Madeleine Abducted

  “No, beautiful. It’s not mine to take. That is a piece of yourself that should be yours to give freely, not to be taken by a man such as me.” The rasp to his voice broke apart his words, betrayed the fire burning inside him as he fought for control.

  Maddy struggled to think as he continued to work her up and down along the length of him, his fingers, moving in circles around the muscles of the opening to her body, tremors ran through her as she fought to respond.

  “I want to give myself to you, Master; I have given myself to you.” Peaking through her lashes, she found his eyes; saw the conflicting emotions swirling within the depths of the green. “Will you accept what I give you?”

  “You are captive … ”

  “Not anymore. I chose to stay, I’m here of my own free will.”

  He let out a heavy breath, his body shaking under her hands, his strong arms lifting her, still rubbing her against him. “You stayed for vengeance.”

  Maddy pushed back against his hands, stopped the motion of their bodies and reached up to cup his cheeks and lock her eyes with his. “I stayed for vengeance, yes; but I also stayed for you.”

  His breath catching, Aaron’s resolve shattered at the sound of those words. Fighting the urge to spear her right then and there, he picked her up instead, standing while guiding her legs to wrap around him. He marveled at how light her body was as he quickly carried her out of the music room to take her to his bed. His mouth barely left hers as they moved between the rooms.

  Laying her down on the bed, Aaron explored her body with his mouth and hands, teased her skin with soft pinches and nips as he worked her into such a frenzy she dripped in anticipation. Spreading her legs before him, he looked into her eyes, stared in awe at the woman who’d been so shy but somehow had become braver than him. Reaching over to the side table, he opened a drawer, removed a condom and pulled it on. Looking back down into her eyes, he said, “This may hurt, Maddy, tell me if it’s too much, I want you screaming my name from your enjoyment and not from your pain.”

  Maddy nodded her head, nervous of how the width of him would fill her, but she trusted him, knew that he would go as slow as she needed in order to please her. He positioned himself at the surface of her, pushed slightly in, but waited as her body adjusted to his girth. The sting was divine, a spice added to the sweetness of their passion. Grabbing his hips, she pulled him toward her, forced him farther inside. Her body burned where the muscles were forced apart, but she still wanted more, wanted him as deep as he could go. He braced himself motionless above her, looking over her body, watching every hint given by the expressions that flitted across her face. Leaning down, he leisurely laved at the peak of her breast, pulling it into his mouth to suckle the tip. Slowly, he moved back and forth within her, working the muscles loose enough to avoid hurting her when he buried himself to the hilt. Losing his control, he leaned down, nipped at her earlobe before whispering, “Are you ready?”

  Nodding her head, yes, Maddy was struck silent by his movement within her body. A final push forward and Aaron was fully inside her. Pausing again, he waited for her muscles to relax, to adjust to the width of him, but then he began to move, and a heat like she’d never experienced bloomed within her. Losing herself to the intensity of the moment, Maddy’s heart beat out a staccato rhythm, her breath held as she was driven to an edge so sharp, she feared it would slice her in two. Almost too much, the sensation gripped her body, her muscles tense as every nerve ending came alive and sparked along her skin.

  The feel of air against her heated skin was almost too much as Aaron worked her body, drove her to a point of complete abandon, loved her like no other person had before. Moans escaped her lips, sounds of pure passion erupted as the inferno he built inside her took over. Pushed higher and higher, she was barely able to think, fought to keep her eyes open so she could watch the flex of his glistening muscles as he moved above her. When Aaron grabbed the backs of her thighs to push her bent legs up higher, he moved impossibly deeper within her. Her hands gripped the sheets as she was forced to a peak that seemed so high it would be painful to finally reach. When his mouth took hers, when his teeth nipped at her bottom lip, she came undone. A fevered storm roaring across her body, the intensity of her release caused her to scream out his name. Her muscles quivered around him, gripped along the fullness and width of him as he continued to pump into her. Her body quaked uncontrollably as it felt like she was being ripped apart from the inside out. When he finally let go, when he finally shot himself inside her, when his mouth pressed hungrily against hers as he joined her in exquisite release, Maddy melted beneath him; her body occasionally trembling with the aftershocks of her orgasm.

