Page 84 of The Claiming

“If you insist. Anything for you.”

As I release her, she pushes me back sharply and as I stumble, she giggles. “I’ll race you. The last one back is the other one’s slave for a week.”

As she sprints toward the open trap door, something metal catches my attention as my flashlight falls to the shadows. As I bend down, I notice a huge iron key and when I look up, a broad smile spreads across my face.

Well, well. I shake my head and as I place the key in the lock of the huge iron door, I know exactly who is about to win this challenge. As I turn the lock and push the door open, I can’t wait to see her face when she crawls out of that tunnel, straight into slavery.

FORTY-TWO

CASSIE

Fuck, I am so turned on I almost can’t crawl straight. Frankie is the darkest part of my soul and extremely bad for my health. There is no way he can beat me, though. This tunnel is only big enough for one person at a time to crawl through it and I chuckle to myself as I imagine exactly how he will serve me.

Definitely breakfast in bed, lots of coffee throughout the day and my laundry. Yes, that would be revenge at its finest. Then there’s the sex I will demand from him. Delicious, depraved sex, right from his twisted imagination.

He is unpredictable, wickedly dark and corrupt to the bone, and I wouldn’t want him any other way.

As I crawl on my hands and knees with the flashlight in my teeth, I can’t wait to be the master of a man like him.

It doesn’t take long before I crawl out from the tunnel and as I stand, a hand snatches mine as if from nowhere.

Instinctively, I fight back, which is something I excel at, and I raise my arm sharply upwards and then back and as the assailant’s grip loosens, I kick his feet out from under him. He stumbles and I prepare to land a sharp blow on his back, but he returns the favor and kicks my feet so I tumble to the ground on all fours. As he reaches me, I roll to the side and land a swift kick in his groin and his muffled groan tells me I scored a direct hit.

I move fast but not fast enough as a hand grips my ankle and pulls me crashing to the floor. My face hits the stone and I taste dirt on my tongue and before I can react, a body lands on top of mine, pinning me to the ground.

I raise my head and head butt him in the nose and his grunt of pain gives me the chance to wriggle out from under him.

As I move, he grasps my hair, which brings tears to my eyes and then something metal closes around my wrists behind my back.

I open my mouth to scream but a fist lands inside it and then a dark voice whispers, “Is this the way a slave behaves with her master?”

Fuck! Frankie’s dark voice surrounds me as he says huskily, “You can attack me all you like when we’re back at the house. I thrive on pain. It makes me horny, but the others will be arranging a search party if we don’t make it back at the agreed time.”

He spins me around, removes his fist and captures my objection in his soul stealing mouth. I kiss him back fiercely, so turned on now I know who it is and when we finally come up for air, I growl, “How the fuck did you get here before me?”

He dangles the iron key before my disbelieving eyes and grins. “I found the key, by the way.”

“You cheated!” My eyes flash as he shakes his head. “On the ground, after you fled. Sometimes it pays to be the tortoise rather than the hare. It can throw up a few surprises.”

He helps me to my feet and I stare at the iron door in fascination as he reveals the steps leading down into the passageway below.

“Do you think the centurion dropped the key?”

My eyes widen in awe as I stare at the open door and he shakes his head. “No. The way it clung to the ground tells me it hasn’t moved for some time. I’m guessing centuries. When I opened it, the door was stiff and almost unyielding but it makes things a lot easier now the key is in my possession.”

“How?”

I’m confused and his wicked grin is infectious as he says in a dark whisper, “The next Claiming will be even more devilish. Imagine the fun we could have plotting the challenge.”

I shake my head. “You are enjoying every second of this.”

“Says the girl who shares my new obsession. You see, Cassie, this is when life gets very interesting.”

He smirks. “So, if you’ll behave, it will be easier to unshackle you so you can crawl back the way we came.”

As he removes the cuffs, he links his fingers with mine and as we crawl through the stone opening into the main chamber, the shock on Santi and Ali’s faces causes us to laugh out loud.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Ali says incredulously and Santi adds, “Where are the others?”

---