Page 8 of Plug and Tame

“What the fuck are you doing?” she yelled, trying to get away from him as panic set in.

His hold tightened, his fingers digging into her shoulder muscles. “Shh, calm yourself.”

“Let me go!” she screamed, kicking as hard as she could at the air, trying to throw him off balance. She threw her head around to look at Byron and Mary. “Why aren’t you helping me?!”

“Because, darling, he’s not our enemy,” Mary said gently.

“Well, he’s fucking mine!” she spat.

“We’re just going to have a conversation,” Nathaniel explained, dragging her towards the entrance of the cave.

“I have nothing to say to you, fuckface!”

He ignored her insult. “You can do the listening, then.”

“If you think I’m going to listen to what you have to s-”

Her voice cut off as a firm, rubbery object was forced into her mouth, and as the collar tightened around her neck, she realised too late that Nathaniel had gagged her.

He appeared in front of her, tugging sharply on a leash, the rope visible for only a second as he tucked it inside his cloak. He’d removed the rope so quickly she hadn’t even noticed it was gone, and as for the gag, she reacted the only way that made sense.

She screamed as if her throat was on fire, and even the gag could not quieten the noise.

“You will listen to what I have to tell you,” Nathaniel said, his words eerie like a winter chill as he dragged her into the cave. “But first, I will take what I need from you.”

Kira threw a desperate glance back at Mary and Byron, but the couple were standing motionless by the fire.

Doing nothing to help her.

She yelled, her words garbled like a madman’s, and she watched in horror as Byron turned away, as if he couldn’t bear to watch her plight. Sorrow and disbelief built up in her chest, shredding the remaining tissue of her heart.

And then the darkness of the cave swallowed them whole, dousing her rage until the only emotion she had left was stark fear.

Nathaniel took her deeper into its depths until the bright entrance was out of sight.

Kira stopped screaming, partly because the cave amplified her voice in a terrifying echo, and also because she was too busy trying to suck in air past the gag. But she fought Nathaniel every step of the way, and his laboured breathing made her cling to the hope that she could overpower him in his weakened state.

She tried to morph, but Nathaniel yanked her hair painfully, interrupting the process.

“Not now, pet,” he said in a ragged voice. “Not now.”

They came to a standstill in the pitch-black, her entire body clammy and paralysed with dread as her heart thumped sickeningly in her chest.

“I just want to talk,” Nathaniel whispered into her ear, loosening the gag. “Be a good girl and show me how quiet you can be.”

She gasped for breath as the collar and gag fell away, wheezing and spitting excess saliva out. Her body was shaking, but she froze as he gently brushed her hair off her shoulder.

“Please,” she whimpered. The word sounded small and useless in the dark void where the only one who heard her was him. The quiet, meek wolf of her personality took over as the strong one receded. “Please, Nathaniel,” she repeated, “you said you wouldn’t bite me again.”

“I made no such promise.” His lips grazed her neck as he spoke, sending chills through her. “What I said was that feeding from you again would represent love.” He dragged his hand through her hair, his fingers snagging the knots as his grip tightened, forcing her head to tilt back. “And make no mistake, Kira, I might be hungry and an inch from death, but this will mean something to me…because I am hopelessly, desperately in love with you.”

She couldn’t see him, but she could feel his breath on her throat, and the sensual brush of his lips.

“Forgive me,” he murmured.

Her vision flashed white with hot pain as sharp fangs pierced her skin.

Chapter 4