Caged By Them (Descent Into Darkness 1)

“Sorry, I’ve been—preoccupied.” He chuckled and took a step back. “What’s going on?”

“Josef Weber.” I turned to face him when he closed the door. “That’s what’s going on. He came to see me.”

“Did he bow his head in submission?” Reynard walked over and took a seat on his couch.

“No! He threatened me.” I shook my head back and forth. “We missed something—there’s no way he’s bluffing.”

“Maybe bluffs are all he has left.” Reynard shrugged. “We’ve decimated his business at this point. Even if it stretched us a little thin, we’ve got the capital to cover it.”

“Something doesn’t feel right—it’s in my gut.” I shook my head angrily. “I just don’t think we’ve got the full picture. He mentioned an arrangement with Wyatt—did you know anything about that?”

“No.” Reynard blinked in surprise. “I know Wyatt dealt with Josef Weber regularly in Chicago, but there was no arrangement that I’m aware of.”

“I think we need to look closer at the Chicago branch. Abigail is pulling the data right now.” I growled under my breath.

“Let me go dig through that shit. You look like you need a drink anyway.” Reynard stood to his feet. “Stay here—enjoy yourself—maybe play with my toy?”

I didn’t really have any interest in the girl in the cage, but I definitely needed a drink. I fixed one while Reynard got ready to go into the office. I was so angry that I wasn’t sure I would find anything helpful in a stack of papers—I wasn’t sure Reynard could find anything either, but he was the one that started the mess with Josef Weber, so he could be the one to fix it—fuck if I knew what he could be getting at with his threat. I definitely didn’t think it was a bluff—that was for damn sure.

“Alright, I’ll call you if I find anything.” Reynard walked back into the living room and slid on his jacket.

“Okay.” I sat down on the couch and sighed.

Once Reynard left, I looked around the living room. It was hard to believe Reynard’s house was the same one I grew up in. It was almost gutted by his renovations. I moved out as soon as I could, but Reynard stayed—stayed until our father died, and then he erased every bit of the man who raised us. I couldn’t blame Reynard for that. Our father was a vicious man, and Reynard got the worst of it. Dad never stopped blaming Reynard for our mother’s death, even though Reynard wasn’t directly responsible—unless being born was a crime.

Maybe I should have done more—maybe he wouldn’t have become the kind of guy to put a woman in a cage if I hadn’t been so consumed with learning the business when he was surviving our father’s rage.

I walked over to the screen that showed Lizzy in her cage. It had been so long since a woman had graced my bed that the sight of her naked body made my cock take notice—especially since I knew I could have her. Reynard rarely shared his toys, and even when he offered, I never took him up on it. Something about Josef Weber’s visit though—the emotions I fought to control—they were making the beast want to come out and play. I looked at the stack of papers next to the monitor. Reynard had been through them so many times that they were starting to wrinkle.

All of these promises. She’ll have to make good on all of them before he lets her go—if he does. I really don’t know what will happen when the last one is finally fulfilled.

I picked up the stack and started shuffling through them. I was surprised by some of the fantasies the guys had cooked up. I considered myself dominant, but they had creative imaginations. Towards the middle of the stack, I found one that caught my eye. I read through the chat logs from Lizzy’s discussion with a guy named Paul and found myself mesmerized for a moment. He might as well have been typing out some of my darkest thoughts—things that turned me on—things that I had rarely shared, even with the submissive women who shared my bed. I stared at the piece of paper for a moment, then looked at the screen.

I could have this—with her. She’s going to have to do it eventually anyway, and I’m not sure Reynard will enjoy this nearly as much as I would.

My cock throbbed in my pants. I never thought I would consider using Lizzy as my toy. The beast was just pushing at my

seams. It wanted her the same way Reynard did. It demanded her—and I wasn’t sure I could fight the desire. I turned off the camera on her cage. I wasn’t going to let Reynard see me play with his toy, even if he had enough time to look while he was at the office. The reality was—she was as much mine as she was his. We both took her—she signed a contract that included me, even if I wasn’t originally planning to take part in what he was doing to make her fulfill her promises.

I guess I can give into my darkness—just once. I’m not sure I would ever go this far with someone else, even if they wanted it.

I walked down the hall to Reynard’s playroom—ironically enough, it was the room that was once our father’s bedroom. I knew Reynard didn’t choose that room by happenstance. If our father’s ghost still roamed the earth, then he was doomed to watch others suffer at Reynard’s hands. I found what I was looking for and walked to the room where Lizzy was caged. The turmoil surged inside me as I clutched the piece of paper with her promise in my hand.

I guess I’m no better than Reynard. Not today at least.

Lizzy

My night with Reynard had been rather incredible. He ravaged my body and took what he wanted, but it was like a piece of my soul had been claimed in the process. I felt connected to him, yet I knew I couldn’t dare to let myself believe that was reality. I was nothing more than a toy—a body to be used for his pleasure as my promise-debt was paid. It was scary to think that I was starting to enjoy his cruelty—to look at the cage as my home instead of my prison. If I gave him my soul, I wasn’t sure I would recover—nor was I sure I would be able to leave when the final piece of my debt was paid.

Yet there are still things I don’t know—a question I can’t ask about Wyatt. Each day that passes without an answer to that burning question fills me with even more terror.

The door opened, and I looked up, expecting to see Reynard. For a moment, I wondered if he didn’t actually go to work when he rushed me to finish my bath and get back in the cage. But it wasn’t Reynard standing there—it was his brother, Mauro. He had a piece of paper in his hand—one of my promises. Had he come to collect? Reynard said he could, but he had shown me nothing but kindness. My eyes drifted to his left hand, which was holding a wooden paddle. That wasn’t an implement of kindness. I scurried to the back of my cage as I thought about the one guy that had mentioned using one on me—a man who had as much cruelty in his heart as Reynard.

“Out of your cage.” Mauro unlocked the door and took a step back.

I wasn’t allowed to speak. The gag was back in my mouth. All I could do was obey. I crawled forward and looked up at him—seeing a reflection in his eyes that held no hint of the kindness he had shown me before. He was going to hurt me. I had been a fool to believe there was any kindness in him. He was still dangerous—still part of the plan that put me in the cage. Whatever quelled those desires for so long no longer kept his darkness at bay.

“I assume you remember this promise.” He dropped the paper on the ground in front of me.