toward the front of the cabin. “Please don’t punish me.” She rubbed at her wrists and didn’t make eye contact with me.
Gently, I brushed the hair back from her face. I wanted to lean in and kiss away her fears, but as I closed the distance between us, she recoiled. I dropped my hand, giving her what space I could.
“No, my sweet Clara, there will be no punishment.”
She bit at her lower lip. “Why? After everything, that surely falls outside your rules of how a slave should behave.”
“I’m giving you a pass.” I couldn’t bear to punish her, besides there was no need. Marks littered her skin, more than enough to be convincing.
Of course, if I reeled Zane Carson in as expected, we would have to repeat the process. The thought of harming her again made my stomach revolt, and I turned away to hide my disgust.
“We’re about an hour out. I suggest you make use of the facilities now. When we get closer, you have a decision to make.”
“I do?” Tears shimmered in her eyes.
“You’re not allowed to see where we’re landing. You may wear a hood or we can put you out again.”
Her eyes widened and her gaze cut back to the men.
“I don’t want you to knock me out. I don’t like how it makes me feel.”
I cringed, realizing too late, how she might feel with the drug in her system. She hated how the heroin took away her ability to control herself. It’s something I should have considered when giving a sedative.
“Very well, but Clara, the hood stays in place.”
“Yes, Sir.” She gulped and bit at her lower lip.
“If you consent to having your hands bound behind your back, we can do the hood.”
“Why behind my back?” Her brows pinched together.
“Because we can’t risk you removing the hood.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“You also wouldn’t scream bloody murder on the tarmac, but that happened.”
“I don’t know what came over me.” She hung her head, almost as if she were ashamed of her reaction.
“I do.”
She peeked up and we shared an intimate moment. No words passed in the space between us, but we said the important things. She was sorry. I forgave her. And most importantly, I begged forgiveness. She should never have been in this situation to begin with. I was a monster. Hers, or otherwise, it didn’t matter.
I was a horrible person.
Finally, she bowed her head. “It won’t happen again.”
“I know.”
Her reaction to run had been instinctual and not something she could control. I’d like to say we were done with this, but I would use her instinct for self-preservation intentionally against her before this day ended.
“I’d like to stretch my legs.” Her voice sounded incredibly small, and the way she curled in on herself revealed how close she was to complete defeat.
I did that. I ruined this beautiful woman.
I backed into the aisle, blocking her from the front of the plane, and the men who sat as far from her as possible in the confined space. Chambers and his men grasped the delicate role Clara played with sensitive deference. As she headed to the lavatory, I pinched the bridge of my nose and turned to Chambers.
“Is everything ready for tonight?”
Chambers gave a slow nod. “Yes, the others have arrived.”
<
br /> “At least we aren’t going to drag out the unpleasantness.”
“No, sir.”
Clara returned and took her seat. There were other places for me to sit, but damn if I didn’t need to feel her close to me. She leaned against the bulkhead and placed her fingers on the window while I settled in beside her. Our shoulders touched, but nothing else.
We soared over white puffy clouds and into a turbulent future.
“Do you ever wish you could fly?” She settled back with a sigh.
“I think everyone does, but honestly, not since I was a kid.”
“I read a book once, a fantasy novel, about a group of adventurers who climbed up rainbows and walked in the clouds. It was amazing, at least until the clouds started to disappear beneath their feet.”
My heart staggered. It couldn’t be. “You’re a Xanth fan?”
The dark sweep of her eyelashes fluttered over the high crest of her cheekbones. Her beauty never ceased to amaze me, but it was the tiny connections we shared which took my breath away.
“You’re familiar with it?” she asked.
“I’ve read the entire series. Piers Anthony is one of my favorite authors.”
“It’s been years, but someday I’d like to read them again. I love his punny humor.”
“I agree.” We settled in after that, talking about punny jokes and themes which ran through the fantasy novel series about the magical land of Xanth.
For a time, things almost felt normal between us, two people talking about the things they loved.
Chambers approached to offer us beverages and a light snack and to mention we would be landing soon. We needed to refuel.
When the plane nosed down, Clara tensed. She gripped her arm and covered the tiny red pinprick where Chambers had injected her with the sedative before we took off.
“This is just a stop to refuel.” I tried to reassure her by placing my hand over hers. She flinched but didn’t pull away. “We have much farther to go.”
“I don’t want more drugs. Please, promise me no more drugs.”
Never make a promise you can’t keep.
My father may have been a monster, but he hammered in a few truths to his boys. I had no business promising anything, but the fear swimming in her eyes forced the words from my mouth.
“I promise.” Taking her hand, I lifted the backs of her knuckles to my lips and sealed my promise with a kiss.
“Thank you.”
“We never finished that book.” I pulled out my e-reader. “We have time if you want to try and see who dunnit?”
Her eyes brightened. “Thank you, I would like that.”
The face of the e-reader glowed as it powered up. Finding the place where we left off, I cleared my throat and began to read.
It turned out we were both wrong about who the murderer was. Clara’s eyes grew heavy as I finished the book. She leaned against my shoulder and drifted off to sleep. Her hand rested in mine. Her features softened in sleep and her soft breaths fluttered past my ear. I could hold her like this forever.
Up here, flying above the clouds, I found my version of heaven.
“Excuse me.” Chambers spoke softly to avoid waking Clara.
“Yes?” I whispered.
“It’s almost time.”
“We’re more than an hour out.”
“Yes, but if she looks outside, she’ll see too much.” Chambers leaned across our seats and lowered the screen to the window, sealing out the view outside. Mel and the others moved quietly around the cabin, closing all the shades. The interior dimmed and I inwardly groaned.
