Fox Mate (Madison Wolves) (17 page)

I could tell when we moved off the gravel road onto the highway, then the car turn
ed around in circles, and I had no idea which direction we actually turned on the highway.

I started to feel a little sick, and the thought I might vomit scared me. They would never get all this tape off me and I could easily choke to death. I began hyperventilating again, and as soon as it started, I was pulled to someone's chest. I recognized Scarlett's scent. She held me, soothing me.

I calmed down again, and as soon as I did, she lowered me, but I fought, trying to keep my head elevated. Scarlett immediately pulled me to her again, and I calmed down. But then almost immediately she began lowering me again, and my panic returned. She didn't lift me to her that time, but she caressed my face over and over as she lowered me slowly, and I realized there was a pillow across her lap, holding my head and shoulders upward. That was okay, and I relaxed.

The pillow was
a kindness.

Scarlett continued to caress my face, perhaps absentmindedly, and I was able to remain calm.

I tried counting songs to keep track of time. It had been three songs, I thought, since we reached the highway. There were more turns, but at each turn, they turned the car in circles several times, and I was completely, utterly lost. We could be anywhere.

After the next song, they
passed me around between them, turning me this way and that, and then I found myself settled back in. Arms pulled me to a chest, and I recognized Sophia's scent. She held me for a full song before lowering me to the pillow. Hands reached inside the sheet and clasped my feet, not tickling just holding me, shifting now and then. Basic touch. It felt nice.

I might have slept, I don't know. I lost track of the songs. I lost track of the time. I didn't know where we were. Every little while, they passed me around, and I even lost track of which way was the front of the car. I realized also that they were shifting their seats as well. The rag in my mouth was soaked with my own saliva, and I was afraid if they laid me fully
prone, I would start choking. I panicked once more, trying very hard not to cry, but making keening noises into the gag. I found myself back in Angel's arms. I stayed held to her chest as the car turned onto a gravel road.

I could tell it was gravel by the feel. We were driving slowly, but it was rough and it felt like it was crunching. We drove that way for a half a song, maybe less, and then the car turned a circle or two and came to a stop.
Several hands caressed me soothingly, and Angel continued to hold me while I fought to control my fear.

Finally I slumped, relaxing against
Angel and burying my face into her. The blindfold was wet with my tears, but luckily I hadn't gotten to the point of a full-out sobbing panic. Angel held me still until I finished calming down.

It was awkward, but they passed me out of the car. I was carried a distance and then I thought perhaps they brought me into a building. They
took a few turns with me, and then we were going down a set of stairs. They were gentle with me the entire time, and I didn't struggle. Once we were at the bottom of the stairs, they took a few more turns with me and I was set on my feet. They unwrapped the sheet from around me, making sure I didn't fall, and then picked me up again. I was set down on a sofa with my feet lifted onto some sort of foot-rest.

The music turned off, and they cut the tape holding the ear buds in place. I flinched as they pulled the tape from my skin, and then I could hear again. But the music had been loud, and my hearing was shot; it would take a while before I could hear properly.

"Are you okay, Michaela?" Angel asked. I nodded. "Scared?" I thought about it and nodded. Caressing my cheek she said, "Lara should have told you about all of this. You can have it out with her later. It's not our fault you don't know this custom. Are you angry?" I shook my head.

"Okay,
" she said. "I'm going to tell you what a wolf would already know. Do you know about bride hunts?" I nodded my head. Elisabeth had explained to me how David had stolen his bride. "This custom was born out of that. Different packs probably do this differently. And the custom has changed over the years. We also changed it for the unique position of having two brides, and one of them a fox instead of a wolf. Do you understand so far?"

I nodded.

"Traditionally, you would not have slept with your fiancé tonight. We would have taken you from your own home. When it is time for me to marry Scarlett, you will kidnap me from my mother's home and Scarlett's maid of honor will kidnap her from her parent's home. But if you were marrying a man, we would kidnap you and no one kidnaps him. It is his responsibility to pay your ransom. Understand?"

