The Circle (4 page)

My eyebrows bunched together as I fought the mental cobwebs. “Obvious how?”

“No questions. We’re here, and we must go in now. Do not speak. While in the presence of others, you will do what I say without question, or I may be forced to punish you whether or not I want to.” His fingers tightened their grip on my jaw. “Do you understand?”

I swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”

Chapter Four

A heavy silence crowded around me as I climbed out of the limo. No city sounds of honking horns, not even a cricket sent a creak into the night.

I clung to Devin’s arm as we approached the largest estate house I’d ever seen. Wide and rectangular, the hotel-style roof overhung the front of the sandstone structure, supported by four giant white pillars. Floodlights splashed bright beams across the pale, vine-coated walls and highlighted two turrets that stabbed into the star-lit sky on either end. My steps slowed as I gaped up at the tall structure. Every window was dark save for the glass doors beyond the white pillars where yellow light flickered within.

Not a single car other than our limousine graced the circular paved driveway, though a crowd of people stood beyond the entrance bathed in what appeared to be candlelight.

“Where is this place?” I held my teeth steady so they wouldn’t chatter. “I know we turned east from my apartment, but—”

“Nobody will find this place unless we wish them to,” Devin said. “That is all you need to know.”

He slid his arm around my waist and guided me, not to the front door, but to one around the side of the building.

I glanced at his perfect profile, at the tiny smile forming on his lips. “Why are—”

“Hush.”

I put on the brakes, digging my heels into the asphalt. “I’m really getting tired of you cutting me off.”

Devin yanked me toward him and stared at me. “If you wish to have your eyes opened, then come with me without another word. Have you changed your mind?” The look in his eyes made me think he wanted me to back out.

I erased the scowl from my face. “Let’s go.”

“Are you sure?”

No, I thought, but I said, “Yes.”

He snickered and brushed his mouth against my ear, triggering a sigh from my depths. “Come, then. We’re late.”

Devin pulled open a heavy glass door and ushered me inside. We stood in a dim corridor scented with jasmine. Glass chandeliers the size of small cars dangled from the ceiling two stories up. The murmur of echoed voices met my ears from farther along to my right. Devin leaned forward and peered down the hallway, his eyes narrowed and jaw flexing. If I hadn’t known what he was, I’d have said something in that place scared him.

No, that couldn’t be right.

With a hand on my lower back, Devin directed me to a narrow staircase to my left, and we made a quick ascent. Giant paintings lined the walls. The gilded frames and muted colors made them appear centuries old. At the top, he tugged me along the corridor and through a heavy oak door. After another scan of the hallway, he eased the door closed.

I wanted to ask if something was wrong, but he’d asked me not to speak, so I kept my trap shut.

The room, though walled on three sides, opened to a large ballroom below. I edged closer to the low railing separating me from the drop-off. Spotlights shone over a platform at the opposite side of the room from where I stood, highlighting what appeared to be ropes hanging from the ceiling. On closer inspection of the space, given the plush sofas arranged in the shadow-veiled edges of the circular space, the leather covered tables, and the washable tile, I thought maybe it was an arena for entertainment of the carnal sort.

I licked moisture onto my lips. “What is this place?” I whirled on my heels. My eyes flew wide, and words flew out in a shriek. “Why did you bring me here?”

Devin pressed his palm against my mouth and urged me against him with his other arm around my waist. His intense stare pierced me. “Silence. While here, you will call me Dom, as that is what I am, your Dominant, and you are my submissive. You will ask permission to speak and to touch me, or there will be consequences. Blink if you understand.”

Arrogant much? I glared at him and blinked my response. If I hadn’t wanted to ride him like a horny nympho, I’d have left him where he stood. To become a better writer, a better lover, I’d play his little game.

He released me and glanced around before sitting on a white chaise positioned parallel with the railing. Why was he doing that? Had he snuck in and was afraid of being caught? Perhaps it was me who wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Come.” He leaned against the back of the white leather and patted the seat between his legs.

