Andrew
Her soft snores alert me that she’s asleep before anything else. Clutching her tight, I continue to lay in the water until it starts to turn tepid. I don’t want to put her back in the cage. I want her right by my side where I can touch her throughout the night, assure myself that she’s still with me.
Careful not to jostle her, I reach up to hit the alarm for Angela. She bustles in, concern lining her face that eases a touch when she sees Chastity asleep in my arms. “Please prepare our bed. I’m afraid I’ve made quite a mess.”
Smirking, she turns around to grab a few towels for us before heading out the door. While she cleans up the room, I lean forward to drain the water, waiting until all of it to be gone before lying Chastity back into the tub so I can dry off. I run the towel down her limbs, marveling at how small and delicate she is. I’ve always known this, but tonight, it hits me even more. She may think she’s weak, but she’s as fierce as a lioness.
I scoop her up into my arms, holding her as tight as I dare. She’s still so fragile. So cold. Maybe with William officially out of the picture, she can focus on healing and getting stronger. My fingers dig into her, just a touch, anchoring her to me. A snarl of possessiveness lodges in my throat as I carry her into the room. I’d love to see anyone try to pry her away again. Just being away from her for that long was enough to tell me that I can’t live without her.
Laying her down on the bed, I pause, looking at the cage underneath. She will probably be more comfortable there, but dammit, there’s a part of me that wants to be selfish and keep her by my side. At least for tonight. Who am I kidding? If I had my way, she’d never go back into that thing unless I had to leave for a conference and couldn’t take her with me. I want her melded to my side where I can feel her breathing in the middle of the night, touch her and reassure myself that she’s still here.
She burrows deeper into the sheets, and I finalize my resolve to keep her in bed with me. Going around to the other side, I slip in between the sheets and pull her against my chest. Her fingers drift over me, finally settling over my heart. The small smile that crosses her face as she sighs in contentment unravels the last of the bands, letting me really breathe for the first time that night.
Closing my eyes, I slide my lips over her crown, breathing her scent deep into my lungs. She fits perfectly with me. Her slight frame hugs mine as if she were made for me. I’m not stupid enough to believe in soulmates or happy ever afters, but I’m willing to believe that she is perfect for me.
I’m about to slip into sleep when my eyes snap back open. Normally we don’t have to worry about condoms with our other submissives because they’ve been tested and put on birth control. I’ve been so worried about her physical health that her birth control slipped my mind completely. Once James gave me a negative panel result, I thought that was the end.
My hand slides down to cover her stomach, rage at William filling my being. There’s a high probability that she’s not pregnant from this one time, given that her cycle still hasn’t started back up, but the fact that he injured her in such a way that it would have put a baby in danger - it’s almost too enraging to think about.
Her soft whimpers as she settles into my touch, almost unmans me. I drift my hand over her stomach in lazy circles, wondering what it would be like to have a child. Would Chastity even want one? Quick on the heels of that thought is the extreme fear of something going wrong. True medicine has come a long way, but it wasn’t infallible. If something happened to her or our child, I don’t think I’d ever forgive myself.
I’ll wait to have this talk with her, but the idea of putting her on another chemical or even wearing a condom repulses me. Until now, I never even thought of having a child, but now that there’s a real possibility, I can’t stop obsessing over it.
* * *
The soft,incessant buzzing of my alarm forces me to pry my eyes open. If there wasn’t so much to do today, I’d just let myself sleep. My arms are still full of Chastity, and I smile at her disheveled hair and lips slightly parted in a soft snore. No, she’s not glamorous right now, but she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Easing my arm out from under her, I stare down at the bruises, noting how they look a bit worse this morning. William got off easy. I don’t care how Grigori and Sergei finished him off; it was still not enough.
Leaning down, I plant feather-light kisses over her purple cheeks, bending further to kiss the bruises on her arms, abdomen, and legs. It’s difficult, but I drag myself away so I can get dressed, but before I leave the room, I grab the camera from out of the cage and attach it to the top of my bed. Pulling out my phone, I open the app and smile.