I nodded.

"Tonight, we are holding you for ransom, and the enforcers are holding Lara. You will each pay the other's ransom."

I couldn't pay much ransom. Lara was in trouble.
I shook my head.

"Don't worry, eventually you will be able to pay. Let me explain everything." She caressed my cheek.
"There will be an initial demand for payment. It will be far, far more than you could possibly pay. For instance, we are going to demand ten million dollars and two major favors each from Lara. You understand; that is more than she will pay, and we know she will refuse. You will receive a demand you can't pay. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"When Lara finally ransoms you, and she will eventually, we get it, those of us here holding you. When you pay your ransom, and you will eventually, it goes to the people holding Lara. They get nothing when Lara ransoms you, and we get nothing when you ransom Lara. Understand?" I nodded.

"We promised you this would be fun for everyone. We'll get to that. You're going to both love and hate this, but we'll all be closer before this is over. Trust me, Michaela."
I nodded.

"Now, the custom is that every once in a while, we will threaten to do something to you. At first, it will be something mild, like tickle your feet. We
may also offer you an alternative payment, like, I don't know. Let us spank you. If you choose the alternative payment, then that's what we do, but then one of us volunteers to accept whatever we were going to do to you instead. So if you let us spank you, then one of us gets her feet tickled. Understand?"

I nodded.

"We will also make a new demand for ransom, and Lara will be obligated to answer immediately. At any time, you may ask to record a message for Lara, but we decide if we're going to pass it on. Michaela, I guarantee, you will eventually record a message asking her to ransom you."

She let me think about that.

"This part is important. Michaela, you are marrying the alpha. Honey, you are a potential kidnap victim. This could be real."

I
began to panic again, and she pulled me to her and waited for me to calm down.

"Michaela, imagine you have been kidnapped. The kidnappers will initially demand something horrible. Imagine the kidnappers demanding Lara step down as alpha. Would you want her to pay that?"

I shook my head.

"What is Lara going to do while she is also negotiating with the kidnappers?"

I thought about it. She would be doing everything to find me.

"She's going to try to find you. That's why you don't know where you are. But she is going to stall while she tries to find you, and you are going to help her stall. Aren't you?"

I nodded.

"And she is going to try to negotiate them down. Eventually, either she negotiates it down to something she is willing to pay, or she finds you, or you become so desperate that you beg her to ransom you, and she caves in and abdicates."

I shook my head back and forth.

"The enforcers are going to be doing the sorts of things real kidnappers would do, Michaela. Not at first. At first it will be rough, but only a little. But later, it will be real, and Lara's job is to hold on while you would be trying to find her or until you are able to negotiate to something you can pay. It's her pride to hold out until you are willing to pay.
Honey, Lara is going to try to hold on until her ransom is one dollar."

She let me think some more, then I nodded.

"Honey, we won't do those things to you. What we're doing is symbolic. And actually, at the beginning they're supposed to be fun, even for Lara. We're trying to make it fun. Later, we will be trying, trying very hard, to get you to beg. The pack needs to know you will be strong for Lara when you need to be. Lara needs to know. And honey, you need to know."

I began to struggle. Hands immediately held me in place and Angel pressed herself against me, letting me breath her in. "Shhh.... Shhh.... She could have told Elisabeth no. Shhhh....."

I calmed down, but it was difficult. Angel held me for another minute before sitting back. "All right now?" I nodded.

"This is going to be fun. Do you want to know why?"

I nodded.

"Because you're going to pay the alternative payment. A lot. And you're going to watch as Chloe eats worms or Ava lets us shave her hair. You'll take the alternative payment and watch Sophia drink grain alcohol. You see? And between the games, we have a slumber party. We have food, things to drink, games, movies, and all sorts of other fun. Please, Michaela, we'll make this fun, but Lara is going to pay a very large ransom for you, too."

I nodded. I'd try to have fun.

"Michaela, hold on as long as you can, but you'll beg Lara eventually."

Oh god. I slumped, defeated, and I didn't hear what she said after that.