  Aaron stilled above her, his eyes searching hers for any sign that she was in pain. She smiled up at him, her expression so sated and satisfied her beautiful blues were barely visible under the droop of her eyelids. Pulling himself out of her, he removed his weight from her body, but pulled her into his arms and against his chest.

  Maddy found sleep while enveloped within his heat, found peace while safely tucked against his body.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Only having slept for a few hours, Maddy woke up to find Aaron passed out beside her. She moved to look at him better and noticed soreness in her body she’d never experienced before. After turning over, she gingerly reached up to brush the errant strands of silky, black hair away from his face before running her hand down along the stubbly skin of his jaw. He looked so peaceful, so reposed as he slept. His perfect lips were held slightly apart and Maddy resisted the urge to lean up to run her tongue along the crease. Even in his sleep, there was a unique quality to him, a majestic air that frightened her and tempted her at the same time. While most men feared the man that lay beside her, she couldn’t help but feel comforted by his presence, a feeling of safety that she’d never had. Even before her abduction, when she was hidden away in her house or within the studio walls, she still felt lost, so terribly alone in the world. But now … now, while in the middle of a nightmare, she found solace in a damaged soul, one who’d showed her a part of him that no other person had ever seen. There was light in him, one so bright it could illuminate the entire night sky if only it wasn’t covered over by the shadow of his darkness.

  Maddy was startled when Aaron’s eyes peaked open, when his arms suddenly pulled her tighter against him, when one corner of his mouth curled up in amusement at her shock. His mouth changed into a wicked grin as he said, “Hello, Mouse.” His voice, still rough from sleep, rumbled from his chest, her body vibrating from being pressed up against him. Before she could respond, he rolled her over so that he was on top of her and brought his mouth to hers. Heat bloomed in her chest, her heart dancing against her ribs. They lay there leisurely as they kissed, no need between them to rush the moment, simply happy to be in each other’s arms. Eventually, Aaron pulled away, rolled them both to their sides so they were facing each other.

  “I’d like to take you somewhere; wine you … dine you … show you the world, but given the present circumstances, I’ll have to settle for having Xander fetch us something to eat and bringing it back here.” His hand came up to brush against the smooth silk of her hair. “It’s so frustrating, not being able to treat you as you deserve.” Aaron whispered his confession to her as the sun set beyond the thick curtains of the room. The eerie glow of the red light created a safe hideaway for two lovers, a respite from the terrifying environment within The Estate. Never completely at ease, Aaron looked over the features of the woman in his arms, found that it was the light that shone in her eyes when she was near him that turned him on most of all. Most women had always wanted for him for his looks, his status, his money and his reputation … but not Maddy, never Maddy. She saw something in him that made him feel like, maybe, there was something that existed in him that was more valuable than all those other qualities combined. She made him feel like he was loved, something he’d not known since his mother disappeared when he was a child.

/>   The perfect pout of her mouth moved seductively as she answered, “I have no idea why you’re frustrated, you’ve taken me to the place where I most want to be; you’ve taken me into your arms.”

  A hit to the chest, Aaron’s wind was knocked from him briefly, her words … poetry like none he’d ever heard; this woman who was burying herself within his soul, her purity enough to chase away his demons. He smiled, took her lips with his once more. Pulling back, he chuckled. “Maybe there is something I can give to you, something that will show you what you mean to me.”

  Thoughtful, Maddy took her bottom lip between her teeth and thought of what she would want. Her eyes widening, she realized exactly what Aaron could give her. “Play for me.”

  His body tensed, his brow furrowing in confusion before realization shown in his eyes. “You want me to play the piano for you? I … you don’t want that, I’ve never played for anyone before. I’ll butcher the music just from having an audience.”

