Mirror of My Soul

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Mirror of My Soul

ISBN # 1-4199-0576-7

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Mirror of My Soul Copyright© 2006 Joey W. Hill

Edited by Briana St. James.

Cover art by Syneca.

Electronic book Publication: May 2006

This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

Warning:

The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (Erotic), and X (X-treme).

S-
ensuous
love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

E-
rotic
love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as

“fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

X-
treme
titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

MIRROR OF MY SOUL

Joey W. Hill

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the

following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Armani : GA Modefine S.A.

BMW : Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft Corporation

Budweiser : Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated

Bugs Bunny: Warner Bros, Inc.

Desert Eagle : TAAS—Israel Industries Limited Corporation

Ferrari : Ferraro S.p.A.

Jeep : Daimler Chrysler Corporation

Jell-O : Kraft Foods Holdings, Inc.

London Fog : Londontown Manufacturing Company

Piper Cub : New Piper Aircraft, Inc.

Road Runner : Time Warner Entertainment Company

Spider-Man: Cadence Industries

The Lone Ranger : Wrather Corporation

Mirror of My Soul

Author Note about Ice Queen

They call her the Ice Queen. At the exclusive BDSM club known as The Zone,

Mistress Marguerite is a legend. Tyler Winterman has been fascinated with her since he’s known her, though the rules of their world say they shouldn’t share more than mutual admiration. He is her male counterpart, one of the most powerful Doms

practicing at The Zone.

Due to a computer error, Marguerite lacks the mentoring program stipulation

required of all Zone Dominants, which includes spending a number of hours learning about BDSM from the submissive’s perspective. Tyler considers it an act of fate that Marguerite chooses him to be the Dom who helps her fulfill that requirement. He is convinced she is a “switch”, a closet submissive, but the truth will be even more remarkable than the theory, changing their lives in ways neither of them anticipates.

Ice Queen focused on the weekend that Tyler spent with Marguerite, helping her to fulfill this mentoring requirement. Marguerite found herself overwhelmed by her emotions and strong physical reaction to his Mastering and tried to sever their connection after their weekend together. Tyler, in an attempt to coax her into pursuing a deeper relationship with him, asks for the privilege of serving as her submissive for one night within the walls of The Zone.

Marguerite’s desire to prove to Tyler she can top him as naturally as he Mastered her compels her to accept his invitation. But when the nightmares of her dysfunctional past rise during the session, she becomes violent and uncontrolled, breaking every rule a Dominant is supposed to follow to protect the well-being and safety of her

submissive.

The fact she beats the hell out of him doesn’t turn Tyler away from her. Still restrained and now bleeding, he calls her to him. She responds, ending up at his feet, holding on to him, needing to feel him, to be near the sanctuary of his voice.

She couldn’t top him. She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to be a Mistress to Tyler. The
knowledge of it was quietly there, the real battle she’d come in here to fight. What the waiting
look in his eyes told her he’d known all along. He’d proven himself her Master even when bound,
taking over her senses even without the privilege of touching her.

She was a Mistress who needed a Master. Who needed him.

Mirror of My Soul
picks up Tyler and Marguerite’s story right after this session, so you haven’t missed a single moment between them. Enjoy…

Joey W. Hill

5

Joey W. Hill

She heard The Zone staff come in but didn’t move, simply too numb to do

anything. She must have phased out for a bit, just stroking the back of his thigh, for suddenly she was vaguely aware of an employee reaching under her to release the manacles on his ankles.

“Thanks. Darken the ceiling on your way out, will you?”

Tyler’s voice, the only thing that registered. There was the whir of the mechanism, shutting out faces that were probably wondering what kind of show they’d just seen.

The last performance of the Ice Queen.

“They’ll never let me come back. You have no choice but to kick me out now. There isn’t a rule I didn’t just break.”

“Well, I wouldn’t count on that. I told Perry we were planning a demonstration of what
not
to do. Like a community service message.”

She knew he was free now but he didn’t disturb her yet, letting her kneel there, holding him. “Do you always anticipate everything?”

There was a silent moment before he answered. “No. I didn’t anticipate that I

would fall in love with you from the very first moment I saw you.”

She closed her eyes. “No.” She ducked her head away as he bent down over her,

tried to turn her face. “I can’t look at you. I can’t.”

But his fingers insisted, so at length she did. Tilting her chin up, she saw his beautiful eyes full of something far too perfect for her to see. Then she saw more. Two slashes on his face that were open and seeping blood, the skin around them an angry red. The second one had left a cut across his eyelid and the bridge of his nose. His jaw was swelling, where she well could have broken it with the tawser.