I smoothed hands down my skirt, hyper aware how short it was and how little I wore underneath.

“Don’t keep your Dom waiting, Katharine.”

Doors in the room below opened, and cloaked, hooded figures entered. None spoke. I climbed onto the chaise and allowed Devin to pull me back against his chest to settle between his legs. My thighs pressed together as my hands arranged the skirt to cover as much as possible.

A clang sounded the opening of another door at the other end of the cavernous arena. A cool breeze swirled into the space, sent ribbons of my hair against my cheek, and brought a plethora of scents to my nose: perfume, flowers, and something I couldn’t identify, something that begged to be inhaled deeply.

Devin brushed his face against my throat. “That’s the scent of desire. Consume it. Remember it. Use every sense while you watch.”

I filled my lungs again and again and melted back into his body. Vibrations traveled through me, but I didn’t know where they came from. Below, through the second entrance, women and men filtered in. The women wore mostly red dresses, some short, some long, had no jewelry and had their hair pinned up. The men were attired in black leather pants, suit pants, or nothing but clingy boxers.

Chills walked the length of my spine. What would happen down there? Was it some sort of immortal key party? A little voice screamed at me to avert my eyes, to flee, that I shouldn’t be watching something so dirty and wrong. Instincts deeper than rational thought kept my stare glued to the scene as the cloaked ones herded the others into the center of the black tiled floor. Were the hooded ones like Devin?

“May I ask a question?”

His arms encircled me, and he squeezed. “That’s my good girl. You may.”

“Please tell me there isn’t going to be any biting by…you know.”

“Mmm. There will be biting, but mostly for pleasure.”

“But…” Tension sang down my arms.

“Nobody will lose their life here tonight.” His tone held petulance, and the muscles in his chest hardened against my back. “I told you, we’re not slaves to our hunger.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

His posture softened, and he hugged me tighter. “I forget this is all new for you. You must understand…it’s a sensitive subject for us. Murder is not a pastime we enjoy.” His palms stroked my arms.

I nodded, a knot twisting in my stomach. “Are you afraid I’ll embarrass you in front of your people? Is that why you’re sneaking around?”

“No, never. I wish to ease you into my world, and there are…others, whom I’d prefer you not meet quite yet.”

“Why?”

“Hush. Watch.” He turned my head so I faced the horde, his arms still confining mine.

The hooded figures stood in a circle around the others. Two walked around the inner perimeter until they reached a woman with long red hair. Her skin, pale like porcelain, had no blemishes, only a light smattering of freckles around her nose. She had a fresh, new quality about her though I judged her age to be early thirties.

The woman stared forward with wide eyes, but even from the distance, I could see how badly her hands shook as the two cloaked ones circled her in opposite directions. What were they going to do to her?
I couldn’t tell if she trembled from fear or anticipation. Possibly both. My heart thumped for her. I squirmed in the seat as much as Devin would allow.

Down below, a hand shot out from within the robes and grasped the woman by the throat. A deep male voice boomed into the room and brushed along my thighs like a velvet caress. “You are mine tonight, Caroline. Bow to your Dom if you accept my offer.” He released her and stepped back.

The other circling figure stopped beside her and dropped his hood back. Light blond hair tumbled down to his shoulders, and amber eyes glared warnings at her. Even I shifted under the danger in his stare, something told me she didn’t have a choice but to accept.

I turned and dropped my voice to a whisper. “What happens if she doesn’t?”

Devin’s hand gripped my chin and forced it forward. “This is your last warning. Speak again, and you will not enjoy what comes next.” His fractious tone iced my veins.

What could I do? I returned my attention to the woman and worked my tongue around my dry mouth.

She dipped her head in a tiny bow before dropping to her knees before the blond Adonis, tucking her red skirt beneath her. Her shaking worsened, radiating down her whole body in ripples. Her small breasts jittered in their confinement. My fingers wove together and clenched tight to prevent my own telltale signs of unease.

