She tried to calm her deep shuddering breaths as she stood behind the solid metal door, a thick wooden candlestick grasped in her trembling hands high above her head.
Knowing what she knew now, that he planned to plant his seed in her belly and use her to lure her father from his hiding place, she had only one choice: she had to escape him.
She had given up on attempting to pry the lock on the window with a small spoon left by a careless servant, knowing it to be useless. There was no way she could climb down the smooth stone walls of the tower to safety below, and even if she could, there was a little chance of doing so undetected. Instead she had turned her thoughts to the servants. There were two, an old woman in the morning and midday, and a young boy in the evening. While the boy would be physically harder to overcome, he was her best option. A woman, even a servant, seen leaving the house at all hours would invite too many questions.
So as the sky darkened, she waited anxiously behind the door. Finally she heard the latch being drawn back, and knew the time had come.
Her heart leapt into her throat as the door creaked open, and a platter of food appeared around the edge of the door. She waited for the boy to lean down and leave her meal on the small stand inside the door as he usually did, his unsuspecting back facing the chamber and her. It was then she intended to strike.
Only it wasn’t a servant that kicked the door shut with a large booted foot, whose burning amber eyes narrowed dangerously as they caught sight of her, naked and trembling, her makeshift weapon held high above her head. She froze where she stood, her turbulent moss green eyes widening in dread.
Carefully he turned and placed the platter on the stand, and she fearfully clutched the candlestick to her chest. When he slowly turned back to face her, he pried the candlestick easily from her stiff fingers and threw it carelessly to the floor as he towered dangerously above her. Silence stretched between them as he gazed down at her, his amber eyes fierce as they roved over her possessively.
She gasped as he lifted her, tossing her over his shoulder as though she weighed nothing, her long scarlet mane cascading down to his ankles, her secret pink flesh and creamy buttocks high in the air. He carried her down the endlessly winding stone steps in taut silence. Past the gaping men-at-arms on sentry duty, through the kitchens filled with curious servants. None dared question their lord and master.
She felt the tears of humiliation trickle into her hair as she swayed with his movement, feeling dizziness wash over her with each jarring step. It seemed an eternity had passed before he came to a halt in front of a solid metal door. She heard the scrape of the key as he jostled it in the lock, then saw him drive the door open with his foot.
She caught sight of a narrow set of stairs before he kicked the door shut behind them, rendering them in complete darkness. He slowly made his way down a series of steps, using his shoulder to guide him.
A muffled sob escaped her as his steps leveled out. His movements were slow and purposeful, as if following a map in his head. She cried out as he lifted her down off of his shoulder, placing her bottom on a ledge or table of some sort. The coolness of the stone was shocking against her heated pink flesh.
She sensed his large frame stirring the air around her as he moved, until she heard his tread on the stone steps. He was leaving her!
“Please don’t leave me,” she sobbed.
“Silence, little one.”
She heard the door open and close, the sounds a booming echo in the complete darkness. Was this the dungeon? Did he intend to leave her here to die? Horrible thoughts chased through their mind at what could be her fate. He was an animal, a brute!
She almost cried out in relief when she heard his return a short time later, and she wiped the wetness from her cheeks as he appeared in an entrance to what seemed to be a small chamber, bearing a torch. As he moved further into the room, the dim light pushed back the dark shadows, and her fear returned in full force.
She had never felt so terrified in her entire life as her wide green eyes took in the windowless stone chamber. Long polished weapons, whips and manacles lined the far wall, hooks hung from the low ceiling and along the wall. Her breath strangled in her throat and her terrified eyes flew to his.
“Oh, no,” she gasped, and she began to scrabble back on what she now realised was a long wide table with metal cuffs at each corner, trying to put as much distance between them as she could. “Please…”
He didn’t pay her any heed as he rested the torch in its metal bracket along the wall, then moved to stand before the implements on the far wall, legs spread, hands on hips. She watched as he picked up leather bracelets consideringly, a small long narrow paddle, and what looked like a black woollen scarf, before turning to face her, his expression breathtaking.
“Come here,” he commanded, sending icicles of fear and something else trickling down her spine.
When she didn’t move, her limbs frozen in fear, he strode across to her, tossing the items onto the table before clasping her firmly by the upper arms as she tried to scuttle out of reach. She gasped as he lifted her completely off the table, bringing her hard up against his muscular chest.
“The more you fight me, the harder it will be on you,” he warned against her ear.
One large palm slid down over the tender swell of her belly to delve in the ruby curls at the apex of her thighs. “This belongs to me. You belong to me. Never question this.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead before reaching for the leather bracelets with one hand. Moving slightly back from her, he clasped a leather cuff around her fragile wrist, pulling it firm. Then he caught her other wrist and wrapped the matching cuff around it. A short thick strap of leather connected the bracelets.
Tears trailed down her cheeks, even as she felt a trickle of warmth between her thighs. She was truly wicked!
He was impervious to her tears as he raised her wrists above her head, looping the leather strap over some sort of hook so that she stood on the balls of her feet. To her further horror he then tied the scarf over her eyes, turning the world pitch black.
“Please,” she begged, tugging against her restraints to no avail. She knew what a sight she must make, standing before him naked and vulnerable, her small breasts forced into prominence by her up-stretched arms.
“Shh,” he said, as he gently kissed her trembling lips salty with tears. “I cannot let your continued defiance against me go unpunished.” She shivered as his finger traced a rosy areola, cringing as it puckered beneath his touch.
“It is not my wish to punish you now, today, but your actions have brought it upon yourself.” His fingers found its mate, teasing it until it peaked. “But know this: I intend to banish any thoughts of leaving me from your mind.”
He withdrew from her then, and she tried to listen as he moved around her. Then she screamed as a sharp explosion of pain radiated through her buttocks, and her whole body arched. She sagged with relief in her bonds as a gentle hand kneaded the sore flesh, before falling away. This time she heard the swish of air before the paddle landed on her other cheek, and she jerked in her restraints as she screamed, whimpering as she felt the warm palm return. He continued this pattern, the paddle forcing her hips forward with each humiliating blow, causing her to dance on her toes as she writhed in her bonds.
