“I’m not afraid,” Lauren assured him breathlessly.
“But I am. Every time we get close to making love my Scourge instincts take over and I lose myself…lose the ability to be gentle.”
Lauren frowned. “There must be a way. There has to be. I need you too—so much.”
Xairn looked thoughtful. “Yes. A way to subvert my dominant tendencies so I can love you without hurting you.” His eyes roved over the room, as though searching for something, and then stopped at a certain spot on the kitchen table. “There.” He nodded at the long black nylon leash they’d bought for Little One at the pet store.
“What?” Lauren looked at the leash uncertainly. It was thick and very tough. They weren’t certain what kind of dog Little One was but it looked like she had some Black Lab in her and they got to be a pretty good size. Still, she didn’t understand what Xairn wanted her to do with it.
“Get it,” he said, indicating the leash again. “Bring it here.”
Lauren did as she was told. Standing before his chair she looked down at his naked, muscular form, taut with tension. “Now what?” she asked, holding up the black leash.
Xairn took a deep breath. “Now I want you to tie me to the chair and take me.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Far above in the Fathership, the AllFather raised his head. Leaving his current victim in a heap on the metal floor, he began to pace in an ever widening circle. “Sssoon,” he hissed, his lipless mouth moving in eager anticipation. “Sssoon he will take her. Sssoon.”
The Earth girl he had stolen with the transport beam moaned and tried to crawl away. She was a feisty one, all right—twice she’d pulled out the memory wires implanted under her skin and tried to escape. No one would think from her delicate appearance that she had so much fight in her, the AllFather mused. Her diminutive stature along with pale, porcelain skin and long midnight-black hair made her appear almost like a doll. But her small size belied a savage heart and strong spirit.
The AllFather didn’t really care about her temperament. He had chosen her for her hair, as it was the exact color and length as Lauren’s. He was certain that once Xairn saw her image on the local NewsFeed he would know why she had been taken. If that didn’t work, he had planned to take an Earth girl with eyes like Lauren’s. But that unusual shade of amber had proved difficult to find.
“And now it appearsss I will not need to take another after all,” he murmured to himself, still pacing. The huge viewscreen which projected the latest female’s memories was frozen in place, showing the girl standing in a defensive posture with a large Earth male poised to beat her. Truly, the AllFather hadn’t had to twist her recollections much—her past had enough pain to satisfy him without adding much to it. In fact, he was very nearly satiated at the moment. Perhaps he should finish her off another time.
“It ssseems you have a ssshort reprieve, my dear…” What was her name again? Oh yes, Elise. “My dear Elissse.” He leaned over the girl who gasped and pulled back. The AllFather smiled, his eyes glowing. “I mussst concentrate on my errant ssson. I expect him here sssoon. Perhapsss you’ll get to meet him before I end you.”
The girl drew herself into trembling ball and stared at him defiantly with dark eyes. “Go to hell,” she whispered and spat at his feet.
“Ssstill rebelliousss, eh?” The AllFather smiled. “Good. I like the onesss who fight to the end. It makesss their pain ssso much more deliciousss.” Then he turned and swept from the room, leaving the girl naked and shivering in the center of the large room.
He had another prisoner to tend. One who would hold a special interest for Xairn, he was certain.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Take you?” Lauren wasn’t sure she’d heard him right.
Xairn nodded. “If you tie me tightly enough it should help me control my dominant urges. There are no equals in a Scourge sexual relationship—only dominant or submissive. In order to avoid hurting you, I must take the submissive role.”
“Really? You? Submissive?” Lauren could scarcely imagine how this was going to work. But Xairn nodded again.
“I must. It’s the only way.”
“But I don’t…I don’t know how to dominate you.” Lauren bit her lip. “In fact, if we’re taking sides like this I think I’d be more comfortable playing the, uh, other role.”
“You would, would you?” Xairn’s head came up and he gave her a long, level stare that seemed to pierce right through her.
Lauren felt her cheeks getting hot as she tried desperately not to think of her recent fantasies. “Well, I mean, I don’t really know. I—”