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by Alison Aimes
It dawned on her then how much the Skolov head was risking to make this deal with her.
“Plus,” he continued, “it is for her safety as well. If my plan succeeds and Olan is found guilty, the Brotherhood will seek to hunt down the entire Lundin bloodline, including her. We need to be sure they never find her.”
Dahlia’s mind spun. Both at the brilliance of his plan and its cost for her.
To never see her sister again. It felt like a death.
She’d been willing to accept her own but never imagined she might be the one alive to mourn her sister.
Plus, if she agreed, if she promised never to risk herself again so that her sister could be free, she would be shutting the door on any chance of escape for herself. Death would no longer be a way out.
It truly would be her life for her sister’s.
“Your chance for freedom ended fifteen years ago. Your fate set the moment we met.” It was as if he knew her thoughts, and while his expression was as uncompromising as ever, his tone was gentler than expected. “At least this way, your sister will be free.”
Vision once more blurred, she raised her gaze to his. “Y-you will make sure she is safe?”
“I will.”
She turned away, the cuff digging into her skin as she stared at the blinking monitor lights, her heart tearing in two. Was he right? Were her dreams of freedom doomed from the start?
“In return, you will keep your word to me.” He hovered nearby. So close he could almost touch her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hand extend.
She held her breath, the urge to be sheltered in his arms almost more than she could bear. She felt so lost and afraid—and for some insane reason, her body clamored to be held and soothed by the same male who had caused the sensations in the first place.
But he was not her savior or her anchor.
He was her Alpha. She was his property. She was alone and going to be more so once she agreed to a deal that would be the end of her dreams.
Clutching the fur pelt to her chest, she nodded. She couldn’t bring herself to speak.
His hand dropped to his side. “Sometimes giving up old dreams means new ones can flourish.”
Her tears came faster.
Kaiya, her beautiful sister. She’d held her as a baby. Rocked her to sleep and sung to her when she was awake. Their mother was not especially maternal, and so much of Tasha’s time had been spent dealing with Olan, pacifying Olan, obeying Olan, traveling with Olan, and keeping up appearances so the Lundin line would remain strong. She hadn’t been around much for either of her daughters, so it had been Dahlia who’d been there for Kaiya’s first steps and her first tears. Who’d whispered into her little sister’s tiny ear about escape with their mother to another galaxy, where they could become a real family. Who’d vowed she’d find a way for them to be free.
At least one of them would.
Thanks to a male who would now be her jailer forever. How ironic was that?
“I want a spoken answer, omega.” The command in the Alpha’s voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Her reaction sparked her anger and kept her from shattering. She faced him head-on once more. “I will keep my word.”
He nodded. “Then the deal is done. Your sister will be safe. From Olan and from me.”
She blew out a breath, sinking back into her cot.
She should be thrilled. She was thrilled. But the grief was also a heavy weight on her chest, so dense she could barely breathe through it.
Skolov eyed her as if she’d sprouted horns like his. “You are confusing as hells. I thought you would be pleased.”
Her laughter caught her by surprise.
Him, too, if the way he froze was an indicator.
“I am pleased for my sister, but sad, too.” Her chin tilted up. “And if there’s anything to your doctor’s theory, I cannot afford to be happy anyway—because while my sister is safe, my mother is still in danger from your plans for me. Do not think I have forgotten that for a heartbeat.”
For an instant, he seemed almost surprised by her words, then his lips titled upward. “Such defiance. Nothing keeps you down for long.” He leaned in, his mouth brushing over her ear, sending fevered pleasure rippling to her core. “I will deal with that soon enough.”
She stifled a whimper.
He pushed away from the cot. “You need to rest, and I will fuck you if I stay.” He eyed the broken crystal and dirt. “I’ll send someone to clean that up right away.”
He was back to brusque.
She didn’t like it. “I’m not weak, you know.”
Heat flared in his eyes. “You’re the fucking strongest, most stubborn female I’ve met.”
She fell back against the mattress. He’d said similar words before about her.
Out of nowhere, a soft purr erupted.
Her gaze went wide.
His narrowed. “You like . . . insults?”
Warmth flared across her cheeks. “Of course not.” She pulled the blanket that had fallen halfway off the cot back onto her and wrapped it tighter around her like a shield. “No one has said something like that about me before but you. It took me by surprise.”
He scowled.
She tipped her chin and returned his stare.
Red flashed in his stare. The rut. But he shook his head and took a step back. “Rest.” The word was a low rumble, thick with lust and dominance. “You will need it.”
Her heart beat fast.
He pointed toward another package wrapped in shiny tissue paper. “Those are clothes for you.” He held up his hand as if he expected her to comment. “Yes, I know your size. From the same spies and the same files.” He shrugged. “I’m shit at picking out a female’s clothes, but Anya assured me these would be good.”
Another warm glow, larger than before. Actual clothes. She stifled any chance of a betraying purr before it could emerge.
“Servants will be in to help you into them.”
“And my wrist? Can the manacle be removed? I have given you my word.”
