Harte stood and began to loosen her restraints. “I'm taking you down now.

Don't take off the blindfold. Just get your balance.”

When she looked steady on her feet, he led her across the room to a padded table. It was low enough for her to drape over comfortably. “Panties off.” She looked reluctant but didn't hesitate to obey, and reached out to orient herself to the table as she slid the thong off her hips. He carefully guided her into place and then used the shackles that were bolted to the floor to hold her immobile. They had a spreader bar and held her feet far apart.

Carefully, slowly, he unlaced the back of her corset, admiring the exquisite work of the piece. She sighed as it came off, and he sighed at the sight of her tiny waist and slender back. He still hadn't seen her breasts. He'd save that treat for last.

There was a drop cloth under their feet, and Harte decided to make use of it, pulling a half-burned red candle and a lighter from his bag. When he lit it, her head came up anxiously. He watched the wax pool under the wick and then stroked her back, relaxing her just a bit. He reached out, centered the candle over the curve of her spine, and tipped it, watching the red wax drip onto her ivory skin.

She screamed. Finally.


“You fucker!” She didn't scream the words, not exactly, and she kept her face buried in the vinyl of the table.

“What was that, sub?”

Eva shook her head wildly, trying to process the sensations that were sparking along her skin.

“You fucker, Sir!”

In reply, another trickle of fire hit her shoulders and dribbled down her back.

She stomped her feet as much as the shackles allowed. Her fisted hands pounded on the table.

“Are you saying your safe word?” His voice was low and silky in her ear.

“No!”

“Good.” Another spatter of wax hit her back and trickled toward the crack in her ass. Now that she'd adjusted to the shock, it wasn't so bad. Eva went still in surprise. In fact…

“Sir?”

“Yes, Eva?” He sounded a bit disappointed, like perhaps he had expected her to call a stop to their play.

“It only hurt because I expected it to burn, right?”

“Very good. And I appreciate your stifling that scream. A second black suit just came down the stairs. However, there is that little matter of language…”

She went still, trying to catch a scent that was slightly familiar. All of a sudden, it hit her. “Black licorice. Cigarettes. A gun.” She ignored the comment about her language. It would come back to haunt her soon enough.

“That's right.” His hand slid down between her legs again, and his fingers glided into her slick pussy. Her eyes nearly crossed at the sensation. Her ass tilted, and inwardly she cursed at her body's eagerness to take him. Her wolf was awakened; she'd called on it to scent, and now it was up and aware of the alpha who was wreaking such havoc on her body and mind. Never in her life had she felt so connected to the animal.

She shivered, feeling the sudden need to shift, to escape out into the foggy streets of the city. Surely she could shake the tracker if she could only run…

The tickle of fur started on her skin, beginning on her neck and chest. Eva whimpered in fear. What if she shifted here in front of witnesses?

“Sh… You're all right, Eva.”

A wave of warm, reassuring comfort flowed over her, helping Eva to push the wolf back. He covered her from behind, his huge body wrapping her in an embrace that nearly brought her to her knees. Harte stroked her throat and whispered softly in her ear until the urge to shift passed. She panted with the effort it took.

“Excellent, Eva. You controlled that well.”

She'd done it with his help. Usually Eva avoided any situation that might trigger her wolf. She'd never been able to pull it back once the shift started. She sighed in relief.

“A reward for doing so well…” His tongue stroked slowly down along her throat, further adding to the confusion of sensations that Eva was experiencing.

Harte moved away, and she immediately missed his presence. Just a second later, she felt him kneeling between her legs with his back to the table, his face turned up into her crotch. She tried to pull away—she'd never allowed that before.

“No…”

He ignored her, and his tongue slowly passed over her vagina, up to her clit.

He flicked his tongue quickly, taking her up the slope of arousal so fast that she gasped. A heartbeat before she could no longer hold back, he stopped and dipped a finger into her juices, then trailed up to her ass. Why the hell was he so fixated there? She squeezed hard.

“Relax, Eva. Let me in.”

She shook her head mutely.

Once again he was tonguing her, taking her back up to the peak. She plunged and bucked and moaned in frustration when he stopped. His wet finger returned to her ass. It pressed and slipped in a tiny bit.