  Her smile grew so large, her cheeks hurt. “You? Afraid of an audience? I find that hard to believe.” Her whispered voice had a teasing quality to it, a softness meant only for the man beside her. “I was able to go on stage in front of hundreds of people and play. There’s no way that you could be scared of just one.”

  Quiet laughter erupted between them, magic found in a peaceful moment they had all to themselves. Maddy continued to goad him into playing, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Pushing up on one arm, Aaron grabbed a blanket to pull over their naked bodies. “Come in.” The softness to his voice long gone, once again replaced with his usual business-like tone. Xander pushed open the door, paused for a brief second at the sight of them curled together in bed before delivering his news.

  “Emory just stopped by. You’ve been ordered to present Maddy in the ballroom within the next half hour.” He paused, his expression darkening from his thoughts. “He had a smile on his face, Aaron. I have a feeling something very bad is happening.”

  Every muscle in Aaron’s body tensed as suspicion and fear ran along his spine. He looked down into the wide-eyed expression of his mouse, could see the terror as it flooded her eyes. Having no other choice, Aaron steeled himself for what was to come. “Leave us, Xander. We’ll be in the living room momentarily.”

  Once Xander had closed the door, Aaron immediately ran his hand along Madeleine’s cheek, his eyes, the color of light streaked forests, were alive with his panic. “I don’t think I can do this … ” He shook his head when Maddy went to interrupt. “No, Madeleine, I’ll kill any man that touches you …. ”

  She placed a finger against his mouth, forced a small smile on her face despite her overwhelming fear. “I know what we’re walking into, but you have to stay strong … for me. Regardless, of what they do to me, you are to stand there, to pretend like you don’t care, because in the end, we’ll have vengeance against the man that’s brought such great sorrow into both of our lives. You can’t react, you have to be strong so that I can remain strong through you.”

  “What if they want you dead?” He didn’t want to spend what could be their last moments talking about the horror that awaited them, but he needed her to know, he needed to know that she understood what could come.

  A single tear ran from her eye as she looked up into the face of such a dangerous man. “Then you offer to do it; just kiss me as I pass so that I can give you my last breath. We’ll become one and when you succeed in destroying them, I’ll be part of you when you do.”

  Wiping away her tears, Aaron’s heart melted at her words. Such bravery for a woman who faced the unknown; it amazed him to see that her heart had changed from that of a mouse into that of a lion in a matter of weeks, that her strength was enough to heal them both. One more kiss … he placed one more kiss on her beautiful mouth before pushing up of the bed and getting dressed.

  After meeting Xander in the living room of his quarters, the three left together, traveled solemnly down the winding corridors in route to the ballroom. Striding elegantly through the halls, Aaron took the lead while Xander led Maddy behind him. No longer needing the blindfold, Maddy’s eyes followed the lines of the stone floor as they moved, once again donning the mask of Aaron’s slave. The sound of doors opening, the loud and unruly behavior of the men on the other side quieted, a hush falling over the room as Aaron stopped and Maddy down knelt by his side.

  Aaron looked up at his father as he sat on his throne. A smug look over his face, his eyes appeared hazy as if recently drugged. Even still, the slate grey of those eyes mimicked the polished steel of Aaron’s blade, were still shrewd in their scrutiny of the troublesome son. There was no sound, the tense silence in the room rubbing against Aaron’s nerves as he waited to hear what his father planned to do next.

  “You look good, Aaron; as does your slave.” An accent of affluence and wealth, a deep voice that commanded the room. “Something quite unsettling has been brought to my attention. It appears my executioner has been having some fun outside of business.”

  His spine like an iron rod, the muscles in Aaron’s back protested his stance. He tucked his arms behind his back, folded his hands one over the other to relieve the tense muscles. “Enough with the riddles, just tell me why I’m here.”

  “Very well … ” A sardonic grin, broke over his father’s face as he looked to Emory and signaled. “Emory, please bring in our witness.”

