They walked to the end of the hall and the Master opened the door, ushering them into a stylish room. Rather than a dark dungeon, the playroom was bright and imaginative, one wall of it covered with a variety of floggers hung in such a way as to make its own artful design. The wall opposite was covered in mirrors that reflected the design.
Every piece of equipment in the room was covered in leather of varying colors, including the St. Andrew’s cross.
“I’ve never been allowed in this room before,” Brie said, turning around, awestruck.
“No one has. This is our private playroom,” Marquis informed her.
Brie smiled at Celestia and told Marquis, “It’s so beautiful.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Davis. I believe the environment of a scene is as important as the session itself.”
Faelan understood the significance of Marquis allowing them into his private sanctuary and noted every detail. The sheer number and quality of his tools must have cost a small fortune. “I must say, being a man of modest means myself, this is quite impressive.”
Marquis walked over to the instrument wall and picked up a black flogger. “This was my first.” He handed it to Faelan. “As you can see, even though it has been well used, it remains in fine condition. It’s not the number of tools you own, but the quality. Everyone spends their money and time on those things that matter most to them. It has taken me many years to complete this room, but every piece, from the instruments to the furniture, even the décor, reflect my steadfast focus to create this vision.”
Faelan studied the room, understanding that what he was seeing was insight into the man’s inner soul. “I’m impressed.”
Marquis looked at the instrument in his hand. “And it all started with this one flogger. Proof that if you remain true to your vision, nothing is impossible.”
Marquis turned his attention to Brie. “Now it is time for you, pearl. Remove your blouse and bra.”
Brie quickly took off the two items and bowed at his feet.
“Before we begin, I must ask you to step out for a moment, Celestia.”
She bowed to her Master without question and left the room.
“Now tell me, pearl, how were you feeling when you arrived here?”
She looked up at him, her countenance transforming from anticipation to one of pain. “I’m so afraid, Marquis.”
“For Durov?”
“Yes.”
“And Lilly?”
She bowed her head. “I want to hurt her.”
“That is a side of you I have not seen before.”
“She wanted to harm my baby. I feel only a red-hot rage toward her.”
“This rage has no place to go,” Marquis stated. “It is eating you up inside, much like the apprehension you feel for Durov.”
Brie nodded, tears spilling from her eyes.
“Negative emotions are only valuable when they can produce change. Otherwise, you must exert your will over them, pearl.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
Marquis took the flogger from Faelan. “Before you begin a session of healing, it’s vital for the submissive to acknowledge her emotions. To overlook this step will render the session meaningless and it will simply become a temporary high with no substance.”
“Understood,” Faelan said.
Marquis asked Brie, “Do you mind if I instruct him before we start?”
“No, Marquis.”
Brie bowed her head, waiting for the two Doms to speak.
It seemed strange to Faelan to find himself in this position—Marquis preparing him to help Brie if things fell apart around her.
Marquis took his responsibility as Brie’s former trainer seriously and being a thorough man, he wanted to ensure that, whatever happened with Lilly and Durov, Brie would come through it still whole.
“Normally, I choose music that soothes or excites, but when performing a session of healing, you need a piece that will draw out strong emotions. Your purpose is not to scene, but to minister.”
Faelan nodded, appreciating the explanation and clarification.
“Pearl, I want you to absorb the music when it begins.”
“Yes, Marquis,” she answered, her voice tinged with fear.
Marquis heard that fear and immediately addressed it. “There is no reason to be frightened.”
“But it hurts too much already. I don’t want to feel any more,” she confessed, crossing her hands over her chest as if it were a physical pain.
Marquis’s voice was calming as he explained, “I will not take you deeper than you can bear.”
She looked up at him, trembling.
“Do not hinder the release.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
He grazed her cheek with the back of his hand, smiling down at her. “Know that I am here to bring relief.”
Her lips trembled, but she managed to say, “Thank you.”
Faelan was moved by the trust Marquis had inspired in Brie. He was one of the few Masters who could fulfill that promise.
Marquis called Celestia back in and instructed her to turn on the stereo. Soon an unfamiliar piece of classical music filled the air. Knowing the Dom well, Faelan suspected it must be by Mozart—Marquis’s favorite composer.
The music itself was gripping and complex, the dynamic rhythm of it evoking feelings of angst and torment. Faelan looked down at Brie and saw that she was crying, the musical piece pulling at her already raw emotions.
No longer acknowledging Faelan, Marquis concentrated his energies on Brie.
Out of respect, Faelan stepped back to quietly observe the Master at work.
“Let it all out, pearl,” Marquis said soothingly.
An anguished sob ravaged Brie’s body as a torrent of tears released. Faelan had to look away, feeling her pain as surely as if it were his own.
He glanced at Marquis and saw tears in the man’s eyes as well. That’s when he realized Marquis was acting as Brie’s conduit. Her pain becoming his pain…
The Master hovered over Brie as she became consumed by the excruciating pain of her emotions. In this exchange, he became her guardian, absorbing Brie’s release so she would not suffer alone.
