Savage Chains: Scarred (#2) (3 page)

When he arrived she watched him move through the solid wall and cabinet in the sitting room, appearing almost opaque at first, then solid, as he shifted from altered flight to mere levitation. He touched down near one of the brown leather club chairs but stayed put.

She rose to her feet to face him, suddenly aware that she should have at least gotten dressed. She’d been so caught up with her need to make a decision that she’d forgotten, until his gaze drifted up and down her body, that she wore only a short blue silk negligee.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” But his voice sounded hoarse.

“I should have put something on.”

He nodded. “It’s okay. I’m just so … grateful.” His gaze fell to the chain around her neck. “Angelica, what you’ve done is enormous.”

He moved toward her slowly, which affected her senses all over again. He walked like the powerful athlete he was, the outlines of his muscular shoulders and chest visible beneath a thin dark-blue V-neck sweater. He wore snug jeans and she couldn’t decide whether she preferred this look, or the leather jacket he’d worn at the Ocean Club, or his tux. The man looked great in anything.

She touched the blood-chain, which vibrated more and more heavily the closer he got.

When he stood in front of her she caught a whiff of the ocean, like he’d been running along a seashore. The scent was very male and weakened her knees. His eyes were so blue, and once more the scruff over his jaw and chin made her tongue tingle.

“Angelica, I don’t know what to say.”

“You’ve already said it.” She reached down and picked up the leather box, opening it once more so that it faced him.

He released the small clasps that held the second chain in place, then lifted it carefully with both hands. “The vibration is already so strong.”

“And you’ve never done this before?”

He shook his head.

“Having reservations?”

He met her gaze. “I promised myself that I’d never be bound in chains again, of any kind, yet here I am.”

She felt his distress, which caused her to reach out and settle her hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be all right. It’s just me.”

At that he smiled ruefully. “You’re right, but now I feel bad.”

“Why?”

“Because I should be the one comforting you.”

Her turn to smile. “As to that, I have a feeling you’ll be doing a lot of that before we’re through.”

He held her gaze. “And it will be the least I can do.”

She glanced at the chain he held in his hands. “So, what do you say? Now that I’ve made the decision, I’m dying to find out what it’s really like.”

He nodded and, using both hands, slid the chain over his head. It looked good on him, especially the dark metal against his blue sweater. She realized then that her vision had sharpened.

“I can see better.”

“That would follow, but I can also sense your fear. I can almost feel your heart racing.”

She nodded. “All that’s true. I’m frightened half out of my mind right now.”

“By me?”

“Oh, God, no, Reyes, not even a little. I trust you implicitly; otherwise I could never have done this. I fear what’s likely to happen as we move forward with your mission. If the Festival events are anything like the after-auction party …” She let the rest of the thought hang.

At that he drew her into his arms, holding her tight, exactly what she needed. She slid her arms around his back, the sweater soft beneath her fingers. “See, you’re comforting me already.”

He held her like that for a few minutes, maybe waiting for her heart to settle down. He couldn’t have known how much his big body and the latent strength of his arms eased her.

Finally, he drew back. “I want to test the proximity limitation. I think it’ll be a bit of a challenge to get used to.”

“Good idea.”

He started backing away from her, one step at a time, and when he’d reached the ten-foot mark she felt the pull on her chain, a very strong warning tug.

“Do you feel that?”

He nodded but continued to inch backward. With each movement the tension increased. It was the strangest sensation, as though it would pull her forward soon and she’d fall flat on her face.

Instead of letting that happen, he took a couple of steps in her direction. “What did that feel like for you?”

“As though we had a taut rope between us and you were tugging. Hard.”

“Same here.”

What she didn’t say was just how much of him she could feel, as though whatever thoughts he had or reactions he experienced automatically communicated themselves through the chains. It was both unsettling yet in a way thrilling. She felt strangely close to him right now. “So, what’s on the agenda?”

At that he smiled as he returned to stand close to her once more. “The first part shouldn’t be too bad. It’s a boat parade.”

