Blue (Darkness Falls #3) (8 page)

In the morning,
Noelle was gone and Blue awoke to find Thomas kneeling in the corner. “Where is she?” He asked gruffly and Thomas looked up.

“She went to be with James. She said to let you sleep.”

“Thanks.” He rubbed his eyes and pushed himself upright. At some point in the night, the sub had moved the blankets back over them and the room was warm. “Are you okay?” He knew Noelle had probably already asked, but it was one thing for Thomas to claim to want to watch someone else fucking the woman he loved and quite something else to actually see it in person.

“Not really.” Thomas’ head drooped again. “How long have you been in love with my Mistress, Master Blue?”

Was it that obvious?
Damn it
. “Since the day I met her.” He admitted, shifting across the bed so he could face the sub directly. “But you have nothing to fear from me, Thomas. Whatever happens between us, I know that you and she are together and always will be. If this goes where I hope it does, I will welcome both of you into my life. I’ve been your Master before.”

“I always knew that Sean was wrong for her.” Thomas wiped his eyes and Blue realised
the young man was crying. “I hated that I came between them and caused her so much pain, but she changed my life. I didn’t know how to survive without her. I couldn’t bear to walk away from the peace after a lifetime of agony. She is my salvation and I can’t lose her; I
won’t
lose her, even to you.”

“You won’t.” Blue promised, shaken by the declaration from the normally meek sub. “Come here.”

Thomas came, not even fighting his urge to obey, shuffling across the floor with a stiffness that betrayed how long he had been kneeling.

“Look at me.”
Blue caught the sub’s chin in a strong grip, forcing his gaze upwards. “I love your Mistress. By extension, that means I love you too. For as long as you are in her heart, you are also in mine. You will always be part of us. You will always be welcome in our bed and, Gods willing, our home. I will protect you and care for you as I would if you were my own, because all that she is and all that she has are precious to me. I will tell you again, Thomas, and you will know that I mean it: You have nothing to fear from me. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes
, Master.” He pressed in close to Blue’s legs. “Thank you…I was so afraid.”

“Then it’
s good that you came to me.” He hardened his voice. “But I am not your Master yet, Thomas. You should commit all your fears to your Mistress. Did you discuss this with her this morning?”

“No, Master.” Thomas shrank, even as his breath quickened.

“Then you will come with me.” Rising to his feet, Blue strode naked from the room and across the hall into his own. He grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them on before leading the quivering sub down to the play rooms.  “Get on the bench.” He pointed to the spanking bench, but Thomas hesitated.

“Clothed or unclothed, Master?”

“Clothed. Red will kill me if I mark you up.”

“Yes, Master.” Thomas arranged himself as requested and Blue selected a vicious crop from the cupboard, flexing it to test the bend. He wanted this to hurt.

“You will take ten strikes. I expect you to count them out.”

“Yes, Master.” Thomas relaxed into the bench as Blue rolled his wrist. This wouldn’t hurt him as it would
any other sub in his position. As an algolagniac, Thomas’ nerves translated pain into pleasure. The real suffering would be in the fact that he was caged and unable to come until his Mistress allowed him to.

The crop whistled through the air and Thomas flinched. “One, Master. Thank you, Master.” Blue’s arm rose and fell as Thomas counted them out through gritted teeth.
Blue was glad Thomas was submitting to him like this. It would make his conquest of Noelle all the easier if she knew her sub was on board with the situation.

When the ten were done, he returned the crop to the cupboard and helped Thomas off the bench. “Go and relax.” He cupped the young sub’s cheek. “I will discuss this with Noelle and it will be forgotten.”

“Yes, Master.” Thomas gratefully left the room and Blue went in search of Noelle.

He followed her laughter to the rose garden and was surprised to find her outside. The weather wasn’t great. Soft drizzle was falling, misting everything in damp sheen, but Noelle’s face shone with light and Blue could see why. James was out of bed, moving stiffly around the lawn as she supported him. He was healing faster than they had expected, despite the fact that his face still looked a mess and the pain his shattered ribs must be causing him.

“Thank you, Mistress.” James’
voice broke. “I needed the fresh air.”

“I know.” She stroked the damaged skin of his forearm with a gentle touch and Blue drew back into the shadows of the doorway to watch them.

“I’m sorry you’re getting rained on.”

“I’m not
sorry.” She said bluntly. “It’s nice for me to be outside too and I think it would do us both good to have some skin to skin drying off time when we get in.”

“Mistress.” James stumbled, overwhelmed by his gratitude. Blue wanted to be annoyed
at the thought of her getting naked with another man, but he couldn’t find it in himself. James had a long recovery ahead of him and every Dom knew that skin to skin was the best way to heal.

“The film crew is here.” Cal’s voice said in his ear and Blue jumped, startled out of his skin. He hadn’t heard the older Master approaching.

“Can we let them set up somewhere on their own? They’re having a moment.” Blue gestured to James and Noelle, heading for another turn around the garden, and Cal shrugged.

“Maybe. They’re talking about interviewing some of the other people in her life. Perhaps they’ll interview some of us while they’re waiting.”

“I’ll deal with it.” Blue cast a last glance towards the couple walking around the garden and then headed into the house.

He managed to persuade the film crew to set up in one of the drawing rooms that they interviewed new clients in. They admitted that they’d arrived an hour early, so he didn’t feel too bad about making them wait. Chloe had fetched Thomas for him, since he knew the sub had signed a disclaimer protecting his identity, and they began their interview.

Noelle arrived an hour later. “How’s James?” Blue asked, whispering from just outside the doorway, and she shrugged.

“He’s sleeping. How’s Thomas doing?”

