Just as quickly as he’d come down on top of her, he stood. His eyes searched the floor and when he found the pills, he bent over to pick them up. This time not an offer, but a demand, his hand reached to wrap around her face, squeezing her cheeks until her mouth fell open. Shoving the pills onto her tongue he grabbed the glass of water, poured the contents down her throat, washing her new form of chains down into her body. “I have no plans to grant you the satisfaction of my cock, I simply want you to sleep. I don’t feel like spending the evening jumping up every time I think you are attempting to escape.”
Aaron took the glass and as he walked to place it in the bathroom he commanded, "Lie down, Maddy, close your eyes and let sleep take you. That will be the only thing having its way with your body tonight."
When Maddy obeyed his instruction, Aaron continued his course into the adjacent room, placing the glass on the counter, he stood back, took in the image reflected back at him by the large mirror over the sink. His pants tented in front of him, a reminder of having touched, having laid his weight upon her just moments before. She was soft in every area where he was hard; her skin, silk against the rough surface of his. Even though her body was masked in the spice and musk smell of his soap, there was still a wisp of something about her, a natural essence that called to him, awakened every nerve ending, everything distinctly male within him.
Resisting the urge to grab himself, to milk himself to relieve the taut skin wanting to tear open from the rush of blood, he turned to lean against the counter. His head lulled back as he waited for his body to calm, his breathing to become regular, his heart to stop forcing blood into the part of his body that desperately craved the moist heat only her body could provide.
Losing track of time, he straightened his shoulders, pushed himself back up onto tired legs and moved back toward the bed where he knew she lay sleeping. Half of one of the pills he gave her would have knocked a grown man on his ass; two would ensure that her tiny body stayed wrapped tightly within the arms of oblivion at least until morning light. His eyes immediately sought her as he entered the room. The soft curves of her body awakening the nerve endings in the palms of his hands, allowing him to imagine the exchange of pleasure … of pain that could occur in the throes of passion … of raw and unapologetic lust in those moments when he laid his hands on her skin. Fisting his hands, his finger stung where she had bitten him earlier that day, the stretched feel over the once broken skin causing him to smile in memory of her spirited fight. Even chained, she'd found a way to strike out, her temper more alive than he'd ever imagined.
Silently he stalked to the side of the bed, watched over her as her eyelids fluttered, the induced sleep taking her to some place far away from the nightmare that had become her life. The mattress dipped under his weight as he sat down beside her, studied her … wanted her.
The true depth of his father's cruelty was laid across his bed, softly breathing, dreaming of beautiful worlds away from his life … from him. The torture inflicted was so subtle, but brilliant in its execution. He'd never desired a woman for more than a few hours, but this woman, she sang to his soul through the use of metal and wood, an instrument through which she spoke to him without knowledge that he understood the stories she told. Her captivity, the abuse he must inflict, all in an effort to save her life … he’d been left with no choice but to turn his own angel against him, to treat a treasured jewel as nothing more than filth scraped across the bottom of his boot. Yes, his father was a genius. Even in the madness that claimed him, he was a devil who didn’t need to destroy those around them; rather, he led people to destroying themselves.
Leaning down, he breathed her in, his cock swelling again as he lost control of his body, of his mind. Brushing his lips against the shell of her ear, he whispered, "Do you sleep, my angel?" When she didn't stir, the corners of his lips turned up, betraying his feelings for the beautiful woman who lay beneath him. "Dream of me, Maddy. See me as I want to be; not the nightmare who torments you, but the devoted and mystified man who worships at your feet."
Brushing his lips softly across hers, Aaron stood up, walked to the stereo, flicking it on to bathe the room in the sound of Madeleine's soul. She was sleeping, she'd never know it was her music that sang him into slumber each night, would never know how she touched him on a level even he couldn't recognize or understand. The voice of a woman, one that could invade and infect even the most deadly and tortured of souls … the one that resided within him.
Lying down beside her, he struggled against the urge to pull her small body to him, to cradle her like the precious person that she was. His eyes closed, he lay there searching for sleep, but not finding the sweet oblivion that he sought.
Sleep escaped him for so long that the CD he played, the resonate sound filled with memories and dreams, ended; blanketing him in a silence so deep, his heart called out for more. When the music stopped, Maddy cried out in her sleep. Eyes that, when closed, had appeared so peaceful, so deep inside sanctuary, now furrowed, the delicate skin turning pink from the tension that creased her brow. His hand reached out to her, attempted to smooth away the pain that consumed her, but nothing could console her.
Pushing up from the bed, he padded barefoot across the floor, starting the music from the beginning. Once the deep tones again played throughout the room, Aaron noticed how his captive stilled, appearing peaceful once again. His breath caught in that moment. Aaron laughed, finally discovering a method to ease her torment, a gift he could give her that would still fall within his father's rules for a slave.
Swift as a runaway train, Aaron powered down the corridor to Xander's room. Not bothering to knock, he threw open the door so hard the sound of the door as it hit the wall had Xander immediately on his feet; a gun in one hand, a blade in the other.
Ducking quickly to his left, Aaron chuckled as the sound of steel impacted with the wall where his head had just been. Xander blinked sleep from his eyes, bringing the gun up, but immediately lowering it when he noticed it was Aaron that invaded his room.
