Chapter 54
I frantically grabbed at the dirt as Dominic dragged me by my foot from the safety of the hut. His nails gripped into the delicate skin as I cried out for Grayson. A wicked grin grew on Dominic’s face as my pleas and panic took over.
I kicked at him as we entered the tree line and he dropped my leg, turning on his heels to grab at me. I reached for the knife at my waist, slicing through the air and nicking him across the forearm. His smile deepened at the challenge and he snatched my wrist so fast, his hand was a blur.
My heart was beating rapidly enough that I was sweating profusely, making me even more agitated in the island weather. His hand crushed down on where it held onto mine, making me scream out and drop the knife.
He swooped down to pick it up and quickly tossed it away. I fought as hard as I could, throwing weak punches and in a frenzy, searched for another weapon. He kneeled in front of me, grabbing my arms to stop me from my escape attempts.
I reached for a rock, using it in my fist to hit against his ear. He didn’t flinch, the smile turning to mild irritation. He grabbed my hands by the wrist and transferred both of mine into one of his and moved his free hand to stop my kicking legs.
"Stop!" He demanded to which I ignored.
The smell of moldy dirt kicked up in my efforts as he pushed me between his legs, sitting below my diaphram. The heaviness of his weight made it difficult to breathe and my cries for Grayson came out breathy and quiet.
Where was he? Why wasn’t he answering my pleas? I knew he could feel me. My sense of him was a low thrum, distant and fuzzy.
The sun was too bright in my eyes as Dominic sat on top of me, fully incapacitating me.
"Easy now," he said through his teeth.
I bucked at my hips. When his solid mass didn’t budge, I tried wriggling myself free from where he had me pinned.
He moved himself lower, pressing my thighs into the ground and effectively stopping my kicks. His free hand moved to my upper chest, pushing down on my collar bone.
Now that I was completely unable to move, I glared at him in defiance.
"That’s right, baby girl. Look at me."
His words were poison but they made my body feel like syrup.
"I’m not yours, Dominic. You can’t have me."
His upper lip upturned into a sneer and he looked down his nose at me with my declaration.
"You are mine. And before the night begins, you’ll see that for yourself."
I tingled down below against my will making me aware of the soreness from Gayson. And just like that, fear took root in my own chest.
I knew I couldn’t be alone with Dominic. The bond could take over and make me respond in ways that would betray Grayson. My breathing fractured into shallow gasps drawing Dominic’s gaze to my chest.
The cold wire of fear tightened around my ribs, squeezing until my hammering heart felt like a trapped bird against my sternum.
I felt the energy building, the purple of my eyes spreading across the bare chest above me. The hungry look in Dominic’s eyes blurred as I let the power run its course.
The sound of a thousand bees filled my ears, only interrupted by a single word.
"Sleep," came the gentle command before the bite of a hand whipped across the side of my head and my mind followed his word.
I woke to a bouncing bone against my stomach. My eyes were still dark and my head buzzed in pain. I moaned, pulling both hands to my head. My hands were bound and a blindfold was fastened tight around my eyes.
A crusty feeling lined the side of my face, flaking off as my hand dragged across what I assumed was dried blood. I had gotten used to the ocean smells with my time on the island but now they were extra potent where they intertwined with Dominic’s natural musk.
His shoulder was hot and hard where it jutted into my midsection and I moved my tied hands to his back to lift myself slightly.
I took my time to let my dizziness settle while also getting used to the dark before my eyes. The minutes passed as the headache subsided. My body synchronized with the movements he made as he walked and I was able to relax a little in my position.
When I was confident I wouldn’t pass out, I spoke.
"Where are you taking me, Dominic?" It came out quiet and groggy.
"You’ll see," he teased.
"Grayson will find me," I warned.
"Oh, I don’t think he’ll be doing much of anything for quite some time."
My heart dropped.
"What did you do to him?!" I cried out.
He didn’t answer, only chuckled. The feeling raised his shoulders up and down against where they connected on my midsection.
I struggled more, realizing my feet were bound together as well. Without being able to move very well, I instead released a slew of curses at him. The profanity surprised even me as I let all my rage out with words alone.
"...damned bastard!" I finished before stopping to catch my breath.
He swung me around and I dropped with a hard thump on my butt. I opened my mouth again to continue my onslaught when thick, twisted vines were shoved into the place where the words were meant to come out.
Pulling my head back, he tied my gag behind my head and lifted me by my armpits to throw me back over his shoulder.
My yells were now muffled but it didn’t stop me from screaming my barrage of curses through the gag.
His hand smacked down across the lower cheek of my ass, making me yip.
"That’s enough," his voice boomed and I huffed, twisting my wrists at the binding.
I fought in his grip for a while longer before eventually giving in, defeated. The hard bristles of his beard poked into my side as we bounced along.
The skin felt raw and irritated before he finally slowed his pace to a stop. He dropped me to the ground again, this time only a little more gently than before.
The smell of burnt firewood was overwhelming in my nose. Inhaling, the smoke made me cough against the gag.
I could feel the sun on my skin, letting me know we were in an open space and not shrouded by the trees.
I pulled my legs beneath me, shifting my hips to feel more comfortable in my seat on the ground.
A finger touched my cheek and I cowered back. He was silent in front of me and his hand brushed my skin again, this time at the edge of the gag.
I let him pull it down, his movement slow like he was savoring the moment. His thumb hooked my bottom lip once the vine was removed, pulling at the pillowy skin.
I froze as his finger slid around my lip, enticing a pleasure I fought against.
"That’s a good little slut," he said in low tone that made me smack my mouth closed.
The hook of his fingers tilted my chin up before his presence disappeared, leaving me breathing heavily through my nose.
Slight cracking noises seemed to come from every direction. I listened hard, hoping for the sounds of Grayson’s heavy footsteps. The absence of his watchful eye in my mind left a deeply unsettling feeling within me.
My whole body called out for him, screamed for his rescue but only an emptiness answered back. I thought of Jax and what might have happened to him or if Grayson had even found him before Dominic did whatever he had done.
I whimpered at the thoughts that ran through my mind, wrestling with my restraints again.
"It’s no use," came Dominic’s voice. "Even if I did let you go, you wouldn’t run from me."
He sounded so confident that my stomach dropped as I realized I believed him. The power the bond held over me was returning, slamming into my chest with the entire force of Lunar Laws. I was at the mercy of their strange rules. My body and mind would soon be betraying me as I would bend to the will of Dominic’s cravings.
Tears soaked through the blindfold as I thought of what it would do to Grayson.
"Dominic, you can’t."
The words were weak, my courage already fading.
I felt him near, leaning down to my level in front of me.
"And I won’t," he said. There was a hint of satisfied lust in his tone. "You will."
"You’ll be begging me by the end of the day and I’ll finally get what I want."
His fingers trailed my thighs and I shivered beneath his touch.
"You’ll give yourself to me freely, and answer my every desire."
My mouth fell open with the images of our joining bodies flashing through both of our minds. His touch was light as a feather as it tickled closer to my inner thigh.
"Because if you don’t, your corrupt king will fall."