“Are you sure about this?” Kit interjects.
“Yes,” I say, not looking away from Raider.
Raider surges up, calm, deadly, and intense, but it doesn’t make me waver, not even a little bit.
“Take off your clothes.”
I stare at him.
“Wait, why does she need her clothes off?” Callan protests.
“It’s necessary,” Raider murmurs, but he can sense the intent in me. I know it. He knows what I need.
I slip off my jacket, throwing it on the couch beside Wren.
The tension in the room rackets up. Wren sits up, twisting to watch me.
Raider walks up the stairs slowly, not glancing back but giving me an out. I feel each step in my bones. I quietly strip out of my clothes and stand there staring at the wall, refusing to be drawn into the hushed argument that is going on between Kit and Callan.
Raider’s footsteps on the stairs make a noise that startles me. I turn towards him as he approaches with a bag in his hands.
“If you want to stop, you’re going to say what?”
I smirk at him. “Demons.”
Raider’s eyes flash. “Fine. If your skin starts to change colour too much or tingle, you’re going to tell me, and we’re going to undo it. Immediately. I’m not joking. This isn’t something to be messed around with.”
“You left me tied up before.”
“And that was very wrong of me, but I checked those knots, and you and I both know you could have gotten out of them.”
I haven’t admitted to that, and I didn’t expect him to call me on it.
Callan and Kit fall silent, shocked by his admission.
“You like being restrained,” Raider murmurs. “You can let go when you know someone else will take care of you.”
I don’t agree. I don’t need to. He knows what I need.
I cock my head to the side as he approaches me and puts the bag he’s carrying on the table. Wren grabs the table and pulls it out of the way so there’s a large space in front of the lounge.
Raider walks around me. I notice the coil of red rope in his hand.
“That’s not what you used last time.”
“No, it’s not. Last time, I used a cotton rope with a faux satin appearance. This is jute rope. Specifically designed for this.”
I swallow hard but don’t look away.
“You want to know how to tie someone up properly? Are you going to do everything I say?”
I nod. “Yes, Alpha.”
His eyes flare. “Ryann?”
I step closer to him and look him in those beautiful blue-green eyes that I love so much. “I’m sure about this. I want to try it.”
“But you don’t want me to teach you, do you? Be honest or I’m not going forward. This requires trust, Ryann.”