She laughed. “A what?”

He explained about the underground river community where many of the wealthier members had homes and which was hidden behind a heavy, layered disguise.

“So these creeps can keep doing their thing without threat of jail time.”

“Exactly. Although in our courts there isn’t much risk of meaningful prosecution. Most of the judges are corrupt. Of course, if the entire vampire population knew what was going on there would be an uprising.”

She considered all that he’d said. “No wonder you had to develop a cover over a period of years. With so much security in place, you couldn’t have gotten this far otherwise. So tell me more about the festival.”

“The parade lasts for several hours, with the boats coming and going and parties held at riverside. Most of these homes have landscaped front yards, patios, barbecues, and viewing decks.”

“If I wasn’t so horrified by what these people did, I’d be excited about seeing this place.” She shook off the uneasy feeling about what would be ahead of her. “So you’ll show me off, like you did at the after-auction party, which doesn’t sound too bad.” She felt the chain at her neck vibrate. “But you’re worried.”

“The situation won’t be much different; that’s true. The new slaves will be on display, forced to perform certain acts.”

“And you’re worried that we’ll end up in a similar situation to the theater.”

“I’ll do my absolute best to avoid it; just be prepared.”

“I understand.”

He took her arm in his hand and squeezed gently. “I’ll try to get us through without incident. The main thing is to make a show of being there. All we’ll really need to do is appear at a number of the parties, talk to a few of the Starlin board members, then we can leave.”

“I don’t suppose we could avoid Engles.” Angelica could only hope.

“He’ll have to see you at least once, but we’ll make it quick; then I’ll bring you back here.”

“So, how much time do I have?”

“We can go whenever you want. The parade has already started but lasts for hours, as do all the parties. Later is always better; that way we can make an entrance.”

“I’m thrilled. Okay, I’ll shower now.” When she turned to go he moved with her, which brought her up short. “I think I can do this alone.”

At that he smiled, but she didn’t understand why. “Of course.” He stayed put.

She moved on a quick tread, and the next moment the blood-chain bond not only gave a strong tug on her neck but also jerked her backward so that she fell on her tush.

Still sitting on the floor, she looked back at him and scowled. “You did that on purpose.”

He chuckled. “I’m sorry. If I thought it would have done that to you, I would have said something. But I also thought that it wouldn’t be a bad thing for either of us to experience the proximity problem of the bond.” He slid a hand beneath her arm, lifting her to her feet.

She waved him forward. “Fine. Looks like you’ll have to be in the bathroom with me.”

“Hold on. Let me grab my laptop.”

Without thinking he moved swiftly in the direction of the sitting room, and the next thing Angelica knew this time he was flying backward. She laughed as he rose to his feet, but she hurried past him, picked up his laptop, and handed to him. “It’s really not that funny, is it?”

He narrowed his gaze at her, but his lips curved. “Let’s go. I have what I need.”

Once inside the bathroom Reyes had to keep moving himself and his laptop, tracking with Angelica, in order to sustain their distance restriction and avoid another tug at his neck. At least the toilet had its own small room for privacy, so that wouldn’t be an issue.

He decided, however, that there were too many mirrors in the room. Though he could avoid watching her actually strip out of her short nightgown or hop in the shower, a couple of stray glances had allowed him too many glimpses of her naked body.

Fortunately, the shower was a walk-in separated by block glass tiles and he really couldn’t see anything. He could imagine it, though.

He took a deep breath and opened his laptop, letting it sit on the side of the long marble counter. He returned to the Starlin Web site and once more perused the various parties he could attend.

Now that he knew who the board members were, he set up a separate document and listed the ten most influential. He then removed five whose human slaves rarely made it past the first week. He wasn’t about to expose Angelica to the worst of the slavers if he could help it. That left him with five less-criminal party hosts, including Engles.

He found their homes and plotted a course along the river walk.

