Page 8 of 8-Bit & Cat

“Nervous, Kitten?”

Cat nearly jumped out of her skin at AL’s humored question.

“You scared theshitout of me!” She climbed on as he chuckled. “You be nice!” she whispered.

“You’re ready for this.”

She did her best to settle into the sleek chair at the center of the room. The curved arms adjusted automatically, fitting like it already knew her shape. The glasses sat beside her, a simple device—thin, unassuming. Nothing about it hinted at the world she was entering.

AL guided her patiently with precise node placements, then, “And now the glasses,” he coaxed.

She swallowed hard and put them on.

Darkness. Then light. Then—

“Oh shit,” she gasped, now standing. Not in the room she’d first entered.

She looked around at the large space filled with opulent red and black decor. The smell of tobacco and cherries and something else she didn’t know but wanted to, hung in the air. She closed her gaping mouth and swallowed, eyeing the dark walls, wondering where the flickering light on its stone surface came from.

Everything around her suddenly felt sharper. Heightened. Then she felt him.

Spinning around, her breath caught in her throat at finding a tall figure at the far end of the room, facing her.Shit. Here we go.

Her heart hammered when he moved. Oh God. He was coming.

With every stop he took, the room around her changed. She wanted to look and see but his hard, bright stare gripped her tight. Halfway, she saw he wore fitted leather pants and gloves, his etched muscular torso crossed by leather straps in an X.

Dear God.

Dark hair reached his shoulders and a leather mask covered his lower face, illuminating those flashing eyes. Green she finally saw.

Her mouth was bone dry from all her gasping. Six feet away, his pace suddenly slowed to something ghostly and drifting. And then he was there, directly in front of her. Two heads taller and requiring her to look up into eyes that reminded her of untouched moss set on fire. The beauty was striking and strangled the air right from her lungs.

“Kitten,” he murmured.

Her throat let out a small squeak at recognizing the voice. “A-AL?” she gasped, needing to know.

“Here, I am Zero-Sum,” he said, his eyes indicating he might have smiled. “You may call me Zero.” His gloved fingers wrapped around her hand, the sensation so real it nearly choked her. “Welcome to our Dungeon. Are you ready for me to take you to the Crucible Chamber?”

Her mouth moved with attempted questions while sputtering out gasps.

“That’s where your lessons will be given,” he explained, his voice smiling as his eyes lowered slowly over her. The second they did, shefeltwhat she wore. Red leather bodice, and matching panties with red spiked heels. She even remembered putting them on!

Just an illusion. Just an illusion.

His gaze found its way back to hers and there was nothing illusionary about it. His gloved thumb barely stroked over her cheek. “You have nothing to fear in here, Kitten.”

He turned and kept hold of her hand, leading her. Only two steps and the next room came to them, melting into the existing one until only varying shades of black décor surrounded them. The sight of a single, leather straight back chair in the center of the room drop-kicked her courage, bringing the instinct to yank her hand from his and run. Instead, she gripped his fingers tighter, earning her a smoldering green glance over his shoulder.

With every step, more furniture came into view or materialized, she wasn’t sure which. Was almost like the room was being dreamed up as they went.

He released her hand, but his fingers took their time leaving hers. He turned and faced her, and she stood with fistsat her side, desperate to look around to see what else was there, what awaited her.

She realized he seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone?

Oh God. Big G? Did he also have a body in here? Why in God’s merciful holy name did they not think towarnher of that?

Probably because it’s not supposed to be a big freaking deal. Settle the hell down.

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