"Michaela. Michaela!" Angel pulled me to her again, shaking me a little. "Come back to me, girlfriend. Come on."

I finally nodded.

"It won't come to
the worst. We've been planning for weeks. Lara will ransom you by noon, honey. And Elisabeth will lower her demands by noon to the point you won't want to pay, but you could."

I nodded.

"Okay. Now. Everything that you ask for has a price. If you have an itch and you want us to scratch it, someone will demand a price. We'll be recording your agreements. We're also taking pictures, and we are allowed to do whatever we want with those pictures. However, we also take pictures of what we do to each other, and you get a full copy of everything."

I nodded.

"Last few things. Have fun. Don't get mad." She took a big breath. "You have a temper. We are obligated to punish you if it comes out. Stay in a good mood and have fun. And if you are rude to Elisabeth, she is obligated to punish Lara for your rudeness. Michaela, please try to understand and have fun. This is a wolf game, and it is important to us."

I nodded. Fun?
She didn't really think I was going to have fun, did she?

She caressed my cheek. "First payment. We are going to bend you over the sofa and give you five firm swats on your naked bottom with a bare hand. There is no alternate. Do you wish to beg Lara to ransom you?"

I shook my head.

"At any time, you may offer to beg for a ransom. If you make the offer, you will do your best to make it convincing. Honey, Lara will pay if you are convincing, and everyone here knows it, so if she doesn't, we'll know you signaled her somehow not to, and then we'll have to convince you to make a better recording next time."

I moaned again.

Angel leaned forward and kissed my forehead. There was a pause, and then Angel was talking to Elisabeth on the phone. "We have our ransom demand," Angel said. "Tell Lara we have her bride. If she wants her back, she will pay us collectively ten million dollars and two major favors each from the alpha. There are six of us."

I heard Elisabeth respond, "Got it. Will you t
ell Michaela we have her bride? If she wants her back, the price is a million dollars, a major favor each for the five of us, and she must offer her throat to each of us from now into perpetuity."

"Did you hear, Michaela?" Angel asked. I nodded. "Will you pay this ransom?" I shook my head. "Elisabeth, she declines your offer."

"The alpha has declined your demands as well."

There was a pause, and I heard a sound of something being set down on a table. I presumed it was Angel's phone.

"Give the prisoner her spanking," Angel said.

Hands grabbed me. I was smoothly, although firmly, pulled over the back of the sofa, turned around until I was bent over it, and then there was a swat on my bottom. I flinched.

"Careful," Angel said. "She's not a wolf."

The swats alternated after that. They stung, but none of them was as firm as the first. I still flinched after each one, but it was lighter than Lara would have spanked me
even playfully.

Once the spanking was finished, they held me like that for just a moment, then I was picked up and gently replaced on the sofa and steadied in place.

Someone moved so she was straddling my legs. I leaned forward and inhaled, recognizing Scarlett.

"Okay?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"From this moment forward, once I climb back off your lap, I am allowed to lie to you now that you know the rules. Angel may not lie until this is over. We offered that concession because you aren't wolf, and you needed someone here you could trust." I nodded understanding.

"We can't lie about the punishments though. There will be no cheating and no trickery,"
Angel said. "Or lying about payments for anything. You will get proper reward for any payments you make."

I nodded understanding.

Scarlett spoke again. "Would you like us to uncover your eyes?" I nodded. "Remove the gag?" I nodded again. "Cover you up?" I nodded. "Do you want something to drink?" I nodded. "Okay pick one," she said. "Clearly we can't give you anything to drink if you are still gagged, and once we remove your gag, you owe us kissing our feet. The price for this first favor is tutoring or guidance, as much as needed until you promise I have earned an A, on the upcoming assignment of my choice. Exams not included."

She gave me time to think about it.

"Do you agree to this price?" I nodded. "All right. When I get to the one you want, nod. Your choices are blindfold, gag, and covering you. Blindfold?" I shook my head. "Gag?" I nodded.

She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Hold still," she said.