“It will be removed once your punishment is complete.” His tone was absolute. “Be very happy that is the only restraint on you at the moment.”
Despite herself, her pussy clenched, slick wetting her folds. She already knew how much her body liked his attempts to discipline her. Moreover, she was feeling so lost and tired, the idea of his heavy weight pressing her into the mattress and taking away her choice was almost appealing. She wanted to float in a sea of oblivion. To go numb and remain there forever.
With a growl, he seized her chin and tilted her face to his. “If I thought for one heartbeat this resignation and subdued acceptance would last, I’d almost be smug. But I know you better than you know yourself, little omega warrior.”
She startled, shocked at his description of her.
“You will be ready to fight again soon—and so will I.” He rubbed his thumb against her lower lip. “Tangling with you is almost as satisfying as proving the victor.”
He turned and left before she could say another word.
The worst part? There was a horrifyingly big part of her suddenly primed for a fight and already desperate for his return.
17
Four fucking rotations.
Four fucking rotations of listening to the doctor report on his omega’s progress while the scent of her clung to the bastard’s lab coat and Nikolai had to fight the urge not to kill the beta because he got to be in her presence and Nikolai didn’t.
Four rotations of waiting while he and his brothers failed to find the money trail linking Olan to the recent hits or identify who Olan had hired to help him since they damn well knew he wasn’t clever enough to hide the transactions himself.
Four rotations of pretending to listen to Maxheim, Alexi, and Damien discuss business while the links of the omega’s necklace dug into his thumb, and his cock pressed against the seam of his pants so hard he was sure there would be permanent lace marks
.
Four rotations of waking up roaring his omega’s name, covered in sweat, plagued by nightmares where this time he didn’t reach her before her heart stopped for good and her body stayed lifeless and cold as ice in his arms, her eyes empty and unblinking.
Finally, though, the doc had given him the all clear.
Nikolai reached the eight hand-picked guards at her door, their faces covered in masks that blocked out the scent of his female. Overkill, maybe. But he wasn’t taking any chances. “Leave.”
They disappeared down the hall without a word.
He shoved open the door—and forgot how his lungs worked.
His omega stiffened in the bed, the hairbrush she’d been using freezing in mid stroke.
Her hair shimmered while red silk clung to every curve, showcased to perfection in a soft fabric of crisscrossed strips and a plunging neckline, the bands at her wrist and throat shimmering like a golden collar and cuffs. And then there was the bright silver manacle restraining her to the bed.
He wanted to stare at her forever. He wanted to rip the dress right off her.
“Who the fuck gave you that to wear?” He’d tear the doctor’s eyes out for seeing her like that.
Her eyes went wider. “You did.” She pointed to the package wrappings he’d left by her beside four rotations past. “They all look like this. I-I thought that was your choice.”
Damn Anya. That omega was far too wild for her own good, and almost as determined to push his limits as Alexi. He should have put a stop to it years ago but, truth be told, every time he remembered how she’d clung to him when he’d told her the twins and Naytalia were dead, he gave her one more chance.
This time she’d gone too far.
But he’d deal with her later. He had another omega in need of a reckoning right now.
For four fucking rotations he’d imagined little else.
His dick lengthened, pressing hard against the laces of his drawstring pants.
He stalked toward the bed. “You’re looking well. In fact, the doctor gave me the all clear. He said you were once again the picture of health.”
Her chest rose and fell, her back pressing into the mattress. But restrained to the cot, there was nowhere for her to go—and by the time he reached her side, he was pleased to see she’d wrestled her flight instinct under control and was staring up at him, chin jutting out, defiance flaring in her gorgeous crystal-blue eyes. “You said to be ready to fight—and I am.”
He didn’t think his cock could get harder, but it did. Seeing her four rotations past looking so defeated and lost had made his chest go tight, the urge to pull her close and comfort her almost as strong as the urge to fuck her. The only reason he’d managed to stave it off: the knowledge that she wouldn’t welcome his sympathy.
What the hells did he know about comforting, anyway? No one had ever done anything like that to him.
Still, the urge to obliterate her sadness had been a primal beat in his veins. It, therefore, pleased him more than it should that the lost, pinched look had been wiped clean from his omega’s face, her eyes flashing fire instead, her cheeks pink and flushed, her expression full of life and spirit. He liked her courage and her resistance. Almost as much as he liked the idea of turning that insolence into desperate need.
But first things first.
Retrieving the tablet he’d asked the doc to leave for him, Nikolai held it up for her viewing. “Kaiya. Safe and happy and on her way to a new galaxy, a new home, and a new life. My side of the deal upheld.”
His omega studied the screen as if it held the secrets to the universe.
Her breathing hitched, and for an instant, her eyes went glassy.
That strange panicked need to pull her close slammed through him once more.
But then her gaze cleared, and she nodded. “Thank you.”
He breathed an easier breath. “The communications will soon stop. It can’t be any other way. Otherwise, we’ll make it too easy for others to track them.”