“He’s getting defensive.” Blue frowned. “They’ve been talking him around in circles. I don’t think they really understand what submission is all about.”

She sighed. “I suppose I’d better get in there and help him.”

“Before you do, I need to tell you that I had to punish him this morning. It was a matter between us and I dealt with it appropriately under the circumstances.  If he mentions it, please let it slide.”

“Was it about last night? Is it anything I need to be worried about?” Her brow crease
d with concern and he smoothed out the line with a gentle hand.

“Not any more. It was a misunderstanding and it’s all cleared up.”

“Okay.” She was one of the few women that actually would just let it go at that and for that he was grateful. He wasn’t ready for Thomas to tell her what their conversation had been about. If she hadn’t figured it out for herself, he didn’t need someone else blurting out the depth of his regard for her. She squeezed his arm with one of her tiny hands and then headed into the room. “I’m here.” She interrupted whatever question they were asking the sub and the gratitude on his face was almost comical.

“Mistress.” He breathed and she held her arms out to him. The sub dropped to his knees, pressing his face into her stomach as she stroked his hair.

“What did you ask him?” Her glare at the director was fierce. “Why is he so distressed?”

“They don’t seem to understand that this isn’t all about sex.” Blue answered from the doorway when it didn’t look like anyone else was going to
speak up. At her entrance, they all seemed to have swallowed their tongues. “They’ve basically been asking him why he pays a whore.”

Noelle shook her head with disgust
, the reason for the silence suddenly clear. The whore would be her. “Thomas, do you want to fuck me?”

“
Hell no!” His voice was muffled and she smiled as she raised his chin to look at him.

“Why not?”

“Because…” He swallowed, the adoration in his face humbling. “It’s hard to explain. You might as well ask a priest if he wants to fuck Jesus.”

“So this is a religious thing?” The director sounded hopelessly confused.

“It’s not religious, but it’s akin to it.” Thomas shrugged, refusing to relinquish his grip of Noelle’s legs. “I feel like a disciple. I serve and she protects. It’s not sexual. It’s not dirty. It’s just pure and absolute adoration.”

“Thank you, Thomas.” She smoothed the hair from his forehead and pressed a kiss to it. “That was a good answer.
Why don’t you go and sit with James for a bit? He’ll be glad of the company.”

“Of course, Mistress.” He smiled and left the room, leaving Noelle to take his seat in front of the cameras. They fussed around, fitting her with a microphone as she gazed with a steely glare at the lens and Blue started to worry. She was supposed to appear open and warm. Pissing her off on day one might cause the whole thing to have the opposite effect to what they had hoped.

He needn’t have been so concerned. They fired difficult question after difficult question at her, some of them outright offensive, but she answered them with an easy grace and quiet authority. Blue was impressed.

After an hour or more she was starting to flag, so he took the hot seat while she went to organise refreshments for them all.

“Can you explain to us why everyone seems so fascinated with Noelle?” Was the first question the director asked him and Blue knew he had to answer honestly.

“Because she’s all things to all men.” He forced himself to relax back in the chair. “She’s the innocent teacher and the dominatrix slut. She’s loving and cruel, skilled and naïve, wicked and prudish all at once. She’ll close her eyes when you kiss her and then take a whip to your ass. She’s the eternal paradox and that, gentlemen, is fascinating. She’s smart too. You can’t underestimate the value of intelligence. She’s fiercely loving and protective of those that are lucky enough to be in her heart.
She is all things.”

“It sounds like you have a very deep affection for her.” The director narrowed his eyes, considering Blue’s answer.

“I do. She’s family.” Blue gave him a level stare. “We live together, train together, eat together,”
sleep together
, “and party together. She was under my care when she first came here to The Manor. I have seen her through the darkest of times and the best of times. You don’t share all those things with a person without forming a close bond.”

“How do you feel about her moving out into her new house?”

“This will always be her home when she wants it.” He neatly sidestepped the answer. “Home is about more than four walls and a roof. I expect she will continue to stay here one or two nights a week.”

The questions moved onto other topics and Blue was glad. He didn’t like the look the director was giving him. The last thing he needed was for someone else to ambush Noelle about his feelings for her before he had a chance to tell her.

They filmed The Manor and the surroundings, as much as Cal would allow them to, and then they were off to the traditional Darkness Falls Monday night dinner. Raze had come to collect her so he knew he didn’t have to worry about her safety, and he went in search of Cal instead.

“Has anyone found Alexandra yet?” He asked, when the Master admitted him to the study.

“No.” It was strange to see Cal so troubled. Nothing ever ruffled him. “It worries me that she’s gone so quiet after such a spectacular opening gambit. She’s planning something.”

“Perhaps she just doesn’t know what to do next?” Blue suggested. “We’ve circled the wagons. There’s no-one she can separate from the herd and she must have guessed that the club will be on the lookout for her. She might be
batshit crazy, but she’s not stupid.”

Cal
steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Blue, what happened six years ago? I’ve never asked because I trusted you to come to me when you were ready to speak. How did you draw her out?”

Blue shuddered. He remembered that day like it was yesterday…finding Marisa broken and bloody on the doorstep and the panicked flight to hospital. For a long time they hadn’t thought she’d survive and when she’d woken up…it
had been nothing like James’ devotion to Noelle. She’d looked at him in fear and horror and had turned her face away. Alexandra had broken her. In an unprecedented move, Cal had insisted they all provide statements to the Police regarding Alexandra’s reign of terror. Marisa’s injuries were too severe to be anything consensual.

The days had passed and Alexandra had gone dormant until Blue had made the conscious decision to step out alone. He left The Manor and his security behind and headed out into the city streets, aimlessly wandering until he found a dingy bar that seemed as anonymous as any other.