FOURTEENTARYN

Since getting rescued, my head’s been swarmed with worries, their incessant buzzing loud and impossible to ignore. Now, looming over everything, is the possible future destruction of Faerie. There’s also at least one mole inside the Romanov Clan, the group that’s been my adoptive family for centuries, who aided in my capture.

Then I thought I saw Edevane on The Strip. Part of me thinks I imagined it, and my need to mete out justice to the Light King caused me to react. But the way the hair on the back of my neck prickled just before makes me think it was more than a trauma response. And when I stood in the spot I thought he’d been only seconds earlier, I swear I felt traces of my own magic lingering.

I didn’t mention any of that to Finn, though, because by the time he caught up with me, I already started doubting myself. My toxic trait has always been not trusting myself to handle certain…things. Not being able to trust my own mind is a new one, though.

Gods, no wonder I’m spilling wine like a common klutz. I used to be better at disguising my anxiety, but being in that facility made my masks thin and weak. I hate feeling weak in any capacity, for any reason. Especially around someone as strong as Finn.

Finn… Finn’s lips crushing mine… Finn taking me by the hand and leading me into his bedroom…

I wasn’t sure what to think when he brought me in here, but with the promise of making me fly I decided to stay quiet and watch him do his thing. It took him about five minutes to hang a thick, six-foot bamboo pole horizontally from two hardpoints in the ceiling, grab a duffel full of white rope from the kink closet, and uncoil several lengths so they’re ready to use.

Pocketing the safety shears, he stands in front of me. “The suspension I have planned is simple and good for beginners. If you’d rather stick with floor work, that’s fine. Or if you’ve changed your mind all together, that’s also fine.”

He raises a hand and cups my cheek. “But if you let me, I’ll give you an experience like nothing you’ve ever felt. As your body sinks into the ropes your muscles will relax and your mind will quiet, focused only on my touch and my voice. The choice is yours, solnyshko.”

Every time he uses that term of endearment with me, I melt a little more. “Show me.”

I unbutton my jean shorts to let them fall around my feet, then kick them away. Before I can grab the hem of my fitted T-shirt, he stays my hands and takes over, pulling it up and off.

His hot gaze drinks in my bare breasts as his lips part to draw in a ragged breath. The tip of his tongue drags along one of his fangs like it wants to sink deep into my flesh. The thought of something so intoxicatingly savage creates a damp spot between my legs.

Large hands glide up my sides, fingers tracing every curve before cupping my breasts, his thumbs flicking over my nipples. I gasp as his lips descend, kissing a path from my collarbone down to my breasts, where his tongue swirls around each taut bud, teasing and torturing. He trails kisses back up to my neck, his hands exploring every inch of my skin, his touch igniting a fire within me.

Lowering to his knees, he hooks his fingers into my panties and slowly pulls them down as his lips press kisses to my belly. I slide my hands through his thick, black hair and let my eyes drift closed on a sigh.

“That’s it, keep your eyes closed,” he says, then gets to his feet. “I’m going to blindfold you to help your focus remain inward and heighten your other senses.”

I feel a soft material placed over my eyes that blocks out the rest of the light. Then he separates my curls to tie it behind my head without snagging my hair, and the care in which he does touches me.

“Listen carefully. If anything hurts or doesn’t feel right, you need to let me know so I can make adjustments. No special words necessary, just tell me. But if you want this to come to an end at any point for any reason, you say ‘red’ and everything stops immediately. Any questions?”

“No, I got it.”

“Good.” He turns some electronic music on—it has no lyrics, and it’s not very loud, so it doesn’t pull focus—then helps me sit on the floor where he needs me. “I want you to pull your knees into your chest and hug your legs with your arms, like you’re in the fetal position, only sitting up.”

I do as he says, realizing how exposed this makes me when the air kisses the slick lips of my sex. The anticipation of feeling his touch there only makes me more aroused, and soon I’ll be dripping enough to make a mess on this carpet, too.

He kneels behind me, his thighs framing my hips and his bare chest touching my back. “Perfect. Stay just like that for me.”

“Yes, sire.”

If it wasn’t for the blindfold, my eyes would have shot wide with surprise at my response. I didn’t plan to say that, it just slipped out. He probably thinks I’m mocking him. People love to remind him—including himself—that he’s the only Verran brother who isn’t and won’t be a king.

“I’m sorry, Finn, I didn’t mean to⁠—”

“I know you didn’t. Besides, I liked it.” He grips the front of my throat possessively and lets his lips graze my ear as he speaks. “I might not be a king, but if you surrender yourself to me, I will gladly be your sovereign ruler.”