She placed the hairbrush by her thigh, her movements stiff. “I understand. Whatever it takes to make her safe is the best plan.”
Again, he admired her loyalty. He’d yet to see any other Lundin behave with such honor.
But then again, she wasn’t a Lundin anymore. She was a Skolov, and the sooner he got her to accept that, the better for them all.
“It’s time, omega.” He picked up the hairbrush. Her wide eyes locked on his hand as he ran his thumb along the bristles. “Time to uphold your side of the deal.”
He’d fuck her over the cot first, silk dress flipped over her perfect ass. Then, he’d take her on all fours in the nest she’d make. After that, he’d command her to strip and use the silk to bind her wrists and ankles and keep her spread wide to his satisfaction.
But first came punishment.
That was going to take a toll on them both.
She blew out a breath. “I’m ready.”
“You don’t intend to fight me?” He knew better.
Her tipped chin proved him right. “Oh, I intend to fight. But not like you. I can’t batter through you like a raging river, but I can endure. Over time, a single droplet of water can change the shape of the hardest, densest rock.”
He almost smiled at the insult, and her spirit—until he remembered what that stubbornness of hers had almost cost them both.
“Do you know the usual penalty for an omega that dares to damage what belongs to her Alpha?” He turned the hairbrush over and tested its heft by smacking it lightly against his palm.
Thwack.
Despite her tough words, she was startled at the slight sound, her chained wrist clanking nicely against the bed rail. “I do.”
“Tell me.”
“Maiming.”
“That’s right. An eye for an eye. An evening of the score. Not any part of her body that’s useful to the Alpha, of course, but that leaves a lot of tissue, muscle, and organs to work with. It’s an important lesson. A reminder of exactly who is in charge of his property and who decides what happens to it. No one else. Not even the omega herself.”
She swallowed hard, but he could see her fighting to stay strong. “Y-yes.”
“But that is not the kind of punishment I have in mind for you.”
She wilted into the cot. “It’s not?”
“I would never harm anything so beautiful. But a lesson is in order. One that makes you think long and hard before you endanger yourself again. One that reminds you of exactly what is between us and what your rash action almost stole from us forever.”
“Us?” Questioning eyes found his. Eyes that had him wondering if he’d given too much away. Especially to someone who’d been so willing to throw it all away.
“Open your legs.”
She froze.
He growled low. “I will not tell you again. If I have to repeat myself, it will only earn you further discipline. It will also make me question whether you mean to keep to the terms of our deal.”
Her breath left her in a rush, her face turning away from him to stare at the opposite wall, but her legs slid open, the red silk rippling over her thighs as she moved, the intoxicating scent of her filling his lungs.
“Pull your dress to your waist. Bare that tight little cunt to me.” He pressed the bristles into his palm to keep control.
She whimpered, and for an instant, he wondered if she’d refuse, but then her free hand fisted in the silk of her dress and the hem rose, revealing her creamy skin an inch at a time. Delicate calves. Long, lean thighs. Until the red silk slithered above her hip bones and that perfect pink slit, prettier than any he’d ever seen, was his for the taking.
His mouth watered. His control slipped a notch. He fought to stave off the rut. “Bend your knees. Heels to your ass. Hips lifted.”
Her breath came faster.
Her heels slid up toward her bottom next, and he was treated to paradise.
“Good girl.” She was already soaked for him, and he’d only growled
once.
Whatever was between them, however much she despised him, her body knew he was her fated mate. It lit up at the slightest hint of his aggression and attention.
The bond between them shimmered with lust while her nipples hardened to tight little points, poking insolently against the front of her dress, begging for his mouth.
But lust alone wasn’t what he wanted from her. Neither was access to her gift.
After finding her so still and cold on that dungeon floor, he understood in a way he hadn’t before that vanquishing her body would never give him what he craved most. He was determined to conquer her mind as well.
He wanted her to see him as her master and protector, ruler and champion, defender and disciplinarian. He wanted her to understand, deep in her bones, that he would do whatever it took to keep her alive, even if meant protecting her from herself.
Curling his arms beneath her knees, he jerked her to the edge of the cot, her white-gold hair fanning out behind her, her restrained arm stretching upward as her wrist stayed locked tight to the upper side rail.
“Look at me, omega. Look at me and face the consequences of what you’ve done.”
Her gaze rose to his. No longer blue, no longer defiant, her stunning eyes had streaks of black flaring within. He hadn’t touched her, and his omega was already heavy into her heat. Enthralled by his Alpha command.
His, if only for the moment.
He fought to keep his rut at bay.
It helped to remind himself of what she’d done. How he’d found her so icy and still and cold.
He let out another low growl.
She whimpered again, this time in fear and submission.
“For the first part of your punishment, you will receive five corrections with the hairbrush. One for each minute it took the doc to revive you, and I thought you were lost to me for good.”
She moaned. He had no idea if it was in protest, apology, or need.
“You will count every one or we will start again. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” The word was so faint he almost didn’t hear it.
Thwack. His first strike landed at the juncture of her thigh and seat.