She touched my face gingerly, and then I felt something cold pressed against my cheek. "I'm cutting the tape, not your hair," Scarlett
said. She snipped the tape on either side of my cheeks. Then she peeled the tape away from my skin and asked me, "Fast or slow? Fast?" I nodded.

She ripped the tape immediately, and I cried out. Then her hands were against my skin, smoothing away the hurt. "I'm sorry," she said. "This is a wolf game, it's a little rough for you, but we're being as gentle as we can." Then she reached into my mouth and slowly removed the now very soggy cloth. She brushed away the extra saliva from my lips
. She was kind about it.

"All right?" she asked.

I nodded. I didn't trust my voice immediately. I leaned towards her, and she wrapped her arms around me for a moment. I breathed twice, then leaned away. "Thank you," I told her.

"Of course."

"May I have some water?"

"
After you kiss our feet, and there will be a price," Scarlett said.

I nodded. "You want me to kiss now?"

"Yes. We'll lower you to the floor and take turns stepping in front of you. We will tell you whose feet you are about to kiss."

"All right," I said.

I felt strong arms slide underneath me, lift me from the sofa, then gently lower me to the floor. Several hands rolled me onto my stomach, and I heard shoes being removed.

"I'm Chloe," Chloe said from somewhere above me.

"Her feet are right in front of you," Angel said. "Find them and kiss them."

I
crawled forward as best I could, and my head bumped into a pair of legs. It was awkward, but I lowered my lips and carefully, wetly kissed the top of one foot, then the other. Then, one by one, I kissed each little toe. Above me, Chloe giggled.

"Next," said Angel. One by one, the girls presented their feet. I kissed each one, softly but without any hint of stinginess. Angel was last.

"Very gracious," she said when I was done. "We're going to roll you over and put you back on the sofa now."

Once I was seated back on the sofa,
Ava said into my ear, "The price for water is tutoring, same agreement you gave Scarlett, but for both Sophia and me."

"For one drink?"

"No," Angel said. "Once a price is paid, it's paid. For all the water you request until the party is over."

"Agreed," I said. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes. We don't promise to answer," said Ava.

"Am I allowed to offer a counter price?"

"Yes," said Scarlett. "But we aren't obligated to take it, and if it's insulting, we'll punish you for it."

"Is that true, Angel?"

She laughed. "Yes."

Scarlett slapped me. She wasn't gentle, and she surprised me with it. Tears sprang to my eyes, not from the pain so much as the thought she would slap me.

"What did I do?" I asked in a small voice.

"You questioned me, implying I might lie," she said.

"But you told me you were going to lie to me," I said.

"It's rude to actually accuse me of it though." Then she leaned into my ear. I tried to pull away. "I'm sorry," she said. "That would have been a love tap to a wolf. I'm really sorry."

I leaned my cheek against hers. "It's okay," I said. "Please don't hit me for this but I'm not having fun, Scarlett."

"I know, but the fun part is about to
begin."

Then she leaned away. There was rustling, and Ava said, "I have a bottle of water with a straw in it, just slightly forward and to your right."

I leaned forward and found the straw. I took several gulps, then leaned away. "When I want more?"

"Just ask," Scarlett said.

I nodded.

Scarlett caressed my cheek and said very soft
ly. "I'm sorry." I nodded again, and Scarlett climbed off my lap to sit down beside me.

"Time for a game!" said Abigail. "What can we play while she's blindfolded?"

"Truth or dare," Angel said immediately. "Everything else we have she needs to see."

"I'm not in much position to take dares," I said.

"We'd make dares you could accept, and it's considered unfair to pick on you," Angel said. "One strike and you're out. If you dare someone to do something, and they refuse, then you have to do it. If you refuse, you're out instead. Last one remaining may ask a favor, and someone here has to fulfill it. To be clear, Michaela, we will not be setting you free that way."

I laughed. "I didn't think so. May I ask dares I'm not in a position to fill myself?"

They conferred. "Yes," they finally agreed. "We would get to modify your dare to something you could do, and it can't be any worse than what you dared."