James sits at my breakfast table, waiting for me. I knew he wouldn’t be the type to just stay in bed either. He has other patients that depend on him. Chastity isn’t in any danger, so there’s no point in keeping him here.
“Enjoying my waffles?”
“I believe you mean Jerry’s waffles. These things are fantastic! I’ve got to get a live-in chef. It would make everything so much simpler.”
We lapse into an awkward silence as he finishes his food. The smacking and moans are near obscene as he all but licks his plate. As I wait for him to finish making out with the lump of flour and eggs, I formulate my thoughts. I know what I want to accomplish tonight; I just don’t know how to go about it.
“I want to initiate and claim Chastity tonight.” That gets his attention.
Setting down his fork, he looks at me and raises an eyebrow. “Kinda hard to claim her when you can’t….”
“We worked through that barrier last night. I do think she rather enjoyed it.”
Snorting, James eats his last bit and leans back in his chair. “So then, why come to me? It sounds like you have everything worked out.”
“Almost. I have to talk to John about a different matter and want to bring up the ceremony. I do have a few caveats I’d like to put forth, and I want you as a backup in case he won’t just take my word for it.”
“Really depends on the caveats.”
“I don’t want anyone touching her during her initiation, and I want her to wear a blindfold.”
James takes a drink as I’m speaking and nearly spits it out. “Are you kidding me? Do you really think anyone, much less John, is going to go for that? On what grounds?”
“You were the first to examine her. I thought you, of all people, would know how triggering this could be.”
“As one professional to another, I’ll always have your back, but as a fellow member, I’ll be the first to tell you that it sounds like you want your cake and want to eat it too. You’re always the first one to fuck with someone else’s submissive. Do you think Jeremy will take kindly to you making this stipulation? You practically marked Melody in front of the whole assembly. You think he’s going to just stand by and not do the same?”
“Trust me, Jeremy will have more to worry about than that. Besides, they’re sisters. It would be almost incestuous. Not technically, mind you, but in all practicalities.”
“Whatever. You’ll be the one to deal with John. I’ll back you up if needed. I want to make it very clear that I’m doing this for her. Not for you. You can go to hell.”
“I assure you the love is mutual.”
Smirking, James reaches into his pocket and pulls out a few packets and a brochure. “I’ve already given some to Jerry since he does all the cooking around here, but I thought you’d want to read up on this too. It’s a powder that can be added to food to help Chastity put on some weight. I know it’s something that concerns you. Again, just making sure my patient is well taken care of.”
Nodding, I scoop up the items and reach out my hand, half expecting him not to take it. But he does, giving me a hearty handshake. “Thank you. Truly. I will never forget your help with Chastity.”
James returns the nod and heads out, leaving me with my thoughts. Only one thing left to do. Pulling out my phone, I open our app and shoot a message off to John. Hopefully, Jeremy has done the right thing and already confessed to what his submissive has done, but if he feels even a fraction towards Melody what I feel for Chastity, he will protect her at all costs.
I jog back towards the bedroom, wanting to be the first thing Chastity sees when she wakes up. Pulling over a soft chair, I settle in and watch her. John replies back, and of course, Jeremy didn’t say a word. A frisson of anger coils up my spine, making me see red for just a moment. This wasn’t some gaff, some faux pas, that can be brushed to the side. His submissive’s actions caused harm to mine.
As I wait for John to get Jeremy’s side of the story, I gather Chastity’s clothes for today. I need her to understand that nothing has changed between us. I will still guide her and give her the structure she needs to thrive. I will still pamper her and cherish her. There will still be punishments; that will never stop, but she will grow from them.
Her eyes flutter open after a moment or two, and she gives a large stretch, putting her breasts on full display. My mouth waters as I watch her, and I want nothing more than to climb in bed and continue what we started last night. But I can’t. I cannot allow her to feel as if our rituals and protocols don’t even matter. It will undermine everything I’ve been building with her.
She watches me for a moment until I walk over to the edge of the bed. I can see the wheels in her brain as they turn. She’s wondering if things will really go back to the status quo. I give her ten seconds to come to me before I point to the floor at a spot in front of my feet. Eyes widening, she scrambles off the bed and rushes to get into position.
“Why did you hesitate?”