jail. And if there’s a merciful God in this
universe, he will be staying behind bars for a long, long time.” Cole recalled
Amber’s theory that Ciel was a sub in Domme’s clothing. She might have been
right. “Tell me you don’t think you want that sadistic bastard.”
“I was about to succeed at subduing him.
Amber was helping me.” Ciel jerked loose from Cole’s hold, practically leaped
out of bed and went to stare out the window at the raw, red ground he’d
recently had plowed to turn it into a garden. “God, but Obsidion is a
desolate-looking place. Our father did me no favor, sending me here with Dax
and Amber.”
She’d get no argument from Cole about the
latter. Many times when he’d tended Amber’s brand, he had thought about killing
his father for having exiled the three together. Petrone should have been
executed or imprisoned for life on Earth as a common criminal, an outlaw
completely beyond redemption.
When Ciel, always mercurial, seemed to have
calmed down enough that Cole dared to loosen his grip on her, he persuaded her
to take her medicine and crawl back into bed. “Give it time, Ciel. If we work
together we can make Obsidion a paradise where Earthlings can come to indulge
their passions amongst all the luxuries of home.”
“You really believe that?”
“Yes I do. But we have to take it one step
at a time. Meanwhile, I need to go. It’s time we opened our doors to our first
customers.
“Rest now.” Bending, Cole kissed his
sister’s forehead. “I need you to get well, so you can show our club Dommes how
we treat our subs at No Bounds.” He had only a few minutes to tend his ravaged
cheek and change into the black leather chaps, vest and boots he was to wear in
the scene with Amber.
* * * * *
“Ciel was awake just now,” Cole whispered a
few minutes later when he joined Amber and clipped her leash to the thick
silver chain around his waist.
“I must go to her.” Amber made a move
toward the stairs but stopped cold when he didn’t lead the way. “Master.”
“Not now.”
“But Master…”
“I said not now. I gave her the medicine
Ulrica left for when she came to. By now she should be sleeping again. Besides,
we have a club to open.” If he could, he’d shield Amber forever from his
sister’s misplaced possessiveness. While he couldn’t manage that with them both
living in the quarters above No Bounds, he could and would postpone the
inevitable confrontation for as long as possible.
Amber reached a hand up to her throat,
fingered his collar. “Does she know you’re now my Master?”
“Yes. She knows. Did you think I’d keep
this from my own sister?” Cole traced the path his collar took, feeling a burst
of pride that Amber had chosen him. “I want the whole world to know you are my
slave, that you love me and I love you.”
Her eyes widened when she noticed the angry
scratches along his cheek. “She…why did she do this to you?” Very gently, she
traced the lines of the wounds.
“Hush. It’s nothing.”
Tears filled her eyes, caught on the thick
fringes of her eyelashes. “We were friends. Never more. Oh God, Master, she
must have thought—”
“That you were her slave. I assured her you
were not and never had been, that you were and are her friend, even though the
way she used you could easily have gotten you killed.” Cole used his thumb to
catch a tear on its way down Amber’s cheek, then rubbed the moisture over her
glistening lips. “Come, now—we must greet our guests.”
“She was to have been here too, taking part
in the opening ceremonies. Before we left Earth, she’d planned a scene…”
Amber’s hesitation told Cole that he didn’t
want to hear the details of what Ciel had planned. Not now, when all he wanted
to do was concentrate on Amber, on showing the guests he’d invited to No Bounds
on its opening night that he had taken a slave he loved dearly, one he would go
to any lengths to bring to pleasure. “All that’s
universe, he will be staying behind bars for a long, long time.” Cole recalled
Amber’s theory that Ciel was a sub in Domme’s clothing. She might have been
right. “Tell me you don’t think you want that sadistic bastard.”
“I was about to succeed at subduing him.
Amber was helping me.” Ciel jerked loose from Cole’s hold, practically leaped
out of bed and went to stare out the window at the raw, red ground he’d
recently had plowed to turn it into a garden. “God, but Obsidion is a
desolate-looking place. Our father did me no favor, sending me here with Dax
and Amber.”
She’d get no argument from Cole about the
latter. Many times when he’d tended Amber’s brand, he had thought about killing
his father for having exiled the three together. Petrone should have been
executed or imprisoned for life on Earth as a common criminal, an outlaw
completely beyond redemption.
When Ciel, always mercurial, seemed to have
calmed down enough that Cole dared to loosen his grip on her, he persuaded her
to take her medicine and crawl back into bed. “Give it time, Ciel. If we work
together we can make Obsidion a paradise where Earthlings can come to indulge
their passions amongst all the luxuries of home.”
“You really believe that?”
“Yes I do. But we have to take it one step
at a time. Meanwhile, I need to go. It’s time we opened our doors to our first
customers.
“Rest now.” Bending, Cole kissed his
sister’s forehead. “I need you to get well, so you can show our club Dommes how
we treat our subs at No Bounds.” He had only a few minutes to tend his ravaged
cheek and change into the black leather chaps, vest and boots he was to wear in
the scene with Amber.
* * * * *
“Ciel was awake just now,” Cole whispered a
few minutes later when he joined Amber and clipped her leash to the thick
silver chain around his waist.
“I must go to her.” Amber made a move
toward the stairs but stopped cold when he didn’t lead the way. “Master.”
“Not now.”
“But Master…”
“I said not now. I gave her the medicine
Ulrica left for when she came to. By now she should be sleeping again. Besides,
we have a club to open.” If he could, he’d shield Amber forever from his
sister’s misplaced possessiveness. While he couldn’t manage that with them both
living in the quarters above No Bounds, he could and would postpone the
inevitable confrontation for as long as possible.
Amber reached a hand up to her throat,
fingered his collar. “Does she know you’re now my Master?”
“Yes. She knows. Did you think I’d keep
this from my own sister?” Cole traced the path his collar took, feeling a burst
of pride that Amber had chosen him. “I want the whole world to know you are my
slave, that you love me and I love you.”
Her eyes widened when she noticed the angry
scratches along his cheek. “She…why did she do this to you?” Very gently, she
traced the lines of the wounds.
“Hush. It’s nothing.”
Tears filled her eyes, caught on the thick
fringes of her eyelashes. “We were friends. Never more. Oh God, Master, she
must have thought—”
“That you were her slave. I assured her you
were not and never had been, that you were and are her friend, even though the
way she used you could easily have gotten you killed.” Cole used his thumb to
catch a tear on its way down Amber’s cheek, then rubbed the moisture over her
glistening lips. “Come, now—we must greet our guests.”
“She was to have been here too, taking part
in the opening ceremonies. Before we left Earth, she’d planned a scene…”
Amber’s hesitation told Cole that he didn’t
want to hear the details of what Ciel had planned. Not now, when all he wanted
to do was concentrate on Amber, on showing the guests he’d invited to No Bounds
on its opening night that he had taken a slave he loved dearly, one he would go
to any lengths to bring to pleasure. “All that’s
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