He turns my face and his lips find mine in a deep, hungry kiss that leaves me breathless and craving more. But the second I release my legs to get my hands on him, he pulls away to place my arms back where he wants them.

“Don’t move. I’m going to add the ropes before I get carried away and ditch the whole plan.”

My mouth turns down in a pout. “Would that be so bad? I thought things were moving along rather nicely.”

He chuckles, then punctuates it with a sweet kiss to my bare shoulder. “No more talking. I want you to focus on the sensations of the rope and my hands. You’re going to love this, I promise.”

I do as he says, wanting the full benefit of the experience. With the blindfold on, I’m hyperaware of the sounds of his movements and the feel of the rope as he guides it around me and pulls the long ends through to make the ties hold. Each knot and loop creates a sense of calm, almost like a warm embrace, grounding me in the present moment. The tension in the ropes contrasts with a deep relaxation that washes over me, making me feel oddly safe and tranquil.

Even though I can’t see the design, I can imagine what it looks like just from feeling where he places the ropes and knots. My wrists are tied together in front of my shins and held in place with a connection to the rope around my ankles. Then he wrapped it several times around my entire body, from my ankles around my lower back and also around my upper back that’s anchored to ties just above my elbows and which hold my knees in tight to my chest.

When he’s satisfied with his work, he checks in with me to make sure nothing feels numb or pinched, then I feel him get to his feet and move around. “Now I’m going to lay you on your side so I can attach the up-lines and suspend you from the pole.”

There’s nothing I can do but trust in him to handle me with care, and I do. Within minutes, he works his rigging magic and suddenly I’m weightless, suspended facing up, held in position with nothing but ropes and knots cradling my body.

One hand runs over my hair hanging down while the other roams over my body. “Fucking exquisite,” he whispers as though speaking to himself. Then he switches to a more serious tone. “How does it feel? Don’t expect it to be comfortable like lying in a hammock, but you shouldn’t be in any real pain, either.”

He’s right. The ropes around my back and arms are taking the full brunt of my weight, making them press into my flesh hard enough to be more than a little uncomfortable. And yet… I can’t explain the sense of peace I’m feeling. Like the physical discomfort and inability to move allows my brain to shut off and just be.

“No, there’s no pain,” I answer.

“Good. Remember you’re calling the shots. You say ‘red’ at any time, and I immediately get you down and cut you loose, no questions asked. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid that answer won’t do,” he says, his voice pitching low. “You gave me a taste of your submission, and now I’m craving it. Yes, what? Address me properly, solnyshko.”

He fists my hair and tugs, sending frissons of pleasure through my body that light up my nipples and clit. “Yes, sire.”

“Mm, good girl. Let’s give you a reward.”

His hand skims along my thigh, down to my ass for a quick squeeze, then his fingers find my slick pussy. I moan as they run up and down my slit, teasing my clit on every up-stroke, until finally he sinks two thick digits deep inside me, making me gasp.

“Fuck, you’re soaked, little sun.”

Bless Brigid, it’s not any less sexy when he says it in English. Or maybe anything would sound sexy right now because the way he’s slow-fucking me with his fingers is short-circuiting my brain. And when his thumb starts rubbing circles on my aching clit, my entire world narrows to the area between my legs.

“Oh gods, that feels so good. Please don’t stop,” I pant.

My body wants to writhe, my hips want to thrust, but none of that is possible. The sensation of immobility in mid-air is a strange combination of being bound and completely free at the same time. He was right; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and I can see how this could become an addiction.

“Stopping isn’t part of the plan,” he says, adding a third finger. “I’m going to wring more orgasms out of you than you thought possible. And when you think you can’t give me anymore, you will. You’ll do it because I want you to.”

Oh fuck, why is that so hot? I’m learning things about myself I never knew before. I’ve never been submissive to anyone, and I still don’t believe that I could be with anyone other than Finn. I’ve never felt comfortable enough to let my guard down with any of my previous lovers. If I allowed them any sort of dominance in the bedroom, they’d think they had the same role outside of it, too. And that I could never allow.

But with Finn, it’s different. He’s shown me that he views me as an equal. He respects me as a warrior and someone who knows her own mind. Any sort of coddling he’s done with me isn’t because he sees me as weak but because he’s a natural caretaker with a big heart. Even now, as he pushes me closer to an explosive climax, he’s taking care of me. It’s impossible to stay guarded for long around a male like him.

“That’s it, almost there,” he says, thrusting his fingers faster. “Come for me now.”