"What the fuck, Aaron? Are you trying to lose your fucking head?" Xander placed his gun on the bedside table, leaned back against the wall, as his hands rubbed his eyes back into focus.
"You'd be dead before you could pull the trigger if I truly wished you were no longer breathing." A feral smile beamed from Aaron, a simple reminder of who the actual assassin was in the room.
Xander pulled his hands from his eyes, looked at Aaron with contempt, but then smiled and nodded his head in assent. "You are correct, my old friend. It is only the executioner who so thoroughly enjoys the scent of spilled blood."
Sighing, Aaron ran his hands through his hair. "I need you to do something for me."
Xander balked, still pissed off that Aaron had wrenched him from sleep. "At one in the fucking morning?! Go fuck your slave, Aaron, that's what she's there … "
Aaron's hand was around Xander's throat instantly; his movement across the room a slight blur as he pulled the knife from the wall, had it pressed tightly against Xander's stomach. With his mouth pressed against Xander's ear, he warned, "I'd hold that thought if you wish to keep your intestines from spilling across the floor." His voice, a venomous tone; poison and blood dripping from the words that he spoke.
Xander stood still, not reacting to the snake when it was coiled to strike. "My apologies, Aaron. I was merely attempting humor."
Releasing his guard, Aaron stepped back, flung the knife so that it pierced the wall in the exact spot where it had previously landed. Only the slight arch of Xander's brow gave away his impressed state. Aaron was lethal with a blade and any man who wanted to keep his body intact would be wise to remember that fact.
“What can I do for you at this convenient hour?” Plastering a fake smile to his face, Xander finally stepped back from Aaron and strode to his bureau in search of a change of clothes.
Following behind Xander, Aaron asked, “Do you know the details of Maddy’s abduction? Did they take her instru
ment as well?”
Although Xander suspected where this request was going, he couldn’t help but focus on another oddity in Aaron’s question. “Maddy?” Turning to face Aaron, his humor was evident by the curl to his lip. “Since when do you call her ‘Maddy’?”
Straightening his spine, Aaron crossed his arms over his large chest and arched his brow in response. “Cricket?”
The two men stood staring at each other before bursting out in coordinated laughter. Gaining control of himself, Xander answered, “What? I thought it would be fitting considering the little creatures rub their legs together to make music.”
Stunned momentarily silent, another short burst of laughter broke free of Aaron’s mouth. “First off, I believe it’s their wings that they rub together … ” Xander shrugged at Aaron’s correction. “ … and second, I need you to find out if they took her instrument. If it’s somewhere on the property I want you to retrieve it, bring it back to my quarters and give it to me.”
Nodding, Xander knew better than to ask questions. “It’ll be done. Just let me get dressed.”
Aaron slapped Xander on the back before turning to head back into the corridor. By the time Aaron reentered his room, he could hear Xander enter the hallway, walking in the direction of the living room. Satisfied that his orders would be carried out, he returned to his bed, lay down beside Madeleine, falling asleep quickly, anticipating what was to come.
Chapter Sixteen
Sunlight, garish and proud, spun its slender tendrils into the room from behind the dark curtains. Maddy's body was cramped, still languid from the deep sleep from which she'd awoken. She laid still, her eyes peaking open to discover a new morning. Like sparks, flutters of dust traveled through the intrusive light, flashing suddenly as they came in contact with the light, but disappearing so fast, it was almost as if the light had swallowed them whole.
Her eyes, adjusting from slumber, looked out across the room, panic slowly setting in from the unfamiliarity of the surroundings. Attempting to move, Maddy remembered the evening before … Aaron coming back covered in blood, being told to go into Aaron's room, the way Aaron had tended to her injuries before forcing drugs down her throat. Finding the ability to turn on her back, she became distinctly aware of someone lying to her left on the bed. Lifting her arms still weighted by the effects of the pills she'd been given, Maddy rubbed at her eyes, brought the room more clearly into focus before turning her head to find Aaron sleeping soundly beside her.
The pure black of his hair was tumbled haphazardly across his face, his lips slightly parted, he appeared childlike, innocent and vulnerable even though Maddy was learning he was anything BUT those things. The skin of his cheeks was rough with the shadow of stubble, his eyes flickering underneath the lids as if he was still dreaming.
Attempting several times without success, Maddy eventually found the strength to push herself into a seated position on the soft mattress of the bed. The comforter, fashioned from silk and the same color black as Aaron's hair, slid to her waist; pooled like liquid as dark as the deepest parts of the sea.
Slowly, she looked around the expanse of the room, seeing for the first time small details previously hidden by the shadow of night. These walls, much like the rest of the house were tinted a deep red, broken by tapestries and paintings held in gilded frames. Small statues and busts of historical figures she did not recognize were placed on bookshelves lining a wall near the door to the adjacent bathroom. Scanning left, Maddy saw a sleek stereo system, silver with multi-colored lights blinking back and forth along the front of the device. Next to the stereo were CD cases stacked in various heights, the top of one laid open, the silvered disc absent from its case.
