It'll Be An Adventure (Masters of the Shadowlands #15)(35)
Author: Cherise Sinclair

When his warm hand stroked down her back and over her ass, she squeaked and jumped.

 

“Stay still, girl. Very still.” He touched her, caressing her shoulders and arms.

 

Oh, she wanted him to do more, and this certainly wasn’t how Dinah would feel. Coming around in front of her, he rubbed his knuckles over her tightly bunched nipples.

 

She flushed. Her girls were tiny and—

 

He ran a finger around each breast and murmured, “Adorable.”

 

Really? She swayed a little toward him.

 

He traced a line over her lips, and his mouth quirked. “This won’t do, my girl. You’re supposed to be afraid and repelled, not turned on,” he murmured.

 

Embarrassed, she closed her eyes.

 

His chuckle was low and deep as he took her hand and pressed it against his jeans—against a very hard bulge.

 

Oh.

 

“You’re not the only one aroused. But to give you the right experience for your book, I need someone else in here.” Fingers in her hair, he held her firmly as he ran a hand over her breast, sending pure carnal desire streaming through her.

 

Kissing her cheek, he whispered, “That was solely for my own pleasure.”

 

Stepping back, he pulled out his two-way radio and set the frequency. “A request.”

 

A woman’s voice answered. “Tabitha. Sir, how can I serve?”

 

“Can you locate Edward and Karl, please? If they’re not occupied, ask them to join Saxon in the dungeon.” Clipping the walkie-talkie to his belt, he put his hands on Murphy’s waist and lifted her onto the short platform. “Let’s get you strung up before the sadists arrive.”

 

“The what?”

 

His laugh was pure evil as he wrapped soft fleece around her wrists before shackling her. “Some members aren’t particularly interested in tending to submissives. They just like hurting people.”

 

Sadists? He was going to give her to sadists?

 

“Wait. I don’t know about—”

 

Turning her to face the wall, he looped the chain between the manacles over a hook high on the wall. Her arms were restrained over her head. Turning her face, she rested her cheek on the cold stones, spotting more hooks running along the wall at various heights.

 

A dungeon indeed.

 

After wrapping then manacling her ankles, Saxon pulled her legs wide apart before attaching the chains to eyehooks low on the wall. “There, you’re all set. Stay put for a bit, eh?”

 

If her legs had been free, she’d have kicked him for the amusement in his voice.

 

She heard the soft scuff of his boots on the floor then men’s voices in quiet conversation. Her breathing quickened. And it sure wasn’t from arousal any longer.

 

Turning her head from side to side, she realized she couldn’t see who he was talking to. Not with her arms raised and blocking her field of vision. At least her feet were firmly planted on the platform rather than her wrists having to take her weight…but still. Her naked breasts were pressed against rough, cold stones.

 

And her legs were wide open. That was even scarier. Testing the restraints, she found she could move her butt only a few inches from side to side.

 

“Very nice, Saxon. I like it when they can wiggle a little without getting away.” The soft voice coming from behind her held a terrifying edge.

 

Cold ran right down her spine.

 

“She’s got pretty skin.” That was a different voice. Rougher. Deeper. “Should mark up nice. I want to use the birch rod, Edward.” The hand that swept down her back was heavily callused, almost abrasive. When he reached around and palmed her breast, she gasped. He wasn’t gentle, squeezing painfully. “After I get warmed up, maybe I’ll turn her around and slice up these little bits.” He pinched her nipple hard.

 

The way he talked about her was…indifferent. He didn’t care about her at all or how she felt.

 

The terrifying knowledge settled into her.

 

The memory of the assault in the Capture Gardens hit, and her breathing went all funny. But they weren’t alone. There were others around.

 

It’s not the same as with Aaron. It’s not. She pulled in a breath. And Saxon is here. He’ll stop them before…

 

He would, wouldn’t he?

 

“So clumsy bitch. You’re gonna take what we give you,” the soft-voiced one said, “and you’re gonna scream. I like noise.”

 

Someone cleared his throat. Saxon.

 

The rough-voiced one spat out, “Safeword is red.”

 

He…he didn’t want her to use it. She could hear it in his voice. Would he even stop?

 

A hand gripped her hair. Her head was yanked back. “There won’t be any warmup for you. No sexy times,” the softer-voiced man said. “Just pain.”

 

He said the word as if he liked the taste of it on his tongue.

 

Oh god, oh god. She felt him using a clip to secure her loose hair on top of her head, up and out of the way.

 

And then, something sliced across her shoulders in a long rolling sting.

 

OWWW!

 

Before she could even catch her breath, there was another and another, crisscrossing her back, leaving behind lines of fire.

 

She groaned.

 

The whipping—because it was a whip—stopped for a moment.

 

Saxon appeared in her field of vision. “I prefer you don’t damage my servant, Edward,” he said coldly. But his eyes were a warm blue as he studied her face. And he lifted his eyebrows as if to remind her she could use her safeword.

 

As the shocking pain receded, the pure panic she’d felt eased up, as well. But she would remember the emotion, would know how to describe it now.

 

Okay. She was okay. And needed to know more. She nodded at him. Continue.

 

He tilted his head in acceptance and stepped out of sight.

 

A horrible cracking sound made her jump and squeak, then another fiery burn traced across her back.

 

A scream escaped before she bit it off.

 

“Lovely,” the soft-voiced sadist said. “One more just for my enjoyment.”

 

Another cracking sound and another line stung her shoulders like someone had dropped a burning rope on her back.