“No drugs. Where’s the hood?”
The idea of placing a hood over her head was about as appealing as injecting her with another sedative. But, for her safety, it had to be done.
Chambers pulled out a silk hood from his pocket and handed it to me. “With the windows closed, you can wait until we land.” He seemed to understand my reluctance.
“Thank you.”
Twenty minutes later, the airplane angled down. Clara spent the entire time snuggled against my body, blissfully unaware of what waited for her at Xavier’s estate. I tried to convince myself everything would be okay, but I knew this would scar her for life.
The slight bouncing of the plane as the wheels touched down woke Clara. She gave a start and looked around. Her hand went to the screen covering the window, an automatic reaction, but I gripped her wrist.
“You’re not allowed to see outside.”
All resistance melted away and her hand dropped into her lap.
“Are you going to drug me now?”
“You asked that I don’t, but the alternative is the hood.”
She gave a sharp nod and bit at her lower lip.
“We’ll put it on once we come to a stop.” I pulled out a length of silk rope. “And I need to bind your hands.”
The cuffs had left deep gouges on her wrist and cut her skin when she tried to run. There was no way I would use them again. Besides, I’d learned a lot about rope in the past couple of weeks and developed a keen fascination for it along the way.
My interest might even rival my sadistic tendencies, and I found myself much more aroused tying Clara up than when I struck her flesh.
I actually lost my erection several times when I marked her for our upcoming performance. She didn’t process pain well, therefore I derived zero pleasure from it.
When I tied her in rope, however, something transformative happened. Our bodies synched within the intimacy of rope, binding us together as one. Or, so I wished to believe.
As soon as we were allowed to get up, I gestured for Clara to stand.
“Turn around.”
She complied immediately. Standing with her back to me, I ran my hands up and down her arms while I wove a complex, and artistic web.
The sweep of my fingers across her skin raised goose bumps on her arms. Her breathing settled into the intimate rhythm which bound us together while my cock hardened with an insatiable need I would never slake.
When I placed the hood over her head, her entire body trembled, but then she took in a breath and rolled her shoulders back. The strength of this woman never ceased to amaze me. She prepared to face the unknown with nothing but the determination to endure whatever I threw at her.
“Come.” I turned her around, lowered the hood over her head, and gently guided her out of the plane.
Chapter 32
My steps faltered as he spun me around. I listened as he sidestepped out of the aisle, acutely aware of every sound. He guided me ahead of him, his touch nearly reverent.
The movements of the other men reached my ears as they opened the airplane door, lowered a set of stairs, and one by one exited. I saw none of this, but with sight denied me, I filled in all the details as I struggled to form a mental image of the world around me.
A blast of sweltering humidity surged into my lungs. A light breeze blew, bringing tropical aromas flooding my senses, and the faintest whiff of salt lingered in the air.
We were no longer in snow covered mountains. This was a paradise, an island or coastline, but where had My Monster taken me?
He guided me from behind, keeping a firm grip on my arms. A gentle tug pulled me to a stop at what I assumed was the door leading out of the plane. Someone came up the stairs.
“I’m going to help you down, Miss Clara.” Chambers’ voice floated to my ears. His broad hands gripped my waist, and I imagined he faced me. From the direction of his voice, he stood a step or two below me. “Now, take a step down. I have you. You’re safe.”
I was anything but safe, but there was nothing I could do. I couldn’t run, not with my arms bound behind my back, or a hood secured over my face. Being helpless frustrated me, not that this was any different from being locked in a room for over a month.
But it damn well felt different. More ominous. More real. Terrifying even.
It felt evil.
Chambers guided me down the stairs, steadying me wit
h his sturdy grip as I took each step. There were seven steps in all, and I stumbled at the bottom, expecting another step, but I was on the ground. I was out of the plane and headed toward what? What fate awaited me here?
With great difficulty, I refused to go down the dark paths my imagination conjured. I had to trust My Monster. I had to believe there was something within him that would keep me safe. There was a protectiveness about him toward me. The way he acted around others told me this had to be true.
Pressure against my back reconnected me with My Monster.
His name is Josh!
Yes, but calling him Josh felt too intimate. For weeks, I’d been held captive by a man who never once shared his name with me. He was either Sir or My Monster. To grant him the privilege of a name felt wrong, and I wasn’t ready to do that.
Heat blasted me from all sides, but it was worse coming off the pavement. I imagined a black tarmac baking beneath a tropical sun. It radiated heat back at me, wielding it as a weapon as if to say You are not welcome here.
Perspiration beaded my brow and upper lip. Sweat slowly trickled down…well, everywhere. I staggered in the stifling heat, made all the worse because of the hood they forced me to wear.
When Chambers and My Monster guided me into the air-conditioned luxury of a vehicle, I breathed in the soothing relief. I sat between them, bracketed by their large bodies, completely captive and utterly alone in the world.
The car bumped along as we traveled uneven roads. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as the road surface changed, then we were turning and circling around to a stop. I waited, gulping in deep, calming breaths, while My Monster exited the vehicle and helped me out.
Heat and humidity blasted me, covering my entire body in a sheen of perspiration. Sweat trickled down my back and ran between my breasts. Up a shallow set of stairs, across a level area, hinges groaned in front of me. A rush of cold air spilled over me as I was ushered inside.
Behind me, the doors closed with a solid thunk and sealed me in. I swallowed down my fear. There was nothing I could do. Nothing I could control.
That’s not true.
That voice in my head hinted at something I couldn’t comprehend. I was too tired to argue with myself and let it go. While I had slept on the airplane, I felt anything but rested. Intense fatigue pulled at me, and all I wanted was to get whatever this was done and over with.
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