Page 11 of In Prey We Trust

“I give up, baby girl. Show me where you’re hiding the good time and I’ll reward you,” I growl softly. My finger trails over her cheek and down her neck, stopping at a pink ribbon choker with a glowing amulet on it. “Oh, good. Monsieur Maudlin’s trinket will make sure I don’t have to shred this cute little outfit.”

Her nose wrinkles, but she cocks her head at a nondescript looking pink file cabinet next to her desk. “Over there. And you’d better not tear up all my underwear this year, Fitz Khan, because there’s no need for it.”

Walking over to her sin bin, I open it and grin broadly before I respond. “Baby girl, I enjoy destroying your shit and you’re free to replace anything you want—on us. I’ll open a fucking charge at that fancy string and lace place.”

She huffs, but I can feel the smile on her face. “Fine. You can all contribute. That way it’s fair.”

Turning back to her with a bottle of lube and a blindfold, I shrug. “Khan money is Khan, babe. But you’re going to have to ride the scaly coaster before you ask Scrooge McDragon to pony up.”

Her eyes widen as I approach with my selections, and she swallows hard. I can smell her excitement and the honeysuckle scent I’ve missed makes my tiger push hard against my skin. Stalking closer, I lean in, putting my forehead against hers for a minute. Sweet Aphrodite, this girl makes me lose control. When I pull back, I wink playfully, tilting my head at the bed. Her tiny grin spreads as she scampers over, touching that damn stone and melting her damn clothes away without a word.

“That asshole,” I mutter under my breath. Dolly laughs as I grumble, but I don’t move to her bed yet. She’s got some amateur hour restraint stuff in there, but I’m not using that on her. She doesn’t know it’s dangerous and I won’t risk teaching her bad habits. Spotting something serviceable holding back her curtains, I deviate in that direction and whip the ties off her drapes.

Which, if you’re wondering, the carpet matches, even if my girl’s doesn’t currently.

“Are you… sniggering at yourself?” she asks in amusement.

I shrug, making my way back to where she’s reclining like a damn offering to the old gods—all smooth skin and pink nipples and magical hair. “Maybe. I’m here for my amusement, baby girl, even if no one else is laughing. Now, climb up there like a good girl and put your wrists by those iron posts.”

“Fitz!” she hisses with wide eyes. “Bondage? I have handcuffs; you don’t have to steal from the decor.”

Shaking my head, I hold up the soft material. “This is better. Your stuff is… not regulation, let’s say. And as someone new to this, plus a newer shifter, you’ll end up bruising yourself. Felix would murder me if I taught you bad BDSM habits from the beginning.”

Her features pinch in an expression I know means she’s worried she’ll screw up, but she nods. Biting her lower lip as she settles in against her enormous pile of pillows, my girl does exactly as I asked. “Okay. Now what?”

The trusting look in her eyes blows me the fuck away, and I will never let her down.

“I’m going to bind your wrists and put on the blindfold, then we’ll play, baby girl. While I’m doing that, I want you to pick a safe word. Do you know what that is?” I smile when she nods, crossing to take her hand in mine before I start. “Tell me with words. I need words when we do this because consent is very important in this world.”

“Yes. I mean, yes, I know. It should be a word I say that really means to stop—for whatever reason—and it has to be something I wouldn’t normally say, so it doesn’t slip out,” she replies.

Pleased, I nip one of her fingertips, loving how she shivers. “Perfect. You think about that and I’ll—”

“Oh, I know it,” she cuts in with a mischievous smirk. “My safe word is Beetlejuice. If I have to say it three times, buddy—it’s showtime.”

She catches me so off-guard that I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind. “Fuck, I love you, baby girl.”

Uh-oh. Retreat, retreat!

Her expression wars between shock and fear, so I gently take her hand and place a kiss on her palm. “Don’t have an eppy, D. It’s trippy for it to come out that way and I’ve sure as fuck never said that to anyone not Chess before, but it feels like I’m getting there, you know? So I’m not going to walk it back because it jumped out without a bunch of brain work. Got it?”

Nodding, she swallows hard before she murmurs, “I don’t know what love feels like because I thought I felt it for Todd, but… I know that’s not true now. It was a dream, but what I feel for you is real. But I don’t know how to quantify it yet. Is that okay?”

I grin, sinking my teeth lightly into the meat of her thumb. She groans and my dick twitches. Oh, yeah, I’m okay with you figuring it out, baby girl. “Absolutely. We’ll have a hell of a lot of fun along the way. Now, though, it’s time for you to learn some new tricks.”

Her lips curve and the look on her face returns to mischievous. “I love when you teach me, kitty cat.”

Oh, that’s how we’re playing it now, hmmm? Game on, baby girl.

It only takes me a moment to tie a constrictor knot around the wrought iron post. I know it’s an advanced level knot, but if she really wants out, her shift will give her plenty of strength to break this fabric. Tying a shifter up successfully, especially one with the raw power Dolly has, is almost impossible unless you have the right equipment. This is more about getting her used to the practice and allowing her to feel safe for the first time.

A deep inhale tells me my plan is working—the scent of her arousal is increasing and fuck if I can’t wait to get my hands on her. I pat her hand and walk to the other side of the bed with my super-sized woody damn near busting out of my pants. Dolly giggles as she watches, and I squint at her, pretending to chastise her. I haven’t put the blindfold on yet, but when I deprive her of her sight and her freedom, I know she’s going to be like a live wire.

“Just be still while I finish. You’re doing so well, baby girl,” I murmur softly. I’m a much less stern taskmaster than my twin, so the contrast will be startling if he gets his furry head out of his ass. Her cheeks get pink at the praise and I grin broadly while I tie her other hand. When that’s done, I lift the blindfold, and the fear flitters through her gaze again. “Do you trust me, Dolly?”

“Yes.” Her answer is so quick I barely have time to breathe.

Holy shit. Only Felix and Chess have ever said that.

---