Curious as to the music preferred by the man lying beside her, Maddy wiggled her toes and bent her legs to force blood back through her appendages before attempting to stand to further explore the room. Traveling slowly across the barely lit space, Maddy kept looking back at the sleeping man, every small sound causing her to jump for fear he'd awakened to find her moving about the room. Creeping past the windows, light flashed across the pale skin of her legs, beams of warmth and illumination brushing against her as she moved.
Finally reaching the stereo, Maddy slid her hand against the sleek metallic surface as she passed it to look at the stacks of CDs placed to its side. Her hand shook as she reached out to close the lid of the open case, her breath catching when she realized it was a recording of her music. Tears welling in her eyes, she looked at the picture of the cello that adorned the front, her fingers softly touching the image in disbelief. Her eyes flashed to the stereo, her curiosity heightened as to whether her music would burst forth if she pressed the small play button flashing blue on the front of the machine.
Her finger hovered over the button, her bottom lip pulled tight between her teeth. Nervously, she glanced at Aaron, noticed he hadn’t moved from the position he was in when she woke. She knew the sound could wake him, but the desire to hear the deep baritone melody, the harmony of the violin and piano, was too much for her to resist. Quickly she pressed the flashing blue button, and almost dropped to her knees when the sound she missed finally played throughout the room.
Starting slowly, the song wove itself around her senses, emotion evoked through sound, the feeling of the vibration of the string, a phantom memory on the tips of her fingers. A deep melody reverberated through her core, the tempo increasing, drawing her out of darkness but still leaving her enveloped in a feeling of sorrow and loss. The music was beauty that could not be seen, a palpable caress that was not produced by the hand of another person … and it was lost to her, stripped away and tossed aside so easily when she’d been captured.
Maddy closed her eyes, listened to the sweet sounds as they wrapped themselves around her, seeped into her skin, her bones … her heart. Her mind drifted back to days spent with her uncle as a child, their laughter as she attempted to handle an instrument that was almost as big as her. It had been just the two of them for so many years; but then, unexpectedly, he’d caught a simple cold that eventually turned to pneumonia, taking his life and leaving her alone. Faithfully, she continued to practice each day as he’d always insisted. Having no one else, those practice sessions turned from two hours to three, and from three to four; on and on until, eventually, Maddy hardly did anything else.
The song ended sweetly as moisture grew cold on her cheeks from where the tears had traveled. Slowly, she peeked open her eyes and found herself staring into green depths so filled with rage she jumped back in alarm. With Aaron so close and towering above her, she could feel the fury rolling off him in waves of heat and negative energy.
“What do you think you are doing, Mouse? Did you have my permission to get out of bed, to touch anything in this room?” His words were spoken in such a controlled manner, the sharp edge to them slicing through her resolve, making her cower down in fear of his rage. He stalked towards her, slowly circling while keeping his eyes trained on the person he could so easily break.
“Answer me, Mouse. I don’t have the patience for your disobedience.” The pupils of his eyes swirled with black the color of onyx, the green surrounding it made even brighter in contrast with the red from his anger.
“I … I was curious.” Holding the CD case up so that he could see it, she asked, “Is this why? Is this why I was taken?” She’d barely finished speaking before she was airborne, thrown back toward the bed, landing too close to the headboard, her skull collided with the wood. Pain shot through her head and neck like white-hot lightning, her eyes clenched closed as her mouth released a frightened cry. Reaching back to rub her hand along the sore spot on her head, her wrist was suddenly locked within Aaron’s grip, her other wrist caught quickly before both were brought above her head and pinned to the headboard.
“Look at me, slave.” The depth to his voice, the ferocity of his tone, it was seduction veined through terror, the continued beauty of the music in the background adding insult to the viciousness of his ac
tions. Her chest heaved as she cried out, his grip on her arms bruising the skin pressed into the delicate bones. Her eyes opened, the tears obscuring the man above her, as if looking at him through water drowning her in misery. Splashing down her cheeks, the tears fell, allowing her to focus on eyes the color of leaves turning up toward the sun, hidden forests touched by bits of light. Her lips parted, forcing the salt of her tears to seep into her mouth, bathe her in the taste of her own her pain, tinged with desire. Staring into the depths of a soul tortured by demons and decay, she gasped when his lips, soft as satin took hers, his tongue invading her mouth, filling her with the flavor of passion and pain, heat and cruelty. But hers was not a body taken easily, the sharp and metallic bite of iron mixed with the salt of her tears when her teeth broke the skin of his tongue, drawing blood.
Aaron pulled back, a wild gleam to his eye. “So you like to bite, do you? That’s the second time you’ve broken my skin.” Leaning down, he rested his forehead against hers, his labored breath rolling down her skin. His voice, razors wrapped in fur, “What have I told you about pain?”
Her body shivered at his question, her mind and body warring, the desire for his touch mixed with the absolute terror he was inflicting upon her. The heat and moisture produced between her thighs embarrassed her, sickened her knowing she should fight harder against him instead of enjoying the feeling of his weight pressed down upon her body. Her heart raced in her chest and was suddenly pained when he released her arms to push himself up from the bed. “Stay.” A command and warning in one solitary word.