The Brink (Unbroken Raine Falling 3)

Dominance. Control. Peace.

Drawing the flogger back, Hammer landed the heavy falls across her pale flesh in a steady, throbbing rhythm again. And again. And again. Time lost all meaning, measured only by each deliberate stroke and the subtle jerk of her body.

Her soft moans echoed around him, coalesced in his brain, and pulsed through his body. Each second sharpened with crystal clarity, magnifying the rising energy inside him. Nothing else mattered. No one else existed. Time stood still for this one moment.

“Tell me where you’re at?” Hammer asked, his voice rough and husky.

“In the clouds,” Raine sighed, her tone laced with serenity.

“Go farther, precious. Sail past the stars,” Hammer demanded softly. “I’ll bring you back when it’s time.”

As he continued to strike her ass with the wide falls, he looked for any signs of distress and found none. Her ass was a pretty red. Neither her hands nor feet looked purple. All good.

Her dreamlike moans amplified his senses. Hammer reviewed the scene—what he’d done, how she’d responded mentally, emotionally, physically. Though he still focused on her with a keen hyperawareness, Raine no longer reacted to the flogger landing on her flesh.

He’d never taken her to subspace before, and the power she’d willingly ceded ignited every cell in Hammer’s body. He held tight to the priceless trust she’d placed in his hands and fought the urge to slide out of his own head, into Dom space. Once he’d learned the submissive in her well enough, after he knew her every reaction… Yes, then he’d slide into his own delicious place and fully consume her power as he sent her even beyond the stars.

That day would come. Soon.

“Are you still with me, precious?” he murmured, watching her eyes gently flutter.

“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly.

“That’s my beautiful girl,” he praised.

Sending the flogger over her already fiery red flesh, he could feel her slip away almost as tangibly as if she slowly released his clutching hand.

“She’s gone,” Seth finally murmured softly.

“Excellent.” Hammer smiled but didn’t stop.

Mesmerized by the give of her flesh beneath the falls and the deepening red of her backside, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He’d given her what she needed, had crafted a quiet place inside her mind where she could escape the chaos.

Keeping her suspended in that peaceful euphoria as long as he dared, Macen finally laid the flogger aside.

Staring at her welted flesh, he fixated on the slick cream coating her pussy. Raine called to every primal cell in his body. She had surrendered herself mind, body, soul—and it still wasn’t enough. He needed more.

Own.

Take.

Claim.

Bending, he kissed the hot flesh of her ass, felt the throb of it beneath his lips. The need to feel her soft pussy surrounding his cock had him gritting his teeth. Not here. Not yet. He’d enjoy the razor’s edge of need just a bit longer. When she was ready… Oh, he’d gorge on her.

Tormenting himself further, he uncuffed her ankles, then laved the rippling welts across her skin. He tasted her heat, gently bit into it, before begrudgingly lifting his lips from her blistering flesh.

Hammer stood and moved to the front of the bench and quickly freed her wrists. Raine still didn’t move—didn’t flinch—even when he brushed his fingers over her cheek and through her hair.

Placid and free, she floated in the safe haven of subspace, somewhere far away from everyone, especially Gwyneth and the problems the bitch had wrought.

Like a slow-rising wave, pride rolled over Hammer. He’d taken her there, dissolved her worries and fears, and given her the sweet gift of peace.

His chest expanded. He couldn’t suck in air fast enough as he breathed through his urge to let loose a primal roar. Instead, he clenched his jaw and gently lifted his limp beauty from the bench.

As he turned, he was almost startled to see the crowd still gathered, still staring, approval all over their faces.

Cradling Raine close to his chest, he held her for a long moment, simply gazing at the peace on her face. Then Hammer turned and walked out of the dungeon, intending to bring her back gently and sate a few cravings of his own.

Beck met Liam in the car park and ushered him through a doctors’ entrance that led to the emergency room. As they walked the maze of corridors, he updated Liam on Kyle’s progress.

“I don’t really know more than what I said on the phone,” Beck offered. “But like I said earlier, we give priority to babies, especially when they projectile vomit green and we can’t find any obvious cause.”

Liam didn’t like the sound of that. “So it’s serious?”

“Could be a sign of a liver problem or a twisted stomach,” Beck replied. “Both can be deadly in infants if they aren’t caught early enough. Those are worst-case scenarios, of course. Hopefully, it’ll turn out to be something more benign, but we won’t know without further testing.”