Placing one hand on the top of her head and keeping his eyes on her, Marquis reached his hand out. Celestia moved to him, unbuttoning his shirt, and sliding it off his arm. Marquis switched hands so he maintained contact with Brie at all times, while Celestia slipped the sleeve off his other arm. Bare-chested, Marquis turned his palm upward and waited.
Like a practiced surgical nurse, Celestia placed the black flogger on his hand, the same one Marquis had mentioned was his first tool. His fingers grasped it tightly, and with his hand still on Brie, he began flogging himself. Each lash of the flogger leaving red trails on his back.
When he was done, he lifted his hand from Brie and let the falls of the flogger gently graze against the skin on her back.
Suddenly her tears stopped.
“Stand, pearl,” Marquis commanded, his voice ragged with pain.
She got on her feet and stretched her arms out in supplication.
Celestia quickly went to her, moving Brie’s long hair to the front, baring her back.
Marquis’s intense gaze never left Brie as if his connection with her was so strong there was a barrier between them and the rest of the world. He stood back just as the tone of the music began to darken in mood and character.
With a swipe of his arm, he wiped away the tears on his face as he readied himself to deliver the first strike.
Brie stood completely still as if in a trance, waiting for the welcomed stroke of the flogger to release her from the spell.
When Marquis released the first lash, it came hard and fierce.
The skin on Brie’s back reverberated in waves from the strength of the impact, but she made no sound. Then came the volley of strokes, each as intense and unforgiving.
Brie bore it in silence—a silence that concerned Faelan.
Instead of release, th
e pain inside her seemed to build in intensity.
Marquis did not let up, his concentration focused and exacting as he unleashed his healing pain.
Just as Faelan felt the need to intervene, Brie let out a long, agonizing cry to the heavens. “Rytsar!”
Marquis stopped, dropping the flogger to the floor as he encased Brie in his strong arms, squeezing her tight in his steel-like embrace.
The music continued with its dramatic strain, encompassing everyone in the room in the powerful melody.
Faelan glanced at Celestia, who was crying. He was tempted to hold out his hand to her, understanding her need for human contact after the emotional impact of Brie’s heart-wrenching cry.
Closing his eyes, Faelan turned all his focus on Brie, wanting to infuse her with positive energy. He felt a stirring in his core, but just as it began to increase the image of Trevor flashed in his mind.
Faelan opened his eyes and was surprised to find Marquis staring directly at him. A gaze so penetrating it almost paralyzed him with its intensity.
Faelan broke eye contact, unnerved by it, and shifted his gaze to Brie. She was facing Marquis, a relaxed expression on her face as she looked up at the Master, oblivious to the world around her.
Faelan suspected she was flying high on endorphins after the intense session, but it was more than that. There seemed a fundamental change in her countenance. What Marquis Gray was able to accomplish with his flogger was unprecedented and breathtakingly powerful so Faelan faced him again, bowing in respect.
Marquis nodded his acknowledgment, then asked, “Mr. Wallace, would you stay with Brie while I speak to my sub?”
Faelan looked in Celestia’s direction and saw that she was still crying. “Of course.”
Marquis cupped Brie’s cheek and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead before leaving. He then headed to a chest of drawers and pulled out a small vial, handing it to Faelan.
With a gentle touch, Marquis escorted Celestia out, speaking in a soothing tone as they exited the room together.
Faelan guided Brie to a settee in the corner and had her lie down on it with her head resting against his lap. Brie uttered no sound as she complied, then closed her eyes as he began to rub the healing balm on her back, covering the bright red marks with a soothing touch.
As he tended to her aftercare, Faelan was hit by the overpowering responsibility of his vow to her and his duty to Davis.
Certain her Master would want to know when they were finished, Faelan took out his phone and took a quick picture of Brie’s back with the text:
Marquis’s work.
Within seconds Davis shot back:
Good.
Marquis came back a short time later with Celestia. Faelan was pleased to see her looking like herself again. With gentle care, she helped Brie to her feet so that Marquis could inspect the marks he’d made on her back.
“A fine session,” he stated after checking her over.
“Yes, Marquis, thank you,” Brie replied breathlessly, still flying on the flood of endorphins.
He looked at Brie with tenderness. “I’m grateful to see you more at peace.”
Marquis then clasped Faelan’s shoulder. “Come, join me in the study. I would like to talk about what happened today.”
Faelan felt a twinge of unease, wondering if Marquis was going to talk about the meaning behind that look he’d given. As far as Faelan knew, he’d done nothing to disturb the Dom during the observation.
Not wanting to shirk in his duty of aftercare, Faelan asked Brie, “Is there anything you need before I go?”
She looked up at him with those honey-colored eyes and smiled. “No, I am well. I appreciated your care.”
He nodded, grateful that the intimate connection of aftercare had not rekindled old feelings within him. He’d finally achieved what Nosaka said was possible—going from passion to friends.
On their way out, Marquis asked Faelan, “Overall, your thoughts of the flogging session?”
“Stunningly powerful.”