“You honor me.” Adonis slid a finger beneath her chin and lifted until she gazed up at him. “Rise and greet he who offers you enlightenment this night.”

Caroline did as commanded. Once on her feet, she dropped her eyes and turned to the other one whose back faced me. His large hands pushed the hood from his head, tugged the tie at his throat, and dropped the fabric to the floor. Black hair reached halfway down his back, glimmering dark blue each time he shifted into the light. Thin braids hung down the sides, adorned with small, sparkling objects, like sapphires. The muscled ridges of his back led down to a trim waist and a firm ass.

Heat rushed up my face at his nudity, but I still couldn’t tear my eyes from him. Something about the way he moved, the grace, the intent, sparked fear and need in my abdomen.

With eyes still lowered, Caroline extended the underside of her wrist to him. He slid fingers along her forearm and brought the offering to his lips.

Devin released me. Driven by curiosity to get a glimpse of the man’s face, I leaned forward, but he angled away from me. The man scooped the woman onto his shoulder, startling a squeal from her.

My own scream brewed in my throat, but Devin slapped a hand over my mouth and took me back into his arms.

His lips pressed against my ear. “Her Dom wants to heighten the intensity of their games, and she desires passage to a higher state of being that only the Circle can grant. Yes, she’s afraid, but she wants this.”

Higher state of being? Would they drug her? What did he mean by “heighten the intensity”? The snakes squirming in my stomach suggested I didn’t want to know the answer. Yet, the throbbing between my legs and the animal instincts in me found titillation and some morbid curiosity in the event. Tension eased out of my shoulders. I leaned back against Devin’s chest without averting my eyes from what was about to unfold.

His hand released my mouth and slid along the top of my leg, and his other mirrored the action on my other one. Fingers dipped between my thighs and urged them apart until cool air breathed against my damp lower lips. Tingles invaded my flesh, crawled up my thighs, and tightened my pussy. My clit twitched. Breaths fell from my lips in ragged bursts.

“Yes,” he hissed. “Eventually, I will help you associate your other senses with your desire. You’ll find release in ways you can’t comprehend.”

Despite the need burning hot through my body, I strained to make sense of his words. Was he saying I could come by visual stimulation alone when all I wanted was for him to throw me down and fuck me? It didn’t make any sense.

“Please, Dom.”

His dark snicker tickled down my throat. “You learn quickly, Katharine. You’ve pleased me, but you have much more to take in before I will grant you release.”

What? I spread my legs wider and pressed my hands over top of his.

He whipped my arms behind my back and pinned them there. “So eager. I like that, but you still seem to be under the impression that you are in control here. Submit to me. Relinquish your will, or you will never transcend the constraints society has placed on you and your kind.” His face nuzzled the side of my neck, his cool exhales washing down to my breasts. “Do you want this? Say no and you’ll wake up in your bed with no memory of this evening. With no memory of me.” Sadness dragged against his voice.

Could I go back to ignorance, knowing something amazing could be possible? Could I knowingly erase thoughts of the most intense event to ever happen to me? The thought alone stung my eyes and wrapped tentacles of panic around my chest. I went limp and allowed him to gather me into his chest.

“I’m yours.”

His lips curved where they pressed against my skin. “Then give me your trust, and I will broaden your mind.” Smooth fingers brushed along my pussy lips, inducing a sharp inhale in me. “And make your body sing for me.”

Devin’s moan travelled down my spine as his fingertip made a slow, gentle circle of my clit. “Smooth as silk, and juicy as a ripe peach.” He suckled my ear lobe. “I’d wager just as sweet.”

I ached to whirl around and ride him, but my desire to please him kept me in place.

His fingers ceased their exploration of me, and he drew them into his mouth, sucking my juices from them with a wet smacking sound. “Focus on the way they move around her. On the sounds she makes for them. See the change in her body, on her face. Their every movement has a purpose, for her pleasure and theirs.”