“Push against it, Eva.”

“Fuck. Fuck!” She twisted, still fighting the finger when his mouth began its cruel torture yet again. She whimpered, lost in the sensations that flooded her body.

Her back was heated from the wax. Her belly was heavy and tight from the blood flowing to her pelvis. Her legs were locked into place; she couldn't even protect herself. Her pussy clasped on emptiness, and his damned finger was now up to the knuckle in her butt! He pumped in and out as his tongue flitted over her clit. When he pulled the finger out, a second joined it on the way back in.

She was coming and coming fast with him there between her legs.

“Come, Eva.”

She fought it with everything she had.

His free hand swatted her ass, and the climax began deep, wrenching hard through her belly. She didn't pant or whimper; Eva let out a deep, hearty groan as the orgasm drew out endlessly. She couldn't bring herself to be mortified when the burn turned to pleasure, and she rose to meet his pumping fingers. Her hands clutched at the far edge of the table; her fingernails dug into the vinyl. When it finally peaked, she froze, completely unable to breathe or move or to even think.

Finally she gasped and ground her clit against his face, desperately chasing the last, fleeting sensations of the shocking release.

Eva dropped her head to the table, panting and spent. After a moment, she felt movement as Harte unbuckled her feet. He rose and stood at her side, gently stroking her back. He picked the hardened wax off her skin and slipped off the blindfold.

“That was…” She trailed off, too confused and drained to summon words.

“I know. There's nothing quite like it, is there?” He leaned down and kissed her—their first kiss, and she tasted herself on his mouth.

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Oh, Eva. Don't thank me now. There's still the matter of your language.”

Chapter Five

“Do you need a drink? Bathroom?” He helped her up onto the table, smiling when she curled up on her side. Her dark hair cushioned her cheek, and he found it difficult to look away. She looked young enough to be in her teens, but she was sexually mature, putting her in her mid- to late twenties.

She shook her head, but Harte wasn't fooled. She needed a break—just a short one to cool down from that climax. He glanced around. The two Abraxas hunters were talking quietly, doing their best to look at every woman and still not draw attention to themselves.

They were failing. A DM was cautiously watching them from across the room.

He caught sight of Kevin hovering anxiously at the bottom of the stairway.

Once the omega had his attention, he swiftly moved to join Harte and Eva.

“The one upstairs went outside. Brian and Patrice followed like they were going out for a smoke. He met someone else in a black car. He argued with them and then came back inside.”

“Were they able to hear anything specific?”

Kevin shook his head. “They just seem to know she's still in here. They aren't to leave until they've got her.”

Harte frowned. The men had already walked past Eva several times. The only thing that had him worried was the pink streaks in her hair. Even in the updo, they'd been glaringly obvious. Down here, the dim light muted the color. But eventually they'd spot her.

Kevin looked down at Eva's still form. She appeared to be dozing.

“Are you two almost finished? The other two are getting antsy.”

Harte felt his jaw go tight. Soon—very soon—he and Brian would be coming to blows.

“They can just continue to stay on alert. I'm not finished.” He relented a bit, not wanting Kevin to feel the brunt of his anger. “She's identified two of the hunters by scent so far. Her hearing is perking up, along with her sense of smell. I can't just turn her back out on the street defenseless. Besides, we should stay put till Chase and his men get here.”

Kevin's green eyes flicked in her direction. “She's not a sub. You could teach her without going through all this.”

Harte smiled. “She's not a sub, but she's submitting to me. And…there's something there. I can feel it—almost taste it. I think she's alpha herself.” He shrugged his shoulders. For the first time, he found it odd that he confided in his omega rather than his beta. The beta who was currently upstairs sulking.

On impulse, he reached out and clasped Kevin by the hair, pulling hard. The young man's eyes glazed with pleasure. He didn't know who'd trained Kevin, but he or she had been a class act. The only time Kevin displayed any major anxiety was when his hazy origins were brought up. He'd been through rough times, and they'd left their mark. Yet the young man was surprisingly secure and balanced. His former master had built the young man up rather than torn him down.