  Aaron cast a flippant look toward the door as Emory moved to open it. Once the large wooden surface was pulled free, Aaron’s eyes landed on the blonde hair and stick-thin body of Emily. Holding her hand out to Emory, he bent down to kiss it before leading her into the room. Emily looked over at Aaron, a sickening grin across her face as she was led to stand next to his father. Aaron sneered at the ugly jagged scar that ran down her face, stitches still in place from where the blade had cut the deepest.

  “You remember Emily Hart, don’t you? I believe it will be hard to forget a face like this.” A mocking tone, his father obviously had something purely evil in mind. “You see, the problem is that Ms. Hart didn’t look like this before having relations with you several weeks back.” Standing up, his father held out his hand so that Emily could take it before leading her down the stairs to stand in front of Aaron and Maddy. Not faltering in her obedience, Maddy kept her eyes trained to the floor even when the tips of expensive high heels, revealing perfectly manicured, pink polished toes, came into her line of sight.

  Not receiving a response from Aaron, his father continued. “Ms. Hart tells me that you had come to her house for a visit, that the two of you had sex. Apparently, this is what you did to her when you took her, and I was wondering … if you are capable of this type of brutality against a fine woman such as Ms. Hart, whatever are you capable of doing to a lowly slave?”

  When Emily began to sob, Aaron’s lip curled into a taunting grin. Her eyes trained on him, he mouthed the word “whore” before returning his bored gaze to his father. He was able to return an indifferent mask on his face, while inside he was fighting back the raging desire to pull a blade and finish the bitch off. “My slave has no such marks. I haven’t needed to punish her as brutally as I did Ms. Hart. It’s not my fault that one bitch knows to keep her mouth shut while the other doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up.”

  The amused shake of his father’s shoulders indicated to Aaron that he cared nothing of the woman to his side, this was just another opportunity for him to play his hand in the game. “Unfortunately, Aaron, your punishment was inflicted against a lady of The Estate and I cannot condone your use of such brutal force against an acquaintance of the network. It sets a bad example. If I let this pass without retribution, soon everybody will be at each other’s throats. We are a collective, Aaron, we don’t fight amongst ourselves.”

  Fisting at his father’s words, Aaron had to force his hands open in an effort to give no outward sign of his rage. His father was a master of reading a man’s mind by carefully watching facial expression
s and other small gestures that could betray a man’s innermost thoughts. “She is not part of the network, she is merely a piece of ass that is available to the community. She is of no benefit, therefore she has no right to seek retribution.”

  Laughter, cruel and mocking, erupted from his father as he moved to grip Madeleine’s face. Aaron flinched just slightly, forcing himself from breaking the old man’s neck right then. Pulling her head up, his father forced Maddy eyes to look at Emily’s face.

  “Do you see what your Master has done to this woman? He’s been a very bad boy, and I’m afraid you will have to suffer as a result. She tells me that Aaron did that to her because she called you trash.” His father released Maddy, just as Emily reached down to grab Maddy’s face again, pulling it up so that she could spit at her. Releasing her before wiping her hand clean on her skirt, Emily looked down at Maddy as if she was nothing more than diseased filth at her feet. Aaron’s eyes narrowed, his jaw slightly ticking from the force of his clenched teeth, he took a deep breath, replacing the mask of indifference on his face. Promising himself that he’d make sure that Emily didn’t live beyond the night, he was able to calm himself back to a point of appearing bored.

  “What is the retribution?”

  “One mark on your slave for every one on Ms. Hart’s body. I’ve examined her scars. It appears a whip was used to create those lines across her skin. The same will be used for your slave.”

  Maddy’s heart beat so fast, she was worried the rush of blood would knock her unconscious. Her knees shook as she was pulled up on her feet, the father’s guards stepping forward to take her from Aaron’s side. She wanted to look at him as she passed, wanted to see the emerald green in his eyes, to know that he was standing beside her, but she didn’t dare glance over, didn’t dare appear disobedient in front of the crowded room.