When Angelica finished her shower and donned a robe the real difficulty arose when she had to choose from the fantasy wear that the Starlin Group had provided for her. She sighed heavily over each of them as she pushed one hanger aside after another.

She glanced at him, wrinkling her nose. “Do I have to?”

It was such a normal response that he chuckled. “They’re all horrible. Why not close your eyes and pick one? Either that or I will.”

“I’ll do it.” But she actually did as he suggested. He watched her gather all the hangers and costumes into one tight group, then close her eyes. Waving her hand back and forth a few times, she reached out and grabbed one.

She groaned at the sight of the costume, but she didn’t put it back. She’d randomly selected a very small outfit made up of a thong and a bustier of leopard print in black and turquoise. A pair of black thigh-high stockings, trimmed in matching leopard-print fabric, completed the barely there outfit.

Glancing down at the row of shoes below, she picked out a turquoise pair of what appeared to be a rather pain-inducing platform set with six-inch stilettos.

She scowled as she showed them to him. “You may have to carry me half the time.”

“With pleasure.”

Her gaze caught and held. “You know, you’re exactly how I thought you would be. You’re very kind, Reyes.”

“You thought I was kind?” He was stunned.

“Maybe
respectful
is the better word. Even Marcus said that about you.”

“Marcus?”

She nodded. “At Briggs’s. He’s one of the bartenders.”

“Marcus, of course. And he thought I was respectful.”

“Toward women.”

Reyes nodded slowly. “That’s an interesting view, though I’m not certain where he got that idea.”

“Wait, what are you thinking about right now? Because I swear you feel really badly about something, but I can’t imagine what that might be.”

He held her gaze. He needed to remind himself that whatever he experienced, the chains would communicate his reactions. “I’ve used the slaves badly in this part of the world to build my cover, demanding sex from them, treating them no better than most of the other Starlin men who attend the sex clubs. I’ve watched women being hurt in sex shows and haven’t lifted a finger to help. So somehow the compliment falls short of reality.”

She grew very solemn, holding the faux-leopard costume against her stomach. “Did you ever hurt any of these women yourself?”

“Do you think it’s necessary to cause pain in order to violate a slave? Every command is a violation.”

She drew close, caressing his shoulder. “I understand.”

“How can you? You’ve never been a slave.”

She glanced at the costume in her hand, then let it drop to the floor. Meeting his gaze once more, she said, “You seem to forget that I was a captive for a week, even through the time that you seduced me while I hung in chains. Maybe it wasn’t the level of torture you’ve gone through, but I experienced the same kind of overwhelming impotence and fear. I think it’s one of the reasons I chose to stay here, to help you with your mission. It was such a terrible feeling …” She got no further, as tears filled her eyes. “I want to help. I really do.”

He drew her into his arms once more. He remained silent for a long moment, then said quietly, “I was thinking about this Asian woman I used recently. She begged me to buy her, to take her out of that club, and I couldn’t.”

Angelica drew out of his arms and swiped her cheeks. “Why not?”

“At the time, I was still performing for a couple of Starlin spies. I hadn’t been granted my membership yet. I couldn’t take the chance.”

“But you’ve been accepted since then. Is anything preventing you from buying her now? I mean, would that go against the rules?”

He felt light-headed suddenly. He hadn’t quite adjusted to his new reality, that he was a Starlin member, a participant. He’d been vetted and approved. “You’re right. I have a new set of options I didn’t have before.” When she reached down to pick up the costume and started to take it off the hanger he said, “Leave that. I want to do this now. I want to buy her before something terrible happens to her, if it hasn’t already.”

After Angelica put the leopard outfit back on the rod he took her by the arm and guided her back out to the sitting area. He found his phone and called the club, asking for the owner.

The man gushed at Reyes’s call. Of course he did, especially when Reyes offered a hundred thousand for the Asian slave. “She’s still available, but working, Master Reyes.”

But Reyes grew very quiet and with his silence let the club owner feel his displeasure.

“Of course, I can have her sent over immediately.”