His to Command #2: The Capture (4 page)

For hours Kate lay in bed listening to the rat-a-tat-tat of ice pellets hitting the window and all she could think about was being in Matt’s arms. She’d longed for him so much—had longed for him for the past two years. The dream about Matt had left her confused and full of turmoil. How could she want Matt so desperately after what he’d done two years ago? Emotions swirled through her as she lay in the dark room thinking about that dreadful night.

But it felt so far away now. Being near Matt again, the way he looked at her, the way she felt around him…God help her foolish heart, she found herself questioning if she’d been wrong about him. Maybe he wasn’t guilty of the things Ileana had told her. Could Ileana have lied to her? Her gut clenched. But why would the woman have lied?

Her heart ached. Oh, God, she wanted so much to believe that Matt wasn’t that warped person. That he really was the man she once believed cared about her above all else.

Who loved her as much as she loved him.

She longed to slip from this bed, go to his room, and climb into bed with him. To feel his strong, protective arms around her. And be loved by him again. To be made love to by him again.

Her fingers curled around the edge of the duvet and she clung to it tightly as butterflies flitted through her stomach.

But if she went to him, would he hurt her?

Her thoughts continued in circles as she tossed and turned, but finally the blanket of sleep surrounded her, like a thick, fuzzy wrap that insulated her from the world. As she snuggled into its warmth, her anxiety slipped away.

She felt herself floating. Drifting through nothingness. The silence, mingled with the dark, gripped her, engulfing her. It pressed against the pupils of her eyes, filling her ears, leaving her sightless and deaf because no light or sound could penetrate.

Only darkness. And silence.

The nothingness around her shifted, until she felt hard concrete beneath her bare feet. She opened her eyes. Darkness surrounded her. She blinked several times as, slowly, her eyes grew accustomed to the lack of light. She could barely make out her surroundings. A small, dim room. Stone walls and floor. She became aware of a biting pain around her wrists and an ache in her arms and shoulders. Her arms were suspended above her head and when she tried to pull them down, she couldn’t. At a clinking noise above her, she glanced up. Chains, linked to metal bands encircling her wrists, disappeared into the darkness above her.

The memory of Matt walking out of the darkness, then making love to her until she cried out in ecstasy prickled through her brain, but this was different. A chill crept the length of her spine, rippling outward to her fingers and toes.

Someone laughed behind her. A familiar laugh she hadn’t heard in a long time. Deep and frightening. Chilling her to the core.

She heard a snap, then a line along her back exploded in pain. Another snap and more pain.

“No,” she cried.

The man behind her simply laughed again. The leather whip bit into her flesh a third time.

“Please. Stop.” Tears ran from her eyes at the biting pain. Still he slashed the whip against her back. Her legs gave out and she hung from the chains. The metal bands bit into her wrists, tearing at her flesh.

He whipped her again and again. The agony lanced through her, finally leaving her numb.

Matt was responsible for this. He had heartlessly arranged this. Planned to do the same thing to her himself later. But for now, he wanted this man to inflict pain on her. To teach her to submit fully. To make her understand what punishment she would suffer if she did not submit completely.

The man turned her around and pushed her against the wall behind her, slamming her wounded back against the cold, hard stone. She cried out at the pain.

He stared at her with cold eyes and pressed his arm against her throat until she couldn’t breathe. She struggled against him, trying desperately to suck in air, but she couldn’t. Panic gripped her as she felt blackness surrounding her. Terror arched through her and a scream welled within her.

Kate bolted upward as the scream tore from her throat. Her head jerked around as she tried to comprehend where she was. Moonlight streamed across the room and she realized she was sitting up in bed.

“Kate, what the hell?” The door flung open and Matt stormed into the room.

His gaze locked on her and he raced toward her.

She skittered back until she was pressed tight to the headboard, her eyes wide. As Matt closed in on the bed, she shook her head in panic. “No.”

Matt halted, staring at her with a narrowed gaze.

“Kate, what’s wrong?”

“I…” Suddenly, all the pain and anguish from that horrible ordeal burst through her and tears flooded from her eyes. “How could you do that to me?”

He sat down on the bed and reached for her, but she shifted sideways, putting more distance between them. His hands rolled into balls. “Do what, Kate?” He gazed at her with kind, tender eyes. “It was just a nightmare.”

“No.” The word came out hoarse and shaky. “It wasn’t. It really happened.
You
made it happen.”

“What, Kate? What do you think I did?”

“That night…at the party…you…” She sucked in a breath of air, steadying herself. “You
sold
me to that man.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Kate flinched at his sharp words.

“Kate,” he said more softly, “I really don’t know what you mean. Why do you think I sold you to someone?”

“Your friend…the hostess…”

“Ileana?”

She nodded. “She told me it was part of the role-playing that evening. That you had arranged for me to submit to a man named Victor.”

“Was that the man you disappeared with that night?” he asked with gritted teeth.

She nodded again.

“What did he do?” Matt’s voice was nearly a growl.

“He…took me to a room. Like a cell with stone walls. It was in the basement of the big house where the party was.”

“Did he hurt you?” Matt’s dark blue eyes blazed with anger, but she knew it wasn’t at her, and confusion swirled through her.

She nodded. Then she couldn’t look at him anymore. Despite her swirling emotions, the indignation in his eyes made her insides churn. Oh, God, could she have been wrong about Matt’s involvement? But both Ileana and Victor had confirmed that Matt had set up the whole thing. And Ileana was Matt’s friend. Why would she lie?

“Kate, believe me, I would never have allowed such a thing if I had known. That night, Ileana spirited you away to show you the house, then other than seeing you dance briefly with that man, I didn’t see you again. Ileana told me you left with him.”

“No, he chained me up. He…” She shook her head, unwilling to think about it again. “Ileana arranged a ride for me afterward. She told me you’d left already.”

His blue eyes turned icy. “That lying little…” He mumbled the final word, then turned to her. The cold blaze of anger in his eyes turned to warmth as he gazed at her. “Kate, believe me. Whatever happened to you that evening, it had nothing to do with me. I promise you that. And if I’d known about it, I would have killed the bastard.” He practically growled the last words.

She sucked in a breath at the sincerity in his voice. Could it be true? Had she been wrong all this time? Her heart ached at the possibility.

He reached out to her and she hesitated, then placed her hand in his. It was so big and strong. So comforting.

“Come here, Kate.” He drew her forward and swept her into his arms. His embrace was heaven on earth.

She felt safe cocooned there, close to his solid body, his hand stroking her hair. Tears fell from her eyes and she found herself sobbing against his chest. Releasing all the pent-up pain that had been deep inside her for two years now.

“So that’s why you left?” His voice was stiff and constrained. “You thought I was some kind of monster?”

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