"All right," I said. "Who goes first?"

"You do," Angel said. "Pick someone."

"Chloe!" I said. "Truth or dare!"

"Me?" she said. She'd been awfully quiet. "Truth."

"Chloe," I said, "tell us about a time you've cheated on a school assignment or exam. If you have absolutely never cheated, then tell us about a lie you told your parents."

The girls all liked that one.

"I've never cheated at school," she said. "Last summer, I lied to my parents when I told them Abigail spent the night in my room when she really spent it out with Keith Planck."

"And I love you for that lie," Abigail said. There was movement, and I thought perhaps Abigail had hugged her little sister.

"Your turn, Chloe," Scarlett said. "Pick someone. You may pick Michaela if you want, but remember we don't get to pick on her
too much."

"Abby," Chloe said. "Truth or dare?"

"Oh, little sister," she said. "Dare."

"All right," said Chloe with glee. "I dare you to... the cinnamon challenge!"

"No," I said immediately.

"You can't say no," Angel said.

"I am the only adult in the room, and we will not have dangerous dares. Kids have gone to the hospital for that one."

"Human kids," said Abigail.

"Please, Angel," I said.

"Quarter teaspoon," Angel said.

I thought about it. "All right," I said. "You guys really have cinnamon?"

Angel laughed. "We have everything."

I listened as Sophia left the room. I heard her climb a set of stairs, doors opened, she was gone for a minute, then she returned.

"Abigail is measuring out the cinnamon," Scarlett said to me. "She is being exceedingly meticulous, and her sister is watching intently. She gave the jar back to Sophia. Now she's swallowing it."

Immediately Abigail began coughing and Chloe started laughing, followed by the other wolves. "Oh god," Abigail said. "Even a quarter teaspoon burns. Water! Water!" It took a minute, but eventually she calmed down.

"That was good!" Chloe said. "I like this game."

I smiled.

"Scarlett!" said Abigail.

"Truth."

"Tell us in detail," Abigail said, "About the most recent time Angel dominated you in bed."

"Is that a child friendly truth?" I asked.

"Stop being the chaperone, Michaela," Angel said. "This is your last warning.
There is no teacher here, just seven friends. But you are our prisoner, and you do not make the rules. We do. Do not question us again."

I thought abou
t it. "All right."

Scarlett bumped me with her shoulder, an
d then she began telling a story that started with a lost wager and ended with Scarlett begging Angel to finish her. By the time she was done, even I was squirming while thinking about Lara doing all that to me.

"Okay,
it's just wrong for me to have heard that," I said. "La la la la la!"

The girls laughed.

"Truth or dare, Little Fox?" Scarlett asked.

"Truth. I think I'm going to get enough dares tonight."

She laughed. "I imagine so. Tell us what you love most about Lara."

A soft pitch. "That's hard," I said. "It's really a mix of things. She's strong and makes me feel safe. She takes care of me. She's beautiful. She honestly cares about me and my opinions. My legs go weak when she holds me. I love how she smells. I don't have the sense of smell you all do, but god! I love how she smells." I thought some more. "I don't know. She's Lara. I look at her and all I can see is how utterly amazing she is, and then she looks at me with love in her eyes
, and it's the most wonderful feeling I've ever had."

When I finished talking, they were quiet.

"Got it," Angel said.

"Got what?"

"Oh Michaela, I recorded that," she said. "We're going to play it for Lara. Just to remind her who we're holding for ransom."

"Oh god," I said, then began laughing.

I heard a phone buzz. There was a pause, then Angel said, "It's time. Scarlett?"

"Sophia," Scarlett said. "Hers is better."

Sophia climbed from her chair from somewhere in front of me and walked around the sofa, leaning over my shoulder. "Michaela, your next punishment is this. We're going to tickle your feet. The alternative is we'll pierce your ears." She pinched my earlobe.

"So, if I let you pierce my ears, then one of you gets your feet tickled for as long as you would have tickled mine?"