Her fingers were on it before she could stop herself. “Oh God, Tyler. I’m—”

He laid his lips over hers, taking her words, her hitching breath into himself. When he raised his head, she had nothing, he had it all.

“I’ll endure anything for you, angel. Anything.” He curved that broad back over her, wrapped his arms around her body. Instead of fighting the touch, the intensity, her body recognized it as a safe harbor. Her fingers latched on to his forearm and her nails dug in, cutting as if she were holding on to a cliff edge.

The sobs rolled over her, taking her, her cries of distress that were much too strangled to be called crying. Tyler thought she sounded as if she was being torn apart from the inside.

6

Mirror of My Soul

He’d made it onto the right path at last. But instead of triumph, at her anguish he could only feel the same pain, the pain of a man who loved her desperately, who only wanted to make her feel better, make every nightmare go away.

Her body was shaking as if she had a fever. Another woman’s face would be wet

with tears but it was as if she didn’t know how to cry like that, any more than she’d known how to let herself go, to allow herself physical fulfillment. Her skin was ice cold.

As he comprehended the significance of that, the door beeped, opened.

“Everything under control in here?” It was Mac, his eyes assessing the situation as a cop and a friend. At the moment Tyler was grateful for a person with both to offer. Dan was a quiet shadow at his back, having disengaged the locks for Mac.

“I think she’s in a bit of shock. Can you bring me my jacket there?” He nodded toward the corner in the shadows where they’d hung it.

“Her cloak’s here too.”

“Bring them both over but she needs the jacket first.”

Mac nodded to Dan, exchanged a quiet word, closed the door. He brought the

jacket and cape, came over and crouched. Marguerite pressed her head against Tyler’s arm, shutting them out. Mac’s eyes noted her nails dug deep into Tyler’s arm.

“Here, angel.” Tyler tenderly pried her loose, slid her hand into the sleeve.

It had been like this a long, long time ago. Marguerite remembered this haze of nothing, where she had thought nothing would ever make sense again. Then there was the social worker reaching through that haze to find her, with the touch of a hand, a doll and a tea set. She resisted his movement of her but he was a lot stronger and simply made her limbs do as he wished, enveloping her in his jacket, his scent. She immediately rewrapped herself around his leg and arm as soon as he was done.

Tyler winced as her nails clamped down into the same spot but he simply stroked her hair, held her close. “She’ll be all right in a bit,” he said quietly. “Where’s Violet?”

Mac reached out, laid a hand on Marguerite’s quivering back. Grazed his fingers over her forehead, gauging her temperature.

“She’s too pissed off. I talked her into letting me come check on you.”

“We’re fine,” Tyler said.

“Yeah, you look it.” A corner of Mac’s mouth twitched. “You’re going to need some medical attention.”

“I’ve had worse beatings in my life.”

“Just wait until Violet gets done with you.” Mac stood. “You owe me one. She’s going to make my life hell for the next few days for keeping her out of here when she let loose on you.”

“Did you sit on her or use a headlock?”

“You laugh now but Mistresses can be meaner than hell when crossed.” His gaze

lingered on the ugly swellings on Tyler’s face. “I expect you know that.”

7

Joey W. Hill

He retreated, closing the door, leaving them alone.

“Angel, let me take you home, put you to bed.”

“I can drive myself.”

He smiled against her hair but his heart tightened at the rough quality of her voice.

“No, you won’t. It’s not a request. I’m taking care of you tonight. That’s the end of it.”

She raised her head and her grip on his arm eased at last. She looked as if

everything had been drained away, leaving her skin drawn taut, those blue eyes dominating her face. “And who will take care of you?”

“Well, if you want to rub aloe all over my body, I guess I won’t object.” As he stroked her hair away from her cheek she sat very still under his touch, staring at him.

“Tyler, you know I can’t do this. You need to hear me for once. There’s a reason I choose to be the way I am. The alternative is…” Her fingers reached up abruptly, touching his jaw. “This is the alternative for me.”

“No, it’s not. There’s another path. You know it. You accepted it, even if only for a few minutes. That’s what scared you so much.” He lifted her chin, brought his mouth close to hers as her lips trembled open.

“Say it to me, Marguerite. Say the word that’s in your heart, the reason you’re on your knees now.”

She ducked her head but he caught her chin. Taking her hand, he placed it on the side of his face.

“Your mouth may not be able to say it but every other part of you is.”

He knew he shouldn’t push right now but the images were in his head. The fierce light in her eyes, the taunt of her body displayed before him, rubbing up against him.