“As you are probably aware, Mrs. Davis is unusually receptive to such an intense emotional exchange. Not everyone gives in to it as easily.”
Faelan nodded, knowing Mary would have fought hard against it. “I will keep that in consideration.”
After they were seated in the study, Marquis leaned forward on his desk, his hands laced under his chin as he stared at Faelan with that penetrating gaze from before.
Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Faelan asked, “Is there something you want from me, Marquis?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “During the most intense part of the scene, I felt a darkness in the room. Do you know what that was from?”
Faelan was honestly perplexed. “I have no idea.”
“What were you doing immediately after the flogging ended?”
Faelan had to think back on it. “I recall closing my eyes to concentrate on Brie. I felt the need to share my inner strength with her.” He looked at Marquis self-consciously. “Was that foolish?”
“No, it is necessary—essential even—but something happened then, did it not?”
Thinking on it more, Faelan realized he’d forgotten one important detail. Meeting Marquis’s gaze, he suddenly felt a rush of fear.
How could the man know my innermost thoughts?
Explaining to Marquis, he divulged, “I had something come to mind, something from my past. It interrupted my focus on Brie.”
Marquis pointed his finger at Faelan. “That is what holds you back. You will not be good to anyone until you resolve that issue from your past.”
His pronouncement hit Faelan hard in the chest. “But I can’t undo what happened,” he protested. “Are you claiming I have no future as an effective Dominant because of it?”
Marquis sat back in his chair. “You are controlled by that darkness you cradle inside you. Until you come to terms with it, you will never advance. I did not see clearly how bound you truly are until today.”
Faelan swallowed down his feelings of defeat. As appointed guardian over Brie, his only focus had to be ensuring her protection. “Thank you for allowing me to observe the session,” he stated, abruptly standing up. “I would converse further, but it’s important I secure the resources Durov has allotted to me.”
Faelan had only one mission—to ensure that Lilly never touched Brie again. It gave him a sense of purpose now that his future as a Dom had been put into question.
“Of course,” Marquis agreed, getting up to see him out. “You do what needs to be done, but I caution you not to lose yourself in your execution of it. There is no point in sacrificing your life in an attempt to blot out the past.”
It unsettled Faelan how perceptive Marquis was proving to be.
The Plan
“Mr. Wallace, I have it on good authority that Lilly will attempt an escape right after the birth of her child,” the man hired to watch over Brie informed him.
“Oh really…” Faelan raised an eyebrow and smiled, pleased that he was being given an opportunity to exact his own brand of revenge on the woman.
“How would you like us to proceed, sir?”
“Let her escape, but we will intercept her. I want that woman to experience a taste of what she had planned for Brie.”
“Torture?” His question was asked matter-of-factly.
“Not in the physical sense. You will abduct her after she escapes, but I want her to experience the fear of being hunted down. Drag it out so that she is terrified when you finally capture her.”
“When the time comes, it will be my pleasure to do so,” he told Faelan, explaining, “Putting brutal people in their place is tremendously satisfying to me.”
Faelan nodded, impressed with the men Rytsar had chosen to serve under him. They seemed to be vigilantes with a strong sense of justice. Men he could relate to.
“Now that I know her plans, I can make arrangements for her next imprisonment.” Faelan smiled to himself as he began formulating how he wou
ld subdue Brie’s greatest threat.
Faelan headed directly to the hospital with the news. He needed to speak to Davis about his ideas. Although what he had in mind was extreme, Faelan was confident he would get Davis’s consent once he explained the depth and meaning behind it.
Walking into the hospital room, however, he was confronted with the sight of a camera crew around Davis’s bed. He’d unknowingly walked into an interview, given by one of the popular female LA news reporters.
Faelan looked over at Brie, who was in the corner watching. She just shrugged and gestured him to join her where she stood.
“…I know it must have been a terrible shock given what happened yesterday, but let me tell you how happy we are to see you are recovering, Sir Davis. The entire community has been pulling for you ever since the plane crash.” The reporter smiled at Thane as she pushed the mic close to his mouth, waiting for a response.
The fierceness in Davis’s eyes as he stared into the camera left no doubt of his state of mind, even though his words were only above a whisper. “I demand Rytsar Durov’s safe return.”
She nodded, her smile disappearing as she agreed. “Hopefully the men who abducted him are watching now. If they are, what would you want to say?”
“No harm or there will be conseque—” He began coughing, so the reporter took the mic back and smiled at the camera.
“In case you didn’t get that, you are expected to deliver Rytsar Durov back here unharmed.”
Brie started to move toward her husband, obviously concerned for his health, but she stopped when she heard the reporter say, “Sir Davis, you are considered a hero around our news station.”
Stepping back beside Faelan, Brie listened with interest.
“After hearing little Lucinda share how you saved her that day, the city was inspired to give you an award for your compassion and bravery.”
One of the cameramen handed her a gold plaque, which she promptly displayed in front of the lens before showing it to Davis.
He stared at the reporter with a stunned expression, ignoring the plaque. Tears came to his eyes as